A Pokemon Presents special was streamed today in celebration of Pokemon Day (February 27), the anniversary day of the Japanese release of Red and Blue in 1996.
After the presentation, anannouncement trailerfor Pokemon Legends: Z-A was unveiled, confirming the next instalment in the Pokemon Legends series, scheduled for release for Nintendo Switch in 2025.
It may be a simple typo but the description for the announcement trailer on thePokemon Asia ENG channelsays “Nintendo Switch systems”, which has people speculating on a release for the rumoured Nintendo Switch 2.
10 Best Pokemon Games, Ranked
The Pokemon franchise spans many different games, movies, and TV shows. If you’re trying to find the best games out of the lot, look no further!
Legends: Z-A is set entirely within Lumiose City, the central hub of the Kalos region. It’s safe to say we’re going to be getting a much larger version of the Paris-inspired city than we saw inPokemon X/Y.
The Z likely references Zygarde, the legendary Pokemon from X/Y. It would also appear from a small teaser at the end of the video that crowd-favourite mega evolutions will be making a comeback.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All
In the frantic spirit of a high-profile announcement trailer, we combed over the video and tried to identify every single Pokemon present. As a couple of these entries comprise a couple of pixels, not every single one will be entirely accurate.
We’re reasonably sure this first one is Pikachu, though. In fact, I’m willing to stake my journalistic integrity on it. We then see Pikachu dash through a group of Pokemon; two Litleo and its evolved form Pyroar in both male and female forms. Then, Pikachu zooms past a sort of park scene that features a Furfrou, a Klefki and several Flabebe.
Pikachu then emerges onto a bridge with a pair of Fletchinder flying overhead. A trainer is trying to catch a wild Dragonair below alongside their Hawlucha. A couple of Staryu line the bottom of the river.
The scene zooms out to reveal a Gyrados emerging from the water with a school of Magikarp swimming beneath it. A Gogoat climbs stairs to the left of the frame while on the right, a trainer stands with their Hippopotas and we briefly see an Absol run off. Arbok slithers across the bridge as an Emolga flies into frame.
The scene shifts and we see a Sylveon battling an Aegislash. This isn’t the most promising matchup for Sylveon, it has to be said. In the background, we see a Krookodile with a family of Sandiles, and a Furfrou Trim.
Sylveon dodges, changing the angle and revealing a Heracross, Pinsir, a lone Eeevee, several Bellsprout, an Onix and a Carracosta. The final image as the camera zooms out is just pixels but we think it’s another Pyroar (red), a Rhydon (green) and a Mantine (blue).
Is this indicative of the kinds of Pokemon we’re going to see in Legends: Z-A? Probably not, but it’s always interesting to speculate on these things.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A releases in 2025 for Nintendo Switch system(s).
Pokemon: 10 Best Gyms In The Series, Ranked
Gyms have become a staple of the Pokemon franchise, but which ones are the best?
