Summary
One of the most exciting aspects ofPokemon Legends: Z-Ataking players back to the Kalos Region is the return of Mega Evolutions. Many fans have been hoping to see Mega Evolutions return to the series in some capacity after their removal from Gen 8 onward, andPokemon Legends: Z-Awill finally give these fans their wish. While the return of Mega Evolution has created a lot of room for fans to speculate on which critters might receive new forms, there is one Gen 1 monster that deserves a Mega Evolution after missing out on getting a new form in the past few generations.
ThePokemonseries is constantly finding ways to give older mons some love, whether that is through a new evolution, regional variant, or generational gimmick like aMega Evolutionor Gigantamax form. This practice helps keep certain mons relevant in the series while giving fans of these critters a new way to interact with them. Gen 1 monsters tend to be a common target for new forms in subsequent generations due to their recognizability, but Gen 1’s Arbok is one of the few mons who has yet to receive any new forms since its introduction, making it the perfect candidate for a Mega Evolution inPokemon Legends: Z-A.
Arbok Seems Like a Great Candidate for a Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Gen 1 monsare arguably some of the most iconic critters in the series due to their status as the original games' group of collectible creatures. They are also the most far removed from the modern games since they debuted in the Game Boy titlesPokemon Red and Blue. As such, it makes sense that Game Freak would pay special attention to Gen 1’s critters when designing new forms like regional variants and Mega Evolution, but there have still been a few of these mons who’ve been overlooked thus far.
Some Gen 1 mons have received multiple post-Gen 1 forms, such as the Slowpoke line that has seen a new evolution in Gen 2’s Slowking, Mega Slowbro in Gen 6, and regional variants in Gen 8. Compared to similarly popular mons, this seems like a bit much for one evolutionary line to receive when there are others who’ve seen no new forms at all. For example, Arbok stands out as a fairly popular critter due to its recognizability from the anime as the ace ofTeam Rocket’s Jessiein the original series, which would seem like enough of a reason to show this mon some love with a Mega Evolution inPokemon Legends: Z-A.
How a Mega Arbok Could Work in Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Arbok has always been pretty mediocre stat-wise as a second-stage mon with a base stat total of 448. It did receive a buff in Gen 7 that upped its base Attack stat from 85 to 95, bringing its overall base stat total from 438 to 448, but this buff still wasn’t enough to make Arbok stand out. A Mega Arbok could lean into its already decent Speed and Attack stats to make the critter a fast and powerful Physical Attacker when it Mega Evolves, givingArbok better statsto help it stand out in a competitive environment.
Mega Arbok’s design could be based on a mythical creature like a gorgon or hydra, gaining multiple smaller heads that look similar to Ekans. To further increase the usability of Mega Arbok, it could gain the Dark type as an additional type since becoming a Dark/Poison type would makeGround-type attacksits only weakness, and give it immunity to Psychic-type moves. Thematically, this design and type combo would work very well for Arbok and could help make it a worthwhile addition to players' teams inPokemon Legends: Z-A.
Pokemon Legends Z-A
The sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Pokemon Legends: Z-A takes Pokemon trainers back to the Kalos region’s Lumiose City.
