>>37499650>(maybe to pander to younger audiences)No, it was to pander to a GLOBAL audience.
A story reflecting on the horrors of the World War II bombings and rebuilding cities and lives are something that would have a significant impact on a Japanese audience. But would American kids get it? Australian kids? Would the parents of those kids find those topics appropriate for a children's video game about collecting and battling monsters?
Nintendo saw something that could've neutered Pokemon's global population and nipped it in the bud.