Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

This article is about the third series of the anime. For other uses, see Diamond and Pearl.

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Series logo

A poster for the series, featuring Dialga and Palkia, the lake guardians surrounding the Spear Key, Ash, Dawn, Brock, Pikachu, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, and Croagunk.

The Diamond & Pearl series of the Pokémon anime (Japanese: ポケットモンスターダイヤモンド＆パール Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl) is the third series of the long-running anime, following after the Advanced Generation series, and based on the events of the Generation IV games. It ran from September 28, 2006 to September 9, 2010 in Japan and from June 4, 2007 to February 5, 2011 in the United States, although the first three episodes aired as a sneak peak on April 20, 2007.

Like the previous series, this series begins with Ash Ketchum beginning his journey by himself, this time through the Sinnoh region. His longtime companion Brock eventually rejoins him, as does Dawn, a rookie Pokémon Coordinator from Twinleaf Town who wishes to follow in the footsteps of her mother.

Like what happened in the Advanced Generation series, both Ash and Brock received a change of clothes. As well, a similarity to the previous series is that Ash attempted to travel to Sinnoh with only Pikachu. He was unsuccessful, however, as his recently-caught Aipom insisted on accompanying him.

Like Advanced Generation before it, Ash's previous female companion returned for a few episodes, wearing new clothes just as Ash and Brock do. May's outfit was based on that of her game counterpart during Pokémon Emerald.

Much like what occurred near to the end of the original series's journey through Johto, with the move from cel-based coloring to digital coloring, the Diamond & Pearl series featured the show's move from a standard definition 4:3 presentation to a high-definition 16:9 format near to the middle of the Sinnoh journey.

Ash, Brock, and Dawn with their Pokémon in an English poster for the series, with Dialga and Palkia in the background.

The Diamond & Pearl series is different from the previous two series in that it is more story driven. While there are less episodes dedicated to Ash's Gym quest or the resident Coordinator's (currently Dawn) Contest quest than previous series had in the same amount of time, more captures, more departures, and more rivals have been introduced when compared to earlier series.

Additionally, this series is the most violent and dramatic of the five so far, in part stemming from the character Paul whose training method sharply contrasts with Ash's so much that he nearly abuses his Pokémon for not doing well, and likewise stemming from the cataclysmic nature of the plot of Sinnoh's resident villainous team, Team Galactic, as well as Pokémon Hunter J.

Dub seasons

Early poster

When the Diamond and Pearl series came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided up into four seasons:

• Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (DP001 - DP052)
• Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension (DP053 - DP104)
• Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles (DP105 - DP119, DP121 - DP157)
• Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors (DP158 - DP191)

Episodes in the Diamond & Pearl series are numbered with the prefix DP on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Diamond & Pearl series episodes.

Gallery

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  Ash

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  Brock

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  Dawn

• ShinjiDP.png

  Paul

• NanakamadoDP.png

  Professor Rowan

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  Johanna

• Team Rocket DP.png

  Team Rocket

• 

  J

Trivia

• This is the only series so far that introduces just one new traveling companion for Ash.
• This series features both the largest and second largest gaps between two Gym battles for Ash, with the length between the Eterna Gym and Veilstone Gym being 31 episodes, and the length between the Snowpoint Gym and Sunyshore Gym being 52 episodes.
• This is the first time that the anime series has been named for the titles of the games it is based on.
• This series is the only one so far to have taken place only in a single region (the original series took place in Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, the ag series took place in Hoenn and Kanto, while the bw series took place in Unova and the Decolore Islands).
• The Sinnoh League saga is the longest regional story arc out of all the arcs in the anime. The Johto League saga previously held this distinction with 158 episodes total.
• This series is the first series to not feature a main character capturing a Pokémon from an upcoming generation.
  • It is also the only series so far not to feature any Pokémon from an upcoming Generation in any episodes. The only appearance of any Generation V Pokémon occurs during the thirteenth movie.
• This series is the only one so far in which Ash's Pikachu did not learn any new moves.
  • However, Pikachu has learned several improvised techniques and moves.
• This is the first series in which the recurring wild Jigglypuff did not appear.
• The dub of this series is the only series not to have Who's That Pokémon?.
• This was the first series in which 4Kids had no part in dubbing.
• This is the only series in which Team Rocket appear in every episode (they did not appear in the first episode in the original series, they were absent in AG120 in the Advanced Generation series, and they have been absent in several episodes from both the Best Wishes series and XY series).
• This is the only series so far to have all of its intended episodes aired in the Japanese version. Every other series has had at least one episode that was never broadcast.
• This is the only series so far that Ash's Charizard did not make an appearance in.
• This is the only series so far in which Ash starts off with more than one of his Pokemon, arriving in Sinnoh with Pikachu plus Aipom, who stowed away.
• Although Ash has met the entirety of the Kanto Elite 4, this is the first and so far only series to have Ash actually meet all of the regional Elite 4 within the same region and the same series, (as Ash met Bruno and Agatha in Kanto at two non-consecutive times; Lorelei (identified as Prima in the English dub) at the Orange Islands, and Lance in Johto. In addition, he only met Bruno, Lorelei, and Lance in the original series, while he encountered Agatha in the Advanced Generation series).

In other languages

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	寵物小精靈DP Chungmat Siujingling DP
	Mandarin	神奇寶貝鑽石&珍珠 Shénqíbǎobèi: Zuànshí yǔ Zhēnzhū (Taiwan) 精灵宝可梦：钻石与珍珠 Jīnglíng Pokémon: Zuànshí yǔ Zhēnzhū (Mainland China)
Indonesian		Pokémon D&P
Korean		포켓몬스터 DP Pocket Monster DP

External links

• TV Tokyo (Japanese)

Series and seasons of the Pokémon animated series The Beginning (list) Indigo League • Adventures in the Orange Islands Gold and Silver (list) The Johto Journeys • Johto League Champions • Master Quest Ruby and Sapphire (list) Advanced • Advanced Challenge • Advanced Battle • Battle Frontier Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and Pearl • Battle Dimension • Galactic Battles • Sinnoh League Victors Black & White (list) Black & White • Rival Destinies • Adventures in Unova and Beyond XY (list) XY • Kalos Quest • XYZ (Mega Evolution Specials) Sun & Moon (list) Sun & Moon • Ultra Adventures‎ • Ultra Legends Journeys (list) Journeys • Master Journeys • Ultimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles) Horizons (list) Horizons Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter Vacation • Side Stories • Pokémon Chronicles Planetarium specials • Pikachu shorts Mewtwo Returns • The Legend of Thunder! • Pichu Bros. in Party Panic The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon • A Ripple in Time Complete list • Movies

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.