During the Pokémon Day 2024 Pokémon Presents livestream that was held on February 27, Nintendo made various new announcements regarding the franchise. This included the reveal of Pokémon Legends Z-A – an unexpected sequel to Pokémon Legends Arceus. While the trailer showcases some futuristic visuals, many Pokémon fans believe that the new title will take players into the past.

Developed by Game Freak, Pokémon Legends Z-A is set in Lumiose City, and the story appears to revolve around an urban redevelopment plan aimed to shape the city into a metropolis where humans and Pokémon coexist in harmony. The trailer does not reveal many details about the plot or gameplay, which has created a lot of room for speculation. For example, some have suggested that gameplay may include city builder elements.

As for the setting, the previous Pokémon Legends series video game, Legends: Arceus, sent the player back in time into the Pokémon world’s equivalent of Japan’s Meiji Restoration. Contrasted with this, Pokémon Legends Z-A’s cyberspace-like visuals led many to think that Z-A will take place in the future, when Lumiose City is being redeveloped into a futuristic metropolis.

ミアレシティ再開発構想　ではなく

都市再開発構想ミアレシティ　なので

ミアレシティを再開発するのではなく

既存の都市を再開発してミアレシティにするという計画

つまりミアレシティができる前の時代の話
— 黒槍火雨 -クロヤリヒサメ- (@hisame_kuroyari) February 27, 2024

Post translation: It’s not (worded as) the “Lumiose City Redevelopment Plan,” but as the “City redevelopment plan – Lumiose City,” which means we won’t be redeveloping Lumiose City, but redeveloping an existing city into Lumiose City. In other words, it’s a story about before Lumiose City was built.

On the other hand, many players strongly believe the opposite to be true. Analyzing Pokémon lore and the wording used in the Legends Z-A announcement, many Japanese players are confident that the game will tell the story of a past time, establishing continuity with Arceus.

ミアレシティの都市再開発ってことは今回も過去に飛ばされる感じになりそう
#ポケモンプレゼンツ
 #PokemonLegendsZA pic.twitter.com/x24UBUNOVf
— あんたい (@antaitool) February 27, 2024

Post translation: The “City Redevelopment Plan” thing gives me the feeling we’re going to be blasted to the past.

Additionally, as Pokémon’s Lumiose City is known to be inspired by Paris, “la ville lumière,” connections are also being made to Haussmann’s renovation of Paris, which started in in 1853.

都市再開発構想　ミアレシティ

ミアレシティのモデル:フランス・パリ
パリ改造:1850年代
ラ・デファンス計画:1958年

なお、エッフェル塔完成は1889年3月31日

「人とポケモンの共存を夢見て」

人とポケモンの共存でレジェアルの時代は1890年付近。#xyリメイク #PokemonDay2024 pic.twitter.com/PCLCSqjnsV
— シルバー@ランクマ低浮上 (@silver1431) February 27, 2024

Post translation: The model for Lumiose City is Paris, France. The renovation of Paris happened in the 1850s. The Eiffel Tower was completed on March 31, 1889. (The trailer mentions the) coexistence of people and Pokémon, and Legends of Arceus is set around 1890 – when humans and Pokémon are shown to coexist.

The above user suggests that Legends Z-A may depict the period from the 1850s onward, depicting the construction of The Prism Tower (Eiffel Tower) and the establishment of the present day Lumiose City, where people and humans coexist.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is planned to release in 2025 for Nintendo Switch systems.

For more Pokémon-related news, read up on users’ concerns about the complexity of Pokémon Legends Z-A’s map and how the stock market reacted to the announcement of Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.