In an attempt to deter fans excited about Sunday's release of Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2, PETA released a parody game, Pokémon Black & Blue, on Monday. (Be forewarned that the Flash game is fairly graphic, prominently featuring bloodied and bruised Pokémon, most of whom are missing body parts.)
The game's hero is a Pikachu with a chunk missing from his ear. At the beginning of the game, Pikachu escapes his trainer and starts fighting other humans in order to free their Pokémon, too. Deranged versions of characters like Ash, Cheren, and Professor Juniper appear as villains to be trounced with moves like "Shame," "Protest," and "Group Hug." There are also allies like Mudkip, who introduces himself by quoting the popular internet meme, "So I herd u liek Mudkips."
According to PETA, "If PETA existed in Unova, our motto would be: Pokémon are not ours to use or abuse. They exist for their own reasons. We believe that this is the message that should be sent to children." Pikachu, in fact, is seen waving an "I support Team Plasma" sign on PETA's site, across from a scalpel-wielding Professor Juniper. As others have pointed out, of course, showing children horribly mutilated versions of the Pokémon they love might not be the best way for PETA to spread its animal rights message.