Pokémon Legends: Z-A has leaked ahead of its October 16 release date, which means that fans are uncovering all the game’s new mega evolutions. Most of them won’t be a surprise, as the full list of mega evolutions also leaked months ago alongside descriptions of what fans could expect. Knowledgeable fans were already aware that mega Starmie was supposed to stand tall above the rest, literally. But no text description could prepare anyone for what the water-type monstrosity would look like in motion.
Mega Starmie’s got legs for days. The new iteration of the jewel-encrusted star looks exactly like the basic version of Starmie, except that the bottom two tips are elongated. Rather than floating like normal Starmie, the mega version is fully bipedal. Pokémon Legends: Z-A features real-time battling that allows players to move their monsters around the battlefield, and mega Starmie takes full advantage of the new mechanics. In the leaked footage, you can see a boss battle with mega Starmie where it repositions itself to attack the player with a water-based attack. My favorite detail? Starmie’s also got knees now. Behold. You’ve got to see the actual video below, as screenshots cannot do this justice:
Mega Starmie’s got the vibe of a meme or a shitpost, so naturally fans are eating it up. Some people hate it and consider it freaky, akin to something like the unsettling design of weird Mario. Other people love it and consider mega Starmie one of Game Freak’s most inspired creations. Whatever the case, everyone is talking about Starmie right now.
“I adore this thing, almost definitely going on my team,” reads one reply on the X post with hundreds of thousands of views. “Im sorry its the best thing theyve ever made like the most troll thing ever,” says a quote reply on the post.
But for every like, there’s a fan who is convinced Game Freak has ruined Starmie.
“That’s not real, please tell me that’s AI or something…” one fan pleads. “Like why does it need to run?” another fan asks, “In [its] base form it can cover more speed by levitating and spinning around! This is major conceptual nerf,” the fan declares.
Comparisons abound. Some people think mega Starmie looks like Spongebob’s Patrick Star, but in heels. Its run is being likened to something out of Attack on Titan. Earthbound‘s Starman is a common contrast.
What’s wild, though, is that mega Starmie is no joke. Leaked stats show that it has a special attack of 130, a speed of 120, and an absurd physical attack of 140. “This thing is crazy, this might be one of the craziest megas in the game with this base stat total,” says Pokémon YouTuber aDrive. The base stats are so good, fans almost can’t believe it’s real.
As for the Pokédex entry, it’s as silly as you would expect. “Its movements have become more humanlike,” leaked screenshots say. “Whether it’s simply trying to communicate or wants to supplant humanity is unclear.”
The main thing I’m wondering right now is what the catch is. As dedicated fans know, mega evolutions are supposed to be horrifying for the creatures that endure it. Previous Pokédex entries imply that monsters will break their bones or lose their mind to reach mega evolution. Failing that, there’s always some twisted implication about the mega evolution in question. So while everyone is out here cracking jokes or making fun of mega Starmie, those legs are probably killing it or something.
But why think about that when you can just enjoy the memes?
