Rumors have been circulating about a potential sequel to Pokémon Legends: Arceus, similarly titled Pokémon Legends: Celebi. The latest installment of the massively popular franchise has been very well received by critics and fans alike, seemingly beginning a new era for the long-running Pokémon video game series. With the upcoming release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet still a ways off, attention has turned to Legends: Celebi, a speculative title that has come from a couple impressive fan-made trailers.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus just recently released in late January of 2022, but its reinvention of the series’ formula has already caused a lot of excitement in regards to future games. Pokémon notoriously releases games very frequently, often iterating on gameplay mechanics only slightly, a trend which causes ire with certain players in the fandom. Arceus was the most refreshing entry in a long time, and the reveal of Scarlet and Violet prove Pokémon‘s open-world future may actually come to pass and wasn’t a one-off occurrence for the Legends spin-off. The excitement for where the series is headed, combined with the community’s propensity for fan-made content, has resulted in Pokémon Legends: Celebi, a fictional sequel to Arceus that continues its exploration of historical regions.
So far, Pokémon Legends: Celebi is entirely speculative, and there are no known plans for a dedicated follow-up to Arceus. There is frequently multiple Pokémon projects on the horizon – like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Legends: Arceus being promoted simultaneously and releasing months apart – but Game Freak and Nintendo have yet to reveal any plans beyond Scarlet and Violet, which are expected to release sometime before the end of 2022. The ending of Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes a sequel in Hisui unlikely, so fans have turned to the Johto region as a possible next setting for a future Legends spin-off. Each region could theoretically find a way to house an interesting story in a bygone era, but 3D animator YassiR has released a couple convincing trailers on YouTube for the non-existent Legends: Celebi that have fueled more discussion.
Why Fans Want An Arceus Sequel Like Pokémon Legends: Celebi
An open-world Pokémon game has been requested for a very long time, and even though Legends: Arceus isn’t seamlessly explorable, its more open format excited many who felt the series had grown stale. On top of the revamped game world, Legends: Arceus made many important tweaks to Pokémon‘s core systems of catching and battling. The game is incredibly streamlined and keeps the player engaged more consistently than previous Pokémon titles, but as a spin-off, there was a fear that Pokémon would go back after Legends: Arceus, abandoning the new mechanics with a return to a fixed-camera perspective and instanced battles. Those fears have so far been unfounded, with the Scarlet and Violet reveal trailer hinting that much of the new format remains intact.
Another major draw to Legends becoming a spin-off series is the chance for players to return to old regions in ways that aren’t just remakes. Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl took players to Sinnoh (formerly Hisui) as well, but Arceus offered a look at the region from a unique perspective. With Celebi first coming to the series in Generation 2, a Legends game with the Mythical Pokémon in the title could take players into the history of Johto, the setting of Gold and Silver and Crystal. Just like how Sinnoh was called Hisui in Legends: Arceus, there would likely be a historical title given to Johto, which has remained a popular region since it debuted in Japan in 1999.
Johto’s History Would Be Interesting In Pokémon Legends: Celebi
Pokémon Gold and Silver already had a strong focus on its five Legendaries – Ho-Oh, Lugia, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune – who have a backstory that would make a good frame for a Legends: Arceus sequel. Ho-Oh and Lugia used to roost atop Bell Tower and Brass Tower respectively in Ecruteak City, until the Brass Tower was struck by lightning, subsequently burning to the ground. Three Pokémon perished in the blaze, and were later revived by Ho-Oh, becoming the Legendary Beasts Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. A Pokémon Legends: Celebi wouldn’t have to explore this narrative directly, but it could engage with a Pokémon theory alleging the Legendary Beasts were Eeveelutions originally. This time period could also offer some variation from Arceus, since there were apparently more humans living in Johto roughly two centuries ago – at least enough to build two nine-story towers in Ecruteak City.
The events of the burning tower are mentioned explicitly by YassiR in the video descriptions for the Pokémon Legends: Celebi trailers, and provide an example of how Celebi could come into play. Like Arceus, Celebi would be the narrative device in bringing the player character backward in time. YassiR suggests that Celebi could bring the player character into the past in order to stop a war that ensued following the Brass Tower’s burning, but inadvertently sent the player too far back. Little else is known about the history of Johto, meaning there’s plenty of room for big Pokémon Legends story beats if this is where Game Freak decided to take the spin-off series.
Pokémon Legends: Celebi Trailer Shows Possible Improvements
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is widely celebrated but it isn’t without issue, and the fan-made trailer for Celebi contributed to the discussion about a sequel by hinting at improvements that can be made. One such change would be the addition of follow Pokémon, a feature that has been in multiple games. Despite Legends: Arceus letting players release their Pokémon from their Poké Balls for a short time, none could be designated to appear as a follower while exploring Hisui. Another is showing what a Pokémon Legends game could look like with more densely filled environments. Barren areas is a common criticism, and while Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ empty environments ultimately don’t matter, the Celebi trailers show thicker forests in a variety of biomes.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is one of the more exciting releases for the series recently, and just the idea of it getting a sequel has sparked discussion and rumors. The Pokémon games aren’t unfamiliar with bringing players back to previous regions, but the historical setting offers another reason to play beyond the new gameplay mechanics. The fan-made trailer from YassiR for the fictional Pokémon Legends: Celebi kickstarts the imagination on what another game in Johto could look like, with iterations on the changes made by Arceus. There hasn’t yet been any confirmation of a Pokémon Legends: Arceus sequel, but the swirling rumors at least point to there being plenty of fan interest.
