Summary
Some perceptive fans are drawing amusing comparisons between the upcomingPokemon: Legends Z-Aand the first anime adaptation ofYu-Gi-Oh, borrowing a major plot premise. The next major entry in the massively popular monster-catching franchise has already given fans plenty to be excited about through its recent reveals. This year’s annual “Pokemon Day” broadcast brought the first major gameplay reveals,showing off the expansive Lumiose Cityand teasing the game’s overarching story, while March’s Nintendo Direct revealed the game’s “Z-A Royale” as a major story element. Now, fans are noticing one peculiar connection to a rival franchise.
Since the monster-catching franchise’s inception in the late 1990s, theYu-Gi-Ohfranchise has served as one ofPokemon’s greatest rivals. Both franchises saw their first anime adaptation debut within a few years of each other and each benefited from similarly massive popularity in their early years. The trading card game versions ofPokemonandYu-Gi-Ohhave held a similar rivalry, with both being among the biggest trading card games in the world. Now,Pokemon Legends Z-Amay be borrowing a popular plot point from its Egyptian-inspired counterpart.
Reddit user Agent_Buckshot shared their interesting discovery to the officialPokemonsubreddit, drawing comparison between the two franchises. The user referencesthe premise ofPokemon Legends: Z-A’s “Z-A Royale,” with trainers battling it out in a massive tournament in the streets of Lumiose City, and compares it toYu-Gi-Oh’s “Battle City” arc. The storyline, which served as the anime’s second season, saw Yugi and friends participating in a tournament with Duelists similarly challenging one another throughout Domino City. “Battle City” has also served as one ofYu-Gi-Oh’s most popular story arcs, withLegends' “Z-A Royale” potentially inspired by the premise.
Pokemon Fan Theorizes Legends: Z-A Feature is Inspired by Yu-Gi-Oh
The uncanny similarity between the plot premises led many fans to jokingly suggest potential references to theYu-Gi-Ohanime. One fan called for an in-game Trainer to call the player a “3rd-rate Trainer with a 4th-rate team,” alluding to theiconic quote fromYu-Gi-Ohantagonist Seto Kaiba. Others posited that the game should take from Battle City’s idea of Duelists staking their rarest card, wanting to swipe their opponent’s strongest Pokemon after a victory.Pokemon Legends: Z-Ais currently expected to launch sometime in late 2025.
Pokemon Legends: Z-Alooks to have plenty going for it to make the game another smash-hit for the franchise.Legends: Z-Awill officially featurethe return of Mega Evolutionsto the franchise, which have not been seen throughoutPokemon’s last two generations sincePokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Eevee. Combat will see one ofLegends: Z-A’s most notable changes, with battles shifting from the franchise’s traditional turn-based roots to real-time combat.Pokemonfans shouldn’t have to wait much longer to dive intoLegends: Z-Alater this year.
