Although the full Pokedex for Pokemon Legends: Z-A has yet to be revealed, the trailers have given fans a taste of some of the critters they can expect to find within Lumiose City during their adventure. A major question going into Pokemon Legends: Z-A is the status of the few remaining mons that are still not available on the Nintendo Switch. However, the answer to this question seems to have been confirmed in the latest Nintendo Direct trailer, with one of the few final holdouts being confirmed for the game.
Since the infamous “Dexit” controversy of Pokemon Sword and Shield, the National Dex has been fractured across the Switch, with some mons unavailable on the system outside of transferring from the 3DS games or Pokemon GO to Pokemon HOME. Even with these mons in Pokemon HOME, players were still barred from transferring them to certain Switch games as they were not compatible with the Pokedexes of these titles. While the release of The Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLCs for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet added many of the missing mons to the Switch, several remain unavailable to this day.
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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Seems to Complete the Nintendo Switch’s Pokedex
All Pokemon Missing from the Nintendo Switch Ahead of Legends: Z-A
Heading into Pokemon Legends: Z-A, there are a total of nine mons still unavailable on the Switch:
- Patrat
- Watchog
- Pansage
- Simisage
- Pansear
- Simisear
- Panpour
- Simipour
- Furfrou
Prior to the reveal trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the status of these critters on the Nintendo Switch was in doubt, as it seemed like Gen 9 would come and go without them ever appearing in a new game. Furfrou’s many fur styles likely held it back from a Switch appearance for so long, and the unpopularity of Patrat and Watchog could be the reason why they were a low priority for an appearance. However, the initial trailers for Pokemon Legends: Z-A alleviated fears that these mons had been left off the Switch entirely by showing both Furfrou and Patrat in the game, only leaving the elemental monkeys as the remaining question mark.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Finally Confirms the Elemental Monkeys Will Make Their Switch Debut
The recent Nintendo Direct featured a new trailer for Pokemon Legends: Z-A that included subtle confirmation that these Gen 5 monkeys have not been forgotten after all. One brief moment of the trailer shows a trainer with a Pansear on the streets of Lumiose City, confirming that the critter will be present in the upcoming title. While these mons may not be the most popular among fans of the series, their inclusion in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a great sign that Game Freak will continue to make the entire National Dex available on subsequent Nintendo consoles, even if it takes a while for all the critters to join the party.
Although this Legends: Z-A trailer only confirms that Pansear will be available in the game, it seems highly likely that Pansage and Panpour will also be in the game. It would be odd for one member of an established trio of mons to be included while the other members are left out, so it can be assumed that the other elemental monkeys besides Pansear will be obtainable in Pokemon Legends: Z-A too. They may be cutting it close to the end of the Switch’s life, but the final missing mons joining the Switch’s Pokedex in Pokemon Legends: Z-A is just the icing on the cake for what looks to be a worthy follow-up to both Pokemon X and Y and Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
