Voice acting in the Pokémon games
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Voice acting is when the voice of an actor, often referred to as a voice actor, is used to give voice to characters or provide narration. Some Pokémon games have full lines of recorded dialogue, such as Detective Pikachu, while others, such as the core series games, use voice acting more sparingly. Characters sometimes have voices that were created using voice samples that were synthesized to generate new speech.
In the core series games
In Pokémon Yellow and from Generation VI to Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pikachu uses its cry from the anime, as voiced by Ikue Otani.
In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, the partner Pikachu and Eevee both also use their cries from the anime, with Eevee being voiced by Aoi Yūki.
In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Giratina's cry uses voice samples of people screaming.
- Ghetsis's battle theme includes vocal chanting of his name.
- On the Village Bridge, speaking to certain NPCs will add beatboxing and Japanese enka lyrics to the area's background music.
- The background music for the Virbank City Gym includes vocals that spell out the word "Pokémon".
- The background music for Nimbasa City Gym uses vocals that sing the phrases "are you ready?" and "give me what I need".
- Colress's battle theme uses vocals that count down from five to one.
In Sun and Moon, the music played during Professor Kukui's welcome video call uses chanting vocals.
In Sword and Shield, the Gym battle theme includes vocals of the crowd singing along with the song.
In Legends: Arceus, Rei and Akari have grunts and yells for certain actions, such as throwing a Poké Ball or taking damage.
In Scarlet and Violet, the song Celestial by Ed Sheeran plays during the ending credits.
In the side series games
In Pokémon Stadium and Stadium 2, the partner Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow uses its cry from the anime, as voiced by Ikue Otani. All other Pikachu will use the species's standard cry.
In the spin-off games
In Puzzle League, voice clips from various anime characters will play when navigating menus. During battles, the participating Pokémon will also occasionally say their cry from the anime, while human characters may chime in about the player's performance. Opponents will also say a short voice clip before and after battles.
In Hey You, Pikachu!, all Pokémon use their cry from the anime.
In Pokémon Channel, all Pokémon use their cry from the anime.
In PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure and PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, every Pokémon uses their cry from the anime. Among these is Porygon-Z, who received new voice acting as it previously did not speak in the anime.
In Pokken Tournament, all human characters use full voice acting for dialogue in and out of combat. All Battle Pokémon as well as Support Pokémon also have voice acting for numerous actions in combat. Pikachu and Pikachu Libre use voice lines by Ikue Otani.
In Detective Pikachu, all cutscenes feature full voice acting. While a Pikachu with Otani's voice does make a cameo, the titular Detective Pikachu is instead voiced by Kaiji Tang.
In Masters EX:
- All trainers except for Scottie and Bettie have numerous voice lines for specific actions both in and out of battle, such as sending in a Pokémon, directing a Pokémon move, receiving an upgrade, or giving the player an item.
- Trainers also have short voice clips used in story scenes, though these generally only show the character's sentiment rather than matching the displayed dialogue text.
- Scottie/Bettie's Pikachu, Sygna Suit Thunderbolt Red's Pikachu, and Ash's Pikachu all use lines voiced by Ikue Otani, with each Pikachu having its own unique voice line.
In New Pokémon Snap, a handful of cutscenes and tutorials feature fully-voiced lines, but short voice clips are used otherwise. Pikachu and Eevee use anime-style voice lines by Ikue Otani and Aoi Yūki, while most other Pokémon will use general grunt sounds to respond to certain actions, such as getting hit by an apple.