While Pokemon Horizons features starters from the current main series game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players are watching closely for signs that the anime might provide insight into the next game, as well. Although the exact release date for Pokemon Legends Z-A is still unknown, many fans are eager to see what this new installment holds. As the second Legends title in the franchise, will it solidify what a Legends game even is, or totally break the mold compared with Legends: Arceus?
Videos by ComicBook.com
Some Pokemon fans suspect that a recently introduced new Poke Ball in Pokemon Horizons might just hint at what’s to come in our next main series game. As one X user notes, “the anime does have a tendency to foreshadow game things before they release,” so it’s not out of the question to scrutinize Pokemon Horizons for hints.
This new Poke Ball recently appeared in episode 75 of Pokemon Horizons, which aired in Japan but is not yet available to users watching via Netflix in the US and elsewhere. It bears a resemblance to the hand-crafted original Poke Balls from Pokemon Legends: Arceus. However, they appear to be a more modernized version, which might give us some insight into the timing of our trip to Lumiose City in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.
The Pokemon Company has shared precious little about Z-A so far, but we do know that the game will be set primarily (if not entirely) in Lumiose City. This city in the Kalos was originally introduced to Pokemon fans in Pokemon X and Y, which never saw a Pokemon Z to round out the trio like previous installments in the franchise. Many believe that Legends Z-A is a newly envisioned version of that third installment, and its setting in Kalos certainly lends some credibility to the theory.
While we know the game will be in Lumiose City, it’s still unclear where it will fall within the Pokemon timeline. Teaser trailers reveal that it’s a period of “Urban Development” which will reshape the city to be a habitat where Pokemon and humans can more peacefully coexist. However, that could be just about any time in Pokemon history. Given that the previous game with Legends in the title took place in the distant past, players are eager to know what this means for the second Legends game in the series.
RELATED: Pokemon Sleep Roadmap Teases Major Gameplay Changes to Entice New Players
The teaser trailer we have so far is mostly blueprints and stylized Pokemon, making it hard to pin down a time in Pokemon history. That’s where a close look at this new Poke Ball in Pokemon Horizons comes in.
While it certainly looks more modern than those crafted from Apricorn and Tumblestone in Legends: Arceus, the Poke Ball looks like something from the less distant past. It certainly doesn’t have the smooth rounded edges of Poke Balls seen in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but rather a more steampunk look that some players are dubbing a “legends type of Pokeball.” This has led some fans to speculate that the game will be set before the events of Pokemon X and Y, making the so-called Urban Development project the original creation of Lumiose City.
Until The Pokemon Company confirms more details about Pokemon Legends Z-A, fans are left to speculate, and this latest theory is just one of many. With a 2025 release date, it’s likely that more information will be available soon to confirm or refute fan theories like this one.
