Ditto (Pokémon)
Ditto | ||
---|---|---|
Pokémon Red and Blue (1996) | ||
Designed by | Ken Sugimori (finalized)[1] | |
Portrayed by | Suki Waterhouse (as "Ms. Norman")[2] | |
Voiced by | ||
In-universe information | ||
Species | Type | Normal |
Ditto, known in Japan as Metamon (
A
While initially seen as particularly weak in the original Red and Blue, the addition of the "Daycare" mechanic in later Pokémon titles and Ditto's ability to breed with almost every Pokémon significantly boosted its popularity, making them vital for the game's competitive scene. While the simplicity of its design has been criticized, others wished to see its abilities used to greater potential within the franchise. Ditto's unique nature also led to a rumor in the fandom that it was a failed clone of another Pokémon, Mew. While disproven by Game Freak's developers, it has been noted as an example of players wanting more depth from the franchise, and impacted the development of Detective Pikachu.
Conception and design
Ditto is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the
Introduced in Red and Blue, the design started as pixel art sprites by the development team first, with a single color identity chosen to work within the Super Game Boy hardware limitations.[1] While conceived as a group effort by multiple developers at Game Freak,[9] the finalized design and artwork was done by Ken Sugimori. Originally tasked with drawing the characters to illustrate a planned strategy guide by Game Freak when the games released, Sugimori drew all the sprites for the game in his style to not only unify their designs visually but also modify any design elements he felt were amiss, while trying to retain the original sprite artist's unique style.[10]
Ditto stands 1 ft (30 cm) tall and is classified as a "Normal" type species. It has the form of an
While in a 2011 interview with
In 2018, early development builds of Pokémon Gold and Silver, the sequels to Red and Blue, were leaked onto the internet. Among several Pokémon that did not appear in the final was an evolution for Ditto called Animon, which could be acquired by giving a Ditto the "Metal Coat" item. Appearing as a blob with a large mouth with two upper and lower fangs and a spike-like horn protruding from its head, Animon would have retained Ditto's Normal-type.[19]
Appearances
In the video games
First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue, Ditto has appeared in every main Pokémon title since. In these games, it can only learn one attack, "Transform". If successfully used in an in-game battle, the Ditto will temporarily copy the typing, appearance, and attacks of the target Pokémon until the battle concludes.[20] In Gold and Silver, Ditto is established as genderless. However players are able to utilize the game's daycare mechanic with another Pokémon to have it "breed" with them, resulting in an offspring based off the other parent Pokémon. Ditto however is unable to breed with itself, and must be caught in the wild or traded for with other players in order to acquire one.[21] In Pokémon Black and White, a "Dream World" variant was added, with an ability that allowed it to automatically transform into the enemy Pokémon upon entering battle without having to waste a turn.[22] In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, most wild Ditto are disguised as other Pokémon and will only reveal their actual form if battled or targeted with the game's scanner feature.[23]
Outside of the mainline Pokémon titles, Ditto has also appeared in other related games including
In other media
Several Ditto have appeared in related Pokémon manga and anime over the course of the franchise. Most notably, the anime episode "Ditto's Mysterious Mansion" introduced a Ditto owned by a girl called Duplica that was unable to transform properly, retaining its eyes and mouth on any forms it took. By the end of the episode, it overcomes this hurdle with the help of series antagonists Team Rocket. Treated as a stand alone issue for this one Ditto, other appearances of the species in the anime were shown able to mimic targets perfectly.[31] However, this would establish a visual tell referenced in other media, games and merchandise, where its untransformed face would be used to indicate a disguised Ditto.[24] In Japan, Ditto is voiced by Kotono Mitsuishi,[5] while in English it was voiced first by Rachael Lillis and later Michele Knotz.[3][4]
In Detective Pikachu, a genetically modified Ditto pretends to be the bodyguard of antagonist Howard Clifford. Named Ms. Norman, the character is played by Suki Waterhouse, and appears as a woman with long pink and blonde hair in a business suit, wearing sunglasses and pink gloves.[2] During the film's climax, Norman confronts the film's protagonist, removing their sunglasses to reveal their black eyes. They then rapidly switch between multiple Pokémon forms afterward to attack the protagonist before being defeated.[13]
Writer Ben Samit stated in an interview they wanted Ditto in the film due to feeling characters that could shapeshift were a good fit for detective stories as a whole.[32] Director Rob Letterman further elaborated, stating he felt Ditto was perfect for a misdirect, something they really wanted to have in the film. The character being disguised as a human was directly inspired by a moment they recalled in the anime where Ditto appeared in a human form except for its eyes, though they double checked to ensure that was something Ditto could viably do in the franchise's canon. While the concept evolved during the course of development, they kept Ditto as a constant, and conceived it switching through various Pokémon as a fun idea for the film's end fight sequence.[33]
Promotion and reception
Since its introduction, Ditto has been featured on multiple bits of merchandise, ranging from
As the franchise has progressed Ditto has received mostly positive reception.
However,
Patricia Hernandez in an article for Polygon praised Ditto's portrayal in Detective Pikachu, noting that while the games did not explore its transformation ability in more depth, she was pleased to see how the film approached it. Specifically citing its reveal towards the end of the film, she called it not only a good sleight of hand moment but also expressed excitement to see "Ditto use its ability to the fullest" as it transformed from form to form rapidly to fight. She added that while it wasn't the strongest Pokémon in the franchise, its ability to "turn into any of them at a moment’s notice, when it needs to, makes it possibly the most deadly enemy to fight", and lamented that the game's never explored this aspect, instead making the character feel rather useless in the game's lore.[13] Comic Book Resources' Molly Kishikawa and Fanbyte's Eric Thurm both also addressed this interpretation of the character, noting that in contrast to how the game's presented it as harmless the full scope of its ability presented horrific implications, and Thurm in particular noting that disturbing implications of Ditto being able on a human appearance was "a question we’ve all been avoiding for years".[43][44]
Early on, a popular fan theory arose that Ditto was a "failed clone" of another Pokémon, Mew. Originating on social media platform Reddit in 2010, the theory was proposed due to their similar traits, both learning the Transform ability, and Mew's history of being cloned in the franchise's lore.[45] It was later debunked in a 2012 interview with Game Freak's Junichi Masuda for Game Informer, who stated it was the first he'd heard of such a rumor and "In terms of how Pokémon are designed, they are each their own unique living being."[46] Despite this the rumor persisted, with Comic Book Resources writer citing it as an example of longtime fans of the franchise paying attention to minute details, as well as craving deeper complexity in the series.[47] While Detective Pikachu's director was unaware of the theory,[33] writer Dan Hernandez acknowledged it impacted the story of the film as they researched the characters. Stating while they didn't want to "go too much into that", it was a "provocative question" they wanted to hint at, and further allowed them to develop a connection for the audience between Ditto and another character in the film related to Mew, Mewtwo.[48]
References
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