5 Hints ‘Pokemon Diamond’ And ‘Pearl’ Are Being Remade After ‘Pokemon Sun’ And ‘Moon’

Pokemon Sun and Moon are being released tomorrow! While waiting for them, Pokemon fans might want to mull over what else will be included in the franchise’s seventh generation.

Will Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, the franchise’s generation four games, be getting remakes? It is looking more and more likely all the time, and we’ve decided to round up a few of the most persuasive hints as to why. Our top five are detailed below. We have tried to avoid the extremely obvious points, like the fact that generation three was remade after X and Y and it is now generation four’s turn.

[DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SEVERAL SPOILERS, INCLUDING A LIST OF ALL POKEMON AVAILABLE IN ALOLA AND A SMALL STORY POINT ABOUT THE POST-GAME]

Nem lançou #PokemonSunMoon ainda e já to querendo os remakes de Sinnoh.
Amo forte!!! pic.twitter.com/saXM1Axlzr

— Wallace ??? (@mudkipcalm) November 5, 2016

1. Storytime in Sinnoh

Just earlier this week, the official Japanese Pokemon Youtube channel posted a short video that basically goes through a never-before-seen Pokemon picture book. The story tells of a group of Pokemon that kick a ball at a clock tower and accidentally freeze time. The words and voiceover are in Japanese, but what is really interesting about the video is the Pokemon chosen as characters: almost exclusively Sinnoh Pokemon.

The three main characters are Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar, the Sinnoh starters. Before the end of the story, they run into Buneary, Pachirisu, Munchlax, Buizel, and Ambipom, all Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Why would The Pokemon Company want to specifically feature Sinnoh starters and other Pokemon from the region now? “Because the Sinnoh games are being hyped in preparation for remakes” seems to be the obvious answer.

2. Lack of Sinnoh Pokemon in the Alola dex

Sinnoh Pokemon may have been pushed into Pokemon’s multimedia content lately, but they have not received a similar amount of focus in the actual games. In fact, the regional Pokedex of Alola, the region in which Pokemon Sun and Moon take place, contains only seven Sinnoh Pokemon, excluding evolved or pre-evolved forms of Pokemon introduced in other generations.

More precisely, only the Garchomp, Lucario, and Lumineon evolution lines are included. The noticeable exclusion of generation four Pokemon in Pokemon Sun and Moon definitely bodes well for Sinnoh remakes following the games. After all, The Pokemon Company would want to avoid repeating a large portion of the Pokedex in two consecutive releases.

3. The Arceus Connection

Most seasoned Pokemon fans involved in the game’s competitive scene are familiar with Arceus, the God Pokemon introduced in generation four. They may also know that Arceus’s ability, “Multitype,” allows it to alter its own typing depending on the item it holds. The Pokemon’s signature move, “Judgement,” assumes the typing of Arceus itself.

About a month ago, a trailer on the official Pokemon Youtube channel revealed a new Pokemon for Sun and Moon named Silvally, an evolution to the previously-unveiled Pokemon “Type: Null.” The trailer also unveiled the Pokemon’s signature ability, “RKS System,” and its signature move, “Multi-Attack.” They seem to have the exact same effects as Arceus’s unique ability and attack, meaning that Silvally is basically the second coming of Arceus. Does that mean The Pokemon Company is sneakily moving back towards Arceus for a generation four revival? Is it possible he is Silvally’s evolution?

4. Munchlax, the Launch Event Pokemon

The Pokemon Company announced quite a while ago that anyone who bought Pokemon Sun and Moon before January 11, 2017, will be gifted a Munchlax, a generation four Pokemon, at the beginning of the game.

It could be said that Munchlax was selected because its evolution, Snorlax, is being given a unique Z-move, and being given one early on allows the player to try out the new mechanic for Pokemon Sun and Moon.

What makes the clue a lot more persuasive, though, is that Torchic, a generation three Pokemon, was the gift Pokemon given at launch for Pokemon X and Y. The first set of generation six games get a generation three Pokemon as their launch gift, and the generation three games are remade later in the generation with Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The first set of generation seven games get a generation four Pokemon as their launch gift and…well, you can fill in the rest.

5. The Distortion Dimension

Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced a gameplay concept that exceeded the bounds any of the Pokemon games had gone to up to that point: the ability to play in an alternate dimension. Giratina, the third of the legendary trio in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, lived in the mysterious “Distortion World,” an area the player had to visit that was essentially an alternate dimension.

Now that Pokemon Sun and Moon have leaked in full, we know that the Ultra Beasts, a slew of mysterious monsters introduced alongside the actual Pokemon this generation, come from an alternate dimension also. During the Pokemon Sun and Moon postgame, the player can even enter this other reality. It is definitely unlike the ghostly landscape in which we encountered Giratina, but does the game’s emphasis on multiple dimensions serve as a clue to the Distortion World’s upcoming return?

Of course, none of these hints can confirm gen four remakes. We’ll have to wait for the official word from The Pokemon Company for that. If it comes, though, you can be sure it will make a lot of Pokemon fans happy.

Have you picked up on any big hints to upcoming Sinnoh remakes that are not expressed here? Make yourself heard in the comments section below!

And as always, Train On, Pokemon fans.

[Featured image vi Vang Xiong/Pinterest]