Suspect accused of taking trainer battles offline.

On 10 August, Hokkaido Prefectural Police arrested Kento Sato on suspicion of assaulting a 55-year-old acquaintance who was seated inside his compact car. Sato is accused of grabbing the man by his chest through the window of his car and damaging his side view mirror by kicking it.

The cause of the dispute was said to have been the smartphone game Pokémon GO. Both men were competing for control of the same gym with their respective collections of magical monsters when things got heated between the 56-year-old Sato and his victim.

This altercation may have been the result of tensions brewing over a long period of time, as both men admitted to having known each other for a few years after meeting through the game. However, if I had to play armchair criminal profiler, this sounds like someone was probably using Golden Razz Berries to constantly heal their defending Pokémon at the last moment, because that crap can be downright infuriating.

Regardless of the exact cause, Pokémon GO is never a good reason to inflict violence on another person, and most online condemned the attack as well as the overall behavior of these upper-middle-aged men.

“What the hell is going on?”
“Am I going to be like that when I turn 56?”
“Looks like a game of 56-year-old GO to jail.”
“56-year-old arrested. It’s super effective!”
“I thought Dokapon: Monster Hunter was the only game that sparked real fighting.”
“Is he a 56-year-old grade schooler?”
“Gotcha! Idiot was caught!”
“Looks like they were more into Street Fighter than Pokémon.”
“Red, Blue, and Yellow are the new gang colors.”

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with people of all ages going out and enjoying the pursuit of Pikachu and all its ilk, but I think we all need to remember the true meaning of Pokémon GO as taught by our lord and savior Ash. People like these guys are too old to remember the valuable lessons he taught us in humility by repeatedly getting his butt whipped in competitions.

Maybe a new version of the Pokémon anime should be created aimed at kids in their 50s to help foster a spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in them. I know it’s cliche to say but, I really do believe that 50-year-olds are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way.

Source: Sankei News, Itai News
Photos © SoraNews24
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