Is Pokemon Legends ZA a Sequel to Legends Arceus? Answered

Simply head to Reddit or Twitter, and you will see the Pokemon community engaged in a heated debate around whether Pokemon Legends ZA is a sequel to Pokemon Legends Arceus. Since both games are developed by Game Freak, certain similarities and differences might lead to confusion, suggesting that Legends Arceus might be a prequel to the upcoming Legends ZA.

Well, let’s look at all the facts and compare both games to see if Pokemon Legends Z-A is actually a sequel to Legends Arceus or any other Pokemon game.

Is Pokemon Legends ZA a Sequel to Legends Arceus?

Pokemon Legends ZA is not a direct sequel to Pokemon Legends Arceus. I know, the names of both games may make it seem like they are interrelated, but actually, they are not.

Pokemon Legends ZA is set in Lumiose City, years after the Team Flare and Zygarde incident. On the other hand, Pokemon Legends Arceus is a prequel taking place 100 years before any mainline Pokemon game, following the early formation of the Sinnoh region. 

Pokemon Legends ZA and Legends Arceus Similarities

Pokemon Legends ZA and Legends Arceus both have a semi-open world mechanism. You can freely explore in both games, catch different Pokemon, while also challenging other trainers to battle. All of these are limited to certain areas, making it a semi-open world, unlike Scarlet and Violet, where you have the complete freedom to explore any area.

Another notable similarity is the bizarre Starter Pokemon roster. Pokemon Legends Arceus offered players a choice between Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet, one each from Johto, Unova, and Alola, respectively. Pokemon Legends ZA starters follow in the same footsteps, bringing back the unique choice with Totodile, Chikorita, and Tepig, two from Johto and one from Unova.

Moreover, it is also expected that Legends ZA starters might get another evolution beyond their usual final evolutions (Feraligatr, Meganium, and Emboar). Similar to how Arceus introduced the Hisuian evolution of Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet, the starters might get a potential Mega Evolution in Legends ZA.

The game is set in Kalos, which is home to Mega Evolutions, so don’t be surprised when you finally see some new Megas.

Pokemon Legends ZA and Legends Arceus Differences

We have noticed many differences between Pokemon Legends ZA and Legends Arceus. All of these differences are listed below:

• Game Setting: Legends ZA is set in an urban expanse, the Lumiose City of Kalos, whereas Legends Arceus is set in the wilderness of Sinnoh, 100 years before any mainline series. 
• Battle: It focuses more on climbing ranks from Z-A and battling trainers throughout the city, while also catching Pokemon in the catching zone. Legends Arceus is more focused on catching Pokemon and completing the Pokedex.
• Multiplayer: Legends ZA mainly focuses on PvP battles in the ranked and unranked modes, which means you will battle players while also teaming up with them. Legends Arceus, on the other hand, had a limited multiplayer game mode. It restricted trading by allowing it only with friends.
• Art style: Legends Arceus also had a more sophisticated and neutral art style, adding to the environment. Legends ZA, on the other hand, brings a crisp and realistic art style that adds to its urban theme. 

• Battle Mechanics: Pokemon Legends ZA ditches the traditional turn-based battles and focuses more on the real-time battles, with attacks mapped to cooldown. Legends Arceus also had a real-time battle mode; however, it was more of a turn-based battle style, like the usual Pokemon games.
• Mega Evolution: Mega Evolutions were missing in Legends Arceus, but are back in Legends ZA after a decade. The lack of Mega Evolutions in Arceus made complete sense as the setting was 100 years before any mainline story, and Megas were only discovered around the X and Y timeline.

Is Legends ZA a sequel to any previous Pokemon games?

While it isn’t officially confirmed, we speculate that Legends: ZA might be a sequel to Pokemon X and Y, released back in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. 

Pokemon Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City, after the events of the potential destruction of Kalos, which was led by Team Flare controlling Zygarde and stopped by the main characters of X and Y. This is a speculation; however, we noticed some major hints in the trailer, which sort of confirm this rumor.

If you notice closely, many returning characters from X and Y can be seen in the trailer. Remember Emma and Mimi (Espurr)? While we don’t see Mimi anymore, Emma has been teased as a grown-up adult.

AZ and Floette Eternal were also seen together in the series. We know that AZ and Floette Eternal reunited in X and Y, and their being together means that Legends ZA is set after the events of X and Y. We also noticed that the main protagonists look like Professor Sycamore, leading many in the community to speculate that they might be his children. 

Wrapping up, I hope this clears your doubt about Pokemon Legends ZA being a sequel of Legends Arceus. If you have any other speculation or suggestions that you think we missed, let us know in the comments below.