Say hello to Hisuian Zoroa and Zoroark in Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Back in 2019, The Pokémon Company aired a 24-hour livestream event for their upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield games. Fans stared at a Galarian forest — Glimwood Tangle, to be specific — for an absurd amount of time. In the end, it was all a bit of a ruse leading up to the reveal of Galarian Ponyta, a regional variant of the classic Kantonian cutie.

It was ridiculous. I didn't expect it to be topped. Life finds a way.

With Pokémon Legends: Arceus coming in January, marketing is in full swing. The Pokémon Company has recently upped the ante with a video in which a young man explores the snowy regions of Hisui (modern-day Sinnoh, the setting for Diamond and Pearl and their pending remakes) and encounters a few unidentifiable critters.

In the spirit of similar "found footage" projects, the image was entirely too blurry to discern the details. It also seemed to end with the potential tragedy of the young man's untimely demise, although that was... probably not the intended vibe.

Fast-forward to today for an excellent update:

Thank you for your reports, Trainers.

A few days ago, a researcher uncovered some mysterious footage of the Hisui region. Professor Oak looked through all of your findings and was able to restore the video to reveal Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark!

Hisuian Zoroark seems scary...but it also appears to be protective of Hisuian Zorua. What else can we uncover about these Pokémon?

Well, that's delightful! Professor Oak is a truly remarkable, if admittedly fictional, individual. Let's take a gander at the official reveal of Hisuian Zoroa and Zoroark, new regional variants of a pair of beloved Unovan pals.

Hisuian Zoroa and Zoroark are Normal/Ghost-types. They're seriously cute. I'll take a dozen. You can't have them; I saw them first.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus arrives on January 28 for Nintendo Switch.