Game Freak's latest Pokemon games, Pokemon Sword & Shield, are based on Great Britain. As is often the case, the amount of detail the team put into the games regarding myth and lore is outstanding. Credit to Game Freak, the company clearly did its research when it came to Pokemon Sword & Shield's setting.
Not only has the landscape been thoroughly researched, but many of the new Galar Pokemon are inspired by Great British fares, including cups of tea and sheep. The two mascot Pokemon, Zacian and Zamazenta, are no exception in this regard having been based on some fascinating British lore with no expense spared on the details.
Updated September 3, 2021 by Tom Bowen: The team over at Game Freak has always put a lot of time and effort in when it comes to creating their mascot Pokemon. Since gen 2, they've all been legendaries, which certainly helps them to stand out from the crowd, though some have still managed to make a much bigger splash than others. The most recent duo, Zacian, and Zamazenta, are two of the most memorable mascots to date, both due to their immense power and the tremendous amount of trivia relating to their designs and origins. Those looking to find out more hidden details about Zacian and Zamazenta have come to the right place, as many of the most interesting facts and theories can be found right here.
12 The Warrior Pokemon And Their Types
Both Zacian and Zamazenta are known as Warrior Pokemon and have two different forms, the second of which requires a special held item. The first form for both Pokemon is called the Hero of Many Battles, where Zacian is a Fairy-type and Zamazenta is a Fighting-type. The second form name for each is slightly different, however, along with their type.
Zacian is named the Crowned Sword when holding the Rusted Sword item and also becomes a Fairy/Steel-type. Zamazenta, on the other hand, is known as the Crowned Shield when holding the Rusted Shield and becomes a Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon.
11 Do They Have Genders?
Officially, both Pokemon are genderless, so when it comes to Pokemon breeding, it's impossible to obtain them in egg form. However, for those curious, legends state that Zacian and Zamazenta are rivals and siblings, even though both are technically genderless.
In the English Pokedex, Zacian is stated to be the elder sister of Zamazenta and fights to protect her younger brother with her sword. Of course, this makes Zamazenta the younger brother, given the role of guardian to defend his elder sister from danger with his shield. Though their gender is a bit of a gray area, it's clear that they share an unbreakable bond with each other.
10 They Share The Same Cry
There's plenty of evidence to suggest that Zacian and Zamazenta are siblings, particularly when it comes to their cry. For the most part, it's exactly the same, with the only real difference being that Zamazenta's is higher-pitched than Zacian's.
This could also be seen to support the idea that Zamazenta is Zacian's sister, as female Pokemon have traditionally been given higher-pitched cries than their male counterparts. Together with Eternatus, the pair are also unable to Dynamax, which serves as yet another sign that they could be related.
9 They Have Their Own Unique Moves
Being a Legendary Pokemon comes with an array of perks. As well as being two of the strongest Pokemon in their respective games, they both have access to a powerful signature Pokemon move that no other Pokemon can use. Well. Kind of.
Zacian has Behemoth Blade and Zamazenta has Behemoth Bash, both of which are steel moves and have the same effect. It's a pretty useful effect too, as when their target is either Gigantamaxed or Dyanamxed; the attacks will deal double damage.
8 What About Ditto?
The only other Pokemon that is able to use Behemoth Blade and Behemoth Shield is Ditto. This is only possible, however, when Ditto transforms into either Zacian or Zamazenta, so technically it is no longer a Ditto when it uses them.
What's interesting is that the animation of Ditto using Behemoth Blade is slightly broken, leading to it glitching out and becoming a move with no animation at all. The starting pose of the attack does happen, but the move animation does not trigger. Perhaps this means the power of the move is just too much for Ditto to handle.
7 They Are Incredibly Powerful
As both are Legendary Pokemon, it's perhaps unsurprising to learn that Zacian and Zamazenta are incredibly powerful. In fact, in their Crowned Sword and Crowned Shield forms, no Pokemon can better their 720 base stat totals without the assistance of Mega Evolution. They're actually tied with Arceus in this regard, the God Pokemon.
Zacian, while in its Crowned Sword form, has the highest base attack out of all of the Fairy-types and also has the highest base speed stat out of every Fairy and Steel-type Pokemon. Zamazenta, on the other hand, has the highest base stats for defense and special defense when compared to the rest of the fighting and steel-type Pokemon in the games.
6 They're Surprisingly Heavy
Just like their base stats, Zacian and Zamaenta also boast some pretty big numbers when it comes to weight. In fact, no Fairy or Fighting-types weigh more than them, suggesting that sometimes, bigger really is better,
Zacian is the heaviest Fairy-type Pokemon at 242.6 lbs (115.5 kg), which is more than double the weight of the next heaviest, Cresselia. Zamazenta is the heaviest Fighting-type at a whopping 464 lbs (210kg), though neither it nor its sibling comes close to matching Eternatus, who weighs in at a mind-blowing 2094 lbs (950kg.)
5 Zacian May Be Based On King Arthur's Sword
Great Britain is steeped in myth and legend, and because of that, many believe that Zacian could represent King Arthur's legendary sword, Excalibur. Even though Zacian is genderless, in Great Britain, she is portrayed as female because of the myth of the Lady of the Lake, who first entrusted Excalibur to the legendary king.
The familial ties of Zacian and Zamazenta are likely inspired by Morgan le Fay, who was widely believed to have been King Arthur's sister. Though this hasn't been confirmed, it wouldn't be too surprising given the series' long history of basing its Pokemon on myth and legend.
4 Zamazenta May Be Based On King Arthur's Shield
Just like Zacian, Zamazenta may have been created from legends of old and could potentially be a physical representation of King Arthur's shield Wynebgrthucher- otherwise known as the Pridwen. Another theory is that it's not his shield, but instead the famous round table around which he and his entrusted knights are said to have sat.
So just to summarize, in terms of object, Zamazenta is either a shield or a symbolic table, while in terms of character spirit, he is King Arthur while Zacian is his sister Morgan le Fay. Either that or they're both just really powerful Pokemon that would strengthen any trainer's team.
3 Their Names Are Based On Colors
Whether or not King Arthur really did inspire the lore behind Zacian and Zamazenta is a matter for debate. The origins of the pair's names, however, are a little more straightforward. In Japan, they're known as ザシアン (Zashian) and ザマゼンタ (Zamazenta) which are pronounced the same way as the expressions "That Cyan" and "That Magenta" respectively.
Though perhaps not entirely obvious at first glance, these names and colors also had an impact on the duo's color palettes. Those lucky enough to have encountered their shiny forms out in the wild will already know that shiny Zakian is a cyan color while shiny Zamazenta is magenta.
2 Being Wolves Is Very Symbolic
Wolves were once native to Great Britain, which is a little strange to think about for anybody who's been there recently. During the Middle Ages though, they become a symbol associated with noble families due to their noble and courageous nature.
This goes hand in hand with the legends above; Zacian and Zamazenta are King Arthur's sword and shield and are bound together by ties of family and blood. Them being wolves is also significant, and shows how much time and effort Game Freak made to research British legends.
1 King Arthur's Return
King Arthur, more or less, achieved mythological standing. Based on that, a few historical reports claimed that King Arthur would one day reappear during Britain's time of need to save his people when they needed him most. Sword & Shield incorporate a similar legend, only this time, it actually came true.
During ancient times, Zacian and Zamazenta saved the land of Galar from impending darkness. After the battle, both were deeply wounded, so they returned to their shrine in the Slumbering Weald, where they laid down their weapons and went to sleep until needed again.