You’re forgiven if you thought that Detective Pikachu was just one big joke when it was first announced, but now that the movie is finally here, we can confirm that Detective Pikachu is much more than a questionable cash-in on one of the biggest video game franchises of all-time. Yes, Detective Pikachu is a solid standalone movie, but it best serves as a tribute to the wonderful world of Pokemon as well as the fans who helped turn a little Game Boy game into a phenomenon the likes of which nobody had ever quite seen before. Detective Pikachu is a visual feast that will overwhelm even the most hardcore of Pokemon fans as they try to identify every reference, callback, and Easter eggs. That brings us to the matter at hand. See, Detective Pikachu was essentially made to be the largest, most expensive, and often the most impressive Pokemon easter egg that you could possibly imagine. Since it’s going to take quite a bit of time to catch ’em all, our initial Easter egg list consists mostly of some of the movie’s most clever references as well as the things that you may have truly missed. As always, though, be sure to reach out to us in the comments below and on Twitter after you see the movie so that we can update our list of easter eggs with the ones we missed. Cubone Cries Over His Dead Mother Early in the film, we see a Cubone standing in the middle of the field crying. While the exact reason isn’t explained, it’s probably because Cubones wear the skulls of their dead mothers on their heads (seriously). They’ve been known to mourn their mothers by hanging around downtown by themselves and having a good cry. It’s all surprisingly dark, and we can see why the movie doesn’t bother explaining this in-depth. Famous Home Alone Noir Movie “Angels with Filthy Souls” Is Playing on a TV When Tim walks into his father’s office, there’s a movie playing on the TV that Tim refers to as an old detective movie. It actually sounds like the movie his father was watching is Angels with Filthy Souls, a parody of the movie Angels with Dirty Faces that first appeared in Home Alone. We’re not even going to dive down the rabbit hole that is the shared Home Alone/Pokemon universe. Jigglypuff Puts a Patron to Sleep at a Diner The All-Night Diner Is Named after Noctowl and Features a Neon Sign Version of Him Speaking of that diner, an exterior shot reveals that its name is Noctowl. This is clearly a reference to the Gen-2 Pokemon of the same name. It’s quite the appropriate name considering that Noctowl is a nocturnal Pokemon. An Old-School Boxing Poster Showcases Two Fighting Pokemon There’s no shortage of posters in Detective Pikachu that reference something from the game, but this one is particularly clever. In the diner, we see what looks like an old-school boxing promo poster for a battle between what appears to be a Machamp and a Primeape. Considering that these are two fighting Pokemon, it’s a pretty fitting showdown. There’s a Berry Juice Neon Sign at the Diner Various Versions of Pokemon Themes Are Used for Commercials and Muzak If you can’t help but feel that you’ve heard some of that background music that plays during the film, it’s because most of those songs are variations of various Pokemon themes during the game. They’re particularly noticeable during the scene when Tim watches a video on the train and when Howard and Roger Clifford are shooting a commercial. There’s a Binder Full of Pokemon Trading Cards in Tim’s Room When Pikachu is rifling through Tim’s childhood room, he starts rapidly turning the pages of a binder sitting on a desk. We get a brief peek inside the binder which reveals that it’s full of Pokemon Trading Cards. It appears that Tim was one of the many who spent much time and money collecting as many cards as possible. Pokemon Red and Green/Black and White Posters in Tim’s Room Pikachu References Seinfeld by Saying “Serenity Now” to Psyduck When Psyduck is about to lose his mind, Pikachu attempts to calm him down by saying (among other things) “serenity now.” This is a reference to “The Serenity Now” episode of Seinfeld in which George’s father is advised to say “serenity now” whenever he gets angry and feels his blood pressure rising. The Speakers at the Underground Fight Club Are Actually Loudreds When Tim and Pikachu wander into the underground Pokemon fight club that doubles as a pretty hopping night club, be sure to check out the speakers in the room. They’re actually a Pokemon named Loudred that uses its ears as loudspeakers. Missing Pokemon on Posters Appear to Be at The Underground Fight Club Magikarp Uses Splash Attack During Escape During that same underground fight club scene, we watch as the Pokemon go crazy after being exposed to the mysterious R gas. During the chaos that follows, we watch as the glass on a Magikarp’s tank is broken and he falls out. In the process, he splashes some water on some nearby Pokemon. This is likely a reference to Magikarp’s infamously weak splash attack. R Is Likely a Reference to Team Rocket One of the key plot points in Detective Pikachu involves a substance referred to as R that causes Pokemon to lose their minds. It’s likely that the R is a reference to Team Rocket, an evil faction that has a tendency to brand many things with the same letter. Mewtwo Escaped from Kanto 20 Years Ago (Around the Time of Pokemon’s Release) Balloons Full of Gas at the Parade Like in Tim Burton’s Batman Howard Clifford’s evil plot involves releasing the dangerous R gas from parade balloons during a celebration. This might be a callback to Tim Burton’s Batman, which features the Joker utilizing the exact same tactic. Unfortunately, nobody pulls a comically large revolver out of their pants in this movie. The Pikachu Balloon Looks Like the Same One from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade You’re not really a pop culture icon until you’ve got your own balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and sure enough, Pikachu has his own. It looks like the producers either borrowed that balloon or at least borrowed its design as the balloon in Detective Pikachu is a dead ringer for it. Snorlax Sleeps in the Street to Block Progress Howard Clifford Has Evolutionary Stones in His Office Most of Howard Clifford’s office is a treasure trove of references, but there are a couple that especially stand out. The first involves some stones that we see sitting on one of his tables. While no direct reference to them is made, it’s easy to guess that these are evolutionary stones used to evolve certain Pokemon in the games. Howard Clifford’s Office Is Decorated With Legendary Pokemon Fossils Staying in Clifford’s office, be sure to take a closer look at those skeletons behind Howard Clifford’s desk. It certainly seems like they’re fossils of the legendary Pokemon Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus. That’s quite the impressive collection considering that these are some of the oldest Pokemon in existence and that Arceus is believed to be the creator of the Pokemon universe. Of course, it’s always possible they are fakes. Pikachu Sings the Animated Series Theme Song Lucy Wears a Slightly Modified Pokemon Trainer Outfit Later in the movie, we see Lucy wearing an outfit that looks surprisingly similar to the classic Pokemon trainer look. Granted, it does look like she’s modified it slightly to look a little more modern. Lucy Has a Spoink as a Dashboard Accessory on Her Car It’s nearly impossible to call out every Pokemon featured in the film, but this appearance is particularly clever. When Lucy gets out of her car during the parade, we can just see what appears to be a Spoink on her dashboard. We’re guessing it’s not actually a live Pokemon, but this bouncing creature’s design would make it the perfect accessory. Unown’s Alphabet Appears Throughout the Film Lucy’s Psyduck Is a Callback to the Pokemon Animated Series Fans of the Pokemon animated series may experience deja vu after learning that Lucy Stevens has a Psyduck. Maybe that’s because Misty’s most famous Pokemon in the animated series was a Psyduck that usually gave her quite a bit of trouble. Pokemon Trainer Red Is Referenced in a Video When Tim is heading to Ryme City, he watches a video on the train. That video lingers on a Pokemon trainer who is either the infamous Pokemon trainer, Red, or is wearing an outfit that looks just like the one that he famously wore in the games. Pikachu Rides a Pidgeot Just Like in the Anime’s Intro Tim’s Red Hoodie is a Callback to the Detective Pikachu Game The actual Detective Pikachu game doesn’t seem to be referenced much in the Detective Pikachu movie, but there’s at least one notable callback in the movie. The red hoodie that Lucy wears is almost certainly a reference to the red hoodie worn by Detective Pikachu‘s protagonist in the game. The Movie’s Giant Torterra Are Referenced in Pokemon Pearl At one point in Detective Pikachu, we learn that Torterra are being experimented on in order to make them frighteningly large. We see the effects of these experiments when our heroes are caught in a moving forest of Torterra. That scene may actually be a reference to a Pokedex entry in Pokemon Pearl in which we learn that “Groups of this Pokemon migrating in search of water have been mistaken for ‘moving forests.’” Pikachu Was Also Addicted to Coffee in the Detective Pikachu Game Volt Tackle Harms Pikachu At one point, Tim and Pikachu refer to Pikachu’s Volt Tackle as his strongest move. That’s somewhat debatable based on how deep we’re diving, but the fact that using Volt Tackle seems to hurt Pikachu in the film is an accurate callback to the effect the move has on the Pokemon in the game. A Guy Named Bill Gets Turned Into a Pokemon Just Like in the Original Games
