No Pokédex in Movies

Probably because looking up Pokemon data while watching a film would be distracting to the movie viewing experience...

But seriously, you bring up a good point. I don't think they've used a Pokedex at all. Maybe it's because the use of the Pokedex is more of a gag (not something funny, I can't find the right word for it) of the anime series, as new Pokemon show up in every other episode. But the movies are a standalone entity and they don't involve journey's like the anime does, so constantly looking up Pokemon on it would be kind of weird I guess? I don't know if I explained it as best I could, but I tried to.
 
I have always wondered this ever since I was a kid watching the movies. When Ash encounters a super rare Pokémon, why wouldn't he check the Pokédex? In fact, he has done so while encountering Legendaries in the main anime. I'm still not sure why the Pokédex is absent in literally every movie, but there must be some reason for it. I figure the writers just don't find the Pokédex fitting in the movies, or too distracting.

I was convinced M20 was going to break the trend since it's partially a retelling of the start of Ash's journey but apparently the Pokédex is absent here as well... which is pretty odd if you ask me. Professor Oak giving Ash Pikachu but not a Pokédex is just weird.
 
Because they are boring filler to full 20 minutes and most movies had a limited screentime.
 
What everyone else said. I'm convinced it's some sort of internal policy.
 
UPratik_12 said:
Wasn't the pokedex present in 4th Movie?
Click to expand...

No. Ash just mentioned it in the dub (I haven't seen the original, so can't tell you if Satoshi mentioned it). In fact, I'm pretty sure it's the only time the Pokedex has been mentioned in the films.
 
The Executive Director Yuyama Kunihiko had stated in the latest M20 interview that it is a consent that Pokedex do not appear in movies.

ピカチュウがモンスターボールに入らない理由とは？　「劇場版ポケットモンスター キミにきめた！」インタビュー【 第13回 昔の子ども、今の子ども。】｜ウーマンエキサイト
――劇場版について、意外と知られていない秘密などはありますか？
映画の中では、図鑑は使わないことにしています。必ず幻のポケモンが出てくるので、それを図鑑に載せちゃうのはどうなんだろうっていうのがあって（笑）。
Click to expand...
Translated:
--Regarding on the movies, is there any secret we'd not been told yet?
Within the movies, we don't use the pokedex. Because legendary pokemons definitely appears, it feels something is wrong if it registered in the dex (laugh).
 
CrystaI said:
The Executive Director Yuyama Kunihiko had stated in the latest M20 interview that it is a consent that Pokedex do not appear in movies.

ピカチュウがモンスターボールに入らない理由とは？　「劇場版ポケットモンスター キミにきめた！」インタビュー【 第13回 昔の子ども、今の子ども。】｜ウーマンエキサイト

Translated:
--Regarding on the movies, is there any secret we'd not been told yet?
Within the movies, we don't use the pokedex. Because legendary pokemons definitely appears, it feels something is wrong if it registered in the dex (laugh).
Click to expand...
They appear to make an exception whenever a legendary Pokemon appears in the TV episodes, though. :p
 
Sure, a Legenary Pokemon always appears, but that doesn't mean it can't be checked on the Pokedex. So that doesn't seem like a good enough reason.
 
I think another reason is that in a movie, there's more screentime to establish what a Pokémon does or reveal some backstory, so it really isn't necessary for the Pokédex to explain what we're probably going to see later.
 
Pokédex entries have a tendency to stop the action for a quick exposition of whatever the Pokémon of the Day is currently being focused. It is fine on a television show and maybe even helpful for budget cause as animators don't have to animate as much if a good 20 seconds of the episode is focused on a still picture and beeping button.

But a movie has a set time and a larger budget. As such, it would be a waste of time to have Ash use the Pokédex for exposition. And brings up plot holes and questions like why doesn't Ash use the Pokédex all the time on new Pokémon. Or if the Pokédex doesn't know about Ho-Oh, how did Sorrel and the old man Bonji know about Ho-Oh? Or what about all the Pokémon from Johto, Sinnoh and Alola?

It's questions like these that justify why it is better to not bring up the Pokédex at all in the movie.
 
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