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Do players need to play the last games set in Kalos before embarking on an adventure in Pokemon Legends Z-A?
Pokemon Legends Z-A is releasing on October 16, 2025 and will be playable on the Nintendo Switch 2. It is the second game to be set in the Kalos region, though so far the advertising for the game indicates that it will take place entirely in Lumiose City. Of course, players looking to play this game may not have played through the first series of games set in the Kalos region – Pokemon X and Y.
So in this article we will look to answer the question of whether or not a player needs to have played Pokemon X and Y in order to get Pokemon Legends Z-A. As the two games have different styles, it isn’t strictly necessary to do so, but players may want context for things taking place in Legends Z-A that they may get from playing Pokemon X/Y. Read along to find out more.
Is Playing Pokemon X/Y Necessary To Understand Pokemon Legends Z-A?
AZ Appears in Both Pokemon X/Y and Legends Z-A
One of the biggest reasons to play Pokemon X/Y before Pokemon Legends Z-A is for context regarding the character of AZ. AZ’s story is told during those games. Players learn that he was over 3,000 years old and his Floette was killed in a war. He would use a machine to bring it back, turning it into Eternal Flower Floette, but was left bitter by the actions of those participating in the war. AZ would then turn the machine into an ultimate weapon and destroy both sides of the conflict. However, his Floette was disgusted by AZ’s actions and left him.
AZ’s story is certainly interesting, and the villainous Team Flare’s goals in Pokemon X/Y involve using his ultimate weapon. However, most of his story is given to the player in the form of exposition and plays little role in the story overall. Yes, in the postgame AZ battles the player and is reunited with his Floette, but in the end despite the story being rather interesting, it amounts to little more than set dressing. It is certainly not enough reason to justify playing Pokemon X/Y before Legends Z-A.
Mega Evolutions First Appeared in Kalos
Another reason to consider playing Pokemon X/Y is to experience the Mega Evolution mechanic as it was on debut. However, this also falls apart for a few reasons.
Mega Evolutions are not the same as they were in Generation VI. Upon Mega Evolving, Pokemon used to keep the Speed stat of their base form. This was changed in Pokemon Sun and Moon. As a consequence, this led to Mega Metagross becoming so overpowered it was banned from the OverUsed Singles meta.
Secondly, the games in the Pokemon Legends series tend to use different battle mechanics. For example, in a trailer we see Hippowdon defeating Talonflame with Stealth Rock, which is usually not a damaging move. So, it’s very likely that Mega Evolution in Legends Z-A will work differently than in the mainline games.
So, if you are looking to learn a little bit more about Kalos or the announcement of Legends Z-A piqued your interest in Pokemon X/Y, check them out. But if you want to play Pokemon Legends Z-A as a standalone game, X/Y is not necessary.
Thank you for reading the article. We provide the latest news and create guides for Pokemon GO. Also, watch Deltia play on Twitch or visit the YouTube channel!
