Pokémon Legends: Arceus is filled to the brim with interesting plot points, but here is the lore the game doesn’t tell you but should have.
Although Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the most lore-heavy Pokémon games ever released, the open-world RPG also leaves some of these story elements completely unexplained. Set in the ancient past, Pokémon Legends has players surveying the Hisui region and its Pokémon in order to create what will eventually become the Diamond and Pearl Pokédex. Because the Sinnoh origin tale is the oldest game on the Pokémon franchise’s timeline, the RPG was able to touch on series lore never tackled before in previous Generation titles.
Throughout Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the game weaves these exciting lore elements into the world as the story progresses. In between creating the Hisui Pokédex and building up Jubilife Village, players are introduced to the ancestors of various beloved characters throughout the Pokémon franchise including many NPCs from Diamond and Pearl. The open-world title also includes some interesting revelations, such as the origins of Pokémon Centers, Poké Balls, and Sinnoh’s Ghost-type Spiritomb.
Despite the ambitious themes in Pokémon Legends: Arceus though, some players felt disappointed by the RPG’s heavy focus on gameplay over its story, especially when compared to Pokémon Sword and Shield‘s narrative-driven campaign. While Pokémon Legends: Arceus does introduce some incredible lore set pieces, the open-world title also sets up many of these moments without diving further into them. Below is a list of the Pokémon Legends: Arceus lore that isn’t explained but should have been.
At the very beginning of Pokémon Legends: Arceus players are greeted by Professor Laventon after waking up on Prelude Beach. At first, the game doesn’t seem to address much about the inquisitive professor’s backstory outside of him being the lead researcher of Pokémon for the Galaxy Team’s Survey Corps. Laventon however reveals some interesting information about his origins in the Hisui Pokédex entry for Raichu. In the journal’s description of the Pikachu evolution, the professor explains that the Electric-type Pokémon can incapacitate “Copperajah of my homeland.” With Copperajah’s first appearance being in 2019’s Sword and Shield, it appears that Laventon is from the Galar region.
Professor Laventon isn’t the only time that Galar seems to pop up in Pokémon Legends: Arceus either, as the Galaxy Team’s headquarters in Jubilife Village has two Chimney Stacks that are in the shape of Sword and Shield’s Galarian Weezing and its now-infamous mustache. With Professor Laventon playing such a pivotal role in the story, it’s a shame that his Galar roots were only teased as an Easter Egg, rather than a plot element. With many players believing him to be the ancestor of Hop and Leon, it would have been a great way to bridge the gap between Pokémon Legends: Arceus and the Generation Eight title.
While Volo is introduced early on in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the enigmatic character ends up playing a major role in the game’s overall plot. In the story’s final act, the merchant introduces players to the mysterious Cogita who enters the story seemingly out of nowhere. Throughout the remainder of Legends, the wise sage-like heroine seems to know everything about anything, including Arceus and each Legendary Pokémon hidden throughout the Hisui region. The game however doesn’t go any further with Cogita, and players are left wondering who she is. With her character design and clothing matching closely to Diamond and Pearl trainer Cynthia, it’s led some Pokémon fans to theorize that she is the Sinnoh Champion herself traveling through time.
Given her incredible importance to the Pokémon Legends: Arceus main story, it feels a bit underwhelming that Cogita isn’t given any further screen time. Similarly, Volo ends up dropping some major plot revelations at the very end of the campaign which only further leaves the story with questions. Ultimately, Pokémon Legends: Arceus feels like it has an important backstory with events happening outside of the player’s knowledge, only to give them a small peak in the last few hours of the game. This problem is largely tied to Volo and Cogita, who end up becoming the game’s most important characters without any sort of explanation.
Another incredible lore moment in the game is when players are introduced to Pokémon Legends: Arceus character Warden Ingo. Longtime fans of the series might immediately recognize him as one of the leaders of the Battle Subway in Pokémon Black and White. It’s revealed through the story that the Generation Five trainer has also fallen through the sky, and has lost all his memories of his previous life. This is particularly sad, as the character infamously had a twin brother in Black and White, who he now struggles to remember.
The problem is, not every Pokémon Legends: Arceus player knows who Ingo is, as he was technically an optional battle in the Unova region RPG which was released over a decade ago. Because of this, Ingo’s tragic story might not land for those unfamiliar with the Pearl Clan Warden’s origins. Given that Ingo is the second Pokémon Legends: Arceus character revealed to have traveled through time back to the Hisui region, the game really should have dove deeper into Ingo’s connection to Unova. Because the worn-down Warden is the only character who can relate to what the protagonist is going through, it seems like a wasted story moment.
After spending hours exploring Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ sprawling maps it’s easy to forget that the story opens with the main protagonist literally being kidnapped from their room. Without any context, the main character is suddenly hurled through space by the Mythical Pokémon Arceus and dropped into a world set hundreds of years in the past. While time-travel plot devices have actually existed throughout the Pokémon franchise, many players found it surprising when Pokémon Legends: Arceus doesn’t address what actually happens to the protagonist by the end of the game.
With the main Pokémon Legends: Arceus protagonist still in the Hisui region after the credits roll, does this mean the character is stuck in ancient Sinnoh forever? These questions are not answered, which has left players wondering if Arceus has stranded their character in the past. With Ultra Worm Holes introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Pokémon Legends: Arceus could have used its story to further explain how time travel works in the Pokémon universe. This would have also been a perfect opportunity, as the main character’s journey in Pokémon Legends: Arceus closely mirrors the Pokémon Platinum character Looker who has become a recurring character who has traveled through time. For as theme-heavy as Pokémon Legends: Arceus is, there were several lore moments that really deserved more.
Brent R. Koepp is a games journalist based out of Los Angeles, CA. An avid Pokemon fan for over 25 years, he has spent his career reporting on the popular Nintendo franchise. Following his role as a Pokemon Content Lead at another company, Brent is now a Pokemon Senior Writer for Screen Rant. You can follow him on Twitter @brentrkoepp.
