New Mega Pokémon Gets Surprise Anime Appearance, Months Before Debut in Pokémon Legends: Z-A

One of the caller Mega Pokémon acceptable to look successful the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Z-A has made its anime debut, months successful beforehand of the game's launch.

The unexpected accomplishment occurred successful the latest occurrence of the Pokémon Horizons series, "The Two Of Us, As Friends", which aired past Friday successful Japan.

In it, 1 of the caller Mega Pokémon acceptable to marque their archetypal quality successful Switch and Switch 2 crippled Pokémon Legends: Z-A makes a astonishing quality — and its heroic debut is winning implicit fans initially unsure astir the creature's design.

The occurrence sees anime leader Roy and state Uruto each but defeated successful conflict until Uruto's Dragonite shows signs that it is capable to Mega Evolve. The abrupt and unexpected quality of Mega Dragonite past galvanises the remainder of the Pokémon, including Roy's Mega Lucario, who past rally to prevention the day.

And aft a mixed effect to Mega Dragonite's in-game design, its anime quality present seems to beryllium getting a warmer welcome. "Mega Dragonite haters amended apologize," wrote 1 fan. "It’s flapping the small tiny wings! Omg I emotion it hahaha," wrote a second. "Awwww. Okay okay, I’m won over," said a third.

It's antithetic — though not unheard of — for a Pokémon to marque its anime debut earlier they're disposable successful a Pokémon game. The signifier was acold much communal during the franchise's aboriginal years, erstwhile assorted taxon from some the Johto and Hoenn regions were glimpsed successful anime signifier earlier their corresponding games arrived. (Remember Misty carrying astir that Togepi ovum for what felt similar forever?)

More recently, the signifier of debuting Pokémon via the franchise's anime has go little common, however, with conscionable a fistful of taxon (Magearna, Terapagos) getting the aforesaid attraction implicit the past 3 generations.

Pokémon Legends Z-A is acceptable to get connected Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 connected October 16. Fans are expecting dozens of caller Mega Pokémon to uncover, though lone 1 different taxon has been officially revealed truthful far: Mega Victreebell.

"Overall, Legends: Z-A didn’t consciousness similar a afloat enactment crippled to me," IGN wrote successful our archetypal hands-on impressions of Pokémon Legends Z-A's conflict systems, "but benignant of much similar an MMO, with its casting times, cooldowns, and behind-the-scenes mathematics happening. That’s not needfully a atrocious thing, but I bash anticipation Legends: Z-A gets challenging capable to marque maine much intentionally crockery retired commands and deliberation astir switching Pokémon astatine conscionable the close moment."

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social