The novel Pokémon Legends: ZA trailer revealed a novel, surprise Mega Evolution for fan-favorite Lucario and announced a novel side mission that will unlock an encounter with Mewtwo.
Today’s release of Mega Lucario Z is a first for Pokémon Legends: ZA, as it adds a novel secondary Mega Evolution path to a species that already had it.
This move opens the door for other creatures already capable of Mega Evolution to also receive novel alternate designs (something previous data mines suggested was indeed likely).
Maximum aura. 😤👊 The newly discovered Mega Lucario Z debuts in #PokemonLegendsZA – Mega dimension! pic.twitter.com/Lzdhlz52eG
— Pokémon @ Lumiose City 🥐 (@Pokemon) December 2, 2025
Indeed, The Pokémon Company appears to hint at the appearance of other, alternate “Z” Mega Evolutions in the future, stating that this novel class of creature is unusual in that it requires less time to complete moves, albeit in exchange for a faster Mega Power burn.
“Lucario’s newly discovered form, Mega Lucario Z, has been deemed a Mega Evolution based on changes to its form under the influence of the Mega Stone and an increase in power far beyond that of the average Lucario,” reads the official blurb for the novel design.
“The long fur around Mega Lucario Z’s head and waist, as well as its fan-shaped tail, hinders a full view of Mega Lucario Z’s powerful moves. In close combat, this can visually disorient opponents. Areas of his body, such as the backs of his hands and shins, have been hardened with steel energy – allowing him to deliver powerful blows by concentrating his force precisely on these hardened parts.”
Already, fans are speculating which other existing Mega Pokémon might now get Z variants (and again, if you’ve seen the data-driven speculation, you might have some ideas).
Mega Lucario Z joins the growing menagerie of Mega Evolutions that will be part of Mega Dimension, the upcoming paid DLC for Pokémon Legends: ZA, launching on December 10. The expansion includes two novel Mega Raichu designs, as well as Mega Zeraora, although unlocking him will apparently be “a little bit difficult.”
In addition, all owners of the game now have access to a novel side mission that leads to an encounter with Mewtwo and allows players to Mega Evolve into their existing Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y designs. Simply enable the Mystery Gift feature in your game to start the novel mission.
IGN’s review of Pokémon Legends: ZA gave it an 8/10. We said: “Pokemon Legends: ZA finally feels like Game Freak is stepping up to the plate in the 3D era of Pokemon, with interesting scenery to explore, a well-written story, and a complete overhaul of the fighting system that works surprisingly well.”
Video game sales data firm Newzoo noted that ZA “underperformed compared to Legends: Arceus,” which could suggest some hesitation about the move to a real-time action-based combat system, or perhaps caution after the release of Scarlet and Violet State. Nintendo’s official sales figures show that Pokémon Legends: ZA sold almost 6 million copies in its opening week. Pokémon Legends: ZA, which debuted on October 16, has sold 5.8 million copies worldwide, about half of which were purchased for Switch 2. This means that the first Pokémon game to feature real-time Pokémon battles is the fifth best-selling game in the series in terms of first-week sales. For reference, that’s more than Pokémon X/Y and Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee managed in their first weeks, but not as much as Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Pokémon Sword/Shield.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
