@OP:
Toning down the little black pirate was very warranted. That’s an offensive black stereotype that is still offensive today and would have got 4kids negative publicity and maybe even sued by groups such as the NAACP.
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I don't think 4Kids really thought about the political correctness of characters untill after they showed the episode of Pokemon when Jynx first appeared. A black woman saw the episode, and wrote an article in her local paper, complaining it's appearance was racist, and she was offended by it. 4Kids read the article, and as a result we now have that episode pulled from the rotation, and a purple Jynx.
That's not the only time this has happened. Some pissed off soccer moms saw Dragonball Z, and complained that Mr. Popo was racist. It's true, but I'm sure that Akira Toriyama didn't mean to offend African Americans.