Detective Pikachu (video game)

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This article is about the first game in the Detective Pikachu series. For other uses, see Detective Pikachu.

Detective Pikachu
名探偵ピカチュウ
Detective Pikachu EN Boxart.png
North American box art of Detective Pikachu
Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo
名探偵ピカチュウ ~新コンビ誕生~
Great Detective Pikachu Birth of a New Duo logo.png
Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo Japanese logo
Basic info
Platform: Nintendo 3DS
Category: Action-adventure
Players: 1
Connectivity: None
Developer: Creatures, Inc.
Publisher: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company
Part of: Generation VI and VII spin-off
Ratings
CERO: A
ESRB: E
ACB: G
OFLC: N/A
PEGI: 3
GRAC: N/A
GSRR: 6+
Release dates
Japan: February 3, 2016 (Birth of a New Duo)
March 23, 2018 (full version)
North America: March 23, 2018
Australia: March 24, 2018
Europe: March 23, 2018
South Korea: N/A
Hong Kong: March 23, 2018
Taiwan: March 23, 2018
Websites
Japanese: Official site
Nintendo.co.jp
English: Official site
Pokémon.com
Nintendo.com
Japanese boxart
Detective Pikachu JP Boxart.png
Japanese box art of Detective Pikachu
Bulbanews
Bulbanews has multiple articles related to this subject:

Detective Pikachu (Japanese: 名探偵ピカチュウ Great Detective Pikachu) is a spin-off Pokémon game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released in Japan, North America, Europe, Hong Kong, and Taiwan on March 23, 2018, and in Australia on March 24, 2018. All copies of the game can be played with Japanese or English voice acting and subtitles in eight languages: Japanese, English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

It is an expanded version of the original Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo (Japanese: 名探偵ピカチュウ ~コンビ誕生 Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo), which was released exclusively in Japan on February 3, 2016 on the Nintendo eShop featuring the first three chapters of the game. From January 27, 2016 to February 29, 2016, the game could be purchased in Japan for ¥1,200, instead of the normal price of ¥1,500. Players who purchased Birth of a New Duo was able to receive a ¥1,500 discount on the full Detective Pikachu game until April 22, 2018. The game was removed from the eShop on January 12, 2018, just before the announcement of the full version.

Featuring the first half of Chapter 1 of the game, Detective Pikachu Special Demo Version (Japanese: 名探偵ピカチュウ』特別体験版) was released on March 9, 2018 in Japan, and on April 5, 2018 in North America, Europe, and Australia for free on the Nintendo eShop. Progress in the demo can be transferred to the final game.

The game was initially revealed in an NHK Professional: Shigoto no Ryuugi documentary featuring Tsunekazu Ishihara aired on October 28, 2013. A trademark was later found for 「名探偵ピカチュウ」 Great Detective Pikachu that was filed in Japan on October 11, 2013. It was officially announced on January 26, 2016. On January 12, 2018, the full version of the game was announced, including an international release. A book taking place before the events of the game's story, Detective Pikachu: Episode 0—Eevee's Case, was released with the game on March 23, 2018. A movie featuring the character, also titled POKÉMON Detective Pikachu, was also released on May 10, 2019.

A sequel, Detective Pikachu Returns, was released for Nintendo Switch on October 6, 2023.

Plot

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201

Two months prior to the start of the game, Harry Goodman and his partner Pikachu get into a car accident while investigating a case, leading to Harry's disappearance and Pikachu losing his memory and the ability to use moves.

Tim Goodman, Harry's son, comes to Ryme City in search of his missing father. Upon exiting Tahnti Station, two Aipom cause mischief by stealing a girl's necklace. By chance, Tim encounters his father's Pikachu, who proclaims himself the great Detective Pikachu, discovering that he can somehow understand what Pikachu says. Together, Tim and Pikachu chase down the Aipom with the necklace into Tahnti Park, and work together by interviewing both people and Pokémon to recover the necklace and return it to its rightful owner. Pikachu then shows Tim to his appointment at the Baker Detective Agency, where Tim learns that his father was investigating Pokémon incidents prior to his disappearance.

Having headed to his father's apartment in search of clues regarding his whereabouts, Tim finds a map with the locations of various incidents that Harry was investigating. Tim and Pikachu decide to start their investigation by heading to Litwick Cave, where they encounter two reporters for GNN, Emilia Christie and Meiko Okamoto. An angry Glalie causes the entrance to the cave to collapse, forcing Tim and Pikachu to enlist the help of a Drifblim to escape the cave through a hole in the ceiling. The next day, Pikachu introduces Tim to the Hi-Hat Café, a café that Harry used to frequent owned by Pablo Millan.

Tim and Pikachu discover a broken fragment of a vial and decide to head to the Pokémon Comprehensive Laboratory, or PCL, to investigate its relationship to Harry's disappearance. Under the cover of a part-time job using the name "Tim Ottman", they infiltrate the lab and search for a matching vial, finding it in the storage room. The next day, Emilia and Meiko arrive at PCL to do a report on the research that the PCL has been conducting. However, a Trevenant goes on a rampage, with its eyes glowing red like the Glalie in the cave. Tim and Pikachu manage to capture the Gengar that angered it, and discover a secret underground laboratory that Carlos Hernando, one of the researchers, has been using to produce R, a substance which strengthens Pokémon but causes them to go berserk.

A few days later, Tim and Pikachu head to Cappucci Island in search of John Waals, the founder of PCL who conducted research into R ten years prior to the events of the game. On the island, they find Dr. Waals is being held by Ryme City Police Department lieutenant Brad McMaster on the suspicion that Waals is the cause of a fog causing Pokémon living in Lake Cappucci to be injured. With the assistance of aspiring Pokémon Ranger Milo Green, Tim and Pikachu make it to the lake along a secret path. There, they discover that Masquerain created the fog to protect Pokémon from an invasive Crawdaunt. They then prove Waals's innocence by finding that Louise Mulligan, who is leading the development of a resort on the island, had the Crawdaunt delivered in order to get rid of Waals, the last holdout for her resort to be built. Later, Waals reveals that two months earlier, Harry came to ask him about R. It was intended as a miracle drug created using the cells of Mew, but since cells of Mewtwo were used instead, Waals believes its Berserk Gene causes Pokémon who take it to become violent. Waals also tells Tim that Harry had intended to visit Fine Park, an amusement park in Ryme City.

At the Hi-Hat Café, Tim meets up with Emilia and Meiko, as well as Roger Clifford, their boss and a producer at GNN. They invite Tim to come to the GNN building the next day to take a look at their coverage of the incident at Fine Park a year earlier. In the meantime, Tim and Pikachu head to Fine Park, where they interview several Pokémon about the incident a year prior, when a Charizard had gone on a rampage during a parade, forcing the park to be closed down and the Charizard to be taken into confinement. The pair also learn that a man with a Skorupi had attacked Harry when he visited the park, with Tim receiving a locket Harry left behind with a Buneary.

The next day, Tim and Pikachu head to GNN. While Meiko locates the footage of the incident, they meet Ethan Graham, president of GNN, while on a tour of their studios. The duo are asked to assist when Olga Ellison loses her Purugly, and then participate in a rehearsal when Carina Mitchell's violin is destroyed in an accident. Tim and Pikachu discover that the violin had actually been swapped for a fake by Max Warhol, who intended to sell Carina's violin, which was worth a fortune, in order to finance his floundering career. Upon reviewing the footage of Fine Park, they find that Keith Norman, an assistant director at GNN, had been present during the incident at Fine Park. Tim and Pikachu chase Keith to the rooftop, where Keith escapes with the help of Noivern.

At the Baker Detective Agency the following day, Harry's locket is revealed to have been a camera, containing photos of a warehouse in Ryme Wharf. Upon locating the warehouse, Tim and Pikachu infiltrate the warehouse and with the help of a Spinarak and a Pansage, find Simon Yen, Waals's former assistant who is being held captive and forced to incubate Mewtwo's cells for the production of R. However, to determine who is truly behind the enterprise distributing R, Tim and Pikachu hide in a storage container to follow the shipment of R.

The two detectives find themselves aboard the S.S. Prime Treasure, a luxury cruise liner. On the trail of the men who carried R above deck, they find that the shipment was carried to a room guarded by Krokorok. By chance, Emilia is aboard the ship to cover the Pokémon Carnival taking place in Ryme City that night for GNN. Tim and Pikachu encounter Rose Milton, an elderly woman whose luggage has been swapped with the mask of a Cofagrigus. She brings them to meet Captain Walter Eckhart, who is in the lounge observing Emilia's interview with Gino Farina. When the mask disappears from under the captain's watch on the bridge, the duo determine that Gino's Kecleon stole the mask to obtain the Henry Brothers' Recipe Book from an auction of stolen goods taking place in the hall guarded by the Krokorok. Tim and Emilia use Gino's ticket to enter the auction, where Keith appears to auction R off. Keith attempts to escape when Tim exposes him, but is arrested by Inspector Frank Holiday. However, Keith reveals that someone else from GNN will still be dispersing R at one of their shoots.

Tim and Pikachu determine that R will be dispersed in the central square at 8 p.m. during the Pokémon Carnival, and head there along with Emilia to determine where liquid, gaseous, and capsule R will be distributed. Holiday arrives to notify them that Keith has admitted to planting a fourth type of R. The pair find the R dispersing machine in the clock tower above the central square. After disarming the machine, the duo figure out that Roger must be the true culprit, having learned about R's existence and was instigating the attacks in an attempt to gain a monopoly on Ryme City's media outlets. Having taken Emilia hostage, Roger attempts to escape on his Noivern, but Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to stop him.

Having fulfilled his promise to Mewtwo, Pikachu makes a choice and falls asleep. Mewtwo reveals to Tim that Harry is still alive, and that Tim will find him as long as he does not give up. Tim carries Pikachu back to his dad's apartment, and the next day, they start their search for Tim's father again together.

Chapters

  • Chapter 1: Tahnti Park
  • Chapter 2: Litwick Cave
  • Chapter 3: PCL
  • Chapter 4: Cappucci Island
  • Chapter 5: Fine Park
  • Chapter 6: GNN
  • Chapter 7: Ryme Wharf
  • Chapter 8: Where R Goes
  • Chapter 9: Pokémon Carnival
201 Spoilers end here. 201

Blurb

"I'm not just a detective—I'm a great detective!"

Meet a Pikachu with a knack for detective work!
He's one lovably gruff, tough-talking sleuth...
Together, you must crack the case!

Talk to many different Pokémon as you investigate!

Gameplay

Tim and Pikachu collect testimony and evidence, cooperating to reason through mysteries.

Characters

Locations

Compatibility

Scanning the Detective Pikachu amiibo will unlock all Pika Prompts for any chapters that have been cleared. However, note that it is possible to obtain all prompts through regular gameplay, without the use of this amiibo.

Staff

Main article: Staff of Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo
Main article: Staff of Detective Pikachu

Cast

Cast
Detective Pikachu Kaiji Tang Great Detective Pikachu Tōru Ōkawa 名探偵ピカチュウ 大川透
Tim Goodman Khoi Dao Tim Goodman Yūma Uchida ティム・グッドマン 内田雄馬
Emilia Christie Kira Buckland Emilia Christie Risa Shimizu エミリア・クリスティー 清水理沙
Mike Baker David Lodge Mike Baker Yosuke Akimoto マイク・ベイカー 秋元羊介
Frank Holiday Taylor Henry Frank Holiday Katsuhisa Hōki フランク・ホリデイ 宝亀克寿
Amanda Blackstone Erica Mendez Amanda Blackstone Yuka Hirose アマンダ・ブラックストーン 広瀬有香
Meiko Okamoto Cherami Leigh Meiko Okamoto Rei Shimoda メイコ・オカモト 下田レイ
Pablo Millan Doug Erholtz Pablo Millan Kunpei Sakamoto パブロ・ミラン 坂本くんぺい
Dorothy Fisher Wendee Lee Dorothy Fisher Atsuko Tanaka ドロシー・フィッシャー 田中敦子
Frederick Hartfield Edward Bosco Frederick Hartfield Tomohiro Waki フレデリック・ハートフィールド 脇知弘
Carlos Hernando Patrick Seltz Carlos Hernando Tsuguo Mogami カルロス・エルナンド 最上嗣生
Wallace Carroll Todd Haberkorn Wallace Carroll Kōki Uchiyama ウォーレス・キャロル 内山昂輝
Rita Partridge Janice Roman Roku Rita Partridge Ai Kayano リタ・パートリッジ 茅野愛衣
Nina O'Hara Cristina Vee Nina O'Hara Miyuki Kobori ニーナ・オハラ 小堀幸
Ethan Graham Paul Stewart Ethan Graham Michio Hazama イーサン・グレアム 羽佐間道夫
Roger Clifford Xander Mobus Roger Clifford Hiroki Touchi ロジャー・クリフォード 東地宏樹
John Waals Paul Stewart John Waals Osamu Saka ジョン・ワールス 阪脩
Rose Milton Karen Strassman Rose Milton Hiroko Suzuki ローズ・ミルトン 鈴木弘子
Louise Mulligan Wendee Lee Louise Mulligan Masako Katsuki ルイーズ・マリガン 勝生真沙子
Max Warhol Bradley Venable Max Warhol Tetsuo Sakaguchi マックス・ウォーホル 坂口哲夫
Olga Ellison Olga Ellison Michiko Neya オルガ・エリソン 根谷美智子
Hiro Morgan Greg Chun Hiro Morgan Daisuke Hirakawa ヒロ・モーガン 平川大輔
Brad McMaster Bill Rogers Brad McMaster Kenji Hamada ブラッド・マクマスター 浜田賢二
Gino Farina Bradley Venable Gino Farina Anri Katsu ジーノ・ファリーナ 勝杏里
Alexander Wilde Josh Tomar Alexander Wilde Kōji Okino アレキサンダー・ワイルド 沖野晃司
Simon Yen Grant George Simon Yen Toshiki Masuda サイモン・イェン 増田俊樹
Milo Green Danielle McRae Milo Green Megumi Han マイロ・グリーン 潘めぐみ
Walter Eckhart Grant George Walter Eckhart Takahiro Fujiwara ウォルター・エッカート 藤原貴弘
Keith Norman Chris Hackney Keith Norman Toru Sakurai キース・ノーマン 櫻井トオル
Carina Mitchell Brianna Knickerbocker Carina Mitchell Reina Ueda カリーナ・ミッチェル 上田麗奈
Mewtwo Chris Smith Mewtwo Tōru Furuya ミュウツー 古谷徹
Special appearances by
Pikachu Ikue Ohtani Pikachu Ikue Ohtani ピカチュウ 大谷育江

Reception

Gaming magazine Famitsu gave Detective Pikachu a score of 33 out of 40.[1] IGN rated the game a "Great" 8.2/10.[2] It holds a rating of 71% on Metacritic, based on 61 critic reviews.[3]

Sales

Japanese sales

Detective Pikachu sold 42,013 units on its first week on the Japanese market, with a sell-through of 46.82%.[4] By January 3, 2021, the end of its 146th week, it had sold 103,252 copies.[5]

Week Week ending Ranking Units sold Total units sold
1 March 25, 2018 4th 42,013 42,013
2 April 1, 2018 8th 15,584 57,597
3 April 8, 2018 9th 6,959 64,556
4 April 15, 2018 14th 3,837 68,392
5 April 22, 2018 20th 2,817 71,209
6 April 29, 2018 30th - -
7 May 6, 2018 21st - -
8 May 13, 2018 20th 1,637 79,050
9 May 20, 2018 22nd - -
10 May 27, 2018 39th - -
11 June 3, 2018 47th - -
12 June 10, 2018 43rd - -
13 June 17, 2018 43rd - -
14 June 24, 2018 44th - -
15 July 1, 2018 42nd - -
16 July 8, 2018 39th - -
41 December 30, 2018 - - 98,622
93 December 29, 2019 - - 102,202
146 January 3, 2021 - - 103,252

Gallery

Characters

Logos

Miscellaneous

Trailer

Japanese

By PokemonCoJp
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


English

By The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel
This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here.


Trivia

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 名偵探皮卡丘 Mìhngjīngtaam Pikachu
Mandarin 名偵探皮卡丘 / 名侦探皮卡丘 Míngzhēntàn Píkǎqiū
France Flag.png French Détective Pikachu
Germany Flag.png German Meisterdetektiv Pikachu
Italy Flag.png Italian Detective Pikachu
Spain Flag.png Spanish Detective Pikachu

Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo

Language Title
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Detective Pikachu – de geboorte van een nieuw duo
France Flag.png French Détective Pikachu : la naissance d’un nouveau duo
Germany Flag.png German Meisterdetektiv Pikachu – Die Geburt eines neuen Duos
Italy Flag.png Italian Detective Pikachu - La nascita di un nuovo duo
Spain Flag.png Spanish Detective Pikachu: un dúo sin par

Detective Pikachu Special Demo Version

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 名偵探皮卡丘 特別體驗版 Mìhngjīngtaam Pikachu Dahkbiht Táiyihmbáan
Mandarin 名偵探皮卡丘 特別體驗版 / 名侦探皮卡丘 特别体验版 Míngzhēntàn Píkǎqiū Tèbié Tǐyànbǎn
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Speciale demoversie Detective Pikachu
France Flag.png French Détective Pikachu : Version démo spéciale
Germany Flag.png German Meisterdetektiv Pikachu: Spezial-Demoversion
Italy Flag.png Italian Detective Pikachu: Versione demo speciale
Spain Flag.png Spanish Demo especial de Detective Pikachu

References

Pikachu series: Hey You, Pikachu!ChannelDash
TCG: Game Boy TCG series: Trading Card GameTrading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!
Play It! series: Play It!Play It! Version 2
TCG Client series: Card Game OnlineTrading Card Game OnlineTrading Card Game Live
Misc. TCG: Card Game Entry BattleSay Tap?Card Game: How to Play DS
Card Game GachaTCG Card DexDigital Raid Battle Assistant
Trading Card Game Pocket
Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros.MeleeBrawlfor Nintendo 3DS/Wii UUltimate
Snap series: SnapNew Pokémon Snap
Picross: Picross NP Vol. 1Picross (GBC) (canceled)Picross (3DS)
Pinball series: PinballPinball miniPinball: RS
Puzzle series: Puzzle LeaguePuzzle Challenge
Trozei series: Trozei!Battle Trozei
Mystery Dungeon
series
:
Red Rescue Team & Blue Rescue Team
Explorers of Time & Explorers of DarknessExplorers of Sky
Blazing, Stormy & Light Adventure Squad
Gates to InfinitySuper Mystery DungeonRescue Team DX
Ranger series: RangerShadows of AlmiaGuardian Signs
Puck series: BattrioTretta (Tretta Lab) • Ga-OléMezastarFrienda
Rumble series: RumbleRumble BlastRumble URumble WorldRumble Rush
PokéPark series: PokéPark WiiPokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond
Detective Pikachu series: Detective PikachuDetective Pikachu Returns
Playground: Pokémon Detective Pikachu
Pokémon game templates
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