Everything we know about Pokemon Legends Z-A
A new mega evolution?
Pokémon Legends: Z-A was announced at the Pokémon Day: Pokémon Presents event in 2024. It looks like we'll be returning to a familiar but rejuvanated city from Pokémon games past in "a vision of beautiful coexistence between people and Pokémon".
Our first glimpse of the new title showed a glowing Pikachu bounding through a futuristic city. It all looks perfectly idyllic to us, but what do we really know about the new Pokémon Legends game?
We've gathered everything we know here in one place, and we'll be updating the page as new details emerge.
On this page:
Pokémon Legends: Z-A release date
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set for simultaneous release in 2025. We'll have to wait for a more precise date, and to see if Pokémon Legends Z-A will launch on the long rumoured Switch follow-up. The new console might arrive as early as March 2025.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A trailer
Pokémon Legends Z-A was announced during the Pokémon Presents reveal event on 27th February 2024 with this teasing video.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A story and setting
The game is set in Lumiose City in the Kalos region, which we first explored in Pokemon X and Y in 2013.
The debut trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A shows old architectural sketches morphing into a futuristic world of glowing wireframe buildings and holographic Pokemon.
It looks like the city is getting a modern makeover, but as we can see from the Prism Tower, it retains its Parisian influences.
According to the official trailer description an "urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon". There are few story details to go on at the moment, but the icon shown at the 1:51 mark in the announcement trailer suggests that Mega Evolutions will return!
The Z-A title may also be a reference to the mysterious, brooding AZ from Pokémon X and Y. He's thousands of years old and nurses a serious guilt complex for creating the ultimate weapon. He created it to revive his beloved Pokémon, Floette, but the jury's out on whether that was an especially wise move. Though judging by how this weapon was powered by Pokémon life forces and all those Pokémon graves on Route 10 of the Kalos region, we're leaning towards it being a 'bad move'.
The design of the 'Z' and 'A' in this game's logo is also very reminiscent of Zygarde - one of the Legendary Pokémon hailing from Gen 6. This suggests that, similar to how Arceus was the titular legendary for the past Legends game, Zygarde will undertake that role for this new instalment.
Zygarde itself is quite the interesting Pokémon due to its three forms - a dog-like form at 10%, a snake at 50% and its humanoid form at 100%. The design for these forms could come from Norse mythology, with each one taking inspiration from one of Loki and Angrboða's three children: Fenrir, Jörmungandr and Hel.
Zygarde at 10% can be easily connected to the wolf, Fenrir. This is a connection which deepens if you consider the leash attached to dog-Zygarde to be a version of Gleipnir - the ribbon-like rope that bound Fenrir until Ragnarök. Meanwhile, 50% Zygarde could be a version of Jörmungandr, the snake that encompassed the world. Finally, when it comes to 100% Zygarde, the creature resembles a mecha, but could also take inspiration from Hel. She ruled over a part of the afterlife in Norse mythology called Hel. (It's not my fault they have the same name.)
Interestingly, all three of Loki's children played a part in Ragnarök; Jörmungandr would signal its arrival by tormenting the seas, Fenrir devoured Odin and all the souls trapped in Hel would arrive for one of the final battles. Whether or not this inspiration will come into play during Pokémon Legends: Z-A is yet to be seen. At least no-one is Kalos has made some sort of world ending devi - wait a second...
That's all we know for now, but we're excited for the chance to explore another major entry in the series. If you haven't caught up on the latest Pokémon games, now's a good chance to get through your backlog and play games like Scarlet and Violet, which was hiding a tease for Z-A. There's always more Pokémon Go events to plunder in the meantime as well, and an upcoming mobile card trading game that might end up eating all of our spare time, forever.