Pokemon Legends Arceus notably featured several expansive collection quests that challenged players to fully explore the Hisui region in order to acquire certain Pokémon. While Pokemon Legends ZA will almost certainly use gathering Zygarde cells as a replacement for Arceus' Spiritomb Wisps, what Pokémon will replace Unown is less clear. While the alphabetical thematic of Pokemon Legends ZA and its generation could mean the Unown themselves will see a recurring appearance, there are several Kalos Pokémon that could take up their role.

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Pokemon Legends ZA's alphabetic theme means the unknown could see a return
IN Pokemon Legends Arceus, players had to decipher messages written in “Own script” to determine the location of the 28 Unown hidden in the Hisui region. After obtaining all hidden Unown, players would then be able to capture Unown – including possible Shiny variants and even Alpha Unown – in the Solaceon Ruins area.
The Kalos region has always had an alphabetical theme, where the original games have been named Pokemon X and Y and with the legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal. The name of Pokemon Legends ZA follows that trend; the game is theorized to focus heavily on Zygarde due to its “Z” name, although the meaning of the “A” is currently less clear. Since the alphabet plays a role, it is possible that the letter-shaped Unown will return again and again need to be hunted by players, this time around Lumiose City. Unknown shaped like the letters “Z” and “A” could even potentially play a part in the plot, or unlock some special bonus when caught.
Kalos Pokemon that can potentially replace Unown
However, there are several Pokémon native to the Kalos region that can replace Unown as the subject of a large gathering quest in Pokemon Legends ZA. Pokemon X and Y had a heavy color and fashion focus to reflect the fact that France, particularly Paris, inspired the region. This use of fashion was not limited to fancy clothing for the player character, but was also reflected in several generations of Pokémon.
Vivillon
The most obvious choice would be Vivillon, a butterfly or moth-like Pokemon that evolves from Spewpa. The pattern on Vivillon's wings varies and represents different terrains and biomes such as River, Tundra or High Plains. There's even a Poke Ball-inspired pattern that was given out during several special events. With 20 known Vivillon patterns, this Pokémon would be the perfect choice for players to search around Lumiose City.
Flabebe, Floette and Florges
Two other Kalos Pokémon don't have nearly as many variants as Unown or Vivillon, but can still be used as part of a comprehensive collection quest. The first is the evolutionary line that starts with Flabebe and also includes Floette and Florges. Each Pokémon in this row has five forms based on the color of its flower, bringing a total of fifteen for players to collect if all three evolutions are included. Flabebe is one of the very first Pokémon that we saw in Legends ZAs launch trailer, which may indicate that it plays some role.
Furfrou
The other is Furfrou, a non-evolving Pokemon that can change its fur style. It has ten different “trims” that are usually obtained through grooming (but are available in different regions in Pokemon GO.) Since any game set in Lumiose City is sure to have tons of fashion and style options for the player character, a potential Furfrou quest could tie into that. Players may need to visit different salons and shops around Kalos to find different Furfrou trims, similar to stamp rallies run by real companies, or take a single Furfrou to multiple salons to unlock all of its fur styles.

Pokémon Legends: ZA is an ambitious new entry in the Pokémon video game series, releasing simultaneously worldwide in 2025. A new adventure awaits in Lumiose City, where an urban redevelopment plan is underway to shape the city into a place that belongs to both humans and Pokémon.
