With little information confirmed for Pokemon Legends: Z-A almost a year after its initial reveal, the dam is likely to burst soon as Pokemon Day approaches. For many fans, the most anticipated piece of information about Pokemon Legends: Z-A is which critters will be offered to the player as starter choices. While several rumors and leaks have cropped up over the past year to address this topic, there is not a clear picture as to which direction Pokemon Legends: Z-A will take with this crucial choice.
The starter Pokemon for a given game are an important part of that game’s identity, so whichever ones Legends: Z-A offers players will play a greater role in the franchise while this game is the current focus. However, Pokemon X and Y pulled off a stunt to help its starters appeal to both new fans and veteran players when Gen 6 was originally released back in 2013. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A taking players back to X and Y‘s home region of Kalos, it might be time for the series to repeat this same trick.
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Offer Players a Second Starter Like X and Y Did
Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Starter Mystery Could Have a Simple Solution
Although fan theories about which critters will be the starters for Pokemon Legends: Z-A vary wildly, most discussion breaks down into either: a new selection of three water, fire, and grass types from across all generations will be chosen, or the original Kalos trio of starters will return. While there are merits to both, Pokemon Legends: Z-A may not have to make this a choice at all. Pokemon X and Y broke new ground for the series by offering players an additional starter after reaching Lumiose City for the first time, and Legends: Z-A would be the perfect game to do something similar.
In Pokemon X and Y, players initially got the choice between three brand-new starters:
- The Grass-type, Chespin
- The Fire-type, Fennekin
- The Water-type, Froakie
However, upon arriving at Professor Sycamore’s lab in Lumiose City a few hours into their adventure, players were given the option to select a second starter from the three Gen 1 starters of the Kanto Region:
Offering a second Gen 1 starter was a great way to reel in longtime fans nostalgic for journeying alongside one of these mons, while also allowing the game to feel fresh with the choice of a brand-new starter from the beginning.
How Pokemon Legends: Z-A Could Put a Twist on a Second Gift Starter
While it’s unlikely that Pokemon Legends: Z-A will introduce three brand-new starter options, it’s possible the game could follow X and Y‘s lead with how it handles returning starters. Perhaps the initial starters players get at the start of the game will follow the trend Legends: Arceus started and offer players the choice between one of three starters pulled from different past generations. Then, once players reach a certain point in the game, Legends: Z-A could grant players a second choice of starter, this time offering one of the original Gen 6 starters—Chespin, Fennekin, or Froakie.
Not only would this direction give fans the best of both worlds, but it would also be a natural way to work Mega Evolution into the equation. In Pokemon X and Y, the Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle given to the player by Professor Sycamore will also come with the Mega Stone needed for them to Mega Evolve—Venusaurite, Charizardite (X or Y depending on the version), and Blastoisinite, respectively. With the Kalos starters rumored to get new Mega Evolutions in Legends: Z-A, receiving one as a second starter along with their corresponding Mega Stone would make perfect sense and be a great call back to the original Kalos games.
