What Is A Mega? The Mega Evolution Controversy Of Pokémon Legends Z-A
Pokémon as a franchise was conceived by Junichi Masuda’s love for bug catching. The premise has been the same for over 25 years: you capture and battle with monsters. However, the Legends series starting with Pokémon Legends Arceus (2022), would aim to make changes to the core mechanics, allowing trainers to dodge attacks as they traverse the Hisui region. The upcoming Pokémon Legends Z-A (2025) looks to be continuing this trend.
Pokémon X and Y (2013) introduced Mega Evolutions, which allowed 26 Pokémon like Lucario and Charizard to reach new heights in both their power as well as their design. The remake of the Generation 3 games, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (2014), would introduce 20 new Megas. Transitioning into Generation 7, the franchise stopped adding new Mega Evolutions. Instead, the focus was on the new mechanic: Z-Moves. These were one-time nukes that could be activated by holding a Z-Crystal. Sun and Moon (2016) did give Megas their own Pokedex entries, with horrifying implications behind them. For reference, here is Mega-Scizor’s.
“It stores the excess energy from Mega Evolution, so after a long time passes, its body starts to melt.”
Generation 8 would bring about many controversial changes to the franchise moving forward, but one such change was erasing Megas. Not even Mewtwo and Charizard had the privilege to keep theirs. No word was spoken or whispered about Megas since then, that is until the world was shown the first teaser to Pokémon Legends Z-A, and the hype train was fueled by the return of Mega Evolutions. The kids who grew up playing Pokémon X and Y are now in high school or college, so that few second glimpse at the familiar Mega Evolution symbol was a huge dose of nostalgia for them. Legends Z-A would have a surprise waiting for us on July 22, 2025 with the reveal of Mega Dragonite, confirming that Pokémon that were left out of getting Megas in Generation 6 may have a second chance. Mega Dragonite was met with some positive reception. Still, a vocal enough crowd has expressed that this new Mega feels undercooked, which has made people worry that the other Megas will leave a disappointing taste in their mouths. Last month, Mega Victreebel was unveiled, which only made the pessimistic side of the Pokémon community feel more worried. Why is that?
There is this idea circulating that the Megas in Legends Z-A are designed to be more goofy compared to the classic Megas that were designed to be cool and edgy, but is that true? A noticeable pattern with older Mega Evolutions is that they tend to exaggerate or add features. The stingers on Beedrill become bigger, Houndoom’s horns grow larger, Blastoise gains an extra cannon, Absol grows wings, and so on. For Pokémon like Slowbro, the Shellder on its tail becomes so big it takes up Slowbro’s entire body, creating a goofy design. Slowbro was already inherently silly-looking to begin with, so this direction its Mega took was fitting.
Mega Dragonite, regardless of how you feel about it, does stick to the classic Mega design philosophy. I would argue it fits right in with other old Megas we have grown to appreciate. Its Mega form adds a big pair of wings like with Absol and makes Dragonite’s tail resemble its pre-evolution, Dragonair. Some people were disappointed that Mega Dragonite did not end up being a cool, scary-looking dragon, but that is not what Dragonite is. Many of its dex entries and appearances in the anime depict Dragonite as kind-hearted, so it does make sense for this goofy dragon to remain close to its original concept. Mega Victreebel, however, would flip the theoretical Mega Evolved script. It also changes the way we perceive Victreebel.
This pitcher plant Pokémon was made to appear somewhat intimidating, with its Pokedex entries stating that it lures its prey with a sweet aroma before devouring them whole. Spooky. Mega Victreebel, in contrast, looks goofy, and that was intentional. Its throat has been wrapped up by its vines to seal up the loads of acid filling up its tummy. The trailer that revealed it parodied horror video games like Resident Evil, and had Mega Victreebel jumping around with cartoon sound effects, subverting our expectations. Mega Victreebel even looks like it’s smiling when its throat is coiled up. With Dragonite and Victreebel, it seems like Game Freak was just making silly Mega Evolutions, but Mega Hawlucha broke this perception and received far more praise within the Pokémon community. This form dials back to the old formula, making simple changes to Hawlucha’s design. It appears bulkier, and it adorns a black and gold luchador mask.
Malamar would be next in line for a Mega Evolution, and this was hinted at through a creative marketing campaign dedicated to hyping up Malamar. Like Victreebel, Malamar’s Mega would make drastic changes to its design. Malamar has been elongated, its head tentacles form the shape of a brain, and its body now resembles the letter M. I would like to mention that there will be more Mega Pokémon in store once Legends Z-A releases, with the Kalos starters receiving Megas and Raichu getting the Charizard treatment for the upcoming DLC. That said, the sample size we have is an indicator that Mega Pokémon are going in a different direction, but not in the way the fanbase thinks.
Megas are not being made to be goofy, but rather, the design team is taking risks and experimenting like mad scientists, pushing what a Mega is with designs that make major changes to Pokémon like Malamar and Victreebel. When you have over 1,000 pocket monsters, you kinda have to start branching out, even if some of the designs do not end up sticking the landing.
Mega Victreebel received mixed reception. Some adored how outlandish and silly it looked. Others felt the new form departs too far from regular Victreebel for their tastes. People also forget that fans had mixed feelings for the first 26 Megas back when Pokémon X and Y was new. Some fans believed most of the Megas were lazy recreations of old Pokémon. I recall seeing comments about how awful Mega Evolutions are, and that they were just ripping off Digimon. Opinions are overall more positive these days, likely due to nostalgia, but it shows that the fanbase has a particular pattern they follow. Hate on the new and call it good 10 years later acting like they have always enjoyed it.
A 2018 interview has resurfaced online where art director Ken Sugimori describes his thought process of conceptualizing different Pokémon. In his words, “Keeping the balance” is the main goal. If something looks too cool or too cute, then Sugimori will add an element that tones them down. He uses Luxray as an example, which was given a larger head and round ears to contrast the sharp edges of its mane. Part of why Sugimori approaches designs like this is to make each of his creations memorable. He even directly states this in the interview.
“After all, as Pokémon that are being sent out to the world, we want them to always remain memorable; however, I feel that in order to do so you have to add a touch to it. For example, look at Oshawott’s cheeks. It has three freckles, and if you take them away Oshawott becomes cuter. However, taking them away makes its face less memorable. Actually, a lot of people told me “I want you to get rid of the freckles,” but I strongly insisted “It is better to have them.” Going by my standards, this is the correct way to design Pokémon.” – Ken Sugimori
We see this design philosophy in Legends Z-A. Like them or not, it is undeniable that the 9 of the new Megas introduced so far look distinct from each other. Some are weird, cute, cool, or a mix of all three. There would not be much internet reception for Mega Victreebel if not for it being a pitcher plant with a big dopey smile and tummy issues. To answer the question from the title, a Mega can be described as an artist revisiting an old concept years after creating it. In doing so, they exaggerate features or recontextualize how the concept is presented.