There is a lot of speculation surrounding what a sequel to Pokemon Legends: Arceus could look like, including where the game would take place and which starters would be chosen from previous generations to be its trio trainers. With Pokemon Legends: Arceus being set in a past version of the Sinnoh Region known as Hisui along with giving the player the choice between Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott as their starters, it's likely those are off the table for a sequel. Instead, the game could take players to a past version of Gen 3's Hoenn Region with a few past starters likely to make the cut this time around.

It's still up in the air where a Pokemon Legends: Arceus sequel would take place, but the region it is set in would likely affect which starters players are given the choice between. Rumors that a Pokemon Legends Unova game is in the works are circulating among the online community, but there has been no official confirmation that this is the case. As such, a Pokemon Legends Hoenn game is just as likely as any other region, and given the precedent set by Pokemon Legends: Arceus, it's unlikely any Gen 3 starters would appear as starters again in this game.

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The Pokemon Most Likely to Be Starters in a Legends Hoenn Game

Pokemon's Hoenn Region is based on the real-world Japanese province of Kyushu which is the southernmost of the country's four largest islands, with only Okinawa further south. As such, Kyushu has a subtropical climate and is home to many mountains, hot springs, and Japan's largest active volcano. It's clear how features of this province have been included in Hoenn's design from locales like Mt. Chimney and the hot springs of Lavaridge Town to the vast number of water routes, all of which play a hand in predicting which starters would be featured in a past version of the region.

With Hoenn's subtropical climate in mind, the most likely Grass-type starter for a Pokemon Legends Hoenn game would be Bulbasaur. Although Bulbasaur is iconic to Gen 1, the large plant bulb on its back gives it a very tropical look and according to its Pokedex entries, Bulbasaur needs to spend a lot of time napping in the sun in order to absorb energy through its bulb, making Hoenn's climate a fitting place for this mon. Additionally, a regional variant of Venusaur could gain the Psychic type as a secondary typing, similarly to how Alolan Raichu does when exposed to a tropical climate.

Sticking with the theme of reptilian mons, the best candidate for a Fire-type starter in this game would be Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Fuecoco. This Fire Croc would fit right at home among the volcanic areas of the Hoenn Region as it is said that Fuecoco likes to absorb heat from warm rocks, making a habitat on Mt. Chimney a natural location for it. Perhaps living among the rugged terrain around this volcano would warrant a regional variant of Skeledirge gaining the Fighting type as a secondary typing as well.

To complete the tropical reptilian trio of starters that would likely be found in a Pokemon Legends Hoenn game, the Water-type starter of choice would be Sobble. The Hoenn Region already has a native species based on a chameleon in Kecleon, so Sobble would likely also thrive in the same environment. It would also be interesting to see a Water/Dark-type regional variant of Inteleon since Kyushu is known for its industrial production which has led to controversy surrounding environmental degradation as shown through the conflict between Team Aqua and Team Magma in the Gen 3 games, so a variant of Inteleon based on corporate espionage in a game set during the industrial revolution seems plausible.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is available for Nintendo Switch.

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