I’ll Admit It, Human Ditto Makes a Better Pokemon Protagonist Than I Thought

If you had asked me to predict the protagonist of Pokemon’s first life sim, I would never in a million years have guessed Ditto. And yet, Pokemon Pokopia will star Ditto, masquerading in human form. Like many people, I was initially pretty skeptical of this choice. The implications get a bit too weird if you think about it too long. In part because of the Human Ditto of it all, I worried Pokopia would fall short of my cozy Pokemon dreams. Now that I’ve had a chance to play the game for a little while? I’ll admit it, I might have been wrong about poor Ditto.

During my hands-on preview with Pokopia, I got to create my very own Human Ditto. Then, I took them for a spin, running around the world and getting a little insight into how the game’s story will unfold. Since the game was revealed, I’ve wondered why Pokopia didn’t take the Animal Crossing approach and make the player the only human in a world of critters. But after settling into my playtime as Human Ditto, I kind of get it, actually.

Ditto’s Backstory is a Heartwarming Homage to the Bond Between Pokemon and Their Trainers

When Pokopia opens, you’re prompted to create your custom character. This is pretty standard for games with character creation, but Pokopia adds a layer of story right off the bat. Ditto isn’t transforming into any old human. They take on the appearance of what they remember their trainer looked like. It’s not clear how long it’s been since Ditto last got to be with its trainer, but this touching detail is a lovely nod to the bond between trainers and Pokemon.

This connection is something the anime showcases well, but the games have always been a bit more hit or miss with it. Even so, the bond between Pokemon and trainers has always been a central part of Pokemon. With Pokopia leaving humans behind, this feels like a lovely way to still honor that love. Ditto clearly cared for and misses its trainer, and this brought me around on why it transforms into a human from the start.

The Human Ditto avatar looks a bit goofy, as Ditto so often does. The hair is a bit too chunky, and your arms are a bit too long as you run around the island. But the time that’s likely passed since Ditto last saw its beloved trainer, and possibly any humans at all, adds a heartwarming and slightly devastating reason behind this odd transformation. It also turns out that the weird little avatar is pretty cute, actually, and you get used to its oddness pretty quickly while playing.

Pokemon Pokopia Doesn’t Let Us Forget that Ditto Is a Pokemon, Not a Person – And It’s Adorable

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Yes, Pokemon Pokopia Will Have Its Own Pokedex, But It’s A Bit Different

Every Pokemon is somebody’s favorite, as fans are fond of saying. But Ditto has never been one of mine. It’s just a derby little blob at the end of the day, and while that’s some people’s cup of tea, it’s never quite been mine. But I have to admit, spending more time with Ditto in Pokopia has already made me appreciate how cute a little amorphous blob can be. Despite letting us run around in human-ish form, Pokopia has ways of reminding us that Ditto is very much a Pokemon. That kind of helps with the awkward blurring of the lines between human and Pokemon situation.

For starters, Ditto can talk to its fellow Pokemon. As in, their dialogue is just plain old speech, not simply the Pokemon’s name over and over. This is a reminder that Ditto is a Pokemon, not a person. And it also lets Pokopia give each Pokemon its own unique personality in a fun way, with Scyther obsessed with finding things to chop and Sylveon being finely tuned to the feelings of its fellow creatures. This is all well and good, but there’s another small detail that really captured my heart during my hands-on preview.

Pokemon Pokopia has a day/night cycle, like many life sims before it. And that means that Ditto, alnog with the other Pokemon on the island, has to sleep. When Ditto curls up for the night, it lets go of the effort of staying transformed. To sleep, Human Ditto becomes a pink little Pokemon blob once again. And that animation was just too cute, while also being another way of reminding us that Ditto might look human, but it is right at home with its fellow Pokemon after all.

Clearly, Pokopia was able to win me over on Human Ditto as a protagonist. I get the sense that its story will have a few more tearjerking moments that call back to its beloved and long-lost trainer along the way. And its slightly unorthodox transformation is just a natural part of that story, after all.

What do you think about the Human Ditto avatar in Pokemon Pokopia? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!