>>44140577Used to think this until I did more research, now not so much. It's clearly more Yama-uba inspired. Yama-uba lived in the cold mountainous region and were older ladies with black skin due to the cold. How were they depicted in stage plays and theater productions? Blackface, not saying that was racist mind you, anyway I believe that considering that element the Pokemon team drew inspiration from stereotypical depictions of black people as seen in manga and anime at the time, which themselves were references to how Tezuka used to draw them. Tezuka was inspired by Disney and Fleischer, so while I think this design has it's roots in arguably racist origins I do not think it is racist and I do not think that was the intention at all.
