Have you seen the trailer for Detective Pikachu yet? I think a lot of us were unsure about how a live-action Pokemon movie would go down, but it actually looks kind of cool.
One of the big selling points of the two minute trailer (for me at least) was getting a good look at the film’s CG Pokemon, which have a realistic quality which is as adorable as it is genuinely horrifying, in some cases.
With that in mind, and because I have nothing better to do with my time, I went through the trailer and rounded up every Pokemon I could spot. Let’s see together how these monsters have fared from the hyper-real CG treatment, shall we?
There’s a fair bit to unpack in the first shot of the trailer as we open on Ryme City, a place where people and Pokemon live in harmony.
We can obviously see a cheeky Charmander scamper past, and a Dodrio saunter along. There are some flying Pokemon in the background that I can’t really make out, but if I had to guess, the one flying along in the top right is a Swellow (though it could be a Pidgeot).
You’ll also be glad to know that some later-gen Pokemon make an appearance, as a noble Braviary sits by some trees. Eagle eyed viewers might also have spotted the Tauros in the crowd.
Next up we’re introduced to an absolutely adorable version of Psyduck. It looks like this little fella and his trainer will be playing a big role in the movie.
There’s also some kind of Pokemon parade being prepared in the background, with Gengar and Jigglypuff balloons that resemble the anime versions. Oh, and there’s a Spoink toy on the dashboard of the car, which is cool.
There are no actual physical Pokemon to speak of in this next shot, but there are references to Blastoise, Dragonite, Hypno, Charizard, and Steelix.
We also get confirmation that legendary Pokemon are not only knocking around in this world, but are actually known of, as we see references to Articuno and Rayquaza.
Old school fans will also be thrilled to see the references to Cerulean Arena, and Johto Sport Club which means Kanto and Johto are very much around in this Pokemon movie universe.
No idea who this guy is, to be honest. Let’s move on.
Another crowd shot. This time we can see Dodrio’s handsome face(s), as well as a trio of Emolga, and what I’m fairly certain is the Gen VI fairy Pokemon Flabébé.
A glimpse at two Pokemon here who seem to have gone missing, which I imagine is a big part of the film’s plot.
We all know and love Squirtle of course, but it’s also great to see the adorable fighting panda Pancham put a shift in.
We’ve all got time for Bulbasaur. The fact we see an entire herd of them makes me very happy indeed.
They’re joined here by Morelull, a recent ghost/mushroom type that if I’m being honest, I did have to Google.
A lot of people seem to be reeling from the fact that Jigglypuff is furry here, and not a fleshy balloon. I can only wonder what these people thought Jigglypuff’s quiff was meant to be this entire time, to be honest.
We’d all be entitled to refunds if Charizard didn’t make an appearance in Detective Pikachu, of course. Here he is at what looks like some kind of gym battle, and he’s looking very fierce indeed.
Greninja is easily one of the coolest new additions to Pokemon in recent memory, so it’s great to see them in action here.
Here we can see a Squirtle in the flesh – but is it the missing Squirtle from earlier in the trailer? Braviary’s pre evolution form Rufflet is also present and correct (and looking very cute, I must say).
The final Pokemon we see in the Detective Pikachu trailer is this… monstrosity. I’ve spoken before about how I think Mr Mime is nothing short of an affront to God and man, and this realistic take on it has done it no favours whatsoever. Jesus.
Those are all the monsters I spotted in the trailer, anyway. There are likely those with keener eyes than mine who’ve come across even more Pokemon hidden away in the crowd shots, of course.
In all honesty, I think a big part of the fun with this movie for die-hard fans is going to be to see how many Pokemon we can spot when Detective Pikachu hits cinemas on May 10, 2019. Till then, try not to have nightmares about Mr Mime.
Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.