A new Pokémon distribution event featuring Dawn's Piplup has been announced for Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but the special pocket monster won't be available for everyone to claim. As one of the Starter Pokémon of the Sinnoh region, Dawn's Piplup accompanied her in her travels with Ash throughout 191 episodes of the anime.
The cute, penguin-like Piplup is a popular choice of Starter for many Trainers tackling the Sinnoh Region, as its Water typing gives it an advantage over many of the region's Gyms. Its evolved forms, Prinplup and Empoleon, likewise maintain a strong presence in battles. As a Pokémon Coordinator, Dawn's focus was more on the aesthetics of moves rather than their power, but her own Piplup has been seen to use several powerful moves like Whirlpool and Hydro Pump nonetheless. Although Piplup does have its weaknesses, as with any Pokémon, weighing up the pros and cons does suggest it to be a decent choice of Starter in Pokémon BDSP.
As revealed by Serebii, Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl players can get their hands on Dawn's Piplup - but only those in South Korea will have a chance to obtain the Starter for themselves. The distribution event is in honor of South Korea now seeing the release of Giratina & The Sky Warrior, the eleventh Pokémon movie. Giratina & The Sky Warrior was originally released in 2008, meaning that South Korean audiences have been waiting 14 years for this theatrical debut. The special Piplup will be available to download for both Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but will have different movesets for each game. With Dawn being the anime equivalent of Diamond and Pearl's female protagonist, this Piplup is sure to be a perfect Pokémon companion for any BDSP player's journey.
However, unlike most distribution events, where players can usually obtain their gift items or Pokémon for free, this Pokémon event requires fans to pay for the opportunity. According to Serebii, fans will have to pay 35,000 Won (about $27) at the Pokémon Store Online in order to receive a redeemable download code, and can even obtain two codes at the slightly discounted rate of 60,000 Won (about $47). This might be a high price to pay for some, but avid collectors of Pokémon and their event-specific variants may still find it to be worth the cost. And it should be noted that this is not the most expensive Piplup out there in any case; Pokémon Center's giant Piplup plush costs a similarly enormous $350.
Of course, many Pokémon Legends and BDSP fans in the West will be feeling a little disappointed by this news. While South Korea is long overdue to have a release of Giratina & the Sky Warrior, and it makes perfect sense to have an accompanying distribution event to both promote and celebrate the occasion, the fact remains that many fans will be left out of this event. As a result, there is sure to be some discontent among Western Pokémon fans, although an understanding of the circumstances behind the distribution may help to soothe these feelings. Either way, players of Pokémon Legends: Arceus and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl outside of South Korea will just have to content themselves with other Pokémon Piplup content instead.
Sources: Serebii.net/Twitter