Pokemon GO’s New July Addition is Long Overdue, But the Timing Couldn’t Be Better

Given that it’s almost 10 years old, it might come as a surprise that Pokemon GO doesn’t actually have every existing Pokemon yet, but it admittedly makes sense. It’s a live-service game, which means it needs to eke out as much long-term support from its source material as possible. This means that some of the oldest creatures in the game eluded fans for far longer than their seniority might have demanded; for instance, Pokemon GO took until 2023 to add Kecleon, despite being from Gen 3. The latest Pokemon to finally get its due is Honedge. Pokemon GO‘s developers have confirmed that this icon of Kalos will join the game in late July.

Honedge’s evolution line made waves when it premiered in Pokemon X and Y for its striking weapon-based concept and design. The series of possessed weapons remains one of the most memorable lines from Gen 6 — Aegislash has a lot of history in competitive Pokemon play — so it’s remarkable that Pokemon GO has taken so long to add it. That said, the upcoming Honedge launch is also remarkable in the big picture, since it’ll happen on July 22, the same day as 2025’s Pokemon Presents. Honedge is the perfect ambassador for Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the Kalos region at the coming presentation.

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One wonders why Honedge’s evolution line got snubbed by Pokemon GO for so long, given its broad appeal. On the other hand, though, that may be exactly why Niantic held off on Honedge for years, knowing it would be a splashy addition at any point in the game’s life. Regardless of the cause, though, Pokemon GO adding Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash is cause for celebration, especially with Pokemon‘s return to the Kalos region coming up. It was the only complete Kalos evolution line missing from Pokemon GO, so 2025 is the perfect time to put a button on that.

At the same time, Honedge seems like a sure sign that the Pokemon Presents will be all about Pokemon Legends: Z-A. That did seem very likely before, given that it’s clearly the next big Pokemon game and a crucial new game for the Switch 2 library, but there was always the chance that Game Freak and the Pokemon Company decided to reveal and focus on Pokemon Gen 10’s mainline games. Honedge joining Pokemon GO on the day of Pokemon Presents changes the atmosphere; it’s just too convenient that a Kalos star is joining the game on the day of the presentation. Z-A is almost certainly going to be the focus.

One wonders if Honedge also heralds any particular content that Pokemon Presents might announce about Legends: Z-A. Perhaps the most obvious answer is that Aegislash could get a new Mega Evolution. Pokemon Legends: Z-A has always been up-front about its intention to revive the long-dormant Mega Evolution mechanic, and since Aegislash didn’t join the Mega club in X and Y, Z-A could pick up the slack. There’s also something to be said for Honedge joining on this day as one of Kalos’ last Pokemon missing from PoGO. As Pokemon GO starts to round out the original Kalos Pokedex, maybe Legends: Z-A will introduce new Kalos Pokemon, in the vein of the Hisuian Pokemon from Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Aegislash has a form change mechanic that may complicate any Mega Evolution designs, but would make it all the more exciting.

Ultimately, Honedge will probably only be a fraction of any Pokemon Legends: Z-A presentation that might be at Pokemon Presents. It may be a classic Pokemon, but Z-A is a forward-looking Pokemon game in a ton of ways, both modernizing Lumiose City’s design and overhauling some of Pokemon‘s core mechanics. That’s what the presentation truly needs to focus on. That said, Honedge is a literal artifact of the Kalos region’s past. No matter what it has to do with Pokemon Presents, it’s the perfect Pokemon to stand in contrast to Pokemon Legends: Z-A and its focus on the future. Here’s hoping Pokemon Presents really does deliver on Z-A.