Pokémon Legends: Who is AZ, the mysterious king of the Kalos region where the game takes place?

Pokémon Legends Z-A took us back in time, specifically to the Kalos region. As we’ve been going over the details of the region and where the game might be heading, the title itself reminds us of one of the most tragic characters in Pokémon history, the Immortal King AZ.

Who is AZ? We discover the character behind the Pokémon Legends: Z-A title

Pokémon X & Y spoilers are below.

Part of the story of Pokémon X & Y, in addition to the usual traveling around the region, getting your hands on Pocket Monsters, earning Gym Medals, and facing off against the Villainous Team, was learning the story of AZ, the ancient king of Kalos 3000 years ago, and his Floette.

AZ and Floette participated in a war in which the Pokémon were unfortunately killed. Out of grief and pain, the King built a machine that, along with a great sacrifice, allowed him to bring his beloved Pokémon back to life. However, the pain of the war darkened the king’s heart, and with some modifications, he used the machine he had built to give life to take it away, turning it into a destructive weapon with which to end the war and the lives of many other Pokémon. Upon realizing this, Floette abandoned AZ, who wandered the world until he found her again.

If you don’t have time to play Pokémon X & Y, but would like to learn more about this story, the Pokémon Generations animated shorts have an episode dedicated to this character.

AZ and Z-A, what is the connection?

Knowing the history of AZ, we can make some assumptions about where this new installment might be heading. If we take the name Z-A as a hint that this is a reboot, the end of the alphabet at its beginning, could it be that the game is about rebuilding Lumiose City after the war? The theme of war has been part of many titles in the franchise, and there are theories on the Internet that point out that many of the fallen towers in Paldea (in Scarlet & Violet) were built by such a war.

On the other hand, some users have found a resemblance between the A in the title and the war machine built by the king.

For now, we can only speculate as to where the plot of Pokémon Legends Z-A might lead. However, we must wait until 2025 for Game Freak to present something. Perhaps we’ll get more details mid-year, during the upcoming 2024 Pokémon World Championships in Honolulu.