Summary
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Pokemon TikTok is bidding a tearful farewell to fans ahead of its nationwide ban in the US on January 19, 2025.
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His last shared video is the iconic Butterfree scene from 1997, which invokes nostalgia and sadness.
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Despite the Supreme Court ruling and political opposition, hope remains for TikTok users in the US.
official Pokémon The TikTok account has said goodbye to fans ahead of the imminent nationwide ban of the video-based social media app in the United States. With one million followers and over 10 million likes in its catalog of videos, the English TikTok account for Pokémon Company Int'l dug deep into the anime series to bid its American fans a tearful farewell.
A nationwide ban on the app ordered by the United States Congress, enacted in March 2024 as an ultimatum to pressure Chinese owner ByteDance to sell its ownership of the social media platform, will take place on January 19, 2025. In despite several efforts. to preserve use of the social media app for the US public, a recent unanimous federal Supreme Court ruling on TikTok upheld Congress' decision, citing the app's “susceptibility of users to foreign adversary control.”

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In a heartfelt final farewell on TikTok's last full day before the ban, Pokemon Company International shared a similar farewell from 1997. As possibly its final act, the account shared one of its most famous and tearful moments from Pokémon anime, when Ash Ketchum and Butterfree said goodbye to each other, the former freeing the latter to live among his own kind alongside his pink companion Butterfree. The episode in which the scene occurs is only the 21st in the series, titled Bye Bye Butterfree, but it has special significance because Butterfree was the first Pokemon Ash ever caught when he was just a Caterpie. “Thanks for the memories coaches,” the post read, inviting fans to watch Pokémon on other social media platforms.
Pokemon TikTok Says Goodbye Through Sad No Butter Scene
While Ash and Butterfree have reunited 25 years later, there's still hope that TikTok users in the United States won't have such a long wait. USA Today reported that the administration of incumbent President Joe Biden does not plan to enforce the ban, which is set to take effect on his last full day in office. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, who signed an executive order banning TikTok during his first term in 2020, recently told Meet the Press that he is likely to push back the deadline by 90 days, with some political analysts speculating that it is willing to work with ByteDance to find a buyer for TikTok or preserve it through other means.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew reacted to the Supreme Court decision by praising Trump for his willingness to work with the company's management so it can continue to serve its 170 million daily users in the United States. Chew's video statement says the move is “a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship.” The initial congressional motion to ban TikTok was broadly approved by both major political parties in the House of Representatives, with Republicans approving it by a 197-15 vote and Democrats voting 155-50.

Pokémon
Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, movies, manga, merchandise, music and more.
- Created by
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Satoshi Tajiri