Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys is the seventh film in the Pokémon franchise, and the second and final film set in the Hoenn region.

Four years ago, a meteor containing the legendary Pokémon Deoxys crashed into an icy continent. The legendary Pokémon of the ozone layer, Rayquaza, engaged it in a fierce battle which ended with Deoxys seemingly destroyed. A group of researchers witness the battle and take the crystalline remains home with them, while their young son picks up a phobia of Pokémon from the experience.

Flash forward to the present where Ash and friends arrive in futuristic LaRousse City, famed for its Battle Tower, just in time for Deoxys to be revived, block off the city from the outside and start causing chaos. They team up with the aforementioned researchers and a group of other trainers to find a way to calm Deoxys down.

This is the first Pokémon movie to not be preceded by a Pikachu short, and it perhaps shows. In North America, the movie skipped a theatrical release, premiering on Kids WB where it pulled in higher ratings than the network had got in the entire previous year.


Tropes used in Pokémon: Destiny Deoxys include:
  • Adult Fear: would you want your child in Tory's shoes during that stampede?
  • Avoid the Dreaded G Rating: Sort of. When it aired on Kids WB!, it had a rating of TV Y7.
  • Badass Bookworm: Rebecca is a nerd with a laptop that she uses for strategy, and her research is on par with the scientists in the movie. Also, she has a Metagross.
  • Big Bad: Deoxys. At least that's what everyone assumes.
  • Breath Weapon: Rayquaza's Weapon of Choice in battle.
  • Brick Joke: In order to revive the Green Deoxys, the citizens of LaRousse City rally around and use any means possible to bring the power back to the city. This includes Team Rocket, who, unfortunately, in an effort to keep themselves hidden, weren't informed of the operation being a success. The end of the movie sees them still trying to generate power, completely unawares that the crisis is over.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The ID cards, of all things.
  • The Computer Is Your Friend: At the end of the movie, due to the battle between Rayquaza and the two Deoxys beating the crap out of each other (and causing major collateral damage), LaRousse City's defense system goes haywire.
  • Conspicuous CG: This movie made highly generous use of CG Pokémon, especially for the scenes involving the multiple Deoxys'. It looks ugly.
  • Continuity Nod: May's main rival Drew is later revealed to be from the city this movie is set in.
    • The first Pokémon Ranger special two-parter (the one set in the Battle Frontier saga) explicitly mentions Professor Lund's research in this movie.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: What's supposed to be a tag-battle at the beginning of the movie essentially becomes a 2-on-1 match, as Ash's partner Tory has no Pokémon of his own and had never actually been in a Pokémon battle, rendering him useless. Not surprisingly, the fight itself results in a humiliating loss for Ash.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: After about three battles against each other, the Deoxys and Rayquaza eventually leave on good terms.
  • Deus Ex Machina: Thank goodness Munchlax evolved just in time for Ash to use it as a stepping stone to reach the head Block Bot.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Munchlax.
  • Final Battle: Between Rayquaza and Deoxys. Technically, it can extend to Green Deoxys and Purple Deoxys vs. Rayquaza, but by then the Deoxys don't care anymore and just keep running away.
  • Healing Factor: Deoxys has this.
  • Loads and Loads of Characters: This movie is notable for featuring several other secondary protagonists alongside Ash and the gang: Tory and Professor Lund, Yuko, Rafe, his twin siblings Audrey and Kathryn, Sid, and Rebecca.
  • Mama Bear/Papa Wolf/Knight Templar Big Sibling: Purple Deoxys goes to enormous lengths trying to find its friend, who is technically younger than it is.
  • Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Tory has one, which is revealed to be a projection of the green Deoxys.
  • One Mon Army: Deoxys don't need an army, they are an army.
    • Me's a Crowd: also helps a little that they have this ability.
  • Poor Communication Kills: The whole movie is set in motion because of a Poor Communication Kill when Rayquaza assaults Deoxys because it thought Deoxys was invading.
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: Plusle and Minun, and the little pair are just cute enough to help Tory get over his fear of Pokémon.
  • Rousseau Was Right: No one in this movie is wholeheartedly or intentionally bad.
  • Scary Shiny Glasses: Max pulls one of these for laughs after one of the new male leads in the film tells a very shocked May that he thinks she's cute.
  • Shapeshifting: Deoxys can change between various forms at will. In an aversion to Early-Bird Cameo, this does not include Speed Forme (debuted in Emerald, which this movie predated).
  • Shrinking Violet: Tory, at the beginning of the movie. Since he's afraid of Pokémon, he also doesn't interact much with their Trainers.
  • Sinister Surveillance
  • Stepping Stones in the Sky: Ash and Pikachu getting to the head surveillance robot to stop the out-of-control security system.
  • White-Haired Pretty Boy: Tory.
  • Who's on First?:

Meowth: What's a passport?
James: Well I have no idea what kind of a pass he's talking about, but Meowth, please stop calling me sport!

  • Wind Turbine Power
  • Why Did It Have To Be Pokémon?: Tory is terrified of Pokémon because of an incident that happened when he was younger (he was caught in the middle of a Sealeo and Walrein stampede). Until he rescues Plusle and Minun from their falling death, and in the end seems to have finally gotten over this fear, and implies he's adopted the two.
  • Zerg Rush: The "flood" of security robots that overwhelm Rayquaza and the two Deoxys.