{"id":56743,"date":"2026-02-15T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=56743"},"modified":"2026-02-13T19:07:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T10:07:59","slug":"remember-the-pokemon-sapphire-playthrough-which-was-entirely-beaten-by-actual-fish-looking-back-at-some-of-our-weirdest-stories-from-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/remember-the-pokemon-sapphire-playthrough-which-was-entirely-beaten-by-actual-fish-looking-back-at-some-of-our-weirdest-stories-from-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Remember the Pokemon Sapphire playthrough which was entirely beaten by actual fish? Looking back at some of our weirdest stories from 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We decided to look back at some of our stories from 2020 and see how they hold up today. This week\u2019s selection spans from cult classics reborn through meme culture to academic perspectives on games and society and live playthroughs done entirely by fish. Yeah, you\u2019ve heard that right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430001.jpg\" alt=\"El Shaddai\" class=\"wp-image-56746\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430001.jpg 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430001-380x214.jpg 380w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"el-shaddai-s-long-road-back-from-bizarre-meme-to-a-pc-revival\"><strong>El Shaddai\u2019s long road back from bizarre meme to a PC revival<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Few Japanese games occupy a stranger position in pop culture than El Shaddai. Released in 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the action title developed a cult following for its mythological themes and distinctive visual style. But in Japan, it was the game\u2019s commercials, not its gameplay, that turned it into a phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Catchphrases like \u201cIs that really the best equipment?\u201d and \u201cThat\u2019s fine. No problem.\u201d went viral for their surreal vibes and deadpan delivery, becoming memes that far surpassed the popularity of the game itself. The lines were quoted, remixed, and repurposed so widely that even people who had never played El Shaddai were able to recognize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u30a8\u30eb\u30b7\u30e3\u30c0\u30a4\u516c\u5f0f\u30c8\u30ec\u30fc\u30e9\u30fce3 lucifel_pv 1080p free\" width=\"1160\" height=\"653\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p96ortn0ots?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A decade later, that meme-driven legacy took on a second life. Embracing the fan culture surrounding the title, in 2021, creator Takeyasu Sawaki released the game\u2019s iconic commercial assets as free-to-use materials for creative projects. Thanks to this rather unusual move, the impact reached beyond gaming circles: in the same year, Japan\u2019s Kanagawa Prefectural Police even used the material in an official traffic safety post, repurposing the famous line to remind riders to check their gear before commuting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u30d0\u30a4\u30af\u3067\u901a\u52e4\u3092\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b\u307f\u306a\u3055\u3093\uff01<br>\u3042\u306a\u305f\u306e\u30d0\u30a4\u30af\u901a\u52e4\u6642\u306e\u88c5\u5099\u306f\u300c\u5927\u4e08\u592b\u300d\u3067\u3059\u304b\uff1f<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E6%AD%A3%E3%81%97%E3%81%8F%E7%9D%80%E7%94%A8%E3%83%98%E3%83%AB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%83%E3%83%88?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u6b63\u3057\u304f\u7740\u7528\u30d8\u30eb\u30e1\u30c3\u30c8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E3%81%82%E3%81%94%E3%81%B2%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8A%E3%81%97%E3%82%81%E3%81%A6?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u3042\u3054\u3072\u3082\u3057\u3063\u304b\u308a\u3057\u3081\u3066<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E4%BA%8C%E8%BC%AA%E8%BB%8A%E7%94%A8%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%83%86%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u4e8c\u8f2a\u8eca\u7528\u30d7\u30ed\u30c6\u30af\u30bf\u30fc<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E3%82%A8%E3%82%A2%E3%83%90%E3%83%83%E3%82%B0%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A3%E3%82%B1%E3%83%83%E3%83%88?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u30a8\u30a2\u30d0\u30c3\u30b0\u30b8\u30e3\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/%E7%A7%8B%E3%81%AE%E5%85%A8%E5%9B%BD%E4%BA%A4%E9%80%9A%E5%AE%89%E5%85%A8%E9%81%8B%E5%8B%95?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#\u79cb\u306e\u5168\u56fd\u4ea4\u901a\u5b89\u5168\u904b\u52d5<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nc3pLqEUuk\">pic.twitter.com\/nc3pLqEUuk<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u795e\u5948\u5ddd\u770c\u8b66\u5bdf\u672c\u90e8\u4ea4\u901a\u90e8\u4ea4\u901a\u7dcf\u52d9\u8ab2 (@kpp_koutuu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kpp_koutuu\/status\/1440196503256010756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 21, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Against this backdrop, <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20201208-401\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">El Shaddai finally resurfaced in 2021 with a Steam port<\/a>. The version released with a custom launcher supporting multiple new options, including switching between English and Japanese audio and subtitles. Despite its production being a bumpy ride, and after several long years of silence, the El Shaddai Steam port arrived right in time to celebrate its tenth anniversary. On a related note, the most recent addition to the El Shaddai universe is the auto-shooter roguelike Starnaut, which launched in April 2025. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1068\" height=\"601\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1068px) 100vw, 1068px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430002.jpg\" alt=\"Animal Crossing.\" class=\"wp-image-56747\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430002.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430002-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430002-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"can-animal-crossing-help-people-care-about-the-environment\"><strong>Can Animal Crossing help people care about the environment?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>An actual team of researchers from the UK has published <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20210713-1248\/\">a paper<\/a> examining whether video games can function as tools for promoting environmental conservation\u2014using Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a case study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the study, elements such as donating insects and fish to the museum, observing seasonal changes, and cleaning up trash could encourage players to think more consciously about nature and biodiversity. The researchers argued that, instead of presenting environmental issues directly, Animal Crossing allowed awareness to emerge organically through everyday play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1064\" height=\"749\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1064px) 100vw, 1064px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-56748\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430003.jpg 1064w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430003-380x268.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430003-768x541.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image Credit: Fisher et al. \/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/pan3.10240\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Could Nintendo\u2019s Animal Crossing be a tool for conservation messaging?<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, the researchers were careful not to idealize the game. The paper raised concerns about how its depiction of animals, specifically \u00a0when it comes to assigning rarity and value to certain species, might negatively shape players\u2019 real-world perceptions of wildlife. Interestingly, the research also proposed some ideas that could help \u201cexpand\u201d the environment-related aspects of the game, including having mechanics like \u201coverfishing of the island waters decreasing catchable fish\u201d and \u201censuring that in-game phenomena reflect real-world ecological life histories rather than Japanese cultural associations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, the study presented Animal Crossing as a compelling example of how games can intersect with education and environmental awareness without sacrificing their primary appeal as entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1068\" height=\"601\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1068px) 100vw, 1068px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430004.jpg\" alt=\"Animal Crossing\" class=\"wp-image-56749\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430004.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430004-380x214.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430004-768x432.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"why-animal-crossing-s-switch-became-a-light-switch-in-english\"><strong>Why Animal Crossing\u2019s \u201cSwitch\u201d became a \u201cLight Switch\u201d in English<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;In the English version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, an in-game item originally called \u201cSwitch\u201d had to be renamed \u201cLight Switch\u201d due to a tiny overlook made by the localization team, prompting jokes and discussion among players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A blue balloon bamboozled me! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AnimalCrossing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AnimalCrossing<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ACNH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ACNH<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NintendoSwitch?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NintendoSwitch<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/70YgkFCtn7\">pic.twitter.com\/70YgkFCtn7<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Zion Grassl (@ZionDood) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZionDood\/status\/1250589119379419136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>The issue stemmed from the existence of two similarly named items \u2013 the Switch and the Nintendo Switch. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, both the Nintendo Switch console and a household light switch appeared simply as \u201cSwitch\u201d in English, which obviously confused many players who were excited to get the console only to realize that it was a plain light switch all along. In Japanese, however, the two were written differently. The light switch was written as \u201c\u30b9\u30a4\u30c3\u30c1,\u201d in katakana, while \u201cNintendo Switch\u201d was written simply in alphabetic characters, so the overlap was never an issue. Luckily, this was patched out in April 2020, with the game\u2019s version 1.2.0 update. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1068\" height=\"668\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1068px) 100vw, 1068px\" src=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430005.jpg\" alt=\"Fish beating Pokemon.\" class=\"wp-image-56750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430005.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430005-380x238.jpg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-567430005-768x480.jpg 768w\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fish-beat-pokemon-sapphire-after-a-3-100-hour-journey\"><strong>Fish beat Pok\u00e9mon Sapphire after a 3,100-hour journey<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20201107-329\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one of the most unusual Pok\u00e9mon playthroughs<\/a> ever recorded finally reached its conclusion after more than 3,100 hours of gameplay, played from start to finish by a group of fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hosted by Japan\u2019s Mutekimaru Channel, the livestream translated the movements of tropical fish swimming in a tank into in-game commands. Progress was painfully slow and unpredictable, yet the stream managed to attract a devoted audience thanks to its oddly soothing pace and the tension of waiting hours (or days) for a single meaningful action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u3010\u901f\u5831\u3011\u958b\u59cb\u304b\u30893185\u6642\u9593\u3000\u9b5a\u3001\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30d4\u30aa\u30f3 \u30c0\u30a4\u30b4\u306b\u8fbf\u308a\u7740\u304f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZkIy3WSwoW\">https:\/\/t.co\/ZkIy3WSwoW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TJRoERWnNe\">pic.twitter.com\/TJRoERWnNe<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u3080\u3066\u304d\u307e\u308b\u3061\u3083\u3093\u306d\u308b -Mutekimaru Channel- (@Mutekimaru_ch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Mutekimaru_ch\/status\/1324693422939107332?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 6, 2020<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-palette-color-5-background-color has-background is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><br><em>Post Translation:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>[Newsflash] 3,185 hours after starting, the fish have finally reached the Champion, Steven Stone<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After roughly six months of continuous streaming, the fish eventually managed to take down the final champion of the Hoenn region, bringing an end to the rather bizarre but endearing playthrough. But don\u2019t worry \u2013 the fish weren\u2019t hurt in the process, and the YouTuber made sure to give them plenty of time to rest between the streams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AUTOMATON WEST&#8217;s Weekly Throwback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":56745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-56743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-column","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Remember the Pokemon Sapphire playthrough which was entirely beaten by actual fish? Looking back at some of our weirdest stories from 2020 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST&#039;s Weekly Throwback.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/remember-the-pokemon-sapphire-playthrough-which-was-entirely-beaten-by-actual-fish-looking-back-at-some-of-our-weirdest-stories-from-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remember the Pokemon Sapphire playthrough which was entirely beaten by actual fish? Looking back at some of our weirdest stories from 2020 - AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST&#039;s Weekly Throwback.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/remember-the-pokemon-sapphire-playthrough-which-was-entirely-beaten-by-actual-fish-looking-back-at-some-of-our-weirdest-stories-from-2020\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AUTOMATON WEST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-15T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/20260213-56743-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"938\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"529\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Motoharu Ono\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AUTOMATON_ENG\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Motoharu Ono\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Remember the Pokemon Sapphire playthrough which was entirely beaten by actual fish? Looking back at some of our weirdest stories from 2020 - AUTOMATON WEST","description":"AUTOMATON WEST's Weekly Throwback.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/remember-the-pokemon-sapphire-playthrough-which-was-entirely-beaten-by-actual-fish-looking-back-at-some-of-our-weirdest-stories-from-2020\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Remember the Pokemon Sapphire playthrough which was entirely beaten by actual fish? 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