Z-A DLC officially dethrones the strongest Pokemon trainer in the series after 19 years

Spoilers for Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the Mega Dimension DLC ahead.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Mega Dimension DLC came out less than a week ago, and it’s already shaking up the game in meaningful ways with 19 new Mega Evolutions and a plethora of returning moves as TMs. You can get all the new moves from an NPC in Pokemon Legends: Z-A who trades TMs for Mega Shards, and they can be incredibly good for the base game’s Pokedex as well as that of Hyperspace Lumiose. For example, a middling Pokemon like Leafeon gets a big buff with Solar Blade, whereas a powerhouse like Skarmory gets Magnet Bomb. Beyond new moves and Megas, the DLC also adds a new trainer battle that is officially the hardest in the series, even more than an iconic trainer from almost 20 years ago.

As far as the anime goes, Ash is arguably the strongest Pokemon trainer out there, becoming a Pokemon master in a big tournament including the likes of Leon, Diantha, Cynthia, and other powerful trainers. However, before Pokemon Legends: Z-A, the video game series has always had one strongest trainer elected by fans, and that is the original version of Cynthia as Champion of the Pokemon League in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. There have been a few challengers over the years, or past titleholders, and they are:

Whitney (Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal): Whitney’s Miltank is one of the hardest Pokemon to beat in the series for inexperienced players, and it likely did some real damage to you, too, back in the day. This is hardly the most challenging fight in the series, but it’s quite difficult for its intended level.
Red (Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal): The legendary Pokemon trainer, Red, was fought at the top of Mt Silver and used a team of high-level critters, including the three Kanto starters, Pikachu, Snorlax, and Espeon. Despite the high-level team, Red is not too hard to beat, as the game favors certain strategies and moves over others.
Volo (Pokemon Legends: Arceus): Though PLA‘s Volo is technically harder to beat than Cynthia, thanks to his powerful team of six high-level Pokemon, he is a lone trainer. Yes, he packs a punch and makes things extremely hard with a seventh Pokemon on his team, Giratina, who also has a second form after being defeated, but Cynthia was the final battle after the Elite Four.

Now, Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s DLC adds what is arguably the hardest fight ever in the form of Taunie/Urbain, who have six level 100 Pokemon, with four capable of Mega Evolving, and the others with powerful setups and items. This battle also requires you to fully beat the game to unlock, giving further credence to the fact that it’s meant to be the ultimate challenge.

It’s Time to Welcome The Hardest Trainer in Pokemon Games

How Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s DLC Taunie and Urbain Battle Beats Cynthia

While Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s story is not exactly the hardest to beat in the series, there are several hard battles to overcome to beat the game fully. The battle against Taunie or Urbain toward the end of the story can be difficult; the boss battle against Ange takes time and effort; and the battle against Taunie or Urbain after 15 rounds of the Infinite Z-A Royale is only easy with fully maxed teams.

Yet, the Mega Dimension DLC gives Taunie/Urbain another difficult battle, and it’s the hardest in the series when looking at their team. This comprises:

Mega Meowstic (Lv. 100) – Item: Meowsticite
- Moves: Light Screen, Reflect, Psychic, Wish
Goodra (Lv. 100) – Item: Assault Vest
- Moves: Surf, Acid Spray, Draco Meteor, Blizzard
Avalugg (Lv. 100) – Item: Leftovers
- Moves: Icicle Crash, Icicle Spear, Stone Edge, Protect
Mega Manectric (Lv. 100) – Item: Manectite
- Moves: Snarl, Thunder, Overheat, Protect
Mega Meganium (Lv. 100) – Item: Meganiumite
- Moves: Frenzy Plant, Earth Power, Dazzling Gleam, Giga Drain
Mega Feraligatr (Lv. 100) – Item: Feraligite
- Moves: Outrage, Liquidation, Swords Dance, Earthquake
Mega Emboar (Lv. 100) – Item: Emboarite
- Moves: Flare Blitz, Stone Edge, Close Combat, Bulk Up

While the list includes all three Mega Evolutions for Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s starters, Taunie/Urbain only use two of them based on the starter you chose. The one that is supereffective against your starter will be the last Pokemon they use in battle.

To unlock the battle against Taunie/Urbain’s strongest team, you have to complete all Side Missions from 1 to 199, which will give you access to “Here in Lumiose City” and help them with some tasks. Taunie/Urbain is the only trainer in the series to have a full team of level 100 Pokemon.

Cynthia’s Team in Pokemon Gen 4 Explained

By comparison, Cynthia’s team in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is much weaker, but it is unexpectedly optimized and powerful for its level. It includes:

Spiritomb – Lv. 61
Roserade – Lv. 60
Gastrodon – Lv. 60
Lucario – Lv. 63
Milotic – Lv. 63
Garchomp – Lv. 66

It’s worth noting that Fairy-type Pokemon didn’t exist in Gen 4, so Spiritomb had no weaknesses.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A’s Second-Hardest DLC Battle is Not As Bad As it Looks

A full team of six level 100 Pokemon is already a massive feat, but it becomes the hardest battle in the series because Taunie/Urbain will Mega Evolve four of them in a single fight. The only other trainer in the series to pull this off is Korrina, who becomes a potential challenger in the Infinite Z-A Royale after catching Rayquaza in Pokemon Legends: Z-A.

Korrina uses six Pokemon, but they are not max level, and range from level 95 to 100. These are:

Mega Gallade (Lv. 95) – Item: Galladite
- Moves: Sacred Sword, Close Combat, Bulk Up, Psycho Cut
Mega Crabominable (Lv. 95) – Item: Crabominite
- Moves: Ice Hammer, Iron Defense, Dynamic Punch, Mach Punch
Mega Medicham (Lv. 97) – Item: Medichamite
- Moves: Zen Headbutt, Dynamic Punch, Ice Punch, Recover
Mega Hawlucha (Lv. 99) – Item: Hawluchanite
- Moves: Flying Press, Swords Dance, Feather Dance, Brave Bird
Mega Chesnaught (Lv. 99) – Item: Chesnaughtite
- Moves: Spiky Shield, Close Combat, Wood Hammer, Stone Edge
Mega Lucario Z (Lv. 100) – Item: Lucarionite Z
- Moves: Focus Blast, Hyper Beam, Detect, Flash Cannon

Technically, this fight could be even harder than that of Taunie/Urbain, but with two major caveats:

Korrina’s Pokemon are not level 100 except for Lucario Z, and since Pokemon Legends: Z-A‘s Hyperspace Lumiose zones require level 100 Pokemon to tackle the DLC content efficiently, players will inevitably have a full team of level 100 critters.
Korrina specializes in Fighting-type Pokemon, meaning that a mix of Psychic, Flying, and Fairy critters will easily secure the win.

As such, Korrina’s new battle is still hard, but probably not as hard as Cynthia’s when considering these factors. The new Taunie/Urbain battle, however, may take you a few attempts to get it right.