Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl has made several improvements to the original Sinnoh experience. One factor of this is that, while the Platinum Pokedex isn't in the game, many Pokemon from it are easily catchable during the story, thanks to the new Grand Underground.
That's not all, though, as, through various means, Pokemon that weren't catchable at all in the original games are now readily available to any player who wants them. In fact, thanks to the Mew & Jirachi events in the game, only 5 Pokemon from the Generation 4 Pokedex are uncatchable in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, all of which are Mythical Pokemon.
11 Kanto, Johto & Hoenn Starters
While Starter Pokemon from previous games are commonly found as gifts in modern Pokemon games, that practice hadn't come into effect by Generation 4. As such, none of the beloved Starter Pokemon from the previous Generations were available.
The Grand Underground was the blessing trainers didn't know they needed for this, as all three are now catchable in the right chambers. All players have to do is make sure they have the national Pokedex first and maybe put a few statues of the right type in their base to increase the odds of that type appearing in the wild.
10 Tangela
Most of the Pokemon unavailable in the original Diamond & Pearl had some logic behind them. It was usually because they were Starter, Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, so the whole idea at the time was that they were supposed to be rare and hard to come by.
Tangela, however, has never been especially rare, so why it was one of the few left out makes no sense. Platinum made up for this by putting it in the Great Marsh and giving it a new evolution, Tangrowth. However, in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, players will have to search in the Grand Underground to find one.
9 Legendary Birds
The first set of Legendaries, the birds were nowhere to be found in the original version of Sinnoh. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres have long been fan favorites, seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years thanks to being the mascots of the teams in Pokemon GO and Galarian Forms added in Sword & Shield's Crown Tundra DLC.
Players must go to Ramanas Park for these birds, the brand new area that replaced the old Pal Park facility. Exclusive to the Shining Pearl version, players must first capture the Legendary Golems, buy the Kanto Slate item from the shop, and the chamber containing the birds will open.
8 Mew & Mewtwo
Two of the most iconic Legendary Pokemon the franchise has ever seen, both were completely absent from the original games. This was likely due to the Johto remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver, being planned for release in the same Generation, where both Pokemon would be available.
To get Mew, players are required to have a Let's Go! Pikachu or Eevee save file registered to their Switch. Then they must go to Floaroma Town and talk to the woman in the bottom left corner, she will give the Mew. Mewtwo is in Ramanas Park. In both versions, players must capture all of the other available Pokemon in Ramanas Park (except Ho-oh/Lugia, Groudon/Kyogre, and Rayquaza), and the Genome Slate will be purchasable. It unlocks Mewtwo's chamber.
7 Legendary Beasts
One of the most beloved Legendary trios, the three beasts are widely regarded as some of the most well-designed Pokemon out there. They have some interesting lore, too, said to be three animals that were resurrected by Ho-oh and were given great power.
Players can finally claim this great power for themselves in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl by once again making the trip to Ramanas Park. These are exclusive to the Brilliant Diamond version. After capturing the Legendary Golems, the Johto Slate will be purchasable. It unlocks the room containing the three beasts.
6 Tropius
Like Tangela, the reason Tropius was left out of the original Diamond & Pearl is unknown. It doesn't have any special meaning or function, it's just an ordinary Pokemon that got left by the wayside for seemingly no real reason. Platinum put it in the Great Marsh, but Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl do one better.
Thanks to the Grand Underground, players will be able to catch themselves a Tropius without having to mess about with the Great Marsh's system. There, players will throw mud and food at the Pokemon, hoping they don't run away before the Safari Ball captures them.
5 Legendary Golems
The fact that these Golems were absent from Diamond & Pearl caused a big problem for players, as they were necessary to access Snowpoint Temple, where the then-new Pokemon Regigigas could be found. It was such an oversight that Game Freak had to release them as an event at one point.
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl don't make that mistake, thankfully, putting them front and center. When players first reach Ramanas Park, the Discovery Slates will be the only one available. Buying it will give access to the chamber containing Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
4 Eon Duo
The Eon Duo or Lati-Twins, as they are sometimes called, have been sparsely available throughout the years. They got a featured spot in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, but that's about the most attention they've ever gotten, so it's no surprise that they were left out of the original Sinnoh games.
Once again, though, Ramanas Park swoops into the rescue where, surprisingly, they are not exclusive to a particular version. Once players have caught the Legendary Golems, they will be able to buy the Soul Slate, which unlocks the room containing them. There is even a reward once both have been captured, giving the Soul Dew item.
3 Previous Box-Art Legendaries
Due to Game Freak's desire to keep Legendary Pokemon as rare as possible at the time, the Legendary Pokemon that had previously graced the box-art of the old games (Ho-oh, Lugia, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza) were nowhere to be seen in Diamond & Pearl, only being catchable in HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Ramanas Park has players covered, although they will have to deal with version exclusivity. The requirement for each one is slightly different. They are:
- Ho-oh - Brilliant Diamond only - Catch the Legendary Beasts & Eon Duo, then buy the Rainbow Slate
- Lugia - Shining Pearl only - Catch the Legendary Birds & Eon Duo, then buy the Squall Slate
- Groudon - Both versions - Catch the Legendary Beasts/Birds & Eon Duo, then buy the Tectonic Slate
- Kyogre - Both versions - Catch the Legendary Beasts/Birds & Eon Duo, then buy the Oceanic Slate
- Rayquaza - Both versions - Catch the Legendary Beasts/Birds & Eon Duo, then buy the Stratospheric Slate
2 Jirachi
Mew isn't the only Mythical Pokemon players are fortunate enough to get in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. The Wish Pokemon had only just been released in Generation 3, so Game Freak had no desire to give out another one when Generation 4 rolled around.
However, in Generation 8, they're feeling a little more generous, and all players need to do to get Jirachi is to possess a Sword & Shield save file on their Switch. Then, in Floaroma Town, talk to the old man in the bottom left corner (next to the woman who gives Mew), and Jirachi will be given.
1 Giratina – Origin Form
The Pokemon that completes the Creation Trio of which Dialga & Palkia are a part, Giratina is catchable in its Altered Form in Diamond & Pearl. Its far cooler and more powerful Origin Form can only be obtained when Giratina is holding the Griseous Orb, an item that couldn't be obtained in Diamond & Pearl.
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl saw fit to fix this issue. However, getting the orb is no easy feat. Giratina is catchable in Turnback Cave, like in the originals, but the Griseous Orb is in Ramanas Park. The Distortion Slate is purchasable after catching the Legendary Golems. This will allow a chamber where a Shadow version of Giratina can be battled. This Giratina is Level 100 and cannot be caught. If trainers are strong and smart enough to beat it, they will receive the Griseous Orb as their reward.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl was released on November 19, 2021, and is available on Nintendo Switch.