Nintendo is considering introducing a non-binary Pokémon character after a young fan pitched the idea to them.
The child's handwritten letter to the video game company was posted to Twitter on Wednesday, with the youngster's parent captioning the sweet post: "My kid wrote a letter to Nintendo and they wrote back."
It read: "Dear Nintendo, could please make nonbinary Pokémon? Also, I want that because I think it would be cool and so nonbinary people would feel more comfortable about it."
With the help of the child's parents, the thoughtful pitch was sent off to the company. And Nintendo eventually responded!
Speaking on behalf of the firm, customer service representative Liz Daniels referred to the idea as an "awesome" one, per The Gamer. The rep went on to say that a potential move towards non-binary inclusion in their Pokémon selection would make more people feel that they are being catered to.
The response letter read:
"Thank you for writing to us! Sorry for the late reply. In your letter, you asked us to make nonbinary Pokémon. I think that is an awesome idea. There are so many varieties of Pokémon, so it would make sense to have a variety of genders as well!
"We want to make sure people of all kinds feel welcomed and comfortable while playing our software. I'll send your feedback to the appropriate departments to review and thoughtfully consider.
"Thanks again for sending us this letter, I've included a few special items with this response for you to enjoy. I hope you continue to have wonderful adventures with your Pokémon for many years to come."
The tweet has since racked up over 4,000 retweets more than 1,000 quote tweets and 70,000 likes at the time of writing.
A number of people have shared their thoughts on the ingenious idea, with one person referring to it as "awesome".
Another added: "Oh they better deliver."
A third referred to the letter as "wholesome"
Others, however, felt that gender is a human construct and perhaps doesn't mesh well with the "animal kingdom" - seemingly forgetting that Pokémon are completely fictional.
For example, one user wrote: "Isn’t gender technically a human construct? Animals, and in theory Pokémon, which are just animals, follow whatever it is that their instincts tell them. I have no idea how an opossum or a pangolin expresses their gender identity."