Where Are The PokeBattles In Detective Pikachu?

Detective Pikachu may be the first major live action outing for Pokemon, but fans may be surprised that the typical staples of pocket monsters, the battles, are few and far between. The Ryan Reynolds voiced Pikachu doesn’t find himself in as many battles as you would think and there’s a very specific reason for that when all is said and done. With that being said, let’s dive into the reasoning behind why the Pokebattles took a backseat to the other elements of the film.

Polygon recently had an interview with director Rob Letterman, where they specifically asked why the movie doesn’t have as much Pokemon Head-On action as fans might believe. Letterman had this to say to the video game news outlet:

“Part of [The Pokémon Company’s] conceit for Detective Pikachu was to create a new region, Ryme City, that had a new set of rules. The Pokémon Company wanted to have the Pokémon not be in pokeballs. They wanted a region where humans and Pokémon had a different, elevated relationship where they co-existed. The Pokémon could be human beings’ familiars.”

To extrapolate on this point, the screenwriter of the film, Benji Samit, also added this:

“A lot of the classic elements of a Pokémon story were not really at our disposal. At Ryme City, there are no battles, there are no trainers, there are no Pokeballs. We often thought of it as like writing a Star Wars movie without a lightsaber or the Force or anything like that. The key elements are just not part of this world.”

Dan Hernandez, another screenwriter on the film, also shared his thoughts on the matter:

“We really wanted to organically weave in all of these powers and make it something that everyone just kind of understood and lived with, and it was almost a mundane part of life in Ryme City, which actually highlighted how special it was But these people aren’t really put out that much by Snorlax causing a traffic jam.”

It’s an interesting take to be sure but it certainly seems like it was the right decision for them to make, based on the world they were trying to create. Detective Pikachu is closest to a “crime noir” story, as Letterman noted, attempting to create a mystery for audience. Taking a preconceived notion for a genre and flipping it on its head can sometimes make for a more enjoyable film. We’re reminded somewhat of M Night Shyamalan’s Split which was marketed as a horror movie but was eventually revealed to be a super villain origin picture.

What do you think about the lack of Pokemon battles in Detective Pikachu? Let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.

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