Detective Pikachu (video game)

Detective Pikachu, released in Japan as Great Detective Pikachu, is an adventure game from Creatures Inc., published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. As a spin-off of the Pokémon franchise, the player teams up with a talking Pikachu to crack cases. A shorter, downloadable version debuted in Japan in February 2016, with the full version launching worldwide in March 2018. Unlike mainline Pokémon role-playing games, this spin-off emphasizes narrative storytelling, with a style similar to the Pokémon anime. A live-action film adaptation came out in May 2019, and a sequel, Detective Pikachu Returns, was announced for the Nintendo Switch and released on October 6, 2023.

The story begins with a talking Pikachu who claims to be a great detective. He meets a boy named Tim Goodman, who can understand him. Their first task is recovering a stolen necklace from thieving Aipom. They then visit the Baker Detective Agency, meeting Mike Baker and secretary Amanda Blackstone, both close to Harry Goodman—Tim’s missing father and Pikachu’s owner. Harry vanished after a mysterious car crash that also caused Pikachu’s amnesia. Tim and Pikachu deduce Harry was last investigating Litwick Cave, and they arrive just in time to rescue GNN reporter Meiko Okamoto and her assistant Emilia Christie from a rampaging Glalie, which doesn’t remember why it attacked.

After escaping, they follow a clue to the Pokémon Comprehensive Laboratory. Posing as interns, they meet the staff and reunite with Emilia and Meiko, then solve another Pokémon rampage. They discover employee Carlos Hernando created a drug called "R" to cause the attacks. After his arrest, they learn R was actually made by Dr. Waals, who lives on Cappucci Island. There, they find Waals arrested by overzealous lieutenant Brad McMaster for a supposed dangerous Pokémon attacking wildlife. Tim and Pikachu catch the real culprit—a tourist director who wanted Waals’ home—and clear Waals’ name. Waals reveals R was meant to be a miracle drug using Mew’s DNA, but the DNA came from Mewtwo, which has a "berserk gene" causing the rampages.

Following Waals’ advice, Tim and Pikachu go to the abandoned Fine Park, where the first rampage occurred with a Charizard. Local Pokémon bring them a locket belonging to Harry, and a Buneary reveals a Skorupi attacked Harry, causing his car crash.