Pokémon Legends: Z-A moves away from the traditional eight-Gym badge hunt. Progression now funnels through the Z-A Royale, a citywide battle circuit in Lumiose City that promotes you through ranks. The key checkpoints are Promotion Matches—trainer battles that stand in for Gym Leaders with tougher rules of engagement and teams that lean on Mega Evolutions.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Gym Leaders vs. Z-A Royale ranks

There are no conventional Gyms to challenge. Instead, the game uses a rank ladder inside the Z-A Royale. Each tier culminates in a Promotion Match against a designated boss. These fights function like Gym Leader encounters in practice: they gate progress, demand specific counterplay, and scale up in difficulty.

Expect the structural beats of a classic Gym run—roadwork, escalating difficulty, signature team themes—translated into a centralized competition format. You’re moving up a ladder, not across a region.

How Z-A Royale Promotion Matches work

The Z-A Royale frames your climb around two ideas: day-to-day bouts that build momentum and Promotion Matches that decide your rank. Promotion Matches are mandatory for ranking up and feature full, curated teams. They are deliberately more demanding than routine battles and frequently include Mega Evolutions, which push you to prepare answers for sudden power spikes.

  • Promotion Matches are required checkpoints for rank advancement.
  • Boss teams are more complete and often include Mega Evolutions.
  • Regular battles in the Royale help you position for those promotions and earn the points you need to keep climbing.
Tip: Build around solid defensive pivots and flexible coverage so a surprise Mega Evolution doesn’t collapse your line. If you’re collecting Mega Stones, plan that work ahead of each promotion tier.

Known Z-A Royale Promotion bosses and ranks

Promotion bosses are tied to ranked tiers within the Z-A Royale. These are confirmed early names and their associated ranks:

Rank Boss
Z Zach
Y Yvon
X Xavi
W Rintaro

The ladder continues beyond these entries, but the pattern is consistent: each rank has a named boss and a team designed to test specific reads on type coverage, tempo, and Mega timing.

Where Kalos’ classic Gym Leaders fit in

Kalos’ original circuit defined by the X/Y era included eight leaders spread across the region. That legacy matters to Legends: Z-A, but not as formal Gyms. The city-focused Royale system replaces badges with ranks, and the marquee battles live inside that format. Expect nods to Kalos’ leadership bench—especially familiar faces from the Gym lineup and Elite Four—but the progression gates are the Royale’s Promotion Matches, not Gym buildings.

Classic Kalos Gym Leader Type
Viola Bug
Grant Rock
Korrina Fighting
Ramos Grass
Clemont Electric
Valerie Fairy
Olympia Psychic
Wulfric Ice

Elite Four figures from Kalos—like Wikstrom, Malva, and Drasna—are also part of the conversation around who shows up in the Royale. The key point is placement: any appearances slot into the rank ladder rather than an old-school badge route.

How the Royale format changes your approach

Promotion Matches put more weight on readiness windows than a badge chase does. You control when to trigger promotions by deciding when you’re comfortable with your roster, item pool, and resource levels from regular Royale play. Because bosses often bring Mega Evolutions, it’s smart to:

  • Hold stable answers to common Mega sweepers—priority moves and speed control go a long way.
  • Plan your own Mega line if available; mirroring power spikes can neutralize a boss’ momentum.
  • Budget time in the Royale for building Z-A Royale Points to unlock the attempts you need at each tier.
Note: Expect subordinate matches leading up to promotions. They’re warm-ups, but they can drain items or reveal a boss’ themes. Scout where you can and enter the promotion with a fresh, targeted six.

The short version: Legends: Z-A trades badges for a ladder. Your progress through Lumiose City hinges on the Z-A Royale’s Promotion Matches, which effectively become the game’s Gym Leaders. Build for flexibility, prepare for Mega Evolutions, and climb the ranks—familiar Kalos names may appear along the way, but the real gates are the Royale bosses holding each tier.