It’s been a whole month since Pokemon: Legends Z-A was released on both the original Nintendo Switch and its successor, the Switch 2. As expected, there’s been a ton of discourse since the title’s launch, some of it solid food for thought and some of it, well, toxic.
The debate over whether Pokemon should have voice acting was once again re-ignited, as was the game’s comically small map and lack of exploration. Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the issues some have with its “flat” graphics. Still, all that hasn’t stopped Legends: Z-A from being the single best-selling physical game this year.
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Now, fans want to know why Legends: Z-A has zero new ‘Mons. After all, its predecessor, Legends: Arceus, introduced a few new creatures, plus regional variants. New Mega Evolutions seemingly don’t count. Sorry, Mega Starmie.
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Taking to Reddit, one user shared that they were “disappointed” that there weren’t any new Pokemon inside Legends: Z-A, a sentiment that many in the community also shared.
“As much as I like Megas, I feel the inclusion of them always ends up with a smaller Pokedex; it happened in X/Y and in this game (I haven’t played ORAS, so maybe I am wrong),” one user replied. “Even if Megas are great, you can only have them for a little bit, especially in this game.”
“I would have liked 1 to tease the next generation if anything,” another wrote.
Now, as disappointing as no new ‘Mons is, there technically is a lore reason for this, even if most don’t agree with it. As multiple users pointed out, only five years have eclipsed since the original X and Y took place, which isn’t that much time for new Pokemon to have been birthed, evolved or changed.
But as other users pointed out, it’s also a video game, meaning the lore can be changed on the fly to help make things make sense. “Easy plot excuse is to say that the overflow of mega power in the city introduced Kalosian variants of some Pokémon species,” one user added. Another said a few convenient explosions could’ve “unlocked” previously hidden parts of the world and new Pokemon as a result.
I’ve yet to sink a significant amount of time in Legends: Z-A, but as it stands, I don’t quite mind the lack of new creatures. It would’ve been cool, no doubt, but the Megas are fine enough.
“Yeah, I’m disappointed, especially since I didn’t enjoy the game,” someone wrote.
Of course, there’s DLC coming in less than 17 days, so there’s the possibility that there’s a hidden surprise that we just haven’t seen. Personally, I wouldn’t get my hopes up, but you never know.
- Released
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October 16, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
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