The School of Hard Knocks

Pokémon: Indigo League S1 E9, “The School of Hard Knocks”, scores 2/5 for violence, 1/5 for sex and 1/5 for language, for an overall kid-rating of 2/5 — Mild — okay from about 8+. Pokemon: Our three heroes have lost their way in the depths of a dense wood, shrouded in thick, white mist. Momentarily giving up, they decide to break for a brief rest. As Ash wanders deeper into the wood, searching for firewood, he happens across a young boy being bullied by five classmates gathered around him. Eavesdropping on their conversation, Ash learns that the boys are attending a preparatory school for Pokemon trainers. Graduates from the school are automatically qualified to participate in the Pokemon League without undergoing any actual test of skill. Ash, Misty, and Brock head to the school and don't agree with some of their ideas of training, something their "leader" doesn't take well.

Across the episode we counted 3 flagged moments in 2 themes: Violence & injury (2); Alcohol & drugs (1). Every moment below is either a direct quote from the episode transcript or a short description of what happens on screen, so you can decide before you press play.