Year: 2019
Runtime: 104 min
Language: English
Director: Rob Letterman
When Tim Goodman's father mysteriously disappears, young Tim is unexpectedly paired with a talking Pikachu, who happens to be a skilled detective. They embark on a thrilling quest through Ryme City, a bustling metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side. As they investigate, the unlikely duo uncovers a complex mystery, facing colorful characters and a dangerous plot that threatens the Pokémon world.
Warning: spoilers below!
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Still thinking about how Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) ended? Here’s a full breakdown of the ending, key final moments, major twists, and the deeper meaning behind the film’s conclusion.
At the end of the film, a surprising revelation is uncovered: Harry Goodman, Tim’s father, was actually present all along in a hidden form. It turns out that Harry didn’t die in the car crash as everyone believed. Instead, he was fused with his Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu, in a unique experiment orchestrated by Mewtwo, the powerful psychic Pokémon. After Harry was injured during a rescue attempt, Pikachu offered his own body to save him, and Mewtwo used its abilities to merge Harry’s consciousness with Pikachu’s. This fusion meant that Harry’s mind was alive inside Pikachu, which explained the unusual mannerisms and the way only Tim could understand Pikachu’s speech.
In the climax, Mewtwo explains that Harry’s consciousness is still part of Pikachu, and the whole process was part of a larger plan to evolve humans by merging them with Pokémon. Mewtwo’s ability to fuse humans and Pokémon was granted through the R gas, created from Mewtwo’s DNA, which caused Pokémon to lose control but also allowed for the exchange of minds. The villain, Howard Clifford, had been experimenting with this for his own benefits, partly driven by his obsession with evolution and power.
The film concludes with Harry’s fusion dissolving, returning him to his human form, while Pikachu, now seemingly without memory of being Harry, remains with Tim. In a clever twist, it is revealed that the voice of “Detective Pikachu” was actually Ryan Reynolds, who also plays Harry Goodman, hinting that the two are one and the same. As the story closes, Tim chooses to stay in Ryme City with his father instead of leaving, aspiring to become a Pokémon detective himself, leaving the story open for potential future adventures where the remnants of Mewtwo’s powers and the possibility of more fused humans and Pokémon could play a role again. The ending leaves viewers pondering the implications of human and Pokémon merging, with Mewtwo still alive and capable of doing more in future stories.
Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:59
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