Fridge / Pokémon Detective Pikachu

Fridge pages are Spoilers Off. You Have Been Warned!

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Fridge Brilliance

• Mewtwo speaks with a Voice of the Legion with a masculine and feminine voice speaking in unison. Because it's a genderless Pokémon, and thus has no inner self-concept of being male or female!
  • Alternatively, it could be a reference to how Mewtwo spoke in a masculine voice in the first movie, and later with a feminine voice in the Genesect movie.
• In a world full of Pokémon with different kinds of powers, of course people are going to put that to use. For example, in the night market, one man uses a Charmander's flame tail to flambe the food in the wok, and the laboratory people are using Greninjas as hitmen to take Detective Pikachu and Tim down.
  • Demonstrated more in earlier scenes, a Machamp is directing traffic, a squad of Squirtles help put out a fire, the police force has a lot of dog-type Pokémon, and a Braviary is flying around the city to deliver a construction worker on a crane his lunch. It also makes sense for certain Pokémon types to have their own occupations, like Octillery cutting up sushi and Loudreds being used as loud speakers in the round house.
• Pikachu's fur is so fluffy because the electricity stored in his body keeps it standing on end.
• Just like in the American version of the cartoon's opening, the movie opens with Mewtwo as the first Pokémon you see.
• In the end, the Big Bad is defeated in the only other way you can end a Pokémon battle besides winning: turn off the device.
• There's an explanation for why Cubone didn't take to Tim. Cubone's baggage comes from losing its mom. Tim may have lost his mother too, but his main beef was with his father. Tim ended up bonding with Detective Pikachu because he was essentially his dad and allowed him to work through his (for lack of better words) daddy issues.
• Pikachu store electricity in their cheeks, so why did he point to his tail when threatening Tim? He's amnesiac. Maybe he had trouble in the fight with Charizard because he can't remember how to make electricity!
  • Alternatively, he saw Tim didn't have any Pokémon, so he assumed Tim didn't know how it works.
  • ...it's because his tail is literally shaped like a lightning bolt. You know, the perfect thing to point to when you're trying to mime "electrocute"?
• It may be strange that Machamp acts as a crossing guard when Watchog was made to look like a security worker. Machamp is bulky enough to actually survive getting hit by a car.
  • Alternatively, it could be because Machamp has four arms - ideal for directing traffic at a four-way intersection.
  • Plus, Watchhogs have night vision and can light up their eyes when they sense danger. Perfect for acting as night time guards who could alert others of an intruder's presence.
• The movie appears to avoid most of the pitfalls associated with movies based on video games. This is probably due to the fact that the specific game it is based upon (as well as the franchise in general) is a visual novel/adventure game, which is one of the easiest genres to adapt to a movie because those genres already use a lot of movie tropes. The main reason why this isn't done so often is due to the fact that the specific genres are very niche compared to other game genres like platformers, fighting games, RPGs, and shooters.
• Mewtwo has a Japanese accent because he was made in Kanto, which is the Poké-World's Japan.
  • When Tim and Pikachu are searching the lab, they see footage that states that Mewtwo was created and escaped Kanto 20 years ago. Pokémon: The First Movie came out in 1999 (in the USA; it was released in Japan in 1998), 20 years before the events of this movie and featured Mewtwo.
    • With confirmation that Mewtwo in the movie is THAT Mewtwo it suddenly gives a bit of an explanation for why Harry had an easier time catching Mewtwo that one would think. A 30 year old trainer with a Pikachu looking for Mewtwo? Mewtwo probably thought it was ASH.
• Detective Pikachu gives perhaps the most succinct explanation for how communication between Pokémon and humans normally works. As Pikachu explains, regular Pokémon don't actually literally understand human languages any more than humans understand Pokémon words. However, what they do have a good grasp on is human emotions, to such a degree that this understanding can function almost as well as words or the equivalent of words (to the extent that Pokémon can even follow complex instructions from a human).
  • This isn't the first time this sort of communication is suggested, either. The anime, while having Pokémon able to understand human speech, does imply that humans with a better understanding of Pokémon, such as Ash, have a good understanding of their emotions rather than their words.
• The Greninja are blasted away by a powerful Psychic-type blast from Psyduck. Now, normally Greninja should be immune to this because they are part Dark type. However, Greninja notably can have the ability Protean (and it stands to reason genetic experiments to increase Greninja's power would want to use specimens with the best ability), which changes their typing to become a solo typing of whatever move type they are using. And throughout the chase, the only attacks the Greninja were using were Water-type moves.
  • Alternately? Dark Type doesn't grant IMMUNITY...just RESISTANCE. Considering how powerful Psyducks are? It's how they SURVIVED.
• Pikachu is badly injured and Tim begs a Bulbasaur to take him to a healer Pokémon. It, some other Bulbasaur, and some Morelull bring him straight to Mewtwo. One of the Gen V events is a Mewtwo with the move Heal Pulse.
• Ms. Norman is seen texting that Pikachu is at the fighting ring. Is it for the audience's benefit? Not entirely. Ms. Norman is a Ditto: she can't speak words that humans can understand. Texting is a reliable way of communicating across the species barrier.
• The fact that Howard Clifford's Pokémon companion is a Ditto. A long-standing theory among fans is that Ditto was created as a failed Mewtwo attempt. Guess who was obsessed with Mewtwo? And besides that for a man who is so fixated on Pokémon, it makes sense that his companion is the one that can become all of them.
• Torterra and other Grass-types make ideal subjects for size enhancement experiments because they can (if they have to) subsist on sunlight. Thus the researchers don't have to find a way to feed the giants.
• Why does the Charizard in the battle arena have a scar? Because battles are outlawed in Ryme City, so his trainer couldn't take him to a Pokecenter to be fully healed, meaning that at best he could have given him potions to give him back energy but not heal the damage.
• Why does Charizard cower in fear at the newly evolved Gyarados in the ring? Gyarados's naturally evolved ability is Intimidate! Of course the Charizard would be scared!
  • Although it could very well be an instinctive understanding of the size difference and even type difference.
• Why don't we get to see what Harry looks like until the very end of the movie, or hear him say anything in any flashbacks? Because he's played by Ryan Reynolds, voice actor of Pikachu, which would tip the viewers off to the twist at the end!
• Why doesn't Tim recognize Pikachu's voice as his father's? He hasn't seen his dad for years, so has probably forgotten what his voice sounds like.
• Detective Pikachu forgets how to use his electricity until the end. This is because he is actually Harry in a Pikachu's body. Likewise, despite the incredible power Howard displays after stealing Mewtwo's body, it pales in comparison to what the actual Mewtwo is capable of.
• Ryme City is an artificial region unto itself, and during filming, much of the location shooting was done in London, and very little is done to disguise this. Fridge brilliance kicks in when you remember that Howard Clifford, who founded the city, has an English accent, and so in-universe would be from the newly revealed Galar region - Ryme City matches the aesthetic of Howard's home region.
• Lucy's zany behavior makes a lot more sense when you realise she's functionally a particularly eccentric NPC in a Pokémon game.
• The Pokémon partners of a few characters match their owners in some way.
  • Lucy’s partner is a Psyduck, a silly and cute Pokémon that becomes dangerous when too stressed out. Lucy, meanwhile, is a cute young woman who tries a bit too hard at being a Intrepid Reporter, to the point it puts stress on her when nobody listens to her.
    • Tying into her choice of Pokemon is something that Pikachu mentions, she seems to be addicted to danger, and as mentioned, Psyducks are rather volatile if stressed out, she is carrying a psychic bomb on her back for a good chunk of the movie.
  • Hideo Yoshida’s partner is a Snubbull, who looks intimidating and angry but softens up the moment Tim leaves the office. As a police officer, Yoshida has to make sure he keeps up an intimidating presence but he too softens up in situations that don’t require a intimidating presence such as telling a man his father passed away.
  • Howard Clifford’s personal Pokémon is a Ditto. His Ditto can change its shape into almost anything and has near human level intelligence but is unable to change its beady eyes. Howard, meanwhile, makes himself look like a visionary and overall great guy to the city but couldn’t hide his true intentions from people like Harry. In addition, Ditto can transform into any Pokémon, and Howard wants to turn all the people of Ryme City into Pokémon.
  • Harry Goodman’s Pokémon partner is a Pikachu, a cute mouse that packs some serious electrical power in its small body. While Pikachu truly is a cute little critter that wouldn’t hurt anybody, if the Pikachu’s trainer isn’t careful, they could shock themselves if they handle the Pokémon wrong. Harry too may be a endearing man with many good traits and is an exceptional Pokémon trainer but he has hurt the people he loves without meaning to. As Detective Pikachu, he even sadly says he hurts the people who need him and shocks Tim when Tim grabs his arm.
• There's an in-universe explanation for the limited number of different Pokémon in the story - how often in the games will you see an area that has more than a dozen or so different types of Pokémon running about? Ryme City having around 60 different types is actually fairly population dense. And since there are few Pokémon trainers in the city, most people will only have one or two Pokémon that they partnered with locally (compared to the dozens or even hundreds from all over the world a traveling trainer may have caught and have access to via the PC system).
• It actually makes sense for only about 60 of the over 800 Pokémon to feature in the film, even as background characters. In the games, it takes exploring the whole region to get close to a completed Pokedex, and most times when you get as far as the first 2 or 3 towns/locations, you'll only be around 60 or less. Between Leaventown (Tim's hometown), Ryme City, and PCL, it's entirely plausible most of the Pokémon seen are actually common in those areas.
• Tim’s friend choosing a Cubone to be Tim’s potential partner was a good choice considering how similar the two are, seeing how both have lost loved ones and are still affected by the loss. If Tim had chosen his words better and empathized with its loss, the two could’ve gotten along well.
  • For that matter (as a Rewatch Bonus and Genius Bonus), Tim is very offended by his friend choosing Cubone for him not just because they're both "lonely," but because they're both grieving their lost mothers. Cubone is said to cry due to losing its mom and wearing her skull as a memento, and Tim carries his grief around by refusing to leave his hometown. He's offended because his well-meaning friend touched on a very raw nerve for him.
  • Another interpretation is that Tim is deliberately trying to provoke Cubone, to make it harder for him to catch it. Seeing how Tim kept up his extensive knowledge of Pokemon and how he was so against having a Pokemon partner, it would not have been a stretch to say that Tim was setting himself for failure, as to not waste his friend's well-meaning gesture.
  • It's also possible that, while not intentional, the fact that Tim REALLY does not want to do this? Means he's not really trying to put forth the effort to bond... Pokemon-human communication is based on emotions, so Cubone would have picked up on his insincerity immediately.
• It's possible that Harry's Pikachu was meant to be Tim's. Judging by the fact he recreated his son's bedroom and Tim had a Pikachu headboard, it might've been his favorite. Harry may have gotten the Pokémon in an effort to better reconcile with his son, but when Tim refused to come live with him, Harry made it his partner instead.
• A minor one but after Pikachu ditched Tim after considering himself too dangerous he depressedly sings the original Pokémon theme "Gotta Catch 'Em All" and ends right before singing the line "You're my best friend; In a world we must defend". Guess what he decides almost immediately after (and figuring out a break in the case?)
• A meta one, but why did they cast Ryan Reynolds as Detective Pikachu instead of the fan favorite Danny DeVito? Because the actor playing Detective Pikachu would also be playing Harry Goodman at the end of the movie, and Ryan makes more sense age-wise.
  • Also, because why Danny looks exactly like a Pikachu... he's not as good at doing a Human Being. More seriously, Ryan is also more marketable. Pikachu is also the 'less gruff' of the two, wheras Danny tends to play the 'gruff' one.
• Pikachu's coffee addiction makes canonical sense. He himself admits his nature isn't Modest, and the most likely nature given his personality is obviously going to be Sassy. What flavor do Sassy Pokémon prefer? Bitter. It also veers into Stealth Pun, as Pikachu are an Electric type, and someone who drinks a lot of caffeine is said to be "wired."
  • It also acts as a small clue. Ten to one, Harry was also quite fond of the stuff given his line of work. You can put a man in a Pikachu body, but some habits are going to carry over.
    • This seems not to be the case: At film's end Harry appeared quite surprised at his constant craving for coffee, suggesting that that's a new trait he picked up from Pikachu.
    • Alternatively, he hasn't had caffeine since being brought back.
• When Tim and Pikachu meet Howard Clifton evolving an Eevee into a Flareon. This not only foreshadows Howard's obsession with artificial evolution, Eevee require a Fire Stone to change into Flareon, but also his status as Well-Intentioned Extremist as the electric type Jolteon would imply friendship and the water type Vaporeon would imply weakness, but Flareon conveys he's on a different path than Tim and Pikachu while not directly opposing them.
• The reason why the R gas is even named R? Aside from a reference to Team Rocket, which instantly conveys to fans that the stuff's a threat, the name also implies that it was made by Roger Clifford, who Howard was framing for his crimes.
• The reason Howard/Mewtwo could only fuse humans with Pokémon affected by the R gas? The gas made the Pokémon more beast-like, pushing their minds and rationality back and let the human minds overtake the Pokémon's!
  • This is why Mewtwo was able to fuse Harry and Pikachu, even though Pikachu wasn't influenced by the R gas at all: Pikachu willingly let his mind be pushed back in order to save Harry, and put up no resistance during the fusion! Likewise, being a fusion seems to make you immune to R Gas, probably since its mind-altering effects don't work on humans, and there's a human mind in control of a fusion. This becomes foreshadowing as to why Pikachu was unaffected by the gas during the Charizard fight despite the whole room being filled with the stuff.
  • In fact, the movie foreshadows that the gas doesn't effect Pikachu at all. Tim accidentally releases a significant portion of the stuff into Harry's apartment, which Pikachu was later revealed to be hiding inside of, and later on Pikachu finds the empty vial and smells a sample of it, with no effect worse than a hiccup.
• At the very beginning of the movie, Mewtwo says "They're outside" just before he breaks free. It looks like he's going after the car because the occupants have seen too much. Once the twist is revealed, he might be noting that Harry and Pikachu are outside the compound and thus safe from getting hurt in his very explosive escape? Or has he realized that the Greninja have been set loose?
  • Likely the latter, as he immediately goes to help Harry... but arrives too late.
• Very early on, Ryme City is described as a place where humans and Pokémon live together without Trainers, without Poké Balls, harmoniously. "Harmoniously" used there, and right after a description that implies more standard Pokémon and human relations have elements that are wanting, may be a tip off to fans of the series that something is off.
  • On that note, look at the setup in the final stretch of the story: Howard and Roger are a father-son duo, where the father is a manipulative villain who desires to have absolute power and control and has been manipulating everyone, including his son, for the sake of his plan, which involves ostensibly making Pokemon "free". Howard is essentially Ghetsis, with a slightly more effective plan.
• Much of Detective Pikachu's rather odd and human behavior, especially compared to other Pokemon, such as his love for coffee, inability to remember how to use his electric powers, demanding to ride on Tim's shoulder when other Pokemon are content to walk beside their human partners, making crude and adult jokes, all foreshadow that Harry, a human, is inhabiting Pikachu's mind.
  • Regarding the shoulder-sitting, Mythology Gag and Pikachu's complaints about getting tired aside: Perhaps some subconscious part of Harry's personality feels he ought to be taller than he is as a Pikachu.
• The main character and the villain are opposites of each other, as usual. But their relatives are similar as well. Tim's father was merged with a Pikachu while Howard's son was impersonated by Ditto. Both were Pokemon all along.
• In the beginning Mewtwo's aerial pursuit of the car is rather slow and meandering. As we later find out, it wasn't after Harry maliciously and in fact protected him from the Greninjas chasing him. The weaving may have been Mewtwo following the Greninjas pursuing Harry or even taking some of them out for him (save the three which caught up with him by the bridge).
• The R in Chemical R is a single acronym that stands for "Rage" since it induces a temporary state of hyper-aggression.
• During the Mr. Mime interrogation scene, it seems odd that Pikachu's first guesses as to what he's trying to say is "My problem is that I push people away and then hate them for leaving." This seems like a one-off joke at first, but if you consider he's amnesiac it seems odd he'd jump to that. By the end of the movie, we learn that Pikachu is Harry, meaning he was subconsciously talking about himself - the one he pushed away was Tim and they never really reconnected.
  • It also serves as an accurate description of what Tim did.
• The film's logo is a "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu" neon sign, which is powered by electricity. Perfect for the Electric-type Pikachu!
• During one of the holograms Tim and Pikachu unlocked earlier, it was stated that R caused confusion in Pokemon exposed to it. Which would wreak havoc on things like a Ditto's shapeshifting abilities. Sure enough, when Tim hoses down Harold's Ditto with the chemical, the Ditto undergoes a Shapeshifter Swan Song and faints.
• One of the funny bits where Lucy's Psyduck and Pikachu can't agree on much? Well, water and electricity types don't tend to work together well at all.
• Pikachu is unable to use his moves in the round house, but uses his moves against Howard!Mewtwo. Seems odd... but Pikachu only tried to use one move in the round house: Thunderbolt. Tim stated that Pikachu could use Quick Attack, Discharge, Electro Ball, and Volt Tackle. Pikachu tried to use a move that wasn't in his Limited Move Arsenal.
  • Or, since Pikachu at this point is really Harry fused with his Pikachu, his concern for Tim allowed him to access his powers.
• Another minor detail, but some comments had pointed out on CinemaWins's video the area where Lucy petted Pikachu was the same sweet spot in both Pokemon Amie and Refresh, increasing more happiness!

Fridge Horror

• Ditto can breed with any Pokémon, of any type or gender, probably due to its shapeshifting abilities. But now that this genetically-enhanced one can morph humans as well...
• What else do the Cubone at the beginning of the movie and Tim have in common? They both lost their mothers.
  • Which makes Tim's joke about Cubone "wearing the skull of a dead relative" in even poorer taste.
  • There are also sadder implications on Tim's comment that not many could pull it off, he's openly stating to be still unable to move from his mother's death.
• The realistic depictions do bring up quite a number of anatomical issues, most notably the nose-less Pokémon who apparently do lack a nose! Do they have no sense of smell and breathe only with their mouths? What about Meowth, who in the anime actually acknowledges in a fourth-wall break that his lack of a nose is due to the art style?
• And that's not mentioning the other Pokémon we haven't yet seen in the live-action style. Can you imagine the more creepy ones like Banette or Espurr, the terrifying, quasi-demonic legendaries such as Giratina and Yveltal, or the fierce, beast-like ones such as Aggron or Hydreigon?
• What about the more human-like ones such as Gardevoir or Hitmonchan? There's bound to be a good degree of Uncanny Valley with them, looking almost human, but not quite.
• One of the stated rules for Ryme City is "No Pokeballs" as the plan revolved ENTIRELY on the Pokémon breathing R, having Pokémon balls banned since the city's foundation means it's so much easier to get them to breathe it.
  • The ban on battles could also fit into it: because people and Pokemon were going to want to fight anyway, driving it underground gave the villain a place where they could test substances like R, and people wouldn't take victims to the official medical system for fear of getting caught.
• They totally might have killed a Mr. Mime. By burning him alive. On accident.
  • Not really, only Mr. Mime can make illusions real, not Tim. Worst case scenario, Mr. Mime runs around going crazy, miming being on fire like Will Ferrell in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
• Detective Pikachu putting his clues together makes Tim think it makes the layout look like the work of a serial killer..... serial killers are a thing in the Pokémon universe! Who knows what crimes of a serial killer could be complicated using the dangerous abilities of Pokémon.
• These Torterra! Just try to imagine the potential power of attacks like Earthquake or Frenzy Plant launched by these monsters... and now imagine someone with a Master Ball capturing one or many of them for evil reasons...
  • If they can fit into a Poké Ball, that’s still extremely dangerous. Imagine the destructive power of an entire mountain suddenly popping into existence!
    • They can fit into a pokeball if it was dynamaxed
  • On another note, note that upon awakening, the Torterra barely move, simply rearing up from the ground and then laying back down again. The Torterra's bodies weren't designed to be that big. They're basically suffering from their sheer size, effectively pinned in place by their own unnatural weight, and only survived because they're photosynthetic Grass-types.
    • To somewhat mitigate the horror of the last point, Torterra in the wild are stated to be largely immobile, only really getting up to search for a new water source. The giant Torterra are situated along a very large river, which provides them the water they need. It's possible they stay where they are out of personal preference.
• It's a lot of kids' dreams to be a Pokémon trainer and be the Pokémon regional league champion, but as Tim shows, sometimes those dreams just don't work out for others. May be a bit more of a Reality Is Unrealistic as fans forget that not everyone in Pokémon is a trainer, or even becomes a successful trainer. Those who don't make their dreams come true end up returning to a mundane life — as mundane as it can be with magical creatures of nature.
• Tim wanted to become a Pokémon trainer when he was a kid but gave up on his dream after his mother died. This seems like simple disillusionment until you put the pieces together. In a flashback, it's revealed that he was upset she had to go to the hospital on "the most important day of [his] life." Then his father came back home alone that night, meaning Tim's mother died suddenly. He later mentions this happened when he was 11, the age when most of the games' protagonists set out on their journey for the first time. His mother died the day he was supposed to join the Pokémon League.
  • He might have just been going to see the Championship...but in preparation for joining, though it would require a rewatch.
• What happened to the Gyarados on the loose in the fight club? It was never shown being recaptured, and given its power and tendency to go on a rampage, things may not end well. (Though in a small comfort, it is on land, where it's likely not very mobile).
  • Gyarados is a dual water/flying type.
  • The police arrived right as Tim and Pikachu were washed out, so they likely picked it up. Then again, the chances the cops were prepared for an R-crazed Gyarados are slim given that they favor fire types like Growlithe.
    • I'd guess that Pokemon police teams have other types in the squads. Growlithe and the like may just be the most commonly seen because of the versatility for police duty (good sense of smell for drug-sniffing/bomb sniffing work, strong enough to take on fleeing criminals, but not strong enough to be a major danger, etc). Worst case, they'd call for Electric-type backup teams
• The entire climax is filled with this. Since people are trapped in Pokémon bodies, society would be put at halt. It would be way harder for people to live normal lives, as they drastically shift in size and form, to the point of being able to accidentally hurt others, potentially the ones they care about the most, or get seriously hurt themselves.
  • It's even worse when one remembers that the majority of trainers see Pokémon as pets at worst and friends at best. That means that they might have lost a good friend, on top of being cursed to look like them. Maybe even forever, if Tim was unsuccessful in stopping Howard.
  • What exactly happens to the Pokemon's consciousness in this scenario? Is it pushed back/repressed (possibly with enough consciousness to see exactly what's happening and be helpless to stop it) or does it temporarily cease to exist as the mind of its human partner overwrites it?
• The recordings of Mewtwo breaking out are interrupted when one scientist is flung at the door, with the interruption giving the impression that she was vaporized. Considering Mewtwo's sheer power, it's entirely possible that she really was vaporized.
  • Alternatively, given that in the video the door was shut but in the present it's blown off its hinges, the results might've required that the door be given a thorough scrubbing.
  • Regardless, before she hit the door, the scientist was being overtaken by a rapidly-expanding cloud of broken glass.

Fridge Logic

On the headscratchers page.

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