One of the charms of the Sinnoh region is the abundance of diverse legendary Pokemon that populate its shores. With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl now confirmed to be launching on the Nintendo Switch this November, trainers will once again have the opportunity to reconnect with some of the franchise's best legends. Three in particular are often overlooked thanks to the likes of Dialga, Palkia, and Arceus, those being Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. What's striking about the trio is how surprisingly similar to the legendary cover stars of Pokemon Sword and Shield they are.
At first glance, it might be hard to believe that the trio shares much in common at all with Zacian and Zamazenta, especially when it comes to physical appearances or even aspects like typing and stats. However, peel away at the surface to the lore and themes behind each legendary Pokemon, and their similarities become a lot more apparent. Both teams share an unbreakable connection to the lands they call home, more so than many other legends, which greatly benefits their respective statuses within the franchise. It's for this reason that Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf could become more prominent once they're rediscovered in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
Unique Legendary Pokemon Lore
The first similarity between the two sets of legends can be seen when examining the in-game details that relate to their respective origins. In the stories of the Sinnoh region, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf were created at the start of the universe by the Legendary Pokemon Arceus, and are referred to collectively throughout Pokemon Diamond and Pearl as the Lake Guardians. Individually, the fairy shaped Pokemon represent emotions, knowledge, and power, and are cited as being responsible for humanity learning each of these forces.
From a lore perspective, their distinction as the Lake Guardians is a striking detail that could subtly connect them to Zacian and Zamazenta. Being based on the Arthurian Legend of the United Kingdom means that a lot of the backstory behind the pair comes directly from those stories and myths. Zacian in particular is represented throughout Pokemon Sword and Shield's Galar region as a physical realization of Excalibur, a sword believed to have been entrusted to King Arthur by the otherworldly Lady of the Lake. That description and moniker sounds suspiciously similar to the role Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, undertake within the Pokemon world.
Collectively, Zacian and Zamazenta are referred to as the Hero Duo in the legends of Galar, and were said to have also helped humanity in a similar capacity to mentoring role the Lake Guardians themselves once undertook. These similarities make it easy to imagine that the two sets of Pokemon might have some sort of history between each other, with Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, possibly being the source or inspiration for the duo's power. With Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl being a part of the 8th generation of games, there's a real chance that the connection could be referenced directly in the remade version of Canalave Library, like a host of other legends from the Pokemon universe.
Similar Story Roles
Similarities between the sets of Legendary Pokemon don't end there though, and continue to become more convincing when comparing the plots of Pokemon Sword and Shield, with the original Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum. In those later three games, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf play an important role in both the plans of the evil Team Galactic's Cyrus, as well as his eventual downfall. One of the powers that Arceus imbued the Lake Guardians with was the ability to directly control Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, in order to prevent their cosmic powers from ever being thrown out of balance. Having been captured because of this during the games, and then manipulated into creating the Red Chain, the three return in the end to calm the situation and prevent the world from being destroyed by the Creation Trio.
Their role within those chain of events remarkably parallels the one that Zacian and Zamazenta serve within Pokemon Sword and Shield's narrative. Towards the end of those games, the Hero Duo return to the region to prevent the out of control Eternatus from plunging the world back into the Darkest Day, having previously prevented the calamity once before in the distant past. The untrusting nature they display in the run up this, during the opening of the games, also mirrors the skeptical stance Uxie, Mesprit, and Uxie, take towards humanity within Diamond and Pearl. One of the darker aspects of Pokemon lore points to the Lake Guardians' mistrust of people, and the fact they've been known to drain the emotions, willpower, and memory of humans.
Their Uniqueness Amongst Legends
One of the mysteries that's always surrounded Legendary Pokemon throughout the franchise's history is just how rare these supposedly special creatures actually are. While one of each is only ever available to the player in each game, the interconnected nature between generations and reappearances of every legend suggests that a case can be made for many being individuals within a much bigger species population. Spin-off media like the various Pokemon anime and manga support this further by the fact that multiple trainers have been depicted to be in possession of the same Legendary Pokemon. The Lake Trio and Hero Duo both defy this more than a lot of other legends, by the ways in which they're interwoven intimately with their respective regions.
Even though Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, have appeared in at least one game from each Pokemon generation since their introduction, they're still inseparable from the Sinnoh lakes and legends at the core of their origin. Zacian and Zamazenta are exactly the same, being directly embedded within the lore and history of the Galar region in a way that's hard to imagine them ever shaking off entirely. The Slumbering Weald is name dropped multiple times throughout Sword and Shield as their native habitat, in the same way that lake Acuity, Verity, and Valor are for the Lake Guardians. Each team of Pokemon also holds a level of power and influence over their own corner of the world, that makes it hard to imagine there's multiple floating around, simply for the fact it would dilute their importance in the climatic instances in which they appear.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will release for Nintendo Switch on November 19, 2021.