10 Pokemon that deserve a regional variant in Pokemon Legends Z-A

News of Pokemon Legends Z-A has gotten many fans of the franchise excited and at the edge of their seats as they wait for information about the title. One topic many fans are eagerly discussing is the potential for new regional variants to be released in these new titles. Pokemon Legends Z-A will feature Lumiose City at varying times in history, so it would be safe to assume that the early days of the settlement may have seen some different creatures than what the Kalos region is known for today.

Since Legends Arceus featured Hisuian forms, Z-A could very well feature Kalosian forms. Here are some monsters that could use such treatment in the upcoming title.

10 Pokemon that need Kalosian variants in Pokemon Legends Z-A

1) Rattata

Rattata would be very interesting to see receive a regional variant in Pokemon Legends Z-A (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Given how early Kalos will most likely take inspiration from early European history, it would be safe to assume that rodent Pokemon will be present in Legends Z-A. Since rats were notorious for spreading deadly diseases, a Poison-type regional variant for Rattata and Raticate could make for an interesting reimagining of the original rodent in the franchise.

2) Polteageist

Polteageist's original design was inspired by old English tea pots (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Polteageist and its relative species have become interesting creatures across the world of Pokemon. Polteageist is a black tea ghost that lives in a tea pot, fitting for a region based in the United Kingdom. Poltchageist is a matcha tea ghost living in a traditional Japanese-style tea pot, which makes sense since it lives in the land of Kitakami. As such, a Polteageist featuring more French-inspired designs could be nice to see.

3) Miltank

Miltank has seen little to no attention in recent years, but Tauros has had three different Paldean forms (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Miltank and Tauros have been considered pseudo-variants of one another for quite some time since Tauros is a bull and Miltank is a cow. In Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Tauros received new Fire, Water, and Fighting-type regional forms, but Miltank was never available in these titles. As such, it might be time for Miltank to have a turn in the spotlight.

4) Cranidos

Fossil Pokemon have never received regional variants (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Fossil Pokemon could be a very interesting topic for regional variants. Although Cranidos was originally based on the Pachycephalosaurus, it is not the only dinosaur with an interesting skull. The Lophostropheus is a dinosaur species with fossils discovered in France. This ancient lizard also has an iconic head shape and could make for an interesting base for a Kalosian Cranidos.

5) Shieldon

Since Cranidos appeared alongside Shieldon, it would make sense for it to receive a new regional form as well (Image via Game Freak)

Shieldon was originally a Pokemon Pearl-exclusive monster, while Cranidos was exclusive to Diamond. If Cranidos gets a new regional form based off a species of dinosaur discovered in France, its counterpart should receive one as well. Basing it off of the Dacentrurus could be an interesting way to give this defensive wall the Iron Barbs ability, almost guaranteeing its viability in competitive play.

6) Cubone

Cubone's theme of death could make for a great Grim Reaper or Plague Doctor-inspired regional form (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Aromatisse was originally meant to be seen as a plague doctor Pokemon, its design fell flat for many fans. Cubone and its evolution, Marowak, could make for a decent base to retry this idea in Pokemon Legends Z-A. With Cubone having a freaky mask and a club already, it would be fairly easy to rework these into a mask and a potential cane.

7) Charizard

Charizard could be one of the three Starter Pokemon for Pokemon Legends Z-A, which means it would receive a regional variant (Image via The Pokemon Company)

French folklore is host to many unique types of creatures. One of these is the Guivre, a type of dragon with venomous breath, rather than fire. This could make for an interesting base for a Fire and Poison-type Kalosian Charizard in Pokemon Legends Z-A. While many fans may not be happy to see Charizard receive more special treatment from Game Freak, the potential this concept cannot be ignored.

8) Applin

The Applin family has seen some nice attention from Game Freak in recent years (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Like Wiglett is to Diglett, Applin could be to a hypothetical Grapplin that could make its debut in Pokemon Legends Z-A. Since the game will focus on Lumiose City at varying stages of development, there could be a time when grape plantations could be seen in reference to vineyards. This would also give Game Freak another reason to introduce a new Dragon-type to the franchise.

9) Floette

Floette has been the subject of interest for many hardcore Pokemon fans for quite some time (Image via The Pokemon Company)

In the end-game cutscene for Pokemon X and Y, the old king of Kalos, AZ, reunited with his long-lost companion, a special variant of Floette. This Floette was once planned to be available for players to obtain through a distribution event, but for whatever reason, this occasion was canceled. It would be interesting to see this form of Floette reintroduced as a regional variant in Pokemon Legends Z-A.

10) Snubbull

Snubbull is based on the bulldog, but a regional variant based on the French Bulldog could be an interesting idea (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Snubbull is a creature that sort of fell off after its debut in the second generation. Many long-time fans are still unaware that this monster received the new Fairy typing in the sixth generation since it was only available on the Nintendo Switch in the post-game Grand Underground of the Sinnoh region remakes until the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Indigo Disk. With this in mind, the species could use some touching-up for Pokemon Legends Z-A.