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Is Pokémon Legends Z-A the best Pokémon game we’ve seen in ages?
by Domagoj Belancic
Think Pokémon’s for kids? You clearly haven’t read the manga
6-4-2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Kevin Hofer
My Pokémon phase ended over 25 years ago with the Red Version. Now, thanks to my son, I’m rediscovering the franchise – and the manga, too. Honestly, I probably should’ve waited a little with the latter.
«Dad, Dad, look! The Onix is falling apart!» my son shouts. Is he excited or just plain disturbed? I can’t tell. My first thought is that he’s exaggerating. After all, Pokémon battles involve water and flowers. But then I see it. A giant stoneworm cut into pieces.
My son’s reading the first volume of Pokémon Adventures. I gifted him the manga after he’d devoured the anime, finished playing Pokémon Let’s Go and battled his way through dozens of blocks in Pokopia. The manga’s rated eight plus, so perfect for my son – or so I thought.
It seems the dismembered Pokémon wasn’t a one-off. Time and again, my son shows me scenes I never would’ve expected from the franchise. I still don’t know why the manga’s so brutal. Maybe it’s down to the medium itself.
To give you an idea of the manga, I read the first few volumes and compiled the most intense moments.
Zombie Psyduck
The first volume already contains a surprise. Red travels through Kanto, collecting badges – business as usual for Pokémon fans. But things take a dark turn in Lavender Town. Mr Fuji reports that strange events are taking place at the Pokémon Tower. He adds that Blue’s already gone inside to check. So Red follows him.
As soon as he enters the tower, he comes across the ghosts of deceased Pokémon. However, the ghosts all look like the undead. When Red destroys the decaying remains of a Psyduck, it becomes clear: the corpses are being controlled by Ghost-type Pokémon. The story moves on quickly, but the image of zombie Psyduck sticks. Its sunken eye sockets and bulging eyeball look grotesque – especially on a Pokémon that’s usually really cute.
Charmeleon beheads Arbok
Things remain tense in the tower. Red finds Blue, who’s now possessed by a spirit, as is his Charmeleon. When Red dispels the Gastly responsible for the possession with a ray of sunlight, Blue comes to. But the danger isn’t over. Gastly belongs to Koga, a member of Team Rocket.
Koga sets Arbok on the two of them. He believes to have defeated Blue’s Charmeleon with Arbok’s Acid. But then Charmeleon strikes back. Using its tail, it splits Arbok in two. Although Arbok recovers later on, it’s now pretty clear that Pokémon Adventures is in a league of its own.
The Elite Four want to wipe out humanity
I always found Kanto’s Elite Four a bit suspect in the games. In the manga, they turn out to be total psychopaths. Agatha manipulates power-obsessed Bruno into believing that humans and Pokémon don’t belong together. Lorelei hates all humans for the suffering they’ve inflicted on Pokémon and uses mysterious ice powers against them.
Lance, who’s said to be able to talk to and heal Pokémon, harbours a deep hatred for humans. Together, the four plan to wipe out humanity and create a paradise for Pokémon. Granted, I always found them creepy, but genocidal murderers? I wasn’t expecting that.
The destruction of Vermilion City
The Yellow Saga shows just how serious the Elite Four are. Yellow’s searching for Red, who disappeared after the events of the Red and Blue Saga. To find him, she has to cross the sea with no water-type Pokémon or boat.
She enters a surfing competition to win a Dragonair that could carry her across the sea. But in the middle of the tournament, Lance shows up. His Dragonair fires a Hyper Beam at Vermilion City, destroying a large part of it. It’s unclear how many people have died. But the crater left behind by the attack speaks volumes.
Giovanni kills Magmar
Giovanni, the ruthless leader of Team Rocket, shows his true colours in the manga. Red’s battling two wild Magmar that have set the Pewter City Museum on fire. With Sandshrew’s help, he sets off a sandstorm that extinguishes the fire and renders the Magmar unable to fight. But Red refrains from attacking the defenceless Pokémon, as he doesn’t want to hurt them. Giovanni observes this and draws his conclusion: a strong trainer with a weak heart.
When the Magmar reappear and attack him, Giovanni freezes and destroys them. It’s one of the few moments in the manga where Pokémon actually die and don’t come back.
The murdering Gym Leaders
Pokémon Adventures keeps readers on the edge of their seat – quite often at the expense of the young heroes. Adults keep trying to kill them. Cruelly, smartly and often with a smile on their face.
Koga, who’s the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, plans to suffocate Blue and Red with Slugma before dissolving them with Arbok’s acid. Lt. Surge, the Gym Leader of Vermilion City, uses Electabuzz and Voltorb to shock Red and blow him up. Creative Pokémon strategies are a hallmark of the series. But when that creativity’s used to kill people, things take a dark turn.
In case you were wondering, I’ve allowed my son to keep reading the manga if he wants to, despite the explicit violence. He always asks me when he has questions or if something’s unsettled him. That way we can talk things through and contextualise it.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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