Dialga vs Palkia: Which Pokemon will win when space and time clash?

Space and time collide when the Pokemon Dialga and Palkia face off in battle (Image via The Pokemon Company)
Space and time collide when the Pokemon Dialga and Palkia face off in battle (Image via The Pokemon Company)

The Legendary Pokemon Dialga and Palkia were introduced in the Generation IV games, where they were the mascots of the Diamond and Pearl titles, respectively. Dialga is a Steel/Dragon-type creature with dominion over time, while Palkia is a Water/Dragon-type that possesses the power to manipulate space. Both are the progeny of Arceus, who created them to help keep the world and reality in balance.

But which of these two creatures is superior? If the two cosmically-powerful Pokemon were to face off, which would be the victor? This may depend on who you ask, but there may very well be an answer that can be gleaned regardless.

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For a bit of fun, it doesn't hurt to take a look at what a hypothetical fight between these two incredibly powerful Pokemon might look like.

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Examining whether Dialga or Palkia would win in a hypothetical Pokemon showdown

In-game Pokemon statistics: Dialga wins

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If Pokemon fans are examining the battle between Dialga and Palkia strictly from the perspective of the mainline Pokemon games, Dialga will likely win in most situations. Although both Pocket Monsters have a base stat total of 680, Dialga has higher HP and Defense stats, while Palkia is only slightly faster with slightly higher Special Attack and Special Defense stats. This makes Dialga bulkier, giving it more longevity in this hypothetical matchup.

Furthermore, Dialga has an advantage when it comes to elemental type. As a Steel/Dragon-type, Dialga isn't weak to Dragon-type attacks that Palkia can use and takes normal damage from Water-type moves.

Conversely, Palkia is weak to Dragon and Fairy-type attacks, meaning that Dialga can deal super effective damage to its space-based counterpart, but Palkia can't return the favor without using Fighting or Ground-type attacks, which won't deal as much damage since they don't match Palkia's Water/Dragon typing to activate the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB).

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Obviously, the trainer using Dialga/Palkia would be able to influence the battle alongside other factors like held items and EV training, but in a flat matchup between base stats and elemental types, Dialga takes the win.


Pokemon game/anime lore: Dialga wins

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Oddly enough, the animated movie Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai did feature a short battle between Dialga and Palkia. Although the fight was fairly evenly matched, Dialga did seize the upper hand by shattering one of the pearls on Palkia's shoulder. That isn't to say that Palkia didn't land plenty of blows itself, but it appears as though Dialga had the advantage before the fight was interrupted. If we take a closer look at the universe's lore, it's tough to say which Pocket Monster wins out.

Dialga is the master of time in the Pokemon universe, with the Pokedex stating that time began flowing when Dialga's heart began beating. However, the Pokedex also states that space's stability hinges on Palkia's every breath. Both creatures are integral to the fabric of reality, but which creature's ability to manipulate reality is superior? It's difficult to say, as Dialga could essentially travel through or halt time to gain an advantage, but time wouldn't mean much if it took place in a space that Palkia had complete control of. All in all, Palkia may have the edge in this case.

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In The Rise of Darkrai, Dialga appeared to be winning before the battle could come to its conclusion, and there doesn't appear to be any indication in the movie that Palkia would have come back and won. While dominion over space may indeed be more impactful than mastery over time, Pokemon fans never quite saw this play out on-screen to confirm as much.


Conclusion: Dialga wins, though maybe not by much

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Although Arceus wouldn't be happy with its two stewards and creations fighting, it wouldn't be unreasonable (given the in-game measurements and lore) that Dialga would ultimately beat Palkia in a hypothetical full-tilt bout. Its power over time may not exactly be as overwhelming as Palkia's ability to control the very space that the battle would be fought in, but Dialga nonetheless has the numbers advantage in the Pokemon games and had already struck a fairly serious wound on Palkia in The Rise of Darkrai.

Truth be told, the battle between these two Legendary Pokemon could go either way, especially if trainers or other factors were involved. Suppose Dialga did win based on the evidence provided, its victory likely would be a hard-fought one where it emerged the winner by a very slim margin.

Palkia still has plenty of firepower and capabilities on its side, and one wrong move could result in a different outcome. However, given the information the community has, Dialga seems to be the consensus pick for a win between these two space-time titans.

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Edited by Siddharth Satish
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