Pokemon Legends: Arceus – The Ultimate Theory

After spending hours replaying Diamond & Pearl, I am convinced that Pokemon Legends: Arceus is connected to the Gen 4 remakes.

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating Pokemon games ever made. While its initial reveal appeared to tout a relatively simple premise – you’re in Ancient Sinnoh and need to uncover the secret of Pokemon God – each subsequent round of information has made it progressively more complex, to the extent that trying to decipher what’s going on in the game has become a fool’s errand. Fortunately for you, dear reader, I am a fool.

From the curious case of its globetrotting starters to the similarities between a benevolent initiative and Sinnoh’s most nefarious villains, there’s a lot to unpack from what we’ve seen of Legends: Arceus so far. After replaying parts of Gen 4 and spending several hours scouring esoteric wikis for the tiniest tidbits of information, I’m prepared to take on the Herculean task of tackling that unpacking. Here is my 100 percent sincere, absolutely not outrageous ultimate theory about what we can expect to see in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Let’s start with one of the topics that’s generated the most interest over the last few weeks: Noble Pokemon. What the hell are they? Kleavor, a Hisuian-exclusive alternate evolution of Scyther, is one. It also looks rubbish, but that’s beside the point. Wyrdeer and Basculegion – evolutions of Stantler and Basculin, respectively – are also listed as Noble Pokemon on the game’s official website, as well as a mysterious “lady Pokemon” presided over by Warden Arezu. That might not seem like a whole lot of information, but it’s more than enough for anyone willing to don their finest tinfoil hat.

The key here lies in the Wardens themselves, each of whom is trusted with protecting a “special Pokemon in the Hisui region” who is either “particularly powerful” or willing to “assist the people of the region.” So far, we’ve seen four of these trainers: Mai, Iscan, Lian, and Arezu. This alone allows us to start theorising.

Right off the bat, we can see that Mai, Iscan, and Lian all wear blue, Dialga-inspired outfits, while Lian boasts attire that appears to be based on Palkia. For what it’s worth, the map displayed on the official website also has Dialga- and Palkia-themed costumes in the top corners, meaning this will probably be a core theme throughout the game. It’s worth noting that Mai and Iscan both protect Noble Pokemon that double as mounts, whereas Lian looks after Kleavor, which is more of a Totem-inspired boss – in fact, the Japanese, Korean, and Italian words for “Warden” are the exact same as “Trial Captain” from Gen 7.

Meanwhile, Kleavor and Wyrdeer are both encountered in the Obsidian Fieldlands – if we put all of this information together, we can deduce that each individual region in the game will be home to two Noble Pokemon. It stands to reason that one will be a mount, and the other will be a tough, frenzied ‘mon we’re supposed to defeat. My guess is that Obsidian Fieldlands will be the introductory area given that Kleavor is level 18 in the trailer, so we’ve actually seen barely any of what Legends: Arceus has to offer yet. This is further compounded by its proximity to Lake Verity, matching the Twinleaf, Sandgem, and Jubilife starting point of Diamond & Pearl.

This also implies that there will be more Wardens. There are five core areas in Legends: Arceus, one of which is Mt. Coronet. This particular location will probably be reserved for the Arceus storyline, which leaves us with two Wardens in each of the remaining four areas, making for a total of eight – kind of like the conventional gym structure, right? We’ve already seen three people from the Dialga side, so it’s likely we’ll end up with four Dialga Wardens and four Palkia Wardens. Given that we only know Lian from the Palkia side so far, it’s a bit early to state that all Dialga Wardens will be tied to mounts and Palkia Wardens will preside over bosses. At the time of writing, however, that is exactly how it appears, so Arezu’s Noble “lady Pokemon” will probably serve some sort of traversal function.

I feel obliged to state that I’m not going to cover any leaks here, regardless of whether or not they lend further credence to any of my theories. We’re only going off the information that has been officially unveiled by Nintendo. My guess, then, would be that given the conditions established for all confirmed Noble Pokemon so far, the only remaining ‘mons that fit the description for Arezu’s Noble are Snorunt, Jynx, Kangaskhan, and Vullaby. Of these, I think Kangaskhan would be by far the most intriguing. There’s also the possibility of an alternate Glameow evolution, although I’ll get to that later.

Even with the mount and boss distinction, it’s likely that Noble Pokemon will replace typical HMs in Legends: Arceus, so it’s probably worth considering a blanket description of “utility” Pokemon. This integrates Hisuian Arcanine into the equation given Growlithe’s official description on the website states “the sharp horn on its head is made of rock, but it breaks easily, so Hisuian Growlithe uses it only when it’ll have the greatest effect.” Rock Smash, anyone?

That establishes who the Wardens are and what the term “Noble Pokemon” actually entails, although we’ve barely scratched the surface of how deep these details go. Given the clear Dialga/Palkia dichotomy that appears to be central to the game, it’s important to consider Gen 4’s Legendaries and their prominence in Diamond & Pearl. This cannot be done without discussing one specific character: Cyrus.

Cyllene, Galaxy’s Team’s head honcho in Legends: Arceus, is a clear descendant of Team Galactic’s ruthless overlord. This isn’t just me saying, “Oh, they both have blue hair.” The website confirms that Commander Kamado is an ancestor of Professor Rowan, before going on to state, “It seems that there are other people in this game who might also be ancestors to familiar faces you may know.” Arezu is a dead ringer for Mars – which is why I mentioned an alternate Glameow evo earlier – and is etymologically derived from Ares, Mars’ Greek counterpart. Mai, who looks identical to Gen 4’s Marley, means “rice.” So does Marley. Anyone who reckons Akari and Rei aren’t 100 percent related to Lucas and Dawn is taking the piss. With all of that said, and considering Cyrus’ central role in Diamond & Pearl, Cyllene is Cyrus’ great-great-great-granny, or something.

Or – and hear me out here: Cyllene is an alternate version of Cyrus. In Pokemon Platinum, after you defeat Cyrus in the Distortion World, you get a very weird note in your diary reading “Met Distortion World’s Cyrus!”, which implies that this version of Cyrus is in fact different to the one we meet on Spear Pillar. To build on this theory, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon’s Cyrus says, “My name is Cyrus. I would like to ask you one question. Is this world the new world?” Meanwhile, Pokemon Masters EX’s Galactic boss is completely unaware of where he is.

From Team Rainbow Rocket’s Ultra Wormhole usage to Cyrus’ own obsession with travelling through dimensions, it’s reasonable to assume that Cyllene is closer to Gen 4’s main antagonist than it might originally seem. That’s before we even consider actual Cyrus quotes like “If you discover any power derived from the legends of Sinnoh, inform me. For that power is what I need to create my new world.” and “I will break the secrets of the world. With that knowledge, I will create my own complete and perfect world. One day, you will awaken to a world of my creation. A world without spirit.” Don’t say he didn’t warn us, eh?

Theoretically, all of this is in line with existing Pokemon lore. The main question, then, is what on Earth you’re there for. My guess is that this is either an alternate reality where Lucas & Dawn chose to side with Team Galactic, or that time travel is involved. I know Pokemon stories are usually pretty rudimentary, although the series is no stranger to playing with time. Even the Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark trailer clearly highlights that the person recording the footage is not from Hisui and likely not even from that specific era. They’re surprised by the “blanketed snow,” which is weird given that Hisui is Sinnoh in the past, and can’t believe their eyes when they see wild Snorunt knocking about. They also mistake Zorua for Growlithe and Vulpix, displaying at least some familiarity with Kantonian ‘mons while being a complete stranger to Hisuian ones.

I think there’s something to be said about this footage coming from Canalave Library and being canonically restored by Professor Oak of all people – it’s not just “They had video recording technology in ancient times.” It’s that the person with that tech very clearly isn’t from there. Remember that Poke Balls in Hisui are still made from apricorns with steam technology and metal latches, implying that this is probably closer to 19th Century Sinnoh than the ancient civilisation everyone expected, but also that a lot of tech we see – including the horrible Arc Phone – needs to have come from somewhere else. Also our mission is to complete the Pokedex, which, you know… isn’t invented yet. Oak invents the Pokedex in Gen 1 – it’s no coincidence that he’s involved in this mystery.

On top of all of that, this game is called Legends: Arceus. Do you know what happens in Arceus and the Jewel of Life? Ash uses Dialga to go back in time and prevent someone from making Arceus so mad it destroys the modern world. Arceus, remember, is Pokemon God. It is not inherently benevolent and is capable of using its signature move, Judgment, to casually instigate the Pokemon equivalent of Judgment Day. People have been wondering what Arceus’ significance in this new game is, but a lot of the hypotheses I’ve read have been sort of boring. It’s not just going to be “play the Azure Flute and spend five minutes in the Hall of Origin.” Arceus is probably going to be the game’s Big Bad until you give it reason not to be – in Arceus and the Jewel of Life, the myth associated with it is literally, “Placate its rage. Lest destruction visit this land.” This brings me to my next and potentially most important point.

Let’s venture over to the official website for Legends: Arceus again and look at one inconspicuous but absolutely critical note. “While Pokemon Legends: Arceus is set in a different age than the Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl games, it seems that there are some connections to be found between them.” We’ve already discussed how some of the characters are clearly related to trainers we know from Diamond & Pearl, although that’s mentioned in a separate section of the website. This, then, is clearly referencing something else – I reckon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl’s conclusion is going to be the real intro for Legends: Arceus.

There are a lot of other hints that point to this, too. Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, like Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and FireRed and LeafGreen before it, is a remake of an existing generation. If we look at those games, we can clearly see that they all have postgame stories that are completely original to them, giving them a nuanced narrative edge over the games they’re based on. We can and should expect BDSP to similarly include postgame material designed to honour Platinum and expand on it.

Logistics back this up, too. With just 70 days between the release dates for BDSP and Legends: Arceus, this is the shortest window between two mainline Pokemon games in history. The gap between Sword & Shield and BDSP, meanwhile, is the longest. These games haven’t just been marketed alongside one another – they’ve also evidently been in simultaneous development with the intention of launching them one after the other. Also it’s the first solitary mainline game since Platinum, which is almost poetic except for the fact that, actually, it’s probably not all that solitary.

I think HeartGold & SoulSilver is probably the best point of reference for this. Despite being event-exclusive in the original Gen 2 games, Celebi’s appearance in Ilex Forest was integrated into HGSS as an in-game occurrence that everyone could experience. It stands to reason that we’ll see something similar with Arceus’ Hall of Origin event in BDSP, although I highly doubt it’s just going to be “You can catch Arceus!” For a while, I was convinced that Giratina would be the Pokemon at the heart of BDSP’s Delta Episode equivalent, but evidence pointing to Arceus is mounting fast. Also, despite not being entirely related, I would be annoyed at myself if I didn’t mention that Celebi’s shrine in Ilex Forest is identical to the one we see in Diamond & Pearl’s Celestic Town, a location that literally has a slogan saying “The Past Lives.”

I mean, SInnoh has always been about myths. Cynthia studies them, Cyrus is obsessed with them. Canalave Library is full of books about mythology… Legends: Arceus focusing on myths that are central to Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl isn’t exactly Farfetch’d, especially when you look at a map of Hisui and see that the three lakes are very clearly there. Obviously the Resort Area hasn’t been built yet, so Stark Mountain stands solitary in the northwest corner of Hisui, but even this could be tidily linked to Regigigas moving continents before being sealed in Snowpoint Temple. I’m not as invested in this idea as the rest of what I’ve discussed so far, but it would be pretty cool, especially given the introduction of Regieleki and Regidrago in Gen 8.

Then there’s the whole Giratina mythos. “It was banished for its violence,” reads its Pokedex entry. “It silently gazed upon the old world from the Distortion World.” Note that this says “old world” and not just “world,” implying that Giratina’s Distortion World isn’t just connected to our modern one, which ties right back to all of the points I made about Cyrus earlier in this piece. There is no way this game features no element of time travelling or dimension hopping.

Admittedly, my next point comes dangerously close to wishful thinking, but I am so interested in it as a concept that I’m going to share it anyway. As well as the Hall of Origin, Arceus is traditionally associated with the Sinjoh Ruins, a weird pocket dimension that appears to exist in some uncharted area between Sinnoh and Johto – that’s where the name comes from, innit. I would say this explains the reason Cyndaquil is in Hisui, although I think that’s just because people have travelled there from other regions – the Pokemon Presents where Legends: Arceus was announced specifically stated that. Instead, let’s just focus on why Johto is connected to Arceus as well as Sinnoh, and how that might inform the game’s lore.

The Sinjoh Ruins is inherently linked to the Ruins of Alph, which in turn is linked to Unown. The only known places where Unown have appeared so far in the mainline series are FireRed & LeafGreen’s Tanoby Ruins, Gold & Silver’s Ruins of Alph, and Diamond & Pearl’s Solaceon Ruins. Solaceon, ancient as it is, will inevitably be in Legends: Arceus, which means that hypothetically speaking Unown should be there, too. How is this all connected? Well, the Sinjoh Ruins is where Arceus recreated the Creation Trio in the Pokemon Adventures manga. Its goal here is to destroy both Sinnoh and Johto – again, Arceus is Pokemon God, but is much more akin to Old Testament, “I’m going to flood the planet” God.

Arceus is related to the Hall of Origin (Diamond & Pearl), Sinjoh Ruins (HGSS), and the Ruins of Alph, where the Azure Flute’s melody is integrated into the area’s music. If BDSP and Legends: Arceus are in fact connected, it stands to reason that we will visit at least one or all of these locations in order to effectively link Mt. Coronet with both the Distortion World and present day. Is this all starting to sound like gibberish? I’m so deep in this hole that I can’t really tell anymore. All I know is that Game Freak should hire me to write its next Pokemon story.

To wrap things up, let’s go right back to the first Legends: Arceus trailer. “This is a tale from long ago,” it says, implying that the speaker is in the present day. While this could be perceived as just a standard description of what the game entails, the rest of what’s said appears to be spoken from an in-universe perspective, which is further compounded by the emphasis on books and artefacts from the era. I firmly believe that Legends: Arceus begins where Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl’s conclusion ends. It may not be a direct segue, but it will definitely inform the events of it, in which we’ll probably need to calm down the Noble Pokemon either Arceus or Cyrus has roused to fight back against the encroaching plague of humanity. To me, that sounds like a brilliant premise for the game. I can’t wait to see my hopes and dreams shattered when it’s just, “Oh, you caught every Pokemon, now Arceus wants to say hello – thanks for playing!”

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