Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has the Best Story of Any Pokemon Game in History (and I’ve Played Them All)

Over the years, storytelling in Pokemon games has been hit or miss. Many of the early games from Red and Blue up through Diamond and Pearl had pretty similar arcs. Leave home, beat gym leaders, stave off the evil plot of a Team Rocket-like entity, and repeat. With Black and White, the stories got more complex, but not every subsequent entry has lived up to that nuance. Recent games like Scarlet and Violet even leave their stories feeling largely incomplete. So, I wasn’t sure what I was getting with Pokemon Legends: Z-A, but I was very pleasantly surprised.

There have been some solid stories in Pokemon history, don’t get me wrong. N’s complex role as the antagonist of Black and White really knocked it out of the part and proved the games can handle more mature themes. Meanwhile, Sun and Moon did a nice job of bringing in fully developed characters, something that many previous Pokemon games have struggled with. But in Legends: Z-A, Pokemon managed to bring both a more complicated story and well-developed characters together for one of the best Pokemon stories of any game. Quite note: there will be some spoilers for the ending of Legends: Z-A ahead, though I will keep it vague and not give away too many big details.

Legends: Z-A Tangles with The Consequences of the Past & Redemption

Over the years, only a handful of main series games have gotten true sequels that follow up on the aftermath of prior installments. Black 2 and White 2 are notable examples, following up on the events of Black and White. But while Legends: Arceus revisited a previous region, its setting in the past meant it didn’t continue the story so much as expand it. With Pokemon Legends: Z-A coming after the events of X and Y, the writers got to tackle the aftermath of the previous games’ events. And they didn’t shy away from it.

From early trailers, fans knew that AZ and his Floette would be returning for Legends: Z-A. But another key character from Lumiose history returns as well in the form of L. Fans familiar with the antagonist of X and Y might immediately suspect the truth here. L is, in fact, Lysandre, the former boss of Team Flare and the primary villain of Pokemon X and Y. But the older version we encounter in Legends: Z-A is on a quite different path, as he seeks to atone for his past actions.

Lysandre sought to make a more beautiful world in a Thanos-esque move, where he would use the ultimate weapon to eliminate the greed of humanity. In the game, he speaks of this weapon’s creation by a powerful “King of Kalos.” This king is, of course, AZ, who at that point already regrets the Ultimate Weapon he created. But both men are still working to overcome and atone for their pasts in Legends: Z-A. This makes for a satisfying and complicated story, as the player must decide whether to trust that L has really changed, and how to handle the task of helping AZ finally rid the world of his weapon.

But these two aren’t the only characters navigating the shockwaves of the past. As players will learn late in the game, there is more aftermath to be dealt with. Former members of Team Flare are struggling to move on, as the city won’t accept them or forgive their past wrongs. Team Flare Nouveu adds even more complexity to the story, showing what can happen when people aren’t able to rejoin society due to their past mistakes. For a Pokemon game, this is a big theme compared to many entries, and it’s handled incredibly well.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Has a Perfectly Climactic Ending That Challenges Expectations

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The story in Legends: Z-A is especially impressive when you consider what we’ve seen in recent entries. After a few big swings, Pokemon’s storytelling took a step back in Pokemon Sword and Shield, where being the champion is largely the main drive once again. And as much as I liked the story in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, it was a bit all over the place. The separate threads do eventually join up, but we’re left with many unanswered questions about Area Zero and Terastalyization even after playing through two DLC. By contrast, the ending of Pokemon Legends: Z-A manages to be incredibly satisfying while still leaving the game open for what comes next.

I’m the kind of person who tears up pretty easily with big emotional moments in movies. But Pokemon games have yet to pull that out of me… until the ending of Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Over the course of the story, we meet and get to know many of our Battle Royale promotion match opponents. They are unique and complicated characters in their own right, along with our friends in Team MZ. And while many Pokemon games see the player character as the main and only hero, these characters get a real chance to shine in the ending.

When all of our previous Battle Royale rivals showed up to help us fend off the Rogue Megas and reach Zygarde, it was just absolute perfection. Having everyone come together in this way is the epitome of Pokemon’s message about community and connection. Many prior games throw this out the window and make you the One True Hero. But here, our Rival gets to do their part, as do all of Team MZ and the city’s top battlers. It’s just so satisfying to see everyone come together in this way at the end of a Pokemon game, and you still get a big final battle that lets you take on key role as well.

The story of Pokemon Legends: Z-A isn’t perfect. The pacing has some problems, and a few characters are less developed than others. But overall, I don’t know that I’ve ever been quite so satisfied with how a story wrapped up as I was when I watched those credits roll for Z-A. And because the city will need to rebuild following those final events, the endgame basically sets itself up, without the need to leave the main story arc unfinished to keep players coming back for more.

What did you think of the Pokemon Legends: Z-A story? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!