Pokemon Legends: Z-A

It may not be immediately evident based on its title, but Pokemon Legends: Z-A is actually a sequel to Pokemon X and Y, a special distinction that it shares with very few other mainline Pokemon entries (like Black 2 and White 2). This recently-released title takes place five years after the events of Generation Six’s debut and, as a result, it features appearances by many of its most iconic and beloved characters, who also play an important role in the latest story.

Pokemon X and Y: Why You Should Start Over in 2025

Pokemon X and Y may be some of the less popular entries in the franchise, but they could be more important than ever in 2025 and are worth replaying.

Posts 1

By Drew Swanson

Needless to say, being able to meet up with the likes of Emma, AZ, and many others after so many years is incredibly nostalgic—especially for passionate fans of the Kalos region—but Pokemon Legends: Z-A is also hiding several shocking and intriguing twists that are related to Pokemon X and Y’s classic plot. From the whereabouts of other characters to the secrets hiding within Lumiose City, here are the most mind-blowing facts about the Kalos region that revealed in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

AZ Is Back

This 3000-Year-Old Legend Is Now Running His Own Hotel

AZ is definitely one of Pokemon X and Y’s most fascinating characters. After all, he’s a 3000-year-old immortal who used to be the King of Kalos and is directly responsible for the creation of the Ultimate Weapon that Lysandre tried (and failed) to use during that game’s climax. Furthermore, every Pokemon fan remembers the heartbreaking final scene in which AZ finally reunites with his Eternal Flower Floette.

Pokemon Legends ZA Characters Feature Image

Pokemon Legends: Z-A: All Confirmed Characters

In the recent trailer for Pokemon Legends Z-A, fans got a glimpse of some of the characters confirmed to appear in the game.

Posts

By Matthew Whitehurst

Pokemon Legends: Z-A not only reveals that AZ is still alive, but he also plays an important role in the story. He’s the owner of Hotel Z, where he lives with his Floette, and is basically Team MZ’s mentor. Seeing AZ living a peaceful life after all he went through in X and Y is very satisfying, but it's slowly made clear that he’s still hiding many dark secrets and that he may have one final part to play in Legends: Z-A's intriguing narrative.

The New Pokemon Professor

Sycamore Was Replaced By Mable, Of Team Flare Fame

Augustine Sycamore is the Kalos region’s designated Pokemon Professor. He conducts research on Mega Evolution and gifts one of the Kanto starters to the player in Pokemon X and Y. Since his laboratory was located in Lumiose City, some players may feel enticed to pay him a visit, but they'll immediately find out that somebody new has taken his place.

That’s right: Mable, one of Team Flare’s former scientists, has replaced Sycamore as the director of the Pokemon Research Lab. She even mentions that she agreed to take the position as part of a plea deal to avoid going to prison after the events of X and Y. As for Sycamore, he’s nowhere to be found throughout the campaign of Legends: Z-A, but some photos of him can be found hanging in the lab. Additionally, an NPC mentions that Sycamore and Trevor (one of the previous game's rivals) are doing research together in another region.

Emma Has Grown Up And Is Following In Looker’s Footsteps

She’s The New Lead Detective Of Looker Bureau

Some Pokemon X and Y players may not have been aware of Emma’s existence, as she’s the star of a side quest that can be easily missed. She was an orphan living in Lumiose City’s alleyways who was manipulated by Team Flare’s Xerosic and, with some help from the player, was saved by Looker, who basically adopted her and allowed her to live with him at Looker Bureau.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes place five years after the events of X and Y, meaning that Emma is twenty-one years old now. On top of that, she has become a fully-fledged detective and has turned Looker Bureau into her own office, which is really nice to see after everything she went through in the last game. Looker himself is completely absent from Legends: Z-A (although Emma has a picture of him on her desk) but seasoned Pokemon fans are fully aware of the fact that he has made his way to the Alola region, where he’s working alongside Anabel.

Lysandre Is Alive

The Main Villain Of Pokemon X And Y Has Taken On A New Identity

Some Pokemon antagonists are extremely memorable, and others are very forgettable.,Uunfortunately, Lysandre, from Pokemon X and Y, belonged to the latter group for many years. While he does have a striking design, his motivations, actions, and personality were very generic, especially in comparison to other villains in the series. The only thing most players remember about him is the fact that he was seemingly killed by the Ultimate Weapon he tried to fire off during X and Y’s climax.

However, at one point in Legends: Z-A, the player meets a mysterious man who has no recollection of who he really is, so he simply goes by L. That’s right, this is an amnesiac Lysandre, and the game later reveals that he survived the events of X and Y after being rescued by Zygarde. Now, he’s dedicating his life to helping the heroic legendary Pokemon. Lysandre’s redemption arc is extremely unexpected, but it is also executed very well, and it adds some much-needed depth to this once-forgettable Pokemon villain.

Team Flare Still Exists

The Sudden Rise Of Team Flare Nouveau

Similar to its leader, Lysandre, Team Flare has always been regarded as one of the least interesting evil teams in the history of the Pokemon franchise. Fortunately, Pokemon Legends: Z-A reveals a lot of fascinating information about this organization, including its origins, its influence, and even the whereabouts of some of its members.

Team Flare was originally supposed to be a place for people to help the less fortunate and many lives were improved by their actions (like Corbeau’s) until Lysandre’s delusions about Xerneas, Yveltal, and the Ultimate Weapon led them down the wrong path. Shortly after the events of X and Y, Grisham, Griselle and a bunch of young officers created Team Flare Nouveau, a secret new branch of the organization that is trying to carry on its original purpose while also trying to fix its soured reputation. Despite their aggressive personality, the members of Team Flare Nouveau are not evil, and they even help the player on a few occasions, which is definitely an interesting and creative direction to take this plot thread.

Clemont And Bonnie Left Prism Tower

Lumiose City’s Resident Gym Leader Was Forced To Leave His Gym

Clemont is the Electric-type Gym Leader of Lumiose City, and his gym is located at the top of the city's main attraction, Prism Tower. However, most fans likely remember him and his little sister, Bonnie, due to their role as two of Ash Ketchum’s companions in Pokemon the Series: XY. When it was revealed that Pokemon Legends: Z-A would take place entirely within Lumiose City, fans naturally assumed that Clemont and Bonnie would make an appearance in the game. Sadly, this never came to fruition.

Between X and Y and Legends: Z-A, Quasartico Inc. Closed Prism Tower to renovate it, so Clemont and Bonnie had to leave their home behind. An NPC mentions the brilliant inventor and his sister, both of whom used to hold quizzes and Pokemon Battles inside the tower, so at least they are still fondly remembered by the residents of Lumiose City. Hopefully, both Clemont and Bonnie will appear in the upcoming Mega Dimension DLC.

Diantha Is Focusing On Her Acting Career

The Champion Doesn’t Seem To Care About Battles Anymore

In Pokemon Legends: Z-A, AZ and the members of Team MZ are looking for the Strongest Mega Evolution trainer who can theoretically stop the mysterious force that resides within Prism Tower. While this role is obviously supposed to fall on the main character, many fans can’t help but wonder: what about Diantha? After all, the Kalos region’s Champion is a powerful trainer with a Mega Gardevoir in her team, so it’s strange that she didn’t pop up to help Lumiose City during its latest crisis.

Pokemon Champions Tier List

Champion battles are the true test of a Pokemon trainer's skill, but some of the series' top trainers are stronger and more memorable than others.

Posts

By Drew Swanson

It’s important to remember that Diantha is not only a Pokemon Champion, but also a world-renowned actress. Various posters advertising her latest movie can be found throughout the city, and an NPC even mentions that she’s now focusing on her movie career, so the most reasonable explanation for her absence is that she’s so busy that she can’t focus on her duties as Champion anymore. Nevertheless, she is still a popular character whose absence is slightly disappointing, so hopefully she can appear again in either a future Pokemon game and/or in the upcoming DLC expansion for Legends: Z-A.

There’s Another Ancient Weapon Inside Prism Tower

The Ultimate Weapon Wasn’t Enough For AZ, So He Created Ange

Even though Prism Tower is Lumiose City’s biggest and most iconic landmark, it is completely inaccessible to players, not only because Quasartico Inc. Closed it for renovations but also because something inside of it is scattering Mega Power and causing wild Pokemon throughout the city to suddenly Mega Evolve. Luckily, the truth is finally revealed to the player in the final act of Legends: Z-A: Two thousand years in the past, AZ created yet another ancient weapon called Ange and placed it within Prism Tower.

Ange is the star of one of the most over-the-top, memorable, and exciting final boss fights in the history of the Pokemon franchise. The main character has to join forces with Zygarde, Taunie/Urban, and Eternal Flower Floette to fight this massive machine-monster hybrid and put an end to its destructive rampage. Due to Ange’s existence, Prism Tower itself plays a huge role in the story of Legends: Z-A, which is pretty mind-blowing to think about. Sadly, AZ passes away shortly after Ange is defeated, making it one of the few times a human character in a Pokemon entry dies during the story, not to mention that the player visits his gravestone after the credits.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image