Pokemon Has Copied The MCU And Added Its Own Multiverse
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Well, that seems to be the mantra of The Pokemon Company's latest move. Following in the footsteps of Doctor Who and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Pokemon Multiverse is officially a reality.
The Pokemon anime series launched in Japan in 1997 to capitalise on the success of Pokemon Red and Green the year before. We've come a long way since Ash first got lumped with Pikachu in Pallet Town, but now, the anime has gone back to the start with an event to end all events.
What Is The Pokemon Multiverse?
Click to enlargePokemon Master Journeys is currently airing weekly in Japan, and although we're waiting for the next run of episodes to land on Netflix, audiences over there are enjoying the latest instalment. "Dialga and Palkia! The Space-Time Cataclysm" brought back some fan-favourites, but with a twist.
Here, there was a Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl crossover where Legends Dialga and Palkia locked horns and started tearing the fabric of time and space apart. In the episode, Ash, Goh, and Chloe are contacted by Dawn, who ominously warns her Piplup has been abducted by a girl that looks exactly like here.
The big twist comes from the fact multiple Pokemon are being abducted through portals of light called gates. It's basically the Pokemon version of Avengers: Endgame's iconic portal scene where the Avengers assembled.
What's Next For The Pokemon Multiverse?
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The two-part event is clearly leading to something bigger. There are various different realities being teased - like one that is completely devoid of Pokemon.
Others show that Dialga is affecting the flow of time, while the tease of an alternate Ash and Team Rocket offering the most potential. Could we get a backward world where Ash is the big bad while Jessie and James try to save the day? Also in this world, Dawn came second in the Sinnoh League and something has caused all the Pokemon to revert to Level 1 while forgetting their moves.
Pokemon Master Journeys has been a welcome trip down memory lane, with our return to the Sinnoh Region being well-timed with BDSP. Of course, the latest twist has us questioning whether things will be tied into Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Some players have questioned how/why we're heading to the feudal Hisui (which is a past Sinnoh), but the Pokemon Master Journeys reveal gives us a nice route in. Too often, these ideas are over and done in a single movie, so it's great that the anime is taking its time by teasing an ongoing arc.