Ever since the Nintendo Gigaleak in 2020, information about early Pokémon concepts and other development info for the games has only become more common online. We’ve seen numerous early prototypes and beta ROMs for the games, complete with tons of features not found in the final product. We’ve seen emails and documents from inside Game Freak and the Pokémon Company, showing all kinds of ideas eventually left on the cutting room floor. And with dataminers finding unused content in the games themselves on top of that, we thought just about everything about this series was now understood. That every inch of these games and their development histories had been documented to the fullest possible degree.
However, it turns out that’s far from the case. What’s more, the reason that’s true isn’t actually leaked at all.
No, it’s an official documentary about the development of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and one authorised by Game Freak themselves. This documentary was a rare Japan only release from shortly after the games came out, and was thought lost forever due to its rarity online.
But now, it’s out there. Now, the full documentary has been obtained thanks to the work of folks like Lewtwo and Neos, and it has shaken the community more than ever.
Take a look at this video about it on the former’s channel:
Yeah, there’s a lot to see here. Most notably, a ton of concepts for Pokémon species:
So much misinformation about the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl DVD and my site is CRASHING so here's our full documentation of EVERY design if you can't get in! pic.twitter.com/qrJJrMEwzQ
— Lewtwo (@Lewchube) July 22, 2026
There are over 100 unused species and designs here. These include early versions of the starters, including an armadillo like version of Turtwig and a quadruped version of Chimchar, winged versions of Dialga and Palkia, a cut Delibird evolution even more blatantly inspired by Santa Claus and early designs based on umbrellas and sandcastles.
It’s absolutely incredible to see, and shows just how many unused designs and concepts end up making their way into future games instead.
So, yeah, learn more about what’s included on this DVD on Lewtwo’s website here, download the documentary for yourself via the Internet Archive, and take a step through history with this rare look at Pokémon Diamond and Pearl’s development. It’s well worth checking out, that’s for sure!
Source:
How We Uncovered Pokemon’s Biggest Secret (Lewtwo on YouTube)