Nintendo and Pokemon fans will soon be able to return to the France-inspired region of Kalos in the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A in late 2025. Here, players will be able to explore an urban redeveloped Lumiose City set after the events of 2013’s Pokémon X and Y alongside three classic starters: Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile. While only a small group of non-starter Pokemon have been revealed so far for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the game will see the return of X and Y’s rather underutilized tertiary legendary Pokemon Zygarde. However, Game Freak may want to take a different approach to Zygarde compared to its larger role seen in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon.
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The History of Zygarde Explained
When Pokemon X and Y were first announced in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS, fans were excited to finally see a mainline Pokemon game realized in a complete 3D world. Pokemon X and Y’s titles were even chosen in reference to the series better utilizing the x, y, and z-axis used in analyzing 3D environments. However, when the legendary box art Pokemon of Xerneas and Yveltal were revealed, many players expected Game Freak to eventually release a Pokemon Z game similar to how Pokemon Emerald and Platinum were released previously featuring a tertiary legendary creature. Despite many fans’ theories and historical expectations, a Pokemon Z game was never released for the Nintendo 3DS.
Pokemon X and Y weren’t without their tertiary Kalos legendary Pokemon, however, as players could find and catch the Order Pokemon in Terminus Cave after becoming Champion. This was Zygarde’s only appearance in X and Y, though the Z-shaped monster did later have a larger role in the anime season, Pokemon the Series: XYZ. Zygarde saw more prominence in the next mainline Pokemon games, Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon. Here, it was revealed that Zygarde’s snake-like appearance in X and Y was only its 50% Forme and that Zygarde is actually made up of 95 small Zygarde Cells and five Zygarde Cores.
How to Catch Zygarde in Other Pokemon Games
If players have one Core and 10 Cells in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, they can merge them to create the dog-like Zygarde 10% Forme. The more Cores and Cells collected will allow players to form the 50% form and eventually the titanic, red, blue, and green Zygarde Complete Forme. Zygarde returns in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s The Crown Tundra Expansion when completing a Dynamax Adventure in the Max Lair.
If players don’t have the expansion, Zygarde can also be transferred to Sword and Shield via the cloud service Pokemon HOME after transferring the legendary creature to Pokemon Bank from the Alola games. Zygarde is unobtainable in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, Legends: Arceus, Scarlet, and Violet.
Potential Alternate Ways to Encounter Zygarde in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Given Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s green Z-focused title, the upcoming game may finally be Zygarde’s time in the spotlight the Order Pokemon has long deserved. In the Pokemon Day 2025 trailer for Z-A, only Zygarde’s 10% Forme and one Cell are shown looking over Lumiose City, but its other forms are expected to appear in the game as well. On Z-A’s official website, it’s stated that Zygarde has taken a special interest in the player and that its role in the story is currently a mystery. All three of the Zygarde Formes are shown with mention of its many Zygarde Cells and Cores, but it’s not explicitly stated if players will have to collect the Cells and Cores in Z-A, similar to the Alola games.
With Zygarde’s suggested prominence in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Game Freak may want to skip the collectathon method of accessing all of Zygarde’s forms. Many players saw the method of acquiring Zygarde by searching for Cells as somewhat tedious in the Alola games, so Game Freak may want to instead have acquiring Zygarde linked directly to Z-A’s story. Based on the similarities between Z-A’s title and AZ’s name, Game Freak could have Zygarde’s exponential growth be tied to AZ in some form. Since AZ is 3,000 years old, he could grant the player knowledge of how to easily change Zygarde’s Formes. This narrative focus on Zygarde could better shed light on the Order Pokemon’s history and mythology rather than regulating it to side content as the 3DS games did.
Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde are said to be all based on Celtic and Norse mythology, with Xerneas suggested to be based on Eikþyrnir, Yveltal on The Morrígan, and Zygarde on Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel.
