Pokemon Legends: Z-A was first announced on Pokemon Day 2024, and finally revealed more information on Pokemon Day 2025. Despite a full year of near radio silence, Pokemon Legends: Z-A has always seemed to have a lot going for it. While many of the recent announcements have put more winds behind its sails, one key piece of information has already begun to muddy the waters.
The reveal of a region's starter trio is one of the biggest parts of any Pokemon game's hype cycle, rivaled only by the reveal of their respective final evolutions. Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Pokemon Day trailer gave the first look at gameplay, and even revealed the game's starter trio. Although Legends Z-A has plenty of time left to build excitement before it releases in late 2025, the game's choice of starters may have gotten it off to a rough start.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Starters Make it Clear Two Gens are the Favorite Children
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's starters have been revealed, but these surprising choices show the series might have two preferred generations.
Pokemon Legends: Z-A's Starter Trio Could Be a Huge Misstep
Legends: Z-A's Starter Pokemon Haven't Received a Warm Welcome
Pokemon Legends: Z-A has officially revealed that its starter trio will be Tepig, Totodile, and Chikorita. There is a lot to unpack regarding the community's response to this reveal, but the initial reception was both swift and harsh. Big reveals like this always receive some level of backlash, but there's no doubt that Legends: Z-A is receiving it on a different scale than ever before. Previous generations usually have one starter that takes the bulk of the backlash, while Z-A's entire trio has a hard time escaping the vitriol.
Among the reasons players may feel dissatisfied by these starters, it's hard to imagine speculation didn't play a part in it. After months of rumors, it seems likely that some fans built up excitement over one choice and were disappointed to see the game go with another. Likewise, it certainly doesn't help that Totodile and Chikorita are both from the Johto Region, which plainly damages the diversity of the trio.
However, Pokemon Legends: Z-A faces an even bigger problem at the center of this controversy. Tepig, Totodile, and Chikorita all have their own fans, but very few players appear to have fond memories of more than one, let alone all three of them. To further understand why this decision has struck a chord, it's best to look at how the game's predecessor got it right.
Comparing the Starter Pokemon of Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A
This is a stark contrast from the starters in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and may even hint at a different strategy at play. Legends: Arceus featured Cyndaquil, Oshawott, and Rowlet as its starter trio. All three of these Pokemon have pretty massive fan bases behind them, and it's almost more difficult to find someone who doesn't like them.
In additional contrast to the new lineup, Arceus' trio was more diverse, with all three of them hailing from different regions. At the end of the day, these were popular Pokemon that people were excited to see. It was satisfying to see them receive new regional forms, with some of these Hisui redesigns even becoming as beloved as their counterparts. With this in mind, one does have to wonder if the unpopularity of Legends: Z-A's starter Pokemon is actually the point.
Perhaps developers wanted to give a second chance to Pokemon that are less popular and less viable. Furthermore, Pokemon Legends: Z-A seems just as likely to give each member of the upcoming trio a new Mega Evolution as it would be to give them new regional forms. Doing either may rehabilitate them for more skeptical players, while those who already love them can be happy they're finally being catered to. Whatever the case, there is still plenty of time to salvage these Pokemon with whatever redesign they may wind up with. When it comes to the starter Pokemon available, hopefully Pokemon Legends: Z-A simply got off on the wrong foot.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 79 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
- Released
- October 16, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak, Creatures Inc.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
