Pokemon Legends Z-A made two systemic changes that have allowed Magikarp, patron saint of latent potential, to shine like never before. Firstly, with this new installment, The Pokemon Company leaned into cooldown-based, real-time combat that can directly involve the player character. Secondly, it gave Magikarp a gun.
One of the OG first generation Pokemon, Magikarp has long been treated, both by fans of the games and by actual citizens of the Pokemon universe in the anime, as something of a placeholder. A bookmark. A seedling. Something you check in on every now and then to see if it's turned into a Gyarados yet. Its signature move, Splash, accomplishes nothing, and its base moveset has never included any of the usual Water-type showstoppers.
