Why Charmander Should Be the Fire Starter of Pokemon Legends: Z-A

Key Takeaways

• Pokemon Legends: Z-A may include Charmander as its Fire-type starter due to its popularity and history in the franchise.
• The return of Mega Evolutions and connection to Pokemon X and Y suggest Charmander’s inclusion in Z-A’s starter trio.
• Charmander’s potential inclusion in Z-A could lead to new forms, like Charizard Z, regional variants, or convergent Pokemon.

Though there has been a lot of speculation and even potential leaks surrounding Pokemon Legends: Z-A, there’s a case to be made for its Fire-type starter Pokemon to be none other than Gen 1’s own Charmander. As the first of a new kind of Pokemon game in the franchise’s mainline series, Pokemon Legends: Arceus broke from tradition by featuring the return of three previous starter Pokemon from past generations, and then it went a step further with all-new regional forms for their final evolutions. As the game’s successor, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is expected to follow a similar formula with its own trio of returning starter Pokemon.

Ever since Legends: Z-A was announced, fans have been hard at work online trying to predict what the game could have in store, with speculation ranging from what the urban redevelopment of its Lumiose City setting might mean to Legends: Z-A‘s theorized starter trio. However, since Legends: Z-A‘s reveal hinted at the return of Mega Evolutions and Pokemon X and Y originally included the Gen 1 starters, this raises questions about whether Legends: Z-A will follow suit. Between Charizard’s ongoing popularity and its rare status of having two Mega Evolutions, it seems more than likely that Charmander will be part of Legends: Z-A‘s starter trio.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A May Have to Include Charmander

Even though Legends: Z-A may feature other starter Pokemon and not Charmander, the Fire Pokemon’s inclusion seems virtually guaranteed given the line’s history and status. Though most Gen 1 Pokemon are held in high regard by the Pokemon community, its starter trio have become immortalized as fan favorites, leading these Pokemon to be consistently given special treatment with new Mega Evolutions in X and Y or Gigantamax forms in Pokemon Sword and Shield. But out of these three, Charizard has consistently had the spotlight as the series’ most popular Pokemon appearing in every generation of Pokemon games.

But while Legends: Arceus didn’t include any Gen 1 Pokemon in its starter trio, Legends: Z-A‘s connections to X and Y may leave it in a different position considering things like Professor Sycamore gifting the player a Gen 1 starter Pokemon or the potential return of Mega Charizard X and Charizard Y. Ultimately, if leaks are to be believed and all previous Mega Evolutions are returning, then Legends: Z-A may have no choice but to include Charmander. However, these same leaks claim that Legends: Z-A will feature other starter Pokemon such as Totodile, Torchic, and Snivy instead of the likes of Charmander.

Charmander Would Be Perfect as Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Fire Starter

Since it seems that Legends: Z-A may have no choice but to include Charmander alongside the other Gen 1 starter Pokemon, it might as well take advantage of the situation and continue the series’ focus on Charizard. Similar to Legends: Arceus, many fans already expect that Legends: Z-A will feature new starter Pokemon forms, something which could carry over to Charmander with an all-new regional Charizard adding to its existing Mega Evolutions and Gigantamax forms. The list below outlines just a few examples of how Charmander’s return as the Fire-type starter Pokemon could be explored in Legends: Z-A.

Moreover, future Pokemon games like Legends: Arceus and Legends: Z-A will continue to have a limited pool of returning starter Pokemon to choose from, especially when considering that each new generation only adds three new options. Even if Legends: Z-A didn’t include Charmander in its starter trio, it may only be a matter of time until another prospective Pokemon Legends game will, so Game Freak has even more reason to make Charmander its Fire-type starter Pokemon thanks to its connection with X and Y. Until Game Freak officially confirms Legends: Z-A‘s trio line-up, fans of the Charmander evolution line can still hope for its starter comeback.