Detective Pikachu Artist Reveals Original ‘Danny Devito’ Pikachu Design

Detective Pikachu has made its way into theaters and given the world a look at Pokemon IRL. After decades spent wowing anime and video gaming fans, Pokemon decided it was time to wow audiences in theaters, and Ryan Reynolds was brought in to voice Pikachu. But as it turns out, another star was courted for the role, and it seems Danny Devito played more of role in the film than fans knew.

After all, some official Pikachu designs were mocked up and inspired by Devito himself.

Taking to Twitter, one of the concept artists behind Detective Pikachu hit up fans with some new drafts they did for the film. It was there RJ Palmer shouted out Devito and revealed a few designs he did of Pikachu which resemble the iconic actor.

“So it’s been a couple weeks since Detective Pikachu came out. What better way to start posting my work than the man himself. I just want it to be known that I definitely tried pushing a Danny Devito angle at one point. I worked on this project for 7 months, so expect more soon,” the artist shared.

As you can see above, the designs do look scarily like Devito. Gone is the fluffy look fans expect Pikachu to have as Devito’s jawline is pronounced. The Pikachu even has the star’s famous downturned lips, and the various designs show Pikachu channeling his inner Devito through some sassy poses.

Of course, Devito did not voice the titular lead of Detective Pikachu, but it is not for lack of fan interest. In fact, netizens championed hard for the actor to appear in the live-action adaptation. However, the role ultimately went to Reynolds, and fans admit the Canadian-born actor was a perfect fit for Pikachu’s irreverent personality in the end.

So, what do you make of this Devito-centric Pikachu design? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is now out in theaters, and you can read our spoiler-free review of the film here. The official synopsis for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reads as such, “The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself.