When Pokemon Legends: Z-A releases later this year, it will herald the return of Mega Evolution, a mechanic first introduced in Pokemon X and Y. Thus far, the game’s developers have kept a tight lid on what to expect, only teasing the return of Mega Evolution at the end of the game’s reveal trailer last year. Fans have speculated ever since that the game will grow the number of Mega Evolutions offered, and a new rumor claims that the amount could be pretty significant. According to the leaker formerly known as Pyoro, the game will add 27 Mega Evolutions that did not appear in past games.
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In a post on X/Twitter about Mega Evolutions in Pokemon Legends: Z-A, Pyoro told people to “look at the key at the upper left corner of your keyboard.” Fans quickly deduced that the “escape” key on a keyboard translates to ASCII Code 27, a number quickly backed up by Centro Leaks. Obviously, this should all be taken with a grain of salt pending an official announcement. However, if that number does prove accurate, it would mean a larger number of new Mega Evolutions than most fans were anticipating. As of this writing, there are 48 total Mega Evolutions in the Pokemon franchise, for 46 Pokemon (Mewtwo and Charizard each have 2).
With the Pokedex currently at more than 1,000 Pokemon, that leaves a lot of fan favorites that don’t have dedicated Mega Evolutions. If Pokemon Legends: Z-A really is introducing 27 more, it will be interesting to see which Pokemon get them. There are some Mega Evolutions that were reportedly planned and cancelled during the development of previous games, so it’s possible we could see those return, or a focus on Pokemon that have been introduced in the generations since Pokemon X and Y. Of course, it seems like a very safe bet that we’ll see Mega Evolutions based on the final forms for the 3 starters from Pokemon Legends: Z-A: Chikorita (Meganium), Tepig (Emboar), and Totodile (Feraligatr).
All of this should also be welcome news to Pokemon Go players. Over the last few years, the mobile game has been slowly adding the Mega Evolutions introduced in Pokemon X and Y and Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. However, the game only has a few left to introduce from those games. A sudden influx of new Mega Evolutions would help to ensure the mechanic remains a part of Pokemon Go for a long time to come.
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Right now, Pokemon Legends: Z-A does not have a set release date beyond “late 2025.” As the year goes on, we should start to learn a lot more about the Nintendo Switch game. It’s likely we can expect a steady stream of reveals leading up to the game’s arrival, including a look at some of the Mega Evolutions that will appear. Hopefully we’re not too far away from the hype cycle getting into full swing!
Do you think we’ll see 27 new Mega Evolutions introduced in Pokemon Legends: Z-A? Which Pokemon do you think most needs one? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
[H/T: Gaming Leaks and Rumours]
