Over the last week there’s been an outpouring of Hong Kong support from Pokmon fans on Twitter, as artists have been redesigning Pokmon in protest gear under the the hashtag #PokemonForHK.
Similarly to what fan artists did with Overwatch’s Mei, popular Pokmon are being drawn with face masks, umbrellas, flags and various symbology from the Chinese protests.
The art is being collated in a thread dubbed the Bauhinia region Pokdex – in reference to the flower on the modified version of the Hong Kong flag – and artists are drawing their interpretations of what roles the Pokmon would assume.
Bauhinia Region Pokdex No. 185
Sudowoodo camouflages itself as a tree to avoid being attacked by popos. The Pokmon’s stature means it frequently volunteers to stand in front of CCTVs to protect its friends’ identities.#PokemonforHK #Pokemon#fanart pic.twitter.com/BG046oC6FO
— uwu (@uwu_uwu_mo) November 8, 2019
#674 Pancham, playful Pokmon.
Pancham likes to look cool, so he?s trying to kick the tear gas away. Also, can?t forget his leaf! Adds 50 points to his coolness meter.#PokemonForHK #HongKong #StandWithHongKong pic.twitter.com/jJ5hCPOkQ5
— ?? ??? (@haamyu) November 7, 2019
#384 #Rayquaza #PokemonforHK
Elusive Rayquaza lives high above the clouds, only appearing in times of earthrending conflict. HKers, rest easy: this lord of the skies is watching over us!#PokemonSwordShield @Pokemon #PokemonGO #pokemonfanart #FANART #anime #ShinyPokemon pic.twitter.com/SmgrZaBfM5
— hk wuliff ? (@hkwuliff) November 6, 2019
Bauhinia Region Pokdex No.505
Watchog in the Bauhinia Region is often seen working alongside its journalist friends in the field. It is now frequently seen angry, as it doesn’t like to see its friends hurt by the popo while trying to capture the truth.#PokemonforHK #Pokemon pic.twitter.com/BtXo800Hmq
— uwu (@uwu_uwu_mo) November 11, 2019
Twitter user pikat has even made a helpful explainer for any Pokmon fans that want to get involved, explaining what certain protest symbols mean within the movement.
Hey! HKers are drawing #PokemonForHK — even if you can’t draw, we’re still grateful for your best Diglett or Ditto!
In case some of our foreign friends aren’t familiar with our protest symbols, here’s a quick summary of the common ones.#Pokemon #PokemonSwordShield pic.twitter.com/1zjQLpFvPU
— pikat ?? (@pikatl) November 6, 2019
The Hong Kong protests originally reached the gaming sphere when Blizzard banned a professional Hearthstone player for voicing his support for Hong Kong in a competition. The developer has since apologised, but hasn’t lifted the suspension, and its poor reaction to the backlash has only spurred on players of a variety of games to get involved in the Hong Kong support.
For all those who got disowned, who are overwhelmed with despair, who are desperately trying to save their city’s future, this is for you.
“They say that Togetic appears before kindhearted, caring people and showers them with happiness.”#PokemonForHK pic.twitter.com/locdplkHfS
— cym ? ?? (@kwaiflower) November 7, 2019