The 2006 installments in the mainline Pokémon games, Pokémon: Diamond and Pearl, introduced fans to the idea of Pokémon deities. Palkia, displayed on the cover of Pearl, is the deity of space, while Dialga, displayed on the cover of Diamond, is the deity of time. Up until this point, the grandest point that the mainline Pokémon games ever went to was having three Pokémon who hold dominion of the sea, sky, and land. It had never previously suggested that a Pokémon could be powerful enough to hold domain over intangible concepts intrinsic to our perception of reality. However, Pokémon would take it a step further, revealing that hidden in one of the last entries in the Diamond and Pearl Pokedex lay a creator deity of genuinely biblical proportions: Arceus.
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Each animated Pokemon movie usually focuses on one or two legendary, mythical, or otherwise important Pokémon. For example, Pokémon: The First Movie focused on Mew and its clone, Mewtwo. The subsequent Pokémon: The Movie 2000 focuses on Lugia. In 2009, Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life were released. While it’s uncommon for a Pokémon to be the main feature of two movies, it’s not unheard of. Both the first movie and Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew focus on Mew. And with the release of the game Pokémon: Legends of Arceus, the time may be right for Arceus to take center stage in a new Pokémon anime movie.
Arceus’ Previous Movie Was 13 Years Ago
Nintendo
When Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life was released in 2009, it truly didn’t do Arceus justice. Despite being a decent film with fantastic animation, it didn’t feel like the Arceus shown in the movie completely lived up to the biblical god-figure that fans had been imagining. While the Arceus in the film is indeed incredibly powerful, he’s more akin to a character than a larger-than-life being.
Now that it’s been thirteen years since Arceus’ appearance on the big screen, the time is right for the deity to return. Mewtwo was a heavily featured Pokemon in 1998’s Pokemon: The First Movie and 2013’s Pokémon the Movie: Genesect and the Legend Awakened. Going off of how long it took for Mewtwo to get focused on in a movie once again, it would seem that Arceus should receive the same treatment relatively soon. With a fifteen-year time difference, within the next few years, it will be Arceus’ turn to star in a movie once again, just as Mewtwo did.
Arceus is Relevant Again
It made sense for Arceus’ first movie to be released when it did, right off the heels of 2008’s Pokemon Platinum, an installment in the main series game line which continues the player’s journey from Diamond and Pearl. In November 2021, remakes of Diamond and Pearl were released, entitled Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. And in January 2022, Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released, which placed a significant focus on the titular divine Pokémon.
The release of the two remakes certainly helped prime the cultural zeitgeist for Legends. More than that, however, it brought the generation four games, as well as the Pokémon contained within them, back into the focus of the public. Not only that, but even though the remakes of Diamond and Pearl have received their fair share of critique, Legends has almost received nothing but pure praise. This means that now, more than ever, the Pokémon Arceus is at an all-time high in popularity, which should warrant a focus in the next Pokémon anime film.
Arceus Is the God of the Pokémon World
The Pokémon Company International
Arceus’ status as the divine of the divine in the world of Pokémon certainly warrants special treatment; or rather, it should warrant special treatment. In spite of its holy status, Arceus only has one movie to its name that doesn’t truly do its divinity justice. Therefore, Arceus deserves a film treatment that can paint the gloriousness of the god and demonstrate the power that warrants such a status.
All things considered, Arceus should play a larger role in a broader Pokémon story, or at the very least should be talked about and revered more given that it functions as the world’s god. Considering this, a movie that treats Arceus with all the importance of its station is in order. This is not to suggest that Arceus needs to be celebrated or even necessarily praised. However, Arceus’ station as a god goes essentially unacknowledged to the anime characters that the films typically touch up on. A movie focusing on Arceus would also allow for such an interaction between the anime protagonist, Ash Ketchum, and the creator of his entire world. Such a biblical event is certainly respectful and deserving of Arceus, the god of the Pokémon world.
