Zygarde

About

Zygarde is a legendary Pokémon introduced in the sixth generation of Pokémon games, Pokémon X&Y. In the years since its appearance in the games, the Pokémon generated a significant fandom, in part due to a joking belief among Pokémon fans that it had been snubbed of a role as a box art Pokémon for a third game in the sixth generation of games, hypothetically titled Pokémon Z, that never came. However, the 2024 announcement of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which will take place in Kalos, the same region as Pokémon X&Y, renewed interest in Zygarde, as fans speculated the Pokémon may be the focus of the game.

Origin

Zygarde is a Dragon/Ground-type Legendary Pokémon introduced in Pokémon X&Y.^[1] It is thought of as the third Pokémon in the Aura Trio, alongside box art Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal. Zygarde first appeared in what would come to be known as its "50% form," resembling a lizard (shown below).

In later games, it would gain two additional forms, known as the "10% Forme," resembling a dog, and a "Complete Forme," resembling a humanoid mech (full line shown below). In Pokémon Sun and Moon, to achieve the different forms, players will need to collect Zygarde Cells and Cores, of which there are 100 in the game, and the percentage of collected Cells and Cores dictates the form Zygarde can take.

Spread

Zygarde became a fan favorite among Pokémon fans, leading to the creation of memes and fan art featuring the Pokémon. For example, on May 21st, 2015, Twitter user ev_matsu^[2] posted art of Zygarde, gaining over 320 retweets and 500 likes over nine years (shown below, left). On December 21st, 2016, Redditor the-jtds posted art of Zygarde's 10% Forme to /r/pokemon,^[3] gaining over 1,000 points in seven years (shown below, right).

Among some Pokémon fans, there was a belief that Zygarde was supposed to be the box art Pokémon for a companion game in the generation, hypothetically titled Pokémon Z, as up to that point Pokémon had traditionally followed the first games of a generation with either a sequel or a companion game featuring a third legendary Pokémon on the box art (such as Pokémon Emerald with Rayquaza or Pokémon Platinum with Giratina). However, a Zygarde-centric Pokémon Z never came, leaving fans to speculate and joke about Zygarde being "snubbed" (example memes shown below).

However, in February of 2024, The Pokémon Company announced Pokémon Legends: Z-A, a game in their Legends franchise that is set to take place in Kalos, the same region where Zygarde originated. While not much is known about the game as of February 29th, 2024, many fans speculated that the "Z" in the name is an indication that Zygarde would play a major role in the game, thus making good on the hypothetical Pokémon Z that never came.

For example, on February 27th, Twitter user @ndacnhan^[4] posted an It's Been 3000 Years meme featuring Zygarde celebrating Pokémon Legends: Z-A, gaining over 300 retweets and 1,200 likes in two days (shown below, left). The same day, user TheFerydra posted an I Lived Bitch meme featuring Zygarde to /r/pokemon,^[5] gaining over 900 points in two days (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References