The Pokémon Legends spinoff series has been a breath of fresh air for the Pokémon franchise. And now with a second game on the horizon, there is much hype and speculation to be had.
Pokémon Legends is a spinoff of the massively popular Pokémon franchise. The first Legends game sees the protagonist sent back in time to an ancient version of the Sinnoh region to explore, research pokémon, and eventually save the world itself.
Unlike the main series games, there are no gym badges, no championship battles, and new mechanics galore. In Arceus these were strong and agile attacks, alpha Pokémon boss fights, and stealth mechanics when capturing new Pokémon.
These features really freshened up the Pokémon formula. One can hope that Legends Z-A either follows in the footsteps of Arceus, or better yet, brings its own unique mechanics to the table.
A Unique Starter Trio?
In the previous Legends game, the starter Pokémon included were a mix of old and new favorites with a twist in their final forms. Cyndaquil of generation 2, Oshawott of generation 5, and Rowlett of generation 7. Their final forms gained new stat-spreads, additional/alternate typings, and new signature moves.
If this starter design philosophy repeats with Legends Z-A we could expect a different unique trio of fan favorites this time around. Should we get a mixed batch of starters my predicted lineup would be Scorbunny (generation 8), Piplup (generation 4), and Snivy (Generation 5). Out of my three choices, the one that is the most common prediction is Piplup. This idea is corroborated in other starter prediction coverage.
Me and many others think Piplup would be a perfect fit for Kalos, given the region’s inspiration by France. And not to mention Piplup’s final evolution’s English name. That being, Empoleon, a portmanteau of emperor and Napoleon. Maybe this new form could be Water-Fighting type and put more emphasis on physical attacks.
I find Scorbunny as a fire-type pick to be an interesting one because of its potential. The original Cinderace is a plain Fire-type. So having a new final form with say, Fire-Electric, or another combination would be very cool to see.
My last and arguably least-likely prediction would be Snivy. The reason I see it as less likely is that it already covers the same regal aesthetic that Empoleon does. On top of this, we already got a generation 5 starter in Legends Arceus. But I think a Grass-Fairy Serperior would not only emphasize the Fairy Type’s debut in Kalos, but also do wonders aesthetically to make Serperior more majestic.
Though given the trailers showing a less ancient looking Kalos, we could also be getting the standard Kalos trio of starters, which brings me to the next prediction.
New Mega Evolutions OR Battle-Bond Forms For Kalos Starters
Assuming the Kalos starter trio returns to Legends Z-A, I think new capabilities for their final stages would be great. These could come in the form of mega-evolutions much like the Kanto starters in the original X and Y games. Mega evolution would be a great way to bolster the power of both the popular Greninja and its underappreciated contemporaries, Delphox and Chesnaught. Mega-Evolution was not yet given to this trio, despite the potential.
But even if Mega-Evolution doesn’t come to the trio, there is another way to reinvigorate both their power and popularity: Battle-Bond forms. It’s a mechanic similar to Mega-Evolution but triggered in-game by an ability rather than a set of items.
Popularized by Ash’s Greninja in the XY anime, Battle-Bond showed an elevated bond between Pokémon and trainer. I imagine that having a semi-customizable battle-bond form for the other Kalos starters would be really fun to see. Mega-Evolution is the more likely path of the two in my opinion. But either option would suffice in being awesome.
Mega Flygon: A Long Time Coming
Flygon has always been an interesting Pokémon to me for various reasons. It blends together cuteness with coolness to create a neat insectoid dragon with red goggle-like eyes. Unfortunately, Flygon has gotten the short end of the stick time and time again. First, overshadowed by the much more powerful Garchomp. Sharing the same exact type-combo with it did not help. Then in generation 6, Flygon had a real chance of gaining Mega-Evolution, but never received one.
The Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games set in Hoenn (generation 3’s region), would have been a perfect opportunity for Flygon to receive a Mega-Evolution. Yet, still nothing. To add insult to injury, Flygon was actually quite close to getting a coveted Mega-Evolution, but never did due to the ever-dreaded artist’s block according to a 2015 interview talked about by many.
Perhaps if the artists can come up with a good design for Mega Flygon, we may be able to finally witness this awesome Pokémon step out from under Garchomp’s shadow. Think of the possibilities a new Mega-Evolution could provide. Increased power, a cool design, maybe even new typing, all wrapped up in one. I predict there will be more new Mega-Evolutions, but for some hardcore fans, Flygon getting one would absolutely steal the show.
Somewhat Familiar Faces?
Legends: Arceus had an interesting approach to the characters that populated the world. Many characters in Legends: Arceus are implied to be distant ancestors to those in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. This is one of the biggest forms of fanservice in this spinoff series, and was pretty rewarding for players of the original games. I’d predict that Gamefreak would try to pull off something similar in Legends: Z-A.
But that all depends on when the game takes place. If set in the past, we could see a repeat of Legends: Arceus with ancestor characters. And if it’s in the present or future instead, we could see the return of, or even relatives of important characters such as Professor Sycamore, or various gym leaders.
The Return of AZ
AZ is a very mysterious character in the Pokémon franchise. Many fans see his story as interesting, but bogged down by a lot of missed potential. His plot significance is relegated to a few short encounters, scattered across the generation 6 games. He largely serves as an exposition dump to explain a region’s history, which is interesting but leaves more questions than answers.
AZ is at least three-thousand years old and was once the king of the region. But now he wanders aimlessly, left unable to atone for his creation of the ultimate weapon, and for hurting his closest friend.
AZ is hardly explored as a character in the game’s story. The upcoming Legends game would be a great opportunity to do just that. If the game takes place in the past we may see a still-sorrowful AZ and learn more about his distant past as an ancient ruler. Or if the game takes place in a contemporary or future Kalos, we may see a happier AZ, reunited with his friend after the events of Pokémon X and Y. Regardless of which time we could see AZ in, his inclusion would have lots of story potential for the game.
A Release of Eternal Flower Floette
Floette on its own is kind of an unremarkable pokémon. Sure, it has a cute design and represents the fairy type really well. But as a middle-stage evolution, Floette is sometimes forgotten.
Eternal Flower Floette however, is an alternate form that has some plot relevance to the original X and Y games. It was the friend that AZ hurt by creating the ultimate weapon. This particular Floette serves a relatively small but crucial role in AZ’s subplot during the closing events of X and Y.
And there is internal game data that suggests Eternal Flower Floette would have been obtainable at some point. Complete with a unique and powerful stat-spread, and even a powerful signature move, this pokémon would have been a blast to use in-game.
But here we are, over a decade later. Eternal Flower Floette is still unobtainable. Perhaps in the same way that Legends: Arceus made unreleased pokémon like Arceus itself more widely available, Z-A could do the same for Eternal Flower Floette. Or better yet, if this Floette had plot relevance like in the original X and Y games, it could be even more special to the player.
Now that we’ve covered many pokémon and characters, what about the game’s world itself? What could we expect? One prediction I had involves how the player could traverse around the map.
Ride Pokémon: Coming Full Circle
Ride Pokémon aren’t brand new to the series. They were integral mechanics for Legends: Arceus and the more recent Scarlet and Violet mainline games. And they’ve made an iconic and well-known appearance in the Sun and Moon games to replace the controversial HM mechanic.
So it’s very easy to forget that the baseline idea of Ridable Pokémon originated in X and Y. They were used very sparingly but generation 6 introduced the mechanic. In some routes and in Lumiose city, the player could ride Skiddo, Gogoat, Rhyhorn, Lapras, and Mamoswine.
A new cast of ridable Pokémon could make traversal very fun and allow players to access hard-to reach locations like the tops of buildings or beneath Lumiose City’s water canals. This might seem like overkill for a game set in a single city, but with a city as large and vertical as Lumiose, it may really let the urban exploration shine.
Zygarde’s Inclusion
The titular Z in Pokémon Legends: Z-A likely represents the legendary pokémon, Zygarde. In the original X and Y games, not much focus is given to Zygarde. Its a real shame as this interesting legendary felt like an afterthought and was likely overshadowed by the introduction and inclusion of Mega Mewtwo.
Instead, Pokémon Sun and Moon had to pick up the slack and dropped some lore about Zygarde. Namely, that its composed of smaller cells. New forms of Zygarde were also introduced for players to use in-game.
I predict that much like Arceus in the previous Legends game, this is a chance for Zygarde to gain the spotlight and make up for lost time. I expect it to play a more close role in the story as opposed to Arceus’ distant feeling in the previous Legends game. Perhaps a part of the game’s plot could involve exploring to find Zygarde’s cells and reform Zygarde itself.
And the game’s events could realistically allow the player to get their hands on a weaker form of Zygarde early on, to help form a bond between the player and a legendary Pokémon, much like the legendaries Koraidon or Miraidon in the Scarlet and Violet games.
Except unlike Koraidon and Miraidon, a weaker Zygarde form could be used in-battle as the 10% form is on-par with most non-legendary pokémon in terms of power. Allowing the player to have one probably wouldn’t shatter the game’s balance or difficulty. Including the Zygarde cells as seen in Pokémon Sun and Moon would both incentivize exploration and allow Zygarde’s story to feel more personal to players as they grow closer to this legendary.
The Waiting Game
Pokémon as a franchise is no stranger to predictions and fake leaks. In the coming months as we get closer to the game’s 2025 release, we may see fan-made “leaks” or other predictions with more weight to them. These early predictions were very fun to make regardless of if they’re correct or not.
But while we all play the waiting game, there are plenty of ways to help the time go by. Perhaps consider the wealth of fan projects like PokeRogue or Pokémon Emerald Rogue. Or you could even replay the original X and Y games to prime yourself for Legends Z-A itself.
No matter if Legends Z-A improves on what Legends Arceus got right or brings its own unique spin to the franchise, I’m sure many fans will enjoy the adventure to come.
