Pokémon Legends: Z-A Player Unearths Ash & Pikachu Easter Egg

Pokémon players might have found the hidden Ash & Pikachu Easter Egg in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but if you haven’t, continue reading.

Ash and Pikachu might no longer be the faces of the Pokémon franchise anymore but their legacy lives on, and it seems like Game Freak just couldn’t help but put a cheeky reference to them in its latest Legends game.

In Pokémon Legends: Z-A you’ll find a variety of trainers standing around Lumiose City waiting for a scrap, but if you head to one of the city’s many parks that has a tennis court nearby you’ll meet the familiar faces.

This kicks off a side-quest titled "The World's Greatest Pikachu," so it should be pretty easy to find them, just check your map for the “!” scattered around and look for one near a park.

Upon meeting them you’ll notice the pair resemble Ash and his trusty companion but of course it’s not actually them.

Nevertheless it’s a delightful little nod to the characters who’ve become such an enormous part of the series given the anime’s success. If the battle with this trainer got you wanting a Pikachu of your own I’d recommend tackling the Alpha Pikachu in Wild Zone 6. You’ll find it on one of the rooftops and if you can catch it it’ll make for a powerful ally especially if you evolve it into a Raichu with a Thunder Stone.

You probably won’t share the same bond Ash and his Pikachu did, but that was always going to be a tall order.

The Pokémon Company

Ash and Pikachu's last hurrah

While Pikachu isn’t going anywhere anytime soon the pair that debuted in Pokémon: Indigo League have moved on from the anime adaptation.

Ending 26-year television run the two beloved heroes said goodbye in an episode titled "The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!" which aired in Japan on 24 March 2023. It harkened back to the very first episode and was a touching send-off, though at the time fans were hoping for a little more.

They’ve since been replaced by Liko and Sprigatito, the protagonists of Pokemon: New Horizons.

It would be cool to see Ash and Pikachu appear in an actual Pokémon game one day, perhaps in a climactic battle like Red in Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal.

Modern Pokémon games have been missing some strong rivals so why not pluck a few from the TV series to give us something to look forward to?