Summary
Starter Pokemon are an essential piece of anyPokemontitle, but the greatly-anticipated and equally mysteriousPokemon Legends Z-A, set to release sometime next year, has especially stirred up a lot of discussion regarding starters. With 2022’sPokemon Legends: Arceusoffering a sort of mash-up of starter Pokemon that originate from different regions throughout the fantasy world, it seems like anything is possible in its upcoming sequel. There are many competing theories that suggest why certain favorites from the past may appear inPokemon Legends: Z-A’s starter pool, and there’s a case for Bulbasaur to return as the game’s Grass-type starter.
WithPokemon Legends: Arceus' starter rosterconsisting of Gen 2’s Cyndaquil, Gen 5’s Oshawott, and Gen 7’s Rowlet, many fans believe thatLegends: Z-Ais likely to include starters from a variety of other generations throughout the franchise’s history. Even so, exceedingly little is known aboutPokemon Legends: Z-Ajust yet. It’s possible, if quite unlikely, thatPokemon Legends: Z-Acould introduce a whole new trio of starters rather than continue the tradition thatPokemon Legends: Arceusbegan. Whatever the case,Pokemon X and Y’s many homages to the original Gen 1 titles strongly suggest that the classic Kanto trio will make a return one way or another in the upcomingPokemon Legendsgame.
What The Kalos Region’s Ties to Kanto Could Mean For Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Pokemonfans who have seen just about everything the Kalos region has to offer are likely to recall the many Gen 1 throwbacks, from the post-game battles againstKanto’s legendary Pokemonto the ability to choose a second, Gen 1-exclusive starter a few hours into the game. Not only didPokemon X and Yallow players to choose between Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle yet again, it even distributed 4 different mega forms among them - a treatment that not even the game’s native starters received.
The Case For Venusaur to Get Its Own Regional Variant
Though any of the original three could realistically appear as astarter option inPokemon Legends: Z-A, there’s a unique case for Bulbasaur. While Charizard is notorious for its popularity in more recent titles, one could argue that Bulbasaur is due some time in the spotlight instead, and Kalos could be the perfect place for that to happen. France is known for various species of popular flowers, and so there’s plenty of potential for really any Grass-type Pokemon to receive some beautiful new regional variants.
All Three Gen 1 Starter Pokemon Could Return Yet Again in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
With Bulbasaur’s evolutions already featuring flowers as part of their designs, it seems most fitting for its species to receive such a regional variant, perhaps making use of the Fairy-type that was introduced in Gen 6. That said, it does seem unlikely for Bulbasaur to appear without the other Gen 1 starters, especially considering that each of them received Mega Evolutions in the Gen 6 titles. WithMega Evolution set to return to the core-seriesPokemongames, any and all Mega Pokemon could well come back inPokemon Legends: Z-A.
Alternatively, all three of the Kanto starter Pokemon might appear inPokemon Legends: Z-Aindependently of the primary starter group ifLegends: Z-Aintends to retain the Kalos region’s links to Kanto. These iconic Pokemon may just be essential to the completion of the game’s Pokedex and might be catchable in the world similar to theSinnoh region’s starters inPokemon Legends: Arceus.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes Pokemon trainers back to the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.
