Throughout 2021, Nintendo has shared updates on upcoming Pokemon games pretty consistenly. Pokemon Legends: Arceus only got announced in early 2021, but fans have learned a lot about it since then, especially at the latest Pokemon Presents. Nintendo revealed all sorts of details about Pokemon Legends: Arceus, like how players interact with Pokemon in the wild, what's different about Pokemon Legends' battle system, and what characters players can expect to meet. Interestingly, though, there's still a lot of questions about Arceus itself when it comes to Pokemon Legends. It isn't clear yet how the Mythical Pokemon will impact Pokemon Legends' plot.
The Hisui region possesses a perfect gateway for interacting with Arceus. The creation trio — the three Legendary Pokemon that starred in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum — are essentially Arceus' descendants, so they might pave the path to meeting Arceus. Specifically, Giratina could rise to prominence ahead of Palkia and Dialga. Giratina has a special, complicated relationship with Arceus, even though it's still an important part of the legendary trio that define the history of the Sinnoh region (and presumably the Hisui region by extension). Pokemon Legends: Arceus could make use of legends about Arceus creating Giratina, then banishing its own creation.
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Pokemon Legends: Arceus Has Tons of Background
Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum are all about Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina respectively, but they wouldn't be possible without their creator, Arceus. Pokemon lore often credits Arceus with the creation of the universe, potentially making it the most powerful Pokemon in existence. Legend has it that Arceus created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, then gave them control over three cosmic forces: time, space, and antimatter, respectively. The people of Sinnoh historically worshipped these Pokemon as deities, which certainly makes sense given their phenomenal control over reality.
However, not all was well after Arceus created this trio of Pokemon. In fact, they often butted heads, but it seems that Giratina was somehow the worst of them all. Pokedex descriptions claim that Giratina had a violent streak, so Arceus seemingly decided to seal it away in the Distortion World, leaving Giratina to watch the world of humans and Pokemon go on without it. It's unclear just how must of this story is true to the events of Pokemon history, and how much is just a matter of myth. It's rare that Pokemon games are set deep enough in franchise history to actively explore the true facts of history.
That means that there's a lot of unanswered questions about Giratina and Arceus' relationship that Pokemon Legends: Arceus could look into. Who or what did Giratina endanger with its violent actions? Was Giratina really that much more violent than Dialga and Palkia? Was there no other way to treat Giratina other than to banish it to an alternate dimension? At the end of the day, it seems like Arceus is probably the only being that can answer these questions — unless these events took place more recently than the dawn of creation. In fact, this legend could be baked directly into the events of Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
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How Giratina Could Affect Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Because the Hisui region exists so far in the Sinnoh region's past, it could be the time period in which the Sinnoh region's foundational myths take place. For instance, Pokemon Legends: Arceus could reveal that Giratina still exists in the physical world during its place in the timeline. Giratina might be an antagonistic force this way; for instance, it might have something to do with the enraged Pokemon in the latest Pokemon Legends: Arceus trailer. If that's the case, then the game could lead up to Arceus banishing Giratina to the Distortion World for its acts.
Alternatively, it's possible that Giratina is already in the Distortion World at the start of Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but that it's trying to escape, which causes dimensional rifts or energy pulses that wreak havoc on the Hisui region. If that's the case, players might end up searching for Arceus or discovering Arceus' history in order to find a way to stop or at least appease Giratina for the sake of the Hisui region.
Either of these stories could perfectly establish some of the lore central to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. If Giratina plays a role in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, then Dialga and Palkia will probably show up too. The denizens of the Hisui region are new there, meaning they might not be familiar with these Pokemon, inspiring some of them to worship Arceus and the creation trio due to the events of Pokemon Legends: Arceus. The game certainly seems intent on establishing ways that humans and Pokemon began to work and live together. One of those ways might involve experiences that led to humans regarding Legendary and Mythical Pokemon with awe rather than fear.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus Should Make Use of Mythos
Although there's a lot of directions that it could go, the bottom line is that Pokemon Legends: Arceus should make the most out of the rich lore established by the Sinnoh region. There's so much history worth explaining that would make great story beats in this new take on Pokemon. It'd be great to see Giratina and its brethren come into play, and it'd make sense if they did, since they're Arceus' figurative children. Pokemon Legends: Arceus has a unique opportunity to tell foundational stories about the way that the Pokemon world works and why Pokemon characters have such strong feelings about Pokemon.
Even if Pokemon Legends: Arceus doesn't focus on lore, it's clearly going to contribute a lot to the franchise. It's open world in a way that no other Pokemon game has ever truly matched, letting players run freely around the Hisui region to research, capture, and train Pokemon of all kinds. The Pokemon series has never used environmental hazards or stealth in the same way that this game has. Pokemon Legends: Arceus could establish a ton of new conventions for the Pokemon series, regardless of whether or not Pokemon Legends becomes a recurring subseries. For all its mechanical innovations, though, Pokemon Legends: Arceus would feel far more impactful if it also introduces new twists on lore points like Giratina's banishment.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus releases January 28, 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
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