Detective Pikachu Was Once a Man.
Considering how the other Pikachu just uses Pokémon Speak, and that the titular Pikachu has an unnatural, manly voice, and a human sidekick, to boot. it will be just like adult-turned-boy Case Closed, except that instead of becoming a kid, he become a Pokémon.- Half confirmed, half jossed as of the sequel. Pikachu wasn't literally transformed from a human, but he does have the human Harry's mind currently occupying his body.
Pikachu and Detective Goodman switched consciousness as a result of the accident.
The way Tim's dad's personality is described by his secretary is pretty similar to Pikachu's personality (a goof, but also calculating and a good detective). And according to Tim, who knew the same Pikachu as a kid, Pikachu didn't always act that way. The car accident gave them both amnesia, and switched their personalities, so Tim's dad must be running around out there with amnesia and a Pikachu's personality. At the end of the game, Mewtwo is able to switch them back. This description from the official website
gives some credence to the theory:- This bossy Pikachu has the attitude of a stern, middle-aged man, which he’ll make abundantly clear to you throughout the game.
- Jossed, at least for the Mewtwo switching them back part.
- Mostly confirmed on the consciousness part, though. It turns out that both Harry and Pikachu's minds are currently in Pikachu, which is why Pikachu can't remember anything, and Mewtwo can separate them, but Harry chooses not at the moment since it's too risky.
Detective Pikachu is serving as a mental hard drive for Harry's mind.
In the climactic battle, Detective Pikachu finally unleashes a Thunderbolt to defeat Noivern. Just before he does so, we hear him say:- You... can't... I.. won't... let... you... Pika… Piiiikaaaachuuuu!
Unlike previous moments in the game where we've heard this, we haven't changed viewpoint, yet Pokémon Speak is in full force. Moreover, when Tim asks Detective Pikachu about his Thunderbolt the next morning, Detective Pikachu has no idea what he's talking about. Combined with Mewtwo saying that his bargain was made with "the real you" when talking to Detective Pikachu, this may indicate that Harry and Pikachu are operating the same brain, but not at the same time — the "processing space" can only be occupied by one personality at a time, and that's usually Harry's, with Pikachu only surfacing in moments of extreme pain, as when he was being pummeled by Noivern's sound waves, in order to use Moves.
- Confirmed in the sequel. Harry is indeed occupying Pikachu's mind, and Pikachu is heavily implied to have taken back over during that scene, as Mewtwo states that Pikachu having used a move makes the competing consciousnesses even more complicated and risky than they already are. The "original" Pikachu is also the one who begged Mewtwo to put Harry's mind in his body.
Anime Meowth will make an appearance in this game, albeit a small cameo.
- Disregarding feelings about the anime, having the original talking Pokemon react to a talking Pikachu would likely be too good for the devs to pass up.
- Unfortunately jossed. Although there is a reference to the anime in the form of Detective Pikachu meeting a different one who is implied to be Ash's Pikachu.
Other possible cameos:
- Looker. One of the most popular characters from the games, as well as a fellow detective. Could tie into the oft-speculated Diamond and Pearl remakes. Although we don't know Looker's real name, Tim is unlikely to be a young Looker (partially because the game features Kalos Pokémon, which came after Diamond and Pearl (unless the remakes are subject to a Retcon.)
- Cosplay Pikachu / Pikachu Libre: Detective Pikachu could team up with her in a Brains and Brawn duo.
- Ukulele Pichu: Detective Pikachu could team up with this Musical Assassin too.
The Big Bad is a Raticate
Because who better to fight a Great Mouse Detective than a rat who boasts the world's greatest criminal mind?- Jossed, in keeping with Pokémon's traditions, all the villainous characters are humans. Although Mewtwo does play an important part.
Potential English VAs for Detective Pikachu
In case the game gets export to the US with a full English cast, possible voices actors for the main Pikachu himself would be:- David Caruso
- Kevin Conroy
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Danny Devito
- Mark Hamill
- Christopher Meloni
- Jonny Lee Miller
- Johnny Yong Bosch
- Matthew Mercer
- Colin Mochrie (as a reference to Whose Line Is It Anyway? and their "Narrate" game)
- Jossed, it's Kaiji Tang.
The movie by Legendary Pictures will be Lighter and Softer than their usual fare.
Depending on how they go about adapting the source material, it might end up being their first G-rated movie (assuming they don't try to sneak in something to bump the rating up to PG). Conversely, the movie by Legendary Pictures will be much Darker and Edgier than typical adaptations of Pokemon.
Giovanni and Team Rocket are the masterminds behind Chemical R
A chemical that greatly amplifies the power of a Pokémon but has unethical side effects certainly sounds like something that would suit the premier criminal syndicate of the Pokémon world, and considering the anime and manga versions of Team Rocket have strong connections with Mewtwo, they would be strong candidates for the mastermind behind Keith Norman and the providers of the Mewtwo Berserk Gene. Having the criminal organization show up in the sequel would only be logical and would provide foes who are a greater threat than the usual criminals Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu regularly deal with. It would be a great way of reversing the trend of Team Rocket in the main line games becoming sillier with each generation, by showing how truly dangerous and cruel Team Rocket can be especially when you are not a veteran Pokémon League trainer who has a roster of strong Pokémon for protection.- Expect to have a possible cameo of Jessie, James and the Talking Meowth.
- Jossed, Team Rocket never shows up in either game.
In a sequel, Detective Pikachu will evolve into Alolan Raichu.
Gaining psychic powers will add a new layer to solving a mystery.- It's called Detective Pikachu! He should not evolve!
