Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

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This article is about the third series of the anime. For the series of the Pokémon Trading Card Game, see Pokémon Trading Card Game → Diamond & Pearl Series. For other uses, see Diamond and Pearl.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl (Japanese: ポケットモンスターダイヤモンド&パール Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl), referred to by fans as the Diamond & Pearl series, is the third series of the Pokémon anime and is based on the events of the Generation IV core series Pokémon games. It follows the Advanced Generation series and was succeeded by the Best Wishes series. It ran from September 28, 2006 to September 9, 2010 in Japan and from June 4, 2007 to February 5, 2011 in the United States, although the first three episodes aired as a sneak peak in the United States on April 20, 2007. It was not given an English name until after the release of Pokémon the Series: XY.

English logo
Japanese logo

Like the previous series, this series begins with Ash Ketchum beginning his journey by himself, this time through the Sinnoh region. His longtime companion Brock eventually rejoins him, as does Dawn, a rookie Pokémon Coordinator from Twinleaf Town who wishes to follow in the footsteps of her mother.

Like what happened in the Advanced Generation series, both Ash and Brock received a change of clothes. As well, a similarity to the previous series is that Ash attempted to travel to Sinnoh with only Pikachu. He was unsuccessful, however, as his recently-caught Aipom insisted on accompanying him.

Like Advanced Generation before it, Ash's previous female companion returned for a few episodes, wearing new clothes just as Ash and Brock do. May's outfit was based on that of her game counterpart during Pokémon Emerald.

Much like what occurred near to the end of the original series's journey through Johto, with the move from cel-based coloring to digital coloring, the Diamond & Pearl series featured the show's move from a standard definition 4:3 presentation to a high-definition 16:9 format near to the middle of the Sinnoh journey. Additionally, moves like Water Gun and Hydro Pump started being rendered in CGI following this transition.

The Diamond & Pearl series is different from the previous two series in that it is more story driven. While there are fewer episodes dedicated to Ash's Gym quest or the resident Coordinator's (currently Dawn) Contest quest than previous series had in the same amount of time, more captures, more departures, and more rivals have been introduced when compared to earlier series.

Additionally, this series is the more violent and dramatic than its predecessors, in part stemming from the character Paul whose training method sharply contrasts with Ash's so much that he abuses his Pokémon for not doing well, and likewise stemming from the cataclysmic nature of the plot of Sinnoh's resident villainous team, Team Galactic, as well as the actions of the heartless mercenary J.

Episodes in the Diamond & Pearl series are numbered with the prefix DP on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Diamond & Pearl series episodes.

Blurb

If Gary Oak is headed for the Sinnoh region, then Ash Ketchum won’t be far behind! Ready to take on the Sinnoh League, Ash brings along Pikachu and meets up with Brock in Sinnoh, where the pair of Trainers are soon joined by a third—Dawn, a novice Pokémon Coordinator determined to follow in the footsteps of her mother. Both Ash and Dawn struggle with their respective paths, but it’s easy for them to make new friends, gaining new Pokémon like Turtwig and Piplup.

Dub seasons

When the Diamond & Pearl series came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided up into four seasons:

Movies

Main article: Pokémon movie → Diamond & Pearl series

Home video releases

North American DVD releases

Australian DVD releases

Japanese DVD releases

Gallery

For more images, please see artwork from the Diamond & Pearl anime series on the Bulbagarden Archives.

Posters

Characters

Main characters

Supporting characters

Antagonists

Trivia

  • This is the only series in which:
    • Ash has only one new traveling companion.
    • A character other than Ash is mentioned in the summary of the Japanese opening themes.
    • There are no Who's That Pokémon? segments in the dub.
    • Team Rocket appears in every episode (they did not appear in the first episode in the original series, they were absent in AG120 in the Advanced Generation series, and they have been absent in several episodes from the Best Wishes, XY, and Sun & Moon series).
    • Ash starts off with more than one of his Pokémon, arriving in Sinnoh with Pikachu and Aipom, the latter of which stowed away.
    • Ash meets all four of the primary region's Elite Four.
      • Ash has met all of the members of Kanto's original Elite Four, but did not do so by the end of the original series.
      • He later went on to meet all of Alola's Elite Four members, but none of them presented themselves as such due to the Alola League being a new establishment.
    • There are more English opening themes than Japanese opening themes.
  • This is the only completed series so far to have all of its intended episodes aired in the Japanese version. Every other completed series has had at least one episode that was never broadcast (while An Undersea Place to Call Home! of the XY series did not air when originally intended, it was aired later).
  • This is the only completed series not to have an episode revolving around movies.
  • The Sinnoh journey is the longest regional story arc out of all the arcs in the anime. The Johto journey previously held this distinction with 158 episodes total.
  • This was the first series in which 4Kids had no part in dubbing.
  • In this series, every Trainer who is part of the regular cast—Ash, Dawn, Brock, Jessie and James—owns at least one Pokémon that is part of a cross-generational evolution line that includes a member introduced in Generation IV.
  • In the re-dubbed Hindi version, James has a flamboyant accent.
  • This is the first English-dubbed series to air its complete run on a single channel. The original series was split between syndication and Kids' WB, while the Advanced Generation series was split between Kids WB and Cartoon Network.

In other languages


External links

Original series (list) Indigo LeagueAdventures in the Orange Islands
The Johto JourneysJohto League ChampionsMaster Quest
Ruby and Sapphire (list) AdvancedAdvanced ChallengeAdvanced BattleBattle Frontier
Diamond and Pearl (list) Diamond and PearlBattle DimensionGalactic BattlesSinnoh League Victors
Black & White (list) Black & WhiteRival DestiniesAdventures in Unova and Beyond
XY (list) XYKalos QuestXYZ (Mega Evolution Specials)
Sun & Moon (list) Sun & MoonUltra Adventures‎Ultra Legends
Journeys (list) JourneysMaster JourneysUltimate Journeys (The Arceus Chronicles)
Horizons (list) Horizons
Specials (list) Pikachu's Winter VacationSide StoriesPokémon Chronicles
Planetarium specialsPikachu shorts
Mewtwo ReturnsThe Legend of Thunder!Pichu Bros. in Party Panic
The Mastermind of Mirage PokémonPokémon Ranger: Guardian SignsA Ripple in Time
Complete listMoviesOther anime series


  This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.