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 and was succeeded by the. 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.

Like the previous series, this series begins with Ash Ketchum beginning his by himself, this time through the Sinnoh region. His longtime companion eventually rejoins him, as does, 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. He was unsuccessful, however, as his recently- insisted on accompanying him.

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

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 and  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 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:
 * Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl (DP001 - DP047, DP049 - DP052)
 * Pokémon DP: Battle Dimension (DP053 - DP104)
 * Pokémon DP: Galactic Battles (DP105 - DP119, DP121 - DP157)
 * Pokémon DP: Sinnoh League Victors (DP158 - DP191)

Movies

 * Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai
 * Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior
 * Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life
 * Pokémon—Zoroark: Master of Illusions

North American DVD releases

 * List of English language Diamond and Pearl home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Battle Dimension home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Galactic Battles home video releases (Region 1)
 * List of English language Sinnoh League Victors home video releases (Region 1)

Australian DVD releases

 * List of English language Diamond and Pearl home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Battle Dimension home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Galactic Battles home video releases (Region 4)
 * List of English language Sinnoh League Victors home video releases (Region 4)

Japanese DVD releases

 * List of Japanese language Diamond & Pearl series home video releases

Gallery

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

Trivia

 * This is the only series in which:
 * has only one new.
 * is mentioned in the summary of the Japanese opening themes.
 * There are no Who's That Pokémon? segments in the dub.
 * appears in every episode (they did not appear in the first episode in the, they were absent in AG120 in the , and they have been absent in several episodes from the , , and ).
 * Ash starts off with more than one of his Pokémon, arriving in Sinnoh with Pikachu and, the latter of which stowed away.
 * Ash meets all four of the primary region's Elite Four. While Ash has met all four of the Kanto region's Elite Four, he did not meet them all during the original series.
 * 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).
 * 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,, , 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 Hindi dub, James is projected as a transgender through his voice and certain dialogue.