The 2016 release of the game Detective Pikachu impressed many long-time Pokémon fans with its similarities to the anime series. Naturally, a live-action project came to fruition with stellar reception to its release in 2019.
Though some felt the realistic Pokémon designs felt a bit uncanny valley, most fans responded very enthusiastically to the film. Of course, the writers did adjust some plot elements and characters from the original game. One big change: Roger is no longer the antagonist.
That makes pinning down each character’s Dungeons and Dragons alignment trickier with the film than it is the video game. Which characters will defy expectations?
10 Lawful Good: Hideo Yashida
Fans familiar with the film will instantly recognize this curmudgeonly detective and his Snubbull. Portrayed by Ken Watanabe in the film, Detective Hideo Yoshida is a true veteran of the Ryme City police. He is a friend of Harry Goodman’s and the one to inform Tim of his father’s car accident. Really, can you get any more “lawful good” than a detective?
Though suspicious of the situation, Yoshida doesn’t go sniffing for clues in the same way that Tim and Lucy do. He does his job as Police Lieutenant with his faithful Snubbull by his side.
9 Neutral Good: Tim Goodman and Lucy Stevens
Tim Goodman, the protagonist of the story, has his life turned upside down when he goes to Ryme City to investigate his father’s mysterious disappearance. A young aspiring reporter named Lucy Stephens joins him.
The two make a good pair, driven by wholesome curiosity and compassion for their fellow humans and Pokémon. They hop fences, impersonate press members, and break into facilities, but all at the request of a talking Pikachu. Without the nudging forward that Pikachu provided, would they have done such proactive things? In addition to being a good question, it indicates that this is a fitting alignment for them.
8 Chaotic Good: Harry Goodman/Detective Pikachu
The titular character of the film represents two characters who both fall under the “Chaotic Good” category. By nature, Pikachu fits this personality alignment, but so does Harry Goodman - Tim’s father and the reason why Pikachu could talk in the film.
Thanks to his Pokémon’s noble sacrifice, Harry was able to reunite with his son, solve the mystery surrounding the drug R, and save Mewtwo. But was the caffeine addiction a foible of Harry’s, Pikachu’s, or just a side effect of Mewtwo’s Pokémon magic?
7 Lawful Neutral: Mewtwo And Roger Clifford
Many fans debate the alignment of Mewtwo at great length, but three main options spring up: Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Neutral, and Lawful Neutral. Judging by Mewtwo’s portrayal in this movie, he seems to be acting in self-defense after being captured and tortured to sate a rich man’s fear of decay. After all, he forgives Harry for his role in the plan and empowers his Pikachu.
An unwitting player, Roger Clifford (on the right) also falls under the Lawful Neutral camp. Roger just wanted to be successful and make his dad proud but found himself entangled in Howard’s nefarious scheme instead. After the events of Detective Pikachu, Roger commits himself to undoing the wrongs committed by his father.
6 True Neutral: Psyduck
Nothing says “True Neutral” like an organism with a splitting headache that could just explode at any second due to anything (even a hiccup). This burden on Psyduck makes it the perfect candidate for the middle point in the D&D alignment chart.
As a foil for Harry/Pikachu, Lucy’s Psyduck is open-minded and affectionate. But also asks for foot rubs by sticking his foot in Pikachu’s face. It seems like most actions the Psyduck takes are to forego any activity or experience that will worsen its headache.
5 Chaotic Neutral: Jigglypuff and Sebastian
One of the most beloved and despited characters in the series, Jigglypuff may be just as recognizable and ubiquitous as Pikachu. What’s not to love: an adorable poofy, pink Pokémon that will, at its whim, put you to sleep and graffiti your face. That’s classic Chaotic Neutral behavior right there.
Then there’s Sebastian and his Charizard who lord over an illegal Pokémon fighting ring in Ryme City. He uses the R drug created by Dr. Ann Laurent to soup up his Pokémon in the fight. Not as cheeky and innocent as Jigglypuff’s actions, but it fits right in with the alignment.
4 Lawful Evil: Howard Clifford’s Ditto
Working as Howard’s faithful servant, Ms. Norman, functions as his bodyguard and assistant. But she’s always wearing sunglasses, and what’s with the weird pink gloves and eyebrows?
Ms. Norman is actually a Ditto in disguise that is loyal to Howard. It uses its shapeshifting abilities to portray people who could further Howard’s plans whenever needed. Ditto even impersonated his own son Roger to throw Tim and Lucy off Howard’s tracks. Typically depicted as a happy-go-lucky Pokémon, this was an interesting narrative choice to make not only the movie but the lore of Ditto more dynamic. She obviously has a sense of loyalty, but it’s entirely misplaced. Lawful Evil fits the bill here.
3 Neutral Evil: Dr. Ann Laurent
Creator of the dangerous drug known as “R” in the movie, Dr. Ann Laurent got her start in research trying to control the minds of Pokémon. When her peers criticized those goals, she went private and worked for Howard Clifford instead.
Her experiments under his funding included gargantuan Torterra and she operated as a dealer of her own “R” drug. Unbeknownst to Laurent, she would also create what Howard needed to merge humans and Pokémon. She seemed to have a change of heart, however, when she helped Pikachu free Mewtwo from confinement. But up to this point, her traits definitely leaned neutral evil, doing whatever she could to look after herself and no one else.
2 Chaotic Evil: Howard Clifford
Portrayed by the unparalleled Bill Nighy, Howard Clifford serves as the main villain in Detective Pikachu. A frail old man, he wants to continue living, so he enlists Dr. Ann Laurent to create a drug to control Pokémon. The secret to this plan was Mewtwo for a variety of reasons.
Not only did Dr. Laurent develop “R” thanks to Mewtwo, but Howard also puts his consciousness into Mewtwo’s body to capitalize on his psychic abilities. He planned to merge humans and Pokémon together all over the world all because he didn’t want to get older. This sense of greed suits a chaotic evil character perfectly.
1 Wild Card: Mr. Mime
Because it is in his very nature, Mr. Mime doesn’t necessarily fall within one alignment since he mimics others. The interrogation scene in the movie does seem to indicate that Mr. Mime derives amusement from vexing Detective Pikachu, but (at some point) feels threatened enough to actually cooperate.
But, according to various Pokédex entries, Mr. Mime can basically manifest and make real whatever it can imagine or mime. Needless to say, this makes it pretty tricky to nail down in terms of definitive morality.
NEXT: Detective Pikachu: The 5 Best Pokémon Cameos (& 5 We Need In The Next Movie)
