Summary
Pokemon Legends: Arceusis likely just the first entry in a new series of games set in past versions of established regions within thePokemonuniverse given its popularity and successful refresh of the series' core formula. WithPokemon Legends: Arceustaking players to a past version of the Sinnoh Region known as Hisui, the door is wide open for future games to explore the history of other regions and give players a glimpse into the unique critters that inhabited them. If the nextPokemon Legendsgame takes place in Johto’s past, the starters for that game are already clear.
Although recent leaks and rumors point towards aPokemon LegendsUnovagame, Johto is also a solid candidate for a setting in a follow-up toPokemon Legends: Arceus. Many fans have pointed out the possible connection between the events ofPokemon Legends: Arceusand the Sinjoh Ruins featured inPokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, perhaps setting up a potentialPokemon LegendsJohto game to explore them further. This game would also be the perfect chance to give players the choice between a trio of starters with a strong connection to Japanese folklore.
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The Pokemon Most Likely to Be Starters in a Legends Johto Game
The Johto Region is based on the Kansai Region of real-world Japan which is full of history as the home of Kyoto, the country’s historical population center and former capital, which Johto’s Ecruteak City is based on. As a region with such rich history in both thePokemonuniverse and real-life Japan, aPokemon Legendsgame set in Johto can really lean into traditional Japanese folklore. It’s unlikely that this game would reuse Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott as they were already thestarters forPokemon Legends: Arceus, so with these guidelines in mind, a few starter candidates emerge as the most likely options.
For a Grass-type starter, Grookey makes the most sense, as his drummer-based design fits right in with the concept of a traditional taiko drummer. Although Grookey and its evolutions are inspired by drummers from the British Invasion era of Rock and Roll, given that they originally debuted inPokemon Sword and Shield’s Galar Regionbased on the real-world UK, a regional variant of Rillaboom could be modeled after traditional taiko players. Taiko are closely associated with kabuki theater performances in Japanese culture, which are already represented by the Kimono Girls in Ecruteak City’s dance theater, making a taiko-inspired Grookey a natural choice for a starter.
Sticking to this theme of traditional Japanese culture, Fennekin makes the most sense for a Fire-type starter given its design is based on the mythological kitsune. Japanese legends tell of fox yokai that possess supernatural abilities which grow in strength as they get older, often shape-shifting and playing tricks on humans. Having Fennekin as a starter in thisPokemon LegendsJohto game not only sticks with the theme of historical legends that is at the heart of these games, but it would also be a great chance to giveDelphoxa mischievous Fire/Dark-type regional variant.
Although it doesn’t have quite as strong of a folklore connection as the other two potential starters, Squirtle is a great candidate for a Water-type starter since its turtle design inspiration is very close to the mythological kappa. While other mons like Gen 3’s Lombre have a more distinct kappa inspiration, Squirtle shares some similarities with the yokai, as it is a turtle-like creature that is associated with rivers and streams. Aregional variant of Blastoisecould even take on some more kappa-inspired design elements to further highlight the connection between the traditional depiction of the yokai and this mon.
