Pokemon Legends: ZA

"Pokémon Legends: Z-A" Revives a Region Left Behind 

Written By: Jake Gigantelli

4/1/2024

I feel like "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y" (henceforth called "Pokémon X & Y") were some of the more underwhelming games in the series. The Kalos region, with only one entry dedicated to it, has little to offer since "Pokémon Omega Ruby" and "Pokémon Alpha Sapphire" released one year later and overshadowed the Kalos games. This, however, seems to be something Game Freak wishes to fix with its recent announcement on Pokémon day (Feb 27.) The next entry in the "Pokémon: Legends" series, "Pokémon Legends: Z-A," takes place in a burgeoning Kalos region and follows the reconstruction of Lumiose City.

So what is Kalos, what is Lumiose City, what was that symbol at the end of the two-minute trailer, and why is the letter Z so important here? Kalos is the sixth main region in the Pokémon series, contained within "Pokémon X & Y." The region is based on the nation of France. These two games were the first three-dimensional entry in the main series, and had a lot of expectations to fill due to this. The 3D environment was mainly shown off in Lumiose City, which is Kalos' version of Paris. The two games were most remembered, however, for their creation of Mega Evolution. Mega Evolution was a mechanic which existed in the sixth and seventh generations of Pokémon which allowed the player to give their Pokémon a significant power boost mid-battle. This quickly became a focus of the community of the Pokémon franchise, as the public generally liked how Mega Pokémon gave previously existing and somewhat irrelevant Pokémon such as Mawile the justice they deserved. Mega Pokémon were removed in the eighth generation, likely due to a need to keep the new Dynamax mechanic relevant. "Pokémon Scarlet & Violet," the ninth generation of mainline games, kept Mega Evolution out of the Paldea region despite some rumors. Mega Evolution's possible return to the main series is questionable given that "Legends Z-A" is the most recent Pokémon game as of writing.

This is not the grand return of Mega Evolution as a whole, however, as it has already been in spinoff games such as Pokémon Go and Pokémon Unite. The mechanic has just been absent from the main series for two whole generations. I do think that this is a good thing, though, as no new Mega Evolutions have been made since "Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire," which was released in 2014. Perhaps "Pokémon Legends: Z-A" will introduce more Mega Pokémon to the franchise. 

A topic of current debate regarding "Pokémon Legends: Z-A" is its starters. "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" used starters from non-Sinnoh games, so, naturally, "Pokémon Legends Z-A" would use non-Kalos starters. Each of the three "Legends: Arceus" starters had some sort of connection to feudal Japan, which is the time period where the game takes place, so it would be natural to assume that something similar would happen here with Kalos, which is based on France. Let's get something out of the way, first: I do not believe that this game will be taking place in the future. The redevelopment of Lumiose City teased in the trailer is an event which directly happened with Paris in the late 1800's – around the same time as the Meiji Restoration, which is when "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" takes place. With that said, I have a set of starters in mind for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and I'll back up my picks as well. 

The starters for "Pokémon Legends Z-A" will be Snivy, Torchic, and Piplup. 

Snivy's final evolution, Serperior, was designed based on a manga that Pokémon artist Ken Sugimori read… and that manga took heavy inspiration from France. Serperior is the Regal (dignified or suitable for a monarch) Pokémon, and monarchs play a large role in French history.

Torchic's connection is via France's national bird, which is the Gallic Rooster. The Gallic Rooster is probably the most typical rooster you've ever seen, and Blaziken is obviously based on an adult chicken. A special Torchic was given out as a mystery gift for players who obtained "Pokémon X and Y" early after its release, which adds to my idea.

Piplup's evolution, Empoleon, consists of the term "emperor" and the name "Napoleon." Napoleon was one of the most famous figures in French history, bar none, so it only makes sense that Empoleon would be chosen as one of the starters for the new game taking place in Pokémon's equivalent of France. 

The above three Pokémon have also come from part of the trailer for "The Indigo Disk," the second wave of DLC for "Pokémon Scarlet and Violet," which showed these three starters alongside the starters for "Pokémon Legends: Arceus." While somewhat obvious, it is one of the few leads that fans currently have in this regard.

Overall, I'm excited for this. "Pokémon Legends: Arceus" was a huge step in the direction I wished Pokémon would take, and it seems like "Pokémon: Legends Z-A" will be following up on that in a region which needs more content in the first place. The release time for "Pokémon Legends: Z-A" might work similar to how "Pokémon: Legends Arceus" was released on Jan. 28, 2022, and might indicate that Game Freak is taking their time with this installment.