An internal documentary titled "Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Behind the Scenes DVD — Make All" produced by Game Freak around 2006 has been leaked online after being obtained by fans in July 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The 43-minute film was originally meant for internal distribution only and featured Game Freak staff working during development [2].
The documentary is entirely in Japanese and reveals more than 100 scrapped Pokémon designs, including cut evolutions and brand-new species resembling animals such as crane, cricket, snail, platypus, and swordfish, as well as plants like beansprouts and clover [2]. Early versions of popular starters Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar appear with notable differences; for example, Turtwig was originally designed as an armadillo-like creature, and Piplup's evolutionary line may have had Water/Ice typing [1, 3].
Fans also discovered scrapped evolutions for Pokémon like Delibird, Kecleon, Stantler, Lapras, and possible baby forms of Plusle and Minun [2, 3]. In addition to concept art, the documentary includes clips of in-game area development and informal moments of Game Freak employees during production [3, 2].
The leaked footage was first spotted after a DVD copy appeared on a Japanese auction site and was purchased by fans. It was then uploaded to public platforms including the Internet Archive and YouTube, allowing widespread access to the previously unseen material [1, 2, 3]. Archivists and fans known as Lewtwo and Neos played key roles in obtaining and sharing the documentary [1, 3].
This public release offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of one of Pokémon’s most iconic generations, uncovering creative directions that did not make it into the final games.
