Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
- This article is about the third series of the anime. For other uses, see Diamond and Pearl.
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, starting after the end of the Advanced Generation series. Like the previous series, Ash Ketchum is the main character who is joined by Brock, his longtime companion, as well as Dawn, a rookie Pokémon Coordinator 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.
So far, it covers Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, which ended with Smells Like Team Spirit!, Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension, which started with Tears for Fears! and ended with Sleepless in Pre-Battle! and Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles, which started with Get Your Rotom Running!, in the dub.
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 end of the Sinnoh journey.
The Diamond & Pearl series is different from the previous two series in that it is more story driven. While there have to date been 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 three so far, in part stemming from the character Paul whose training method contrasts sharply 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. It has been subtly hinted that Ash may challenge the Elite Four in this series, in part due to appearances of the Sinnoh Elite Four and their Champion, Cynthia. In An Elite Meet and Greet!, Lucian said to Ash, "We'll have our battle later".
The final Japanese story arc will begin airing in the third quarter of this year. Planning has already begun on the next series for the anime. It is presumed that the next series will focus on the new games being released around the same time.
Dub seasons
The series currently consists of three dub seasons:
- Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (DP001 - DP052)
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Battle Dimension (DP053 - DP104)
- Pokémon Diamond & Pearl: Galactic Battles (DP105 - present)
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.
Trivia
- This series features both the largest and second largest gaps between two Gym battles for Ash, with the length between the Eterna and Veilstone Gyms being 31 episodes, and while the length between the Snowpoint Gym and Sunyshore Gym is currently unknown, it is more than 35 episodes as of the most recently aired episode in Japan.
- This is the first time that the Pokémon anime series was named after the game, although Diamond and Pearl were separate games.
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime. |
