Although Pokemon Legends: Z-A has barely been out for a day in some regions and mere hours in the rest of the world, it is already racking up a big controversy. Pokemon games are often controversial among fans because of the addition of some problematic features or the lack of long-requested ones, such as the performance issues of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet or the Dexit of Pokemon Sword and Shield. In the case of Pokemon Legends: Z-A, even if it wasn't expected to have this feature, the consensus is that this should be the last Pokemon game without voice acting.

According to some fans, Pokemon Sword and Shield took the series back a few years. While the Dexit issue remains troublesome and sad to this day, as fans would very much like to have all existing Pokemon in any game, another pain point was revealed when players met one of the key Gen 8 Gym Leaders: Piers. This character was known for his singing skills, but his Gym Leader cutscene has him on the stage with no music or voice acting. The cutscene has become viral ahead of Pokemon Legends: Z-A's launch, and since the new game also includes some wonky cutscenes with no voice acting, players are starting to become fed up.

For example, a handful of Pokemon X and Y's Pokemon are missing in Legends: Z-A, despite it taking place in Lumiose City.

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Pokemon Legends: Z-A Leak Confirms Controversial Change

Pokemon Legends: Z-A will force trainers to utilize a specific game feature by default, according to a new leak ahead of the game's launch.

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Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Voice Acting Controversy Explained

Piers singing in his gym 2 - Pokemon

There are many reasons why voice acting in Pokemon games has always been a recurring issue. These are:

  • Fans criticize Game Freak and The Pokemon Company for no voice acting in Pokemon games despite it being one of the largest franchises in the world.
  • Gen 5 games had instances of voice acting, specifically one with Roxie singing on the stage - something Pokemon Sword and Shield's Piers never gets to do.
  • Considering that Pokemon's anime does have voice acting for the games' NPCs, many fans would like for them to be added to the games, too.
  • Since Pokemon games are usually played by kids, too, it would be beneficial for them to hear the words they read pronounced by a human being.
  • The games typically have a musical score and melodies attached to them, but not actual songs. However, Ed Sheeran's song in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet set a new precedent that Legends: Z-A is ignoring.
  • Pokemon games turn 30 years old next year, and voice acting has been requested for many years.
  • Pokemon Gen 10's leaked procedural generation may remove the handcrafted aspect of the series' world, so adding voice acting could help.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A's new Mega Evolutions are often unlocked after battling Rogue Megas in Lumiose City alongside key characters, like Lida or Taunie/Urbain, but they never talk. Even when exploring, sometimes players will get small windows of text from NPCs alerting them of something, but no voice acting is involved.

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One of the least appreciated parts of the game so far is a cutscene where Zygarde suddenly takes players up on a roof to battle a Rogue Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but characters like Emma and AZ only have lines of text, which makes the experience cringey at best. Likewise, one of the introductory cutscenes has Eternal Flower Floette use Light of Ruin to scare away some trainers standing at the gate of the battle zone, but Taunie/Urbain's voice is not there, and even Floette's attack has no sound.

Why Pokemon Gen 10 Needs to Be The End of an Era

Considering how long players have wanted voice acting in the series, it would only make sense to finally grant this wish in Gen 10. With Pokemon Gen 10 releasing in 2026, four years after Scarlet and Violet, the backlash of having no voice acting in the game could be even greater than that surrounding the Piers cutscene in Gen 8. Fans will have to wait and see, but The Pokemon Company and Game Freak may have to eventually budge.

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Pokemon Legends: Z-A
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RPG
Adventure
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
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Released
October 16, 2025
ESRB
Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
Developer(s)
Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
Publisher(s)
Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
RPG, Adventure