Pokémon just pulled a deep cut from franchise lore: two new Mega Raichu forms are coming to Pokémon Legends Z-A in a paid expansion called Mega Dimension. Revealed during a Nintendo Direct, Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y are the closest the series has ever come to realizing Gorochu—the scrapped evolution that longtime fans have chased like a myth for decades.

The teaser is short but loud. Hoopa rips open a portal, and the twin Raichu Megas streak across the screen as electric guitar shreds in the background. The reveal landed right after three other Megas—Mega Chesnaught, Mega Delphox, and Mega Greninja—keeping the spotlight firmly on Kalos, the home of Mega Evolution. The twist here is the double-variant treatment: Raichu joins the rare club of Pokémon with two Mega forms, a move that instantly echoes Charizard and Mewtwo from Pokémon X and Y.

A scrapped evolution reborn in spirit

If you’ve never heard of Gorochu, here’s the short version. In a 2018 developer interview in Japan, Game Freak artists discussed an abandoned third-stage evolution for Pikachu named Gorochu. It reportedly had fangs and horn-like features and was cut late in development—partly for balance, partly because Pikachu had already become the face of the brand. That one comment ignited years of fan art, theories, and wishful thinking.

Mega Raichu X and Y aren’t Gorochu. Megas are temporary battle forms, not full evolutions, and they’re tied to stones and a trainer’s Key Stone. But the visual nods are hard to miss. The trailer frames both forms with “god of thunder” energy: prominent fangs, distinct horn styles between X and Y, a bulked-up silhouette for one, and a sleeker, more agile profile for the other. The golden charge, the dramatic leaps, the wailing guitar—this is the closest the games have come to channeling the elusive concept without rewriting the evolutionary line.

That choice matters for more than nostalgia. Legends Z-A is returning Mega Evolution to center stage after years on the sidelines, and Raichu—a Generation 1 mainstay—serves as the bridge between old and new. Giving Raichu two Megas also mirrors how Game Freak used variants in X and Y to solve two different fantasies at once: raw power vs. speed, bulk vs. finesse. No official typings, abilities, or stat spreads were shown in the trailer, so the competitive picture is still a blank slate. But the silhouette split hints at divergent roles, much like Charizard X vs. Y did back in 2013.

The cultural angle is just as interesting. Gorochu has lived rent-free in fan memory because it represents the road not taken in the very first generation. Bringing that spirit back through Mega Evolution, the mechanic born in Kalos and now revived in a Kalos-focused Legends game, is tidy storytelling. It pays off a 26-year-old what-if without rewriting history or the Pikachu line that people know.

What the DLC adds: access, timing, and competitive play

The Mega Dimension expansion is a paid DLC that continues the main story after you finish Pokémon Legends Z-A. The announcement pairs it with Team MZ—the group featured in Z-A’s base narrative—and leans into dimensional travel with Hoopa as the obvious gateway. That theme gives Game Freak a clean runway for cross-dimensional designs, cameos, and battles that wouldn’t fit inside standard Lumiose City streets.

Here’s what’s confirmed right now:

• Title: Mega Dimension (paid DLC for Pokémon Legends Z-A)
• Headliners: Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y
• Also featured: Mega Chesnaught, Mega Delphox, Mega Greninja
• Access: Mega Stones for the Gen 6 starters are Ranked Battle rank-up rewards in online play; Raichu’s Mega forms require the DLC
• Pre-orders: Open now on the Nintendo eShop
• Main game release: October 16, 2025
• Timing: DLC story content unlocks after launch, once you complete the base game

That access split will spark debate. Players can earn Mega Stones for the Kalos starters by climbing online Ranked Battles, which keeps the main ladder grind-friendly. Locking Raichu’s double Mega behind the DLC creates a line between players who buy in and players who don’t. We don’t yet know official rulesets for ranked seasons around launch, so it’s too early to call how formats will handle DLC-only Megas. Some seasons in past games have rotated eligible Pokémon or limited certain mechanics. Until Game Freak publishes the rules, assume standard eligibility will require ownership of the items and forms.

Thematically, Mega Dimension fits squarely with what Legends Z-A has been teasing since announcement day: Lumiose City under redesign, Mega Evolution back in focus, and a story that plays with urban planning, technology, and the ethics of power. Hoopa’s portal cameo in the trailer is more than a cool effect—it signals how the DLC can widen the canvas without breaking the city setting. New arenas, cross-dimensional encounters, and special boss-style battles feel like fair bets based on how Legends games handle postgame content. The studio hasn’t listed new areas or features yet, so we’re waiting on a deeper dive for specifics.

As for the Megas themselves, two big questions hang over Raichu. First, typing. Charizard’s split into Fire/Dragon and Fire/Flying made each version distinct. Mewtwo’s versions leaned on ability and stat differences. Raichu could follow either path—or carve out its own space with unique abilities that steer it toward support or sweep roles. Second, accessibility within the campaign. In past games, Mega Evolution usually sits behind a key story beat. With the DLC continuing after the credits, expect the Raichu Megas to be positioned as a late-game reward rather than a mid-story crutch.

The Kalos starters getting Megas again is a smart move for the base game’s competitive and casual mix. Chesnaught’s shielded playstyle, Delphox’s magic-forward kit, and Greninja’s well-known versatility all have room to evolve in a Legends meta that may prize mobility and positioning. Tying their Mega Stones to Ranked promotions gives players a reason to jump online early and often, while the DLC’s Raichu forms offer a marquee chase for collectors and battlers who want something flashier.

One more angle to watch: cosmetics and timing. Pre-ordering the expansion unlocks special apparel in Legends Z-A when the base game launches. That’s a familiar nudge to keep players engaged from day one, even though the DLC’s story content arrives later. It also hints that the Mega Dimension rollout may be staged—cosmetics at launch, then a meatier content drop after the community has cleared the main story and settled into Ranked.

What’s still under wraps? A lot. We don’t have names for Raichu’s Mega Stones, and the trailer didn’t reveal signature moves, abilities, or held-item restrictions. There’s no price listed in the announcement recap, and no date for when the DLC story unlocks beyond “later.” Even so, there’s enough on screen to set expectations: a return to Kalos-era spectacle, a lore nod that hits the Gorochu nerve perfectly, and a competitive scene that will need to plan around a fan-favorite with two distinct forms.

If you’ve been waiting for Game Freak to acknowledge Gorochu without breaking canon, this is the move. Two Megas give Raichu fresh identity and keep Pikachu’s line intact. Now the big questions turn to balance, access, and how far Mega Dimension will go with its interdimensional theme once Hoopa opens that door for real.