Random: A New Video Debunks A Long-Believed Claim About The Creator Of Pokémon

The assertion that Pokemon Creator Satoshi Tajiri is autistic has been spinning around for years to the point that franchise fans consider it a fact. Specifically, Tajiri is said to have Asperger’s Syndrome. This neurodevelopmental disorder is typically characterized by difficulties in social interaction and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

The latter characteristic is often cited as the driving force behind the creation of Pokémon. He stated that he blossomed from his obsession with beetle collecting in his youth.

YouTube channel

However, according to the popular YouTube channel Did you know gaming. The claim has never been supported by any substantial evidence. The video (above) states that all of the known claims were either completely unsourced or were deemed to be somewhat dubious.

The channel is so confident in its refutation of this widely held notion that it’s even willing to part with $350 if someone can “debunk their rebuttal.”

Pokémon Creator

One of the primary sources for the original claim is a 2009 biography titled “Satoshi Tajiri, Pokémon Creator” by Laurie Mortensen. When contacted by DidYouKnowGaming, the author stated that her source at the time was the now-defunct MySpace page for Tajiri, which explicitly referenced the “Aspie” community. However, the book’s publisher chose not to include the source code in the final product. They felt that MySpace was not suitable for young readers.

Thus, when Mortensen visited the MySpace page a few years later, there was no further mention of Asperger’s syndrome.

So the original MySpace page might have been created by someone else. Mortensen stated that she would have done research and documentation differently if she were writing the book today. DidYouKnowGaming even managed to get a few leftover tidbits from the original MySpace page. It is content further questions its legitimacy; the favorite movies section, for example, says, “I love movies. But my favorite kind is, of course, Pokémon movies that I made myself because I’m so cool.”

It’s worth watching the full video above to dive deeper into the topic. DidYouKnowGaming reached out to us to acknowledge the significant number of autistic Pokémon fans and specifically state that “this investigation was in no way meant to be snubbed. But simply to clear up misinformation that has been circulating for over a decade.”
“Maybe Tajiri is autistic, but if so, it looks like he would like to keep it a secret. However, in light of these long-standing rumors. We thought it would be appropriate to point out that there are no records of him ever saying he is.”