Data leaks possibly reveal starters of Pokemon Legends Z-A

Recent bursts of Pokemon leaks may have revealed the starters for the next big Pokemon game; however, this receives mixed reactions from fans.

In February of 2024, The Pokemon company released a trailer for their next big upcoming game, Pokemon Legends Z-A, the second in a series of games that allows players to explore the forgotten past of their favorite Pokemon regions and or locations. Specifically, in Pokemon Legends Z-A, players get to experience the construction of Lumiose City in Kalos, a region in Pokemon based off of Paris, France.

After the trailer’s initial release, Pokemon fans eagerly waited for more information; however, as the months passed, it never came. As 2024 comes to an end, fans have grown more and more impatient for new details. But then, near the end of October, a recent set of data leaks may have revealed the starters for Legends Z-A.

The recent data leaks the Pokemon company has been subject to by an anonymous hacker has released over a terabyte of data showing unused Pokemon designs, concept art and more. Among these leaks was a picture for the 2025 Pokemon World Championships featuring the Pokemon Froakie, Fennekin and Chespin, all starters from the original X and Y games that featured the Kalos region. Usually, during the Pokemon World Championships, the Pokemon company spends time to promote upcoming material for its games, cards and other media. This has led many to speculate that these three Pokemon are the starters for the new game, as it would be odd to include them in the 2025 Championships otherwise.

Fans, upon hearing these theories, are met with disappointment. In the original Pokemon Legends, the starters weren’t based off of the region they were in. The three Pokemon starters were selected from three completely different regions and given new forms. This was one of Legends best strengths, by adding starters from different games and giving them new forms to match, the story Pokemon Legends was trying to tell was greatly improved. The starter choices previously also made Legends very unique, as no other Pokemon game had ever done this before. Nevertheless, these rumors of the starters being the same as the original X and Y games understandably upset fans. As stated by Game Rant, a popular gaming news platform, “Pokemon Legends Z-A would be shooting itself in the foot with these starters.”

Regardless, the picture of the 2025 Pokemon Championships is telling. The three Pokemon featured in the photo likely means that the Pokemon company will be talking about Kalos, and in turn, the new Legends game. Hopefully, finally, after all this time of waiting, Pokemon fans will receive the new details they have been asking for.