In the distant past of Sinnoh, as depicted in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, people called Wardens were tasked with guarding the Hisui region’s Noble Pokémon, but many of the Wardens featured in the game were terrible at their jobs. Pokémon Nobles were feared and revered in equal parts, and those selected by the Diamond and Pearl Clans to serve as Wardens carried a heavy burden. These Wardens were unable to prevent their charges from becoming Frenzied. Wardens identify favorite foods that form “balms” the player uses to quell the Nobles’ Frenzies, but they allow an outsider to brave the danger to calm the Pokémon instead of doing it themselves.
Beyond shifting responsibility to the game’s protagonist, many of the Wardens stand in the way of ending the Frenzy of their delegated Noble Pokémon, especially Warden Melli, who is easily one of the least likable characters in the Pokémon franchise. The Wardens can be forgiven for allowing the Noble Pokémon to enter a Frenzied state, to a degree, as it is an unfamiliar phenomenon to them. Players often search the Legends: Arceus Space-Time Distortions for rare Pokémon and items, but these bizarre rifts are also responsible for sending the Nobles into an uncontrollable rage. Most of the Wardens show adequate concern for their charge’s condition, and reluctantly accept the aid of an outsider from the Galaxy Expedition Team.
The protagonist receives advice on the Noble’s favorite foods, which are used to form balms. Calming the Noble Pokémon in Legends: Arceus is handled through action-based battles, where the player dodges the Noble’s attacks and throws balms at them until their rage abates. It is understandable that some Wardens, like the elderly Calaba, would not engage in a bout of dodge-rolls and balm tossing. However, other Wardens closer to the prime of their youth have no such excuses.
Few Wardens Are Competent & Logical In Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Some of the Wardens appear competent and have their priorities in order. Pokemon Legends: Arceus’ Warden Ingo traveled through time, just as the player character did. Though Ingo’s use of Poké Balls and fascination with Pokémon battles makes him an oddity in ancient Hisui, he takes his duty far more seriously than many others. Ingo, a Pearl Clan Warden, personally guides the player through treacherous caves and offers them the use of his charge, Sneasler, as a Mount Pokémon that aids with climbing sheer cliffs. He does this so the hero can help the Diamond Clan, a theologically opposed faction, in stopping the Frenzy of the Noble Pokémon Electrode.
Electrode’s Warden, Melli, actively stands in the way of stopping the Noble’s Frenzy, forcing the player to battle him repeatedly. He rationalizes this with empty rhetoric that the Frenzy could be a message from the gods and that they have no right to intervene. The Noble Pokémon are clearly suffering from the effects of the Space-Time Distortions, however, a fact which every other Warden intuitively understood. Melli’s lack of empathy for his own assigned Noble is more than a little disturbing.
Series veterans may recognize the implication that many Wardens in Pokémon Legends: Arceus are the ancestors of characters that appeared in earlier games which take place later in the timeline of Sinnoh. While their descendants would likely be proud to learn of their Warden progenitors’ prestigious callings, they might be ashamed of how they conducted themselves where the Frenzies were concerned. Perhaps before the hero had successfully calmed the first Frenzied Pokémon, Kleavor, Warden Lian had some rationale for testing the protagonist’s skills. Beyond that, after the hero has shown an ability and willingness to fix the problem, the Wardens that continue to slow their progress come across as irrational.
Legends: Arceus’ Wardens Should Aid Their Own Pokémon Or Step Aside
Sabi forces the player into a long chase before lending them the aid of Braviary for flight. Several Wardens battle the hero to test their strength and resolve, though none of them come across as petty and vindictive as Melli. If the Wardens in Legends: Arceus did not feel the protagonist was up to the task of aiding the Nobles, they should have done it themselves or moved out of the way to let the hero at least make the attempt. The trials provide more gameplay challenges for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, but they also reflect entirely inappropriate priorities and judgment, making many of the Wardens unworthy of their title.