Lumiose City Is Having an Existential Crisis — Pokémon Legends: Z‑A Players Share Dark, Hilarious NPC Lines
Trainers who began playing Pokémon Legends: Z-A over the weekend reported that many non-player characters in Lumiose City speak lines with unusually bleak or strange themes, including comments about death, loneliness, jealousy, and other unsettling thoughts.
- Players noticing the dialogue
- Examples of in-game lines
- Social sharing and sources
- What we know about reasons
- How to find these lines in-game
Players noticing the dialogue
Since the game’s early access over the weekend, multiple players independently reported encountering NPCs in Lumiose City whose dialogue focuses on mortality, isolation, or peculiar obsessions. Reports come from the player community, who posted screenshots and short clips to social platforms to document the lines they found. Consequently, the phenomenon rapidly spread online as more people compared notes.
Examples of in-game lines
Concrete examples that players shared include a character saying “I’m sick and tired of this life. I just want to smell Pokémon!” and another NPC asking about what bodily fluids Water-type Pokémon use in battle. Additionally, several Lumiose residents voiced concerns about what would happen to their Pokémon after they die, or expressed strong loneliness.
Social sharing and sources
Players organized on social media to collect and share the most notable lines. For example, content creator TheJWittz asked followers for the most “unhinged” dialogue they had found. In response, many users posted screenshots and short clips to illustrate the phenomenon.
PLEASE send me every unhinged ZA NPC text you can find. Super extra bonus points if you know their location on the map.
They are so much better and funnier than the Pokédex and I need to share them with the world 😂 pic.twitter.com/oWr2SApOc8
— JWittz (@TheJWittz) October 19, 2025
Two community posts that circulated widely show specific NPC lines and reactions from players. Those posts were shared on Twitter and drew a number of replies and screenshots from additional players.
almost had whiplash when I saw her say this. pic.twitter.com/EMaMtgPUyr
— MerusDeath (@MerusDeath) October 20, 2025
— Sock! ૮₍ • ᴥ • ₎ა 🔜 Furpoc (@SockCorgi) October 20, 2025
What we know about reasons
As of now, there is no official statement from Game Freak or The Pokémon Company explaining why this specific set of dialogue appears in Lumiose City. Therefore, any explanation beyond what players have posted — such as design intent or thematic purpose — would be speculative. Factually, players have only documented the lines and shared them; no developer commentary has been published to confirm motive or context.
How to find these lines in-game
If you want to confirm these lines personally, you can explore Lumiose City and talk to different NPCs. Players who documented the lines typically did the following: approach random citizens, trigger their conversation prompts, and take screenshots when they encounter notable dialogue. Moreover, players then shared those screenshots on social networks for verification by others.
