TheMindOfThomas
Kalosian
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Earlier I brought up a theory I had in the Pokémon Legends Z-A announcement thread that GameFreak could be taking inspiration from the XY and XYZ series of the Pokémon anime. Now, I know what you might be thinking: "The games and anime are separate. GameFreak rarely evert acknowledges the anime in the games!". While you would be correct, I believe this might be a special case.
XY and XYZ are some of the most popular seasons of the Pokémon anime within the fandom for their superb writing and characters. They also have many exclusive elements that were not featured in the games themselves. Some of these concepts may have been originally planned for the scrapped Pokemon Z, which this game may draw from as well. I wanted to use this thread to give my own speculation on what elements could be featured and why, as well as to educate on these topics since not many in this forum seem to be as knowledgeable about the anime side of Pokémon.
Ash-Greninja:
Ash-Greninja is a special form that was originally designed for the Pokémon Anime. As the name implies, the form is a fusion of Greninja and Ash-Ketchum. It activates when their bond becomes synchronized. It essentially functions as a Mega-Evolution that draws from the bond between trainer and Pokémon, rather than a Keystone. In the series, the form plays a crucial role in the Team Flare arc that involves Zygarde. In the end, it even leaves with Zygarde to protect Kalos from any lingering natural threats.
Ash-Greninja became immensely popular, and was eventually featured in the games, but with a catch. Ash-Greninja was only obtainable in a special downloadable demo for Pokémon Sun and Moon on the 3DS. It worked the same as it did in the anime, with the ability being refereed to as "Battle Bond".
Greninja wouldn't be obtainable at all in another mainline age until Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Strangely, however, the Ash-Greninja form was removed from all Greninja transferred from Sun and Moon with the Battle Bond ability. Yet, one reference remained:
In a certain house in the game, a painting can be seen entitled "The Hidden Ninja". Upon inspection and comparison to official artwork released around the time of the Sun and Moon demo, it appears to be an "artistic" rendition of the Ash-Greninja form. Why would they include this if the form had been removed? I believe the clear answer is that they have bigger plans for it in this game, possibly to more faithfully adapt how it was featured in the XYZ anime given its ties to Zygarde. Perhaps they could also retcon the form into a standard Mega-Evolution.
Zygarde Plotline:
Out of everything listed here, the storyline of Zygarde in the XYZ anime was most likely to have been taken from the scrapped Pokémon Z games. In the anime, Team Flare is collecting Zygarde cores, aiming to use the power of Zygarde to bring about their plans to reset the world. This culminates in a dramatic story arc where they wreak havoc on Lumiose City, with giant roots covering major areas. The persistence of these roots are still a threat in the anime even after XYZ because of this incident as seen in the Pokémon Journeys series. This marks a diversion from the games, as it effectively replaces the Ultimate Weapon storyline. Now, we know from the logo of this game that AZ and the Ultimate Weapon will still likely play a role in this game, but given Zygarde's inclusion it feels likely they could borrow from major aspects of this arc as well.
The roots that engulf parts of Lumiose for instance, particularly strike me as something that would make for a great climax. Considering this game takes place entirely in Lumiose City and is supposedly about its reconstruction, it would be a major threat that goes against everything the protagonist would presumably be working toward.
Adironally, there is also a Zygarde Core nicknamed "Squishy" that accompanies Ash and his companions on their travels leading up to the Flare event. Perhaps this could occur in the games, similar to how Miraidon or Koraidon accompany you throughout Scarlet and Violet, with Zygarde's eventual form changes acting as this game's ride Pokémon.
Serena's New Look:
Around the halfway point of the series, Serena, based on the female player character from the X and Y games, changed her appearance in a symbolic moment for her character. The look became very popular and distinguishing, but strangely enough, was not available as an outfit in the games, despite the vast customization options available in XY.
Interestingly, third versions of Pokémon games would usually feature new base outfits for the player characters. It's entirely possible Serena's second outfit was also something inspired by scrapped content from Pokémon Z. If this were the case, perhaps Legends: Z-A could bring the base design of the game counterpart closer to this look. I found a good fan-mockup online of what it could look like in 3D model form (credit to u/juout on Reddit)
Alain:
Alain is an anime original character who appears in the XY anime. He is a user of Mega Charizard X, and a prominent rival of Ash Ketchum. He starts as the protagonist of his own special episodes focusing on Mega Evolution. There, he collects Mega Energy in battles for Team Flare to use in their experiments with the Zygarde cells, unaware of their true plans. He was described by the staff as inspired by Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars prequels, and has since become a fan-favorite character. Given his popularity and prominence in the Zygarde storyline, he could be included in this game somehow.
Of course, characters from the anime aren't put into the games often, with the only major example being the Team Rocket trio in Pokémon Yellow/Let's Go. However, Alain was acknowledged in the games before, in a piece of dialogue by Steven, a character he knows in the anime, in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and again in Pokémon Masters.
Of course, this is all speculative, and I'm sure there are lots of brand new elements this game will feature as well. What do you all think about these ideas?
XY and XYZ are some of the most popular seasons of the Pokémon anime within the fandom for their superb writing and characters. They also have many exclusive elements that were not featured in the games themselves. Some of these concepts may have been originally planned for the scrapped Pokemon Z, which this game may draw from as well. I wanted to use this thread to give my own speculation on what elements could be featured and why, as well as to educate on these topics since not many in this forum seem to be as knowledgeable about the anime side of Pokémon.
Ash-Greninja:
Ash-Greninja is a special form that was originally designed for the Pokémon Anime. As the name implies, the form is a fusion of Greninja and Ash-Ketchum. It activates when their bond becomes synchronized. It essentially functions as a Mega-Evolution that draws from the bond between trainer and Pokémon, rather than a Keystone. In the series, the form plays a crucial role in the Team Flare arc that involves Zygarde. In the end, it even leaves with Zygarde to protect Kalos from any lingering natural threats.
Ash-Greninja became immensely popular, and was eventually featured in the games, but with a catch. Ash-Greninja was only obtainable in a special downloadable demo for Pokémon Sun and Moon on the 3DS. It worked the same as it did in the anime, with the ability being refereed to as "Battle Bond".
Greninja wouldn't be obtainable at all in another mainline age until Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Strangely, however, the Ash-Greninja form was removed from all Greninja transferred from Sun and Moon with the Battle Bond ability. Yet, one reference remained:
In a certain house in the game, a painting can be seen entitled "The Hidden Ninja". Upon inspection and comparison to official artwork released around the time of the Sun and Moon demo, it appears to be an "artistic" rendition of the Ash-Greninja form. Why would they include this if the form had been removed? I believe the clear answer is that they have bigger plans for it in this game, possibly to more faithfully adapt how it was featured in the XYZ anime given its ties to Zygarde. Perhaps they could also retcon the form into a standard Mega-Evolution.
Zygarde Plotline:
Out of everything listed here, the storyline of Zygarde in the XYZ anime was most likely to have been taken from the scrapped Pokémon Z games. In the anime, Team Flare is collecting Zygarde cores, aiming to use the power of Zygarde to bring about their plans to reset the world. This culminates in a dramatic story arc where they wreak havoc on Lumiose City, with giant roots covering major areas. The persistence of these roots are still a threat in the anime even after XYZ because of this incident as seen in the Pokémon Journeys series. This marks a diversion from the games, as it effectively replaces the Ultimate Weapon storyline. Now, we know from the logo of this game that AZ and the Ultimate Weapon will still likely play a role in this game, but given Zygarde's inclusion it feels likely they could borrow from major aspects of this arc as well.
The roots that engulf parts of Lumiose for instance, particularly strike me as something that would make for a great climax. Considering this game takes place entirely in Lumiose City and is supposedly about its reconstruction, it would be a major threat that goes against everything the protagonist would presumably be working toward.
Adironally, there is also a Zygarde Core nicknamed "Squishy" that accompanies Ash and his companions on their travels leading up to the Flare event. Perhaps this could occur in the games, similar to how Miraidon or Koraidon accompany you throughout Scarlet and Violet, with Zygarde's eventual form changes acting as this game's ride Pokémon.
Serena's New Look:
Around the halfway point of the series, Serena, based on the female player character from the X and Y games, changed her appearance in a symbolic moment for her character. The look became very popular and distinguishing, but strangely enough, was not available as an outfit in the games, despite the vast customization options available in XY.
Interestingly, third versions of Pokémon games would usually feature new base outfits for the player characters. It's entirely possible Serena's second outfit was also something inspired by scrapped content from Pokémon Z. If this were the case, perhaps Legends: Z-A could bring the base design of the game counterpart closer to this look. I found a good fan-mockup online of what it could look like in 3D model form (credit to u/juout on Reddit)
Alain:
Alain is an anime original character who appears in the XY anime. He is a user of Mega Charizard X, and a prominent rival of Ash Ketchum. He starts as the protagonist of his own special episodes focusing on Mega Evolution. There, he collects Mega Energy in battles for Team Flare to use in their experiments with the Zygarde cells, unaware of their true plans. He was described by the staff as inspired by Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars prequels, and has since become a fan-favorite character. Given his popularity and prominence in the Zygarde storyline, he could be included in this game somehow.
Of course, characters from the anime aren't put into the games often, with the only major example being the Team Rocket trio in Pokémon Yellow/Let's Go. However, Alain was acknowledged in the games before, in a piece of dialogue by Steven, a character he knows in the anime, in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and again in Pokémon Masters.
Of course, this is all speculative, and I'm sure there are lots of brand new elements this game will feature as well. What do you all think about these ideas?
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