The Pokemon franchise is well-known for having pretty compelling lore, even though the franchise doesn't always focus on storytelling. Every game focuses on a handful of Legendary Pokemon that usually holds a crucial role in the mythos of Pokemon, whether they're guardians of nature, or associated with the world's creation. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, remakes of the original Diamond and Pearl titles, potentially hold one of the most important places in the Pokemon series' lore. Diamond and Pearl introduced several Legendary Pokemon that the games describe as some of the first Pokemon to ever exist, including Arceus, the mythical creator of the entire Pokemon world.
Pokemon didn't necessarily need a canonical origin story, but it's great that Nintendo went above and beyond in writing one anyway. Interestingly, it's not the only Nintendo franchise that has a definitive origin story. The Legend of Zelda famously got a canonical origin story when The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword released. Now, as luck would have it, both the Zelda origin story and the vehicle for Pokemon's origin story are getting remakes at the same time. Although they address the world's origins in very different ways, it's interesting to compare these games and their beginnings to one another.
The Lore-Rich Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
For a long time, Zelda fans debated the exact chronological order of The Legend of Zelda's many games. That debate was ended around the time that Nintendo made The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which was placed at the beginning of a newly revealed timeline. Before every other game in the series, Zelda: Skyward Sword takes place. The game's prologue directly involves the goddess Hylia when she still walked among mortals, well before Link or Zelda served as her heroes. Hylia's battle with demonkind and Ghirahim's resulting quest for revenge are what motivate the first Link and Zelda to set out on an adventure.
Beyond that, Skyward Sword is formative for the franchise in a lot of ways. For instance, a central part of the game's plot is the forging of the Master Sword. Link wields this weapon throughout almost every game, but they wouldn't be able to wield it at all if Skyward Sword's Link didn't create it. The Master Sword doesn't come up for quite a while in Skyward Sword, with Link continuing to use the Goddess Sword instead. However, later in the game, creating the Master Sword becomes crucial to saving Zelda and defeating Hylia's enemies.
Skyward Sword canonizes tons of other important things for the Zelda franchise. For instance, it explains why Ganon is such a constant factor in the lives of nearly every incarnation of Link. It also shows how the Triforce was first assembled and what it was first used for, before the later incarnations of Link, Zelda, and Ganon each laid claim to a piece of the Triforce. There's no denying that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a crucial part of Zelda war, retroactively setting the stage for every other game in the franchise.
The Beginnings of the Pokemon World
At the same time that Skyward Sword returns with an HD remake for the Switch, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are on the way. These games will reintroduce fans to the Pokemon myths and stories that suggest how the world of Pokemon began. It begins with the mysterious and elusive Arceus, a Mythical Pokemon that was supposedly born when the universe began.
Arceus is credited with creating the universe, and in doing so, it shaped three Pokemon often referred to as the creation trio. These Pokemon are Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, and each of them controls a central primordial force. Dialga rules time, Palkia rules space, and Giratina rules antimatter. Although previous games introduced lots of imposing Legendary Pokemon from Lugia to Mewtwo to Rayquaza, none introduced Pokemon with the central lore position that Arceus and the creation trio have.
Although these three are already impressive, important figures in Pokemon lore, they're not the only Pokemon from Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum credited with creating the world. For instance, Regigigas is from the Sinnoh region too. Legends say that Regigigas played a central role in creating the Pokemon world because it dragged the continents into place. It also created all of the Legendary Titans: Regirock, Regice, Registeel, and their Galarian cousins, all of which are very important elementals.
Other Sinnoh Pokemon that embody important aspects of the world include Heatran, which represents the molten core of the planet and may have been created as the same time as Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina. So much of the world's origins can be traced back to the region of Diamond and Pearl, even though these games make up the franchise's fourth generation.
Further Exploring Diamond and Pearl's Beginnings
The Diamond and Pearl remakes are exciting enough, but what's even more compelling is Nintendo's other opportunity to explore the Pokemon world's origins. Next year the Switch will get a Pokemon spinoff called Pokemon Legends: Arceus, an open-world game focused on the titular creator of the Pokemon universe. It also takes place during ancient Pokemon times, so it may focus even more than usual on Pokemon myths.
Arceus was elusive and hard to get in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, but soon players will have the rare opportunity to interact directly with Arceus as it stars in its own game. There's no doubt that Nintendo will capitalize on this game to enhance Pokemon lore.
One wonders why Nintendo is suddenly so nostalgic for both the origins of The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. While now is a natural time for a Pokemon remake to celebrate the franchise's anniversary, it's interesting that Nintendo skipped Twilight Princess or another popular game to do Skyward Sword for Zelda's anniversary.
Even if it's just a coincidence that Nintendo is revisiting Skyward Sword at the same time as Diamond and Pearl, they make a good group of games to compare and contrast. Both The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon are about to crest new storytelling frontiers. It's always valuable to revisit franchise origins before pushing into uncharted lore territory.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release for Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.