Pokemon Pokopia's Take On Rotom Is Exactly What It Needs

Rotom is a Pokemon that can become many things. But, for the past several generations of Pokemon games, Rotom has, increasingly, become a Pokemon that does one thing: serves as the player’s chatty companion, in Pokedex or smartphone form. Upcoming cozy life simulator Pokemon Pokopia has already proven that it’s willing to be experimental with the series’ staples, introducing a ghostly Pikachu and a Snorlax covered in moss. Now, Pokopia‘s take on Rotom is a fresh and exciting way of handling a Pokemon that has sadly become a bit “stuck in a rut” in recent years.

DJ Rotom Is The Perfect Addition To Pokemon Pokopia

As revealed during the Pokemon Day broadcast held for Pokemon’s 30th anniversary, Pokemon Pokopia will feature “DJ Rotom,” a Rotom that takes the form of a stereo. Its design is delightfully nostalgic, including two blocky speakers DJ Rotom alternately uses as wings or legs and a small green light display on the base. It also seems to speak in a “groovier” manner than previous talking Rotoms, greeting the Ditto player character with an enthusiastic “YOOOOO!” in the trailer.

Pokemon Pokopia players can feed DJ Rotom CDs, which will allow it to play a variety of music from throughout the series. Available songs shown off in the trailer include the iconic “Pallet Town Theme” from Pokemon Red and Blue, “Fortree City” from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, and “The Academy” from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It has not yet been revealed how players will acquire CDs in Pokopia — perhaps they will be a hidden collectible item scattered around the world, or purchased at restored Pokemon Centers or other facilities?

Fit the 9 games into the grid.

The brief look at DJ Rotom’s functions seems to imply that there will be many CDs to collect in the game, featuring lots of songs from the series’ 30-year history. As Pokopia is set in a potentially post-apocalyptic Kanto region, there will likely be plenty of Kanto tunes, but every generation of Pokemon games will probably see at least some representation. Ditto, Professor Tangrowth, and the game’s other characters are even able to dance to the music that DJ Rotom plays.

Moving Beyond The Rotom Dex Is A Good Sign For The Future

The Rotom Dex and its updated variation, the Rotom Phone, were a novel idea when first introduced in Pokemon Sun and Moon, but have gotten a little stale due to its constant appearance in practically every Pokemon game so far. Sword and Shield in particular suffered from Rotom overuse — not only did the player have a Rotom Phone to use, but they also rode on a Rotom Bike, while floating Rotom Drones populate Wyndon Stadium to show off scoreboards and possibly record or stream matches.

DJ Rotom is a fresh new take on the Pokemon that can inhabit any type of electric device. It will presumably be less omnipresent and chatty than a Dex or Phone would be, and adds a fun mechanic to the game that honors an iconic element of the Pokemon series in the form of its music. Pokemon getting together and dancing after the hard work of restoring a town is a truly adorable sight. Including Rotom in a stereo form also allows for Pokopia to feature a non-Rotom Pokedex that is a throwback to the original Pokemon Red and Blue games set in Kanto, as seen in some of the previous trailers for the game.

Is DJ Rotom A Sign Of More Experimentation To Come?

The inclusion of DJ Rotom in Pokemon Pokopia is also potentially a positive sign that future Pokemon games will do more with the Plasma Pokemon. Notably, the trailer for the Generation 10 games Pokemon Winds and Waves, also revealed during the 2026 Pokemon Day broadcast, did not reveal whether the player’s Pokedex or phone contains a Rotom as the previous three generations included.

Early leaks regarding Winds and Waves indicate that Rotom may once again be involved in the game’s traversal system, similar to the Rotom Bike in Sword and Shield. This information has not been confirmed, but a Rotom-based travel system would not be surprising, especially as the world shown off in the trailers seems to be an expansive one, with players even able to journey underwater. With the focus on travel and exploration in the Generation 10 games, it would be the perfect time to experiment with Rotom and give it new forms. Perhaps a Rotom Drone could help the player survey the world, or a Rotom Boat could sail them from island to island?

Until anything concrete is revealed about Rotom in Generation 10, Pokemon fans will have to just enjoy partying with DJ Rotom when Pokemon Pokopia releases on March 5, 2026. The Pokemon Day trailer also showed off a cooking mechanic hosted by a Greedent named Chef Dente, as well as the chance to encounter Legendary Pokemon such as Generation 2’s Raikou. The game promises to be a truly fun and relaxing time, and the presence of DJ Rotom and its extensive library of tunes from throughout the series will be a major contributor to Pokopia’s overall vibe.