Detective Pikachu (video game)
- This article is about the first game in the Detective Pikachu series. For other uses, see Detective Pikachu.
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.
| Detective Pikachu 名探偵ピカチュウ | |
|---|---|
 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～ | |
 Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo Japanese logo | |
Basic info
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| 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
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| 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
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| Japanese: | Official site Nintendo.co.jp |
| English: | Official site Pokémon.com Nintendo.com |
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Japanese boxart
 Japanese box art of Detective Pikachu | |
It is an expanded version of the original Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo (Japanese: 名探偵ピカチュウ ～新コンビ誕生～ 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
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
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Spoilers end here. |
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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
- Tim Goodman
- Detective Pikachu, a bossy, easily infatuated, coffee-loving, bipedal detective
- Harry Goodman (Japanese: ハリー・グッドマン), Tim's father and detective
- Emilia Christie, GNN news reporter
- Meiko Okamoto, GNN camerawoman
- Roger Clifford, GNN producer
- Ethan Graham, president of GNN
- Brad McMaster, Ryme City Police Department lieutenant
- Mike Baker, head of the Baker Detective Agency
- Frank Holiday, Ryme City Police Department inspector
- Amanda Blackstone, assistant at the Baker Detective Agency
- Pablo Millan, owner of the Hi-Hat Café
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
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
Mike Baker and Accelgor
Pablo Millan and Ludicolo
Logos
English logo
Japanese logo
Birth of a New Duo Japanese logo
Special Demo Version English logo
Special Demo Version Japanese logo
Home Menu icon
Birth of a New Duo Home Menu icon
Miscellaneous
Birth of a New Duo artwork
Image from early development
Detective Pikachu amiibo
Trailer
Japanese
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
English
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| This video is not available on Bulbapedia; instead, you can watch the video on YouTube here. | |
Trivia
- When talking to an ordinary Pikachu, Detective Pikachu says, "Tell your buddy to be the very best like no one ever was," which is a reference to the anime's English dub's original theme song.
- The Baker Agency is similar to 221B Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes lives.
- This was the final Pokémon game released for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
In other languages
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Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo
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Detective Pikachu Special Demo Version
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References
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This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames. |