The protagonists of Pokémon Legends: Z-A seem relatively standard for their role in the Pokémon franchise, but one newly revealed detail makes me all the more appreciative of the clear thought behind their creation. Of course, the player characters of Pokemon's core games are essentially blank slates in many ways, with relatively unobtrusive personalities that allow them to appeal to a broad range of people as a viewpoint for exploring the fantastical world around them. However, this does not mean that they cannot still have some interesting design quirks.

Of course, the physical appearances of latest Legends: Z-A trailer has quietly revealed an additional aspect of these characters, however, which makes them an especially perfect fit for the game in question.

Legends: Z-A’s Latest Trailer Revealed its Protagonists' Names

Paxton And Harmony Are The New Default Protagonist Names

Amid the intriguing reveal of the Z-A Royale, one new Legends: Z-A detail that was easy to miss was the fact that the depicted matchups provided the default names for the protagonists. According to this footage, the male protagonist is named Paxton, while the female protagonist is named Harmony. Of course, the game will presumably provide an option to choose the protagonist's name, and so most people will naturally select their own unique monikers for these characters. However, that does not mean that these defaults are without their own significance.

Paxton and Harmony’s Names Are Full Of Meaning

Z-A's Player Characters Have Names That Reflect Its Base Concept

Although they may seem somewhat random at first glance, the names Paxton and Harmony are actually extremely well-suited to belonging the main characters of Pokémon Legends: Z-A. For example, the fact that these names include the letters 'X' and 'Y' is a clear reference to the Pokémon X and Y games, which first introduced Kalos. With the new game clearly intended as a follow-up to these games in many ways, including Legends: Z-A reintroducing their signature Mega Evolution mechanic, this allows it to pay further homage to its predecessors.

Furthermore, the very meanings of these names are also highly significant within the context of the game, as both have a direct connection to the concept of human-Pokémon coexistence. ‘Harmony’ is the clearest expression of this sentiment, but Paxton’s name carries just as much significance. ‘Pax’ is Latin for peace, and ‘-ton’ is a common suffix for town names. As a result, his name can be interpreted as meaning ‘peaceful town,' again matching the central theme of the game. For what are ultimately small details, I love the amount of thought and consideration that has clearly gone into these decisions.

In Japanese, Paxton and Harmony are named Kyōya and Seika, names which are evidently taken from the word 'kyōsei.' This can mean 'symbiosis,' once again matching the theme that is so clearly central to Legends: Z-A.

It can be interesting to dive into the way that names are used in Pokémon, especially when they are used to further emphasize the core concepts of a specific game. Paxton and Harmony more than achieve this for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, with their names reflecting both the game itself and its preceding titles. These names are perfect for their roles as protagonists, to the point that I feel any other choice would seem lacking in comparison.