Pokemon Legends Z-Ais currently scheduled for release in 2025, although developers still have yet to announce a more specific date. In fact, fans remain in the dark about many important aspects of the game. There hasn’t been official confirmation of which Pokemon will serve as the Starters inPokemon Legends Z-A, although that hasn’t stopped a couple of different rumors from floating around.

Pokemon Legends Z-Atakes place in the Kalos Region, which was first introduced inPokemon X and Y. At the moment, the prevailing theory is thatLegends Z-Awill feature the same Starters asPokemon X and Y. There have been a few different reasons that speculation has turned in this direction, but the decision itself would come with plenty of pros and cons.

The Pros and Cons of Gen 6 Starter Pokemon Making a Return in Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Pokemon Legends Z-A Could Give the Gen 6 Starter Pokemon a Second Chance

Pokemon X and Yfeatured the lovable trio of Fennekin, Froakie, and Chespin. This trio then evolved into Delphox, Greninja, and Chesnaught for their respective final stages. Although all three lines have their fans, there’s no question that Greninja has far surpassed its peers. This gap has only widened since Greninja was added toSuper Smash Bros., and especially thanks to the invention ofAsh Greninjain the anime.

By contrast, Delphox and Chesnaught faced a lot more controversy upon their initial reveal. Some still believe that Delphox and Chesnaught lack cohesion with their prior forms, and that both final stages could have been given a more striking design. First and foremost,Pokemon Legends Z-Areusing the Kalos Starterswould give these two Pokemon another time to shine.

Of course, it would also be a special treat for the existing fans of this trio. After all,Pokemon X and Yintroduced Mega Evolutions, but never doled them out to its own Starters. Instead, Starter Pokemon from Generations 1 and 3 were given all the attention to play around with the new gimmick. Mega Evolution remains one ofPokemon’s most popular gimmicks, and will make a return inPokemon Legends Z-A. If the Kalos Starters return alongside it, the trio could finally have a chance to receive Mega Evolutions of their own.

Pokemon Legends Z-A Has Plenty of Other Options to Choose From

However, this decision would hardly be all sunshine and rainbows. For one, there is simply a much greater interest in other Starters throughout the series. With the notable exception of Greninja, the Kalos Starters could easily be replaced by a different Pokemon with more fans. Likewise, if this rumor turns out to be true, fans of Pokemon like Incineroar or Empoleon will have to wait at least another Generation for their favorites to get another chance at the spotlight.

Incineroar comes to mind as a prominent example because of its popularity, but Empoleon has sparked a different discussion entirely thanks to its inherently French inspiration.Pokemon Legends: Arceusused a Starter triowith strong significance to its setting, which is based on a region of Japan during a time period hundreds of years before any otherPokemongame to date. Although the setting ofPokemon Legends: Z-Aremains vague regarding its timeline, it is at least known that it will take place in Lumiose City.

During its debut inPokemon X and Y, it was immediately clear that Lumiose City was based off of Paris, France. IfPokemon Legends: Z-Awas to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, it would make sense to pick a set ofStarter Pokemonthat are more tied to France. Meanwhile, the originalX and YStarters were more apparently based on traditional RPG classes. This is still a pretty solid theme for the trio to take, which ultimately reveals the problem at hand. Many people may wantPokemon Legends: Z-Ato tread new ground, while others may want to see the Kalos Starters get a second chance, but there isn’t an easy way to please both camps.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A

WHERE TO PLAY

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is an ambitious new entry to the Pokémon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits within Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both people and Pokémon.