ThePokemonfranchise 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 ofPokemon,whether they’re guardians of nature, or associated with the world’s creation.Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, remakes of the originalDiamondandPearltitles, potentially hold one of the most important places in thePokemonseries' lore.DiamondandPearlintroduced several Legendary Pokemon that the games describe as some of the first Pokemon to ever exist, including Arceus, the mythical creator of the entirePokemonworld.
Pokemondidn’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 Zeldafamously got a canonical origin story whenThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordreleased. Now, as luck would have it, boththeZeldaorigin storyand the vehicle forPokemon’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.
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The Lore-Rich Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
For a long time,Zeldafans debated the exact chronological order ofThe Legend of Zelda’s many games. That debate was ended around the time that Nintendo madeThe 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 Swordtakes 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 Swordis 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 ifSkyward Sword’s Link didn’t create it. The Master Sword doesn’t come up for quite a while inSkyward 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.
SkywardSwordcanonizes tons of other important things for theZeldafranchise. For instance, it explainswhy Ganon is such a constant factorin 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 thatThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Swordis a crucial part ofZeldawar, retroactively setting the stage for every other game in the franchise.
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The Beginnings of the Pokemon World
At the same time thatSkyward Swordreturns with an HD remake for the Switch,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlare on the way. These games will reintroduce fans to the Pokemon myths and stories that suggest how the world ofPokemonbegan. It begins withthe 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 inPokemonlore, they’re not the only Pokemon fromDiamond, Pearl,andPlatinumcredited with creating the world. For instance, Regigigas is from the Sinnoh region too. Legends say that Regigigas played a central role in creating thePokemonworld 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 tothe region ofDiamondandPearl,even though these games make up the franchise’s fourth generation.
Further Exploring Diamond and Pearl’s Beginnings
TheDiamondandPearlremakes are exciting enough, but what’s even more compelling is Nintendo’s other opportunity to explore thePokemonworld’s origins. Next year the Switch will get aPokemonspinoff calledPokemon Legends: Arceus,an open-world gamefocused on the titular creator of thePokemonuniverse. It also takes place during ancientPokemontimes, so it may focus even more than usual onPokemonmyths.
Arceus was elusive and hard to get inPokemon Diamond,Pearl,andPlatinum,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 enhancePokemonlore.
One wonders why Nintendo is suddenly so nostalgic for both the origins ofThe Legend of ZeldaandPokemon.While now is a natural time for aPokemonremake to celebrate the franchise’s anniversary, it’s interesting that Nintendo skippedTwilight Princessor another popular gameto doSkyward SwordforZelda’s anniversary.
Even if it’s just a coincidence that Nintendo is revisitingSkyward Swordat the same time asDiamondandPearl,they make a good group of games to compare and contrast. BothThe Legend of ZeldaandPokemonare about to crest new storytelling frontiers. It’s always valuable to revisit franchise origins before pushing into uncharted lore territory.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwill release for Nintendo Switch on July 28, 2025.
