While many Pokemon fans were excited by the announcement of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, a few people may have more excited about the names than the games themselves. In particular, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans came close to having Pokemon games named after a fan-favorite Stand from the series.
In theory, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl seem to have no connection to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. After all, Pokemon is a monster-collecting RPG, while JoJo is a long running action manga best known for the way its characters battle with psychic familiars known as Stands. Still, both franchises share something in common: taking inspiration from popular real-world musicians. For example, recently-introduced Pokemon Obstagoon is clearly inspired by Gene Simmons of the band KISS. Meanwhile, many JoJo Stands and characters are named after songs and musicians, such as Robert E. O. Speedwagon, named after the band REO Speedwagon.
The titles of the new Pokemon games have reminded fans of Part 4 of the JoJo manga, Diamond is Unbreakable. Specifically, the protagonist of Part 4, Josuke Higashikata, uses a Stand known as Crazy Diamond in the Japanese version, named after Pink Floyd's seminal Shine On You Crazy Diamond. However, this was altered to Shining Diamond in English for copyright reasons. If the "shining" and "brilliant" parts of the new Pokemon titles were swapped, one would be "Shining Diamond." This would allow the Pokemon franchise to join the surprisingly long list of game franchises that have referenced the JoJo series.
While the Pokemon franchise may have missed out the chance to reference JoJo, it has made references to plenty of other franchises and trends during its 25-year history. For example, various localizations of its games have called out various memes, including an infamous LOLcats reference in Pokemon X and Y. This goes the other way around, as well; dozens of franchises have included Pokemon references. Sometimes these references have been so extensive as to become full games themselves, such the Rick and Morty game Pocket Mortys.
On the flip side, JoJo fans have other options when it comes to new video games that either showcase or reference the series. Cyberpunk 2077's Photo Mode allows players to pose protagonist V in a style reminiscent of JoJo supporting protagonist Caesar Zeppeli. In addition, a new mobile game based on the Jojo franchise is in the works. Plus, players can always revisit the JoJo fighting games made in the 2010s. Even PlayStation 5 owners can get in on the action by downloading the PS4 title JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven.
While an official crossover is unlikely, there's certainly room for fans to create crossovers between Pokemon and JoJo. After all, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will feature Dialga and Palkia, who can control time and space. This brings to mind iconic JoJo characters like Dio Brando and Okumura Nijimura, who have varying degrees of control over time and space. It might not be among the most-requested video game crossovers, but a Pokemon/JoJo crossover would make some gamers very, very happy.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl will be released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch in late 2021.