Detective Pikachu's hyper-realistic Pokemon are getting trading cards and interactive plushies

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And they're kind of terrifying

Judging from its first trailer, Pokemon Detective Pikachu is basically a live-action amalgamation of all those cool (and terrifying) realistic Pokemon drawings you've seen over the years - with Ryan Reynolds thrown in for good measure. The sheer anatomical fascination of seeing Pokemon living in the real world has kept it from reaching Sonic the Hedgehog movie levels of unnerving, but the movie's newly revealed merch line might just be strange enough to make up the difference. 

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Detective Pikachu is basically Pikachu with textured fur, so he's actually still pretty cute. Greninja looks surprisingly cool too, but that's mainly because his tongue scarf is only a minor feature in this portrait. I really don't want to see it in detail on the oversize foil cards which will be available. As for Charizard… why does he have so many clearly defined scales and striations and teeth? He looks like a carnivorous Cheeto, and oh god, now that you mention it, his tiny arms are kind of weird, aren't they? I shudder to think what the Jigglypuff card looks like. 

On top of trading cards, The Pokemon Company is working with Wicked Cool Toys to release a line of Detective Pikachu action figures and plushies. Unsurprisingly, a talking Pikachu is on the list - and again, I have to admit it does look pretty cute:

I'm less sold on the buildable Pikachu model Mattel is apparently working on, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. That said, the very idea of walking into a room with a plush of that Jigglypuff waiting on the couch gives me the heebie jeebies, so I'll hold onto my skepticism. 

Detective Pikachu will be voiced by Ryan Reynolds, and while he is a great actor, he is not Danny Devito, and that's a tragedy in its own right.  

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.