While many Pokemon fans were excited by the announcement ofPokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearl, a few people may have more excited about the names than the games themselves. In particular,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventurefans came close to havingPokemongames named after a fan-favorite Stand from the series.
In theory,Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlseem to have no connection toJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. After all,Pokemonis a monster-collecting RPG, whileJoJois a long running action manga best known for the way its characters battle with psychic familiars known as Stands. Still, both franchises share something in common: taking inspiration from popular real-world musicians. For example, recently-introduced Pokemon Obstagoon is clearly inspired by Gene Simmons of the band KISS. Meanwhile, manyJoJoStands and characters are named after songs and musicians, such as Robert E. O. Speedwagon, named after the band REO Speedwagon.
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The titles of the new Pokemon games have reminded fans of Part 4 of theJoJomanga,Diamond is Unbreakable. Specifically, the protagonist of Part 4, Josuke Higashikata, uses a Stand known as Crazy Diamond in the Japanese version, named after Pink Floyd’s seminalShine On You Crazy Diamond. However, this was altered to Shining Diamond in English for copyright reasons. If the “shining” and “brilliant” parts of the new Pokemon titles were swapped, one would be “Shining Diamond.” This would allow thePokemonfranchise to join the surprisingly long list ofgame franchises that have referenced theJoJoseries.
While thePokemonfranchise may have missed out the chance to referenceJoJo, it has made references to plenty of other franchises and trends during its 25-year history. For example, various localizations of its games have called out various memes, including aninfamous LOLcats reference inPokemon XandY. This goes the other way around, as well; dozens of franchises have includedPokemonreferences. Sometimes these references have been so extensive as to become full games themselves, such the Rick and Morty gamePocket Mortys.
On the flip side,JoJofans have other options when it comes to new video games that either showcase or reference the series.Cyberpunk 2077’s Photo Mode allows players to pose protagonist V in a style reminiscent ofJoJosupporting protagonist Caesar Zeppeli. In addition, a newmobile game based on theJojofranchiseis in the works. Plus, players can always revisit theJoJofighting games made in the 2010s. Even PlayStation 5 owners can get in on the action by downloading the PS4 titleJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven.
While an official crossover is unlikely, there’s certainly room for fans to create crossovers betweenPokemonandJoJo. After all,Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlwill feature Dialga and Palkia, who can control time and space. This brings to mind iconicJoJocharacters like Dio Brando and Okumura Nijimura, who have varying degrees of control over time and space. It might not be amongthe most-requested video game crossovers, but aPokemon/JoJocrossover would make some gamers very, very happy.
Pokemon Brilliant DiamondandPokemon Shining Pearlwill be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021.
