The lack of voice acting in Pokémon Legends: Z-A might be a sticking point, but with these unhinged NPCs, it’s perhaps a blessing.
Pokémon’s seedy undertones, of enslaving wild animals in capture balls, has been well documented over the years, but the series also has a long history of non-player characters that make some very odd comments.
In past games, these have ranged from innocent goofs (Hi! I like shorts!) to peeping perverts outside of Pokémon gyms. The most famous example is perhaps in Pokémon X and Y, where a Swimmer Kylie (via Ranker) invites players to wonder where she hides her Poké Balls if she’s wearing a bikini. ‘Teehee… woman’s secret!’ she muses.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the latest title in the series, harkens back to Pokémon X and Y by replicating the setting of Lumiose City but, as fans have discovered, it also continues the tradition of being a filthy bag of innuendo.
Since the game launched on Thursday, screenshots of minor characters’ dialogue have been shared across social media, showing some of the more bizarre interactions.
These include one trainer who announces they like to give ‘my partner’s Poké Ball a little squeeze’ if they’re upset. Another, meanwhile, proclaims they ‘can feel my Pokémon jostling in their balls when it’s time to battle’.
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Beyond the ball play, some other trainers are just plain sickos. ‘I’m sick and tired of this life. I just want to smell Pokémon!’ one remarks.
Someone who’s clearly spent too long thinking about water-types, however, is asking all the wrong questions. ‘Hey, for Water-type moves, do you think Pokémon use their sweat? Or other bodily fluids?’
Squirtle, we’ll never look at you the same way again.
In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it’s perhaps easier to discover this dialogue because the less important characters have dialogue bubbles which pop up without you interacting with them, unlike past games where you have to directly engage to hear their profound nonsense.
While all these examples appear to be genuine, we imagine people might start cooking up some twisted fakery online – although, if the history of Pokémon trainers is anything to go by, the reality might be far worse.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A is out now across Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, and sees the introduction of a new real-time battle system and the return of Mega Evolutions. It has some problems, but we found it to be an exciting step forward for the series.
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