When Pokémon Legends: Z-A was first revealed, we all jumped straight into speculating about where it fit in the Pokémon timeline. Not where—we already knew that: it unfolds entirely in Lumiose City, the heart of Kalos from Pokémon X and Y. But with Legends: Arceus having taken us centuries into Sinnoh’s past, we assumed Z-A would leap far into Lumiose City’s future.
We were wrong. Now we know exactly when it takes place—and the gap isn’t nearly as vast as we imagined.
We’ve spent weeks playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A for review, and the embargo has finally lifted. Based on firsthand conversations with multiple characters—most of whom we can’t directly quote or show due to ongoing embargo restrictions—we can confirm Z-A takes place just five years after Pokémon X and Y. This isn’t a time-travel story; it’s a direct sequel, picking up the threads of characters and events from X and Y.
For example, you’ll reunite with AZ, the 3,000-year-old figure who played a crucial role in X and Y. You’ll also meet Mable, once a member of Team Flare, now serving as the region’s new Pokémon Professor, assigning you missions to catch Pokémon through unique challenges. Other familiar faces from X and Y return too—some transformed in surprising ways—but we won’t spoil those details just yet.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A being a direct sequel is significant. Over the years, the Pokémon universe has been vague about how its games and regions connect. While there have been direct sequels before—Gold and Silver following Red and Blue, Black and White 2 after Black and White—later titles introduced time travel (Legends: Arceus), alternate realities (Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), and implied that all regions and Pokémon coexist in one world, even as their events’ canon status remained ambiguous. The Pokémon timeline, if mapped out, now looks more convoluted than Zelda’s.
But if you’ve ever wondered what became of X and Y’s main cast five years later—here’s your answer: it’s a simple, straightforward sequel. Looking back, the name “Z-A” should’ve tipped us off.
My ongoing review of Pokémon Legends: Z-A is now live—if you’d like to read my impressions from the first 24 hours, with a full review arriving next week. I’ve also been exploring how the Nurse Joy role has evolved in Z-A, opening up to people who no longer resemble the original Nurse Joy after 27 years.
