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Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

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This article is about the third series of the Pokémon animated series. For the series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Pokémon Trading Card Game → Diamond & Pearl Series. For other uses, see Diamond and Pearl.
English logo
Japanese logo

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl (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 Pokémon animated series in Japan and Asia and the fourth series of Pokémon the Series in the West. The series is based on the events of the Generation IV core series Pokémon games. It follows Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire and was succeeded by Pokémon the Series: Black & White. 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 in the United States on April 20, 2007. Two special episodes (DPS01 and DPS02) were later shown on February 3, 2011 in Japan. It was not given an English name until after the release of Pokémon the Series: XY.

Like the previous series, this series begins with Ash Ketchum beginning his journey by himself, this time through the Sinnoh region, aiming to conquer the Sinnoh League. 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 and gain the title of Top Coordinator.

Like what happened in Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, both Ash and Brock received a change of clothes. As well, a similarity to the previous series is that 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, Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl 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. Additionally, moves like Water Gun and Hydro Pump started being rendered in CGI following this transition.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl is different from the previous two series in that it is more story driven. While there are fewer 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 more violent and dramatic than its predecessors, in part stemming from the character Paul whose training method sharply contrasts with Ash's so much that he 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 the actions of the heartless mercenary J.

Episodes in Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl are numbered with the prefix DP on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl episodes.

Blurb

If Gary Oak is headed for the Sinnoh region, then Ash Ketchum won’t be far behind! Ready to take on the Sinnoh League, Ash brings along Pikachu and meets up with Brock in Sinnoh, where the pair of Trainers are soon joined by a third—Dawn, a novice Pokémon Coordinator determined to follow in the footsteps of her mother. Both Ash and Dawn struggle with their respective paths, but it’s easy for them to make new friends, gaining new Pokémon like Turtwig and Piplup.

Dub seasons

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

  • Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl logo

    Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl logo

  • Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension logo

    Pokémon: DP Battle Dimension logo

  • Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles logo

    Pokémon: DP Galactic Battles logo

  • Pokémon: DP Sinnoh League Victors logo

    Pokémon: DP Sinnoh League Victors logo

Movies

Main article: Pokémon movie → Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Home video releases

North American DVD releases

Australian DVD releases

Japanese DVD releases

Gallery

For more images, please see artwork from Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl on the Bulbagarden Archives.

Posters

  • A very early Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

    A very early Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

  • An early Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

    An early Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

  • A Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

    A Japanese poster for Diamond & Pearl

  • Pokémon Asia poster for Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl

    Pokémon Asia poster for Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl

  • An English poster for Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

    An English poster for Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

Characters

Main characters

Supporting characters

Antagonists

Trivia

  • This is the only series in which:
    • Ash does not have a new male traveling companion during his time as a protagonist.
    • A character other than Ash is mentioned in the summary of the Japanese opening themes.
    • There are no eyecatches in the dub.
    • Team Rocket appears in every episode (they did not appear in the first episode in the original series; they were absent in AG120 in Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire; and they have been absent in several episodes from Pokémon the Series: Black & White onward).
    • Ash's house does not make an appearance while he is in Pallet Town.
    • Ash starts off with more than one of his Pokémon, arriving in Sinnoh with Pikachu and Aipom, the latter of which stowed away.
    • Ash meets all four of the primary region's Elite Four.
      • Ash has met all of the members of Kanto's original Elite Four, but did not do so by the end of the original series.
      • He later went on to meet all of Alola's Elite Four members, but none of them presented themselves as such due to the Alola League being a new establishment.
    • A Full Battle takes place outside of a major tournament, not counting movies.
    • There are no episodes revolving around filming.
    • A recurring Charizard doesn’t appear.
    • Ash begins his journey still wearing his outfit from the previous series.
    • There are episodes in two different aspect ratios.
      • It is the first series to have episodes in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the last series to have episodes in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
    • Ash catches multiple of the concurrent region's first partner Pokémon and has up to two of them evolve into their final forms.
  • This is the only series prior to Pokémon Journeys: The Series to not have any of its music used during the Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master arc of said series.
  • This is the first series in which:
    • Ash has only one new traveling companion.
    • 4Kids had no part in dubbing.
    • Episodes have a frame rate of 30 frames per second.
    • There are no references to or Pokémon from the following generation, aside from the thirteenth movie.
    • Ash and his friends only travel across a single region together.
    • A battle spans across more than two consecutive episodes.
    • Ash is not shown traveling to a new region at the end of the series, simply returning home to Pallet Town instead.
    • No episodes are banned, but at least one episode is undubbed.
  • This is the last series in which:
    • There is background music produced by 4Kids Entertainment in the dub.
    • Characters are drawn using Ken Sugimori's older art style.
    • James has a walking Pokémon.
    • Ash's female traveling companion gets her bicycle destroyed by Ash's Pikachu.
    • A Pokémon Ash had caught in a previous series evolves.
    • Ash uses Pokémon he had obtained in a previous series in a major tournament, aside from Pikachu.
    • The dub has at least four seasons.
  • The Sinnoh journey is the longest regional story arc out of all the arcs in the animated series. The Johto journey previously held this distinction with 158 episodes total.
  • In this series, every Trainer who is part of the regular cast—Ash, Dawn, Brock, Jessie and James—owns at least one Pokémon that is part of a cross-generational evolutionary line that includes a member introduced in Generation IV.
  • In the re-dubbed Hindi version, James has a flamboyant accent.
  • This is the last series to be dubbed by TAJ Productions, and the first series to be dubbed by DuArt Film & Video.
  • This is the first English-dubbed series to air its complete run on a single channel. The original series was split between syndication and Kids' WB, while Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire was split between Kids WB and Cartoon Network.
  • In Japan, this is the only series to not be aired on Kids Station; instead, it was aired on Disney XD, although the series' movies were still aired on Kids Station.

In other languages


External links

Original series (list) Indigo League • Adventures in the Orange Islands
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
Project Anime logo.png This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.
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