AZ

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AZ (Japanese: ) is a mysterious man who appears in Pokémon X and Y. He is the former king of the Kalos region and the creator of the ultimate weapon. In modern Kalos, he has the appearance of a disheveled homeless man.
==In the core series games==
===History===
====Background====
3,000 years prior to the events of , a war broke out between two regions. This long conflict was drawn out and many lives were lost. People treated Pokémon with special powers as mere tools in their conflict, so they gathered lots of Pokémon, including Pokémon with unique powers. In order to emerge victorious, the soldiers believed that they needed even more powerful Pokémon. AZ loved his Floette, which he had received from his late mother, but it was forcefully taken from him by the soldiers and became just another sacrifice in the war.Game Informer: Afterwords – Pokémon X & Y Game Informer (Archived on August 2, 2024)
AZ received the body of his beloved Pokémon several years later, and out of unspeakable grief, he built a machine to restore it to life. He succeeded, but unable to overcome his despair, he turned the machine into the ultimate weapon, with which he destroyed both sides of the conflict, ending the war. His Floette, disgusted with the fact that the machine was powered by the life energy of other Pokémon, left him.
As revealed by documents kept in Lysandre Labs, AZ's younger brother had wished to claim Kalos out of his own greed. After AZ ended the war with the ultimate weapon, his brother realized the error of his ways and sought to make amends for his actions by burying the weapon, in an attempt to prevent it from ever being used again.
AZ's incredible height resulted from his exposure to the ultimate weapon.
====Pokémon X and Y====
AZ is first seen on . When the encounters him, he mutters about "the flower Pokémon," then leaves.
Lysandre captures AZ and takes the ultimate weapon's key from around his neck, so that he can use it to destroy all life except Team Flare. The player encounters him in a cell in the lowest levels of Lysandre Labs, where he tells the player the story of the history of Kalos.
After the player defeats Lysandre once and for all in the Team Flare Secret HQ beneath Geosenge Town, AZ—now freed from his prison—approaches and thanks them for stopping the weapon from being used again.
After the player defeats Diantha for the first time to become , during the parade in Lumiose City to celebrate the player's success, AZ approaches the stage and challenges the player to a , wishing to learn about what a truly is. After the battle, AZ smiles, thanking the player for freeing him from his long torment. Then, he sees a sparkle in the sky. Having sensed the liberation of AZ's heart, his beloved —who was granted eternal life alongside AZ 3,000 years earlier—finally returns to him. AZ collapses to his knees, overjoyed that his Pokémon has finally returned. He is not seen again after this.
====Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire====
Although not by name, AZ is mentioned several times during the Delta Episode of .
Mr. Stone mentions that his grandfather used Infinity Energy, the same energy used by the ultimate weapon, to improve the lives of people and Pokémon alike, which the Devon Corporation used to grow into one of the top industries in Hoenn.
When the player overhears Wallace's conversation with his master, they discuss that the tree planted in front of the entrance to the Cave of Origin was given to the people of by a "huge man who visited from the Kalos region". Underneath the tree there is a flower of the same kind as the one carried by AZ's Floette.
At the Sky Pillar, Zinnia tells the player that 1,000 years ago, "a tall visitor from a distant land" witnessed how stopped a fight between Primal and Primal . He is quoted to have said, "It is the Δ (Delta), born of the great disturbances in this world. By the bonds born of mankind's wish and the power of the stones, it will calm the troubles that plague the world."
===Pokémon===
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Winning this battle is not mandatory. The player will not black out and the story will progress either way.
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=====Befriended=====
==Quotes==
:"The Pokémon… The flower Pokémon… The Pokémon that was given eternal life…"
Lysandre Labs
:"Listen, one who will face Lysandre…"
:"A terribly long time ago…"
:"There was a man and a Pokémon. He loved that Pokémon very much."
:"A war began."
:"The man's beloved Pokémon took part in the war."
:"Several years passed."
:"He was given a tiny box."
:"The man wanted to bring the Pokémon back. No matter what it took."
:"The man built a machine to give it life."
:"He brought his beloved Pokémon back."
:"The man had suffered too much. His rage had not subsided."
:"He could not forgive the world that had hurt the Pokémon he loved."
:"He turned the machine into the ultimate weapon."
:"The man became a bringer of destruction that ended the war."
:"The Pokémon that was given life must have known…"
:"That the lives of many Pokémon were taken to restore its life."
:"The resurrected Pokémon left the man."
:"Get the key back. It should not be used. Everything will vanish again. Do you want to know unending pain…like I have?"
Geosenge Town
:"A long time ago. A very long time ago."
:"The man made an ultimate weapon. Using it required the life force of many Pokémon… The Pokémon granted eternal life learned this."
:"The resurrected eternal Pokémon left the man's side. The man was surprised and sad. He had revived it so they could be together…"
:"Day after day passed, but they were never to meet. Eventually, he became a mere shell of a man. A man condemned to wander forever by the light of the weapon…"
:"And a Pokémon that also wanders eternally…"
:"Where is it now? What do I have to do to meet it?"
Lumiose City
* Before battle
:"Battle with me."
:"I want to know what a “Trainer” is."
* After the battle
:"Thank you very much for battling with me. Now I finally feel free…"
:"Free from the part of me mired in sorrow--the part of me that built the ultimate weapon…"
:"…"
:"It's been 3,000 years…"
==Gallery==
===Game assets===
VS model from
Overworld model from
==In animation==
===Pokémon Generations===
AZ appeared in The Redemption. His backstory from the games was shown, describing how he built a machine to revive his and later turned it into the ultimate weapon to end the Kalos war. Seeing how AZ had taken the lives of many Pokémon for her sake, Floette left him. Afterwards, AZ continued to wander eternally, searching for Floette.
During the parade held to celebrate the new Kalos League , he approached and challenged him to a . He eventually lost, but thanked Calem for freeing him from his sorrow. Afterwards, he was finally reunited with his Floette.
====Pokémon====
This listing is of AZ's known in Pokémon Generations:
=====Befriended=====
====Voice actors====
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
AZ debuted in Gyarados Changes. While traveling through the Team Flare Secret HQ's underground section, Emma found AZ locked in a jail cell. Once introductions were made, AZ realized the key around his neck went missing and began panicking to find it. 
In Flabébé Blooms, , , and managed to sneak inside the Secret HQ. They found AZ's cell, where he informed them of Lysandre's plans to use the ultimate weapon to wipe out everyone but Team Flare and create a beautiful world. After freeing AZ from his cell, the group headed towards the ultimate weapon's control room, where they found that failed to defeat Lysandre, but was able to free the Xerneas being used to fuel it. Trevor, Tierno, and Shauna tried removing the ultimate weapon's key, but couldn't pull it out in time before it fired. To Lysandre's frustration, the combined efforts of X, his friends, and the Kalos Gym Leaders successfully weakened the ultimate weapon and prevented it from taking any innocent lives. 
In Rhyhorn Charges, AZ let himself be captured, buying time for Xerneas and allowing it to take X and his friends back to the surface. In Zygarde Appears, AZ was revealed to have freed himself and escaped. Before he fled, AZ cryptically warned Lysandre that Team Flare's actions have put them under the surveillance of , the Overseer of Kalos.
In Xerneas Gives, after the defeat of Team Flare, AZ approached the Vaniville children in Lumiose City. Noting how people shunned X and his friends despite their work in saving the region, AZ suggested Team Flare's ambitions weren't wrong and went to go activate the ultimate weapon again. The others tried to stop AZ, but he retaliated with his . When a stray attack nearly hit , AZ stepped in and took the attack, destroying the ultimate weapon's key. The battle was merely an act to prevent X and his friends from heading down the path Lysandre took. With his mind at ease, AZ thanked the Vaniville children, only to be shocked at the return of the that left him 3,000 years ago. 
====Pokémon====
=====Befriended=====
==In the TCG==
AZ was introduced as a in the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the English XY Series (the Japanese XY Era). It was first released in the Japanese expansion before debuting in English in the expansion, with both prints featuring an illustration based on the Ken Sugimori artwork of the character. It was also released as a in both expansions, with an illustration by Naoki Saito. AZ allows the player to return a Pokémon to their hand, with all cards attached to it being discarded.
==Trivia==
* AZ is the tallest person in the core series .
** According to the official Pokémon X and Y website, AZ is approximately 3 meters tallAZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (Japanese) (almost 3 meters in French and Italian,A.Z. | Official Pokémon X and Y site (French)AZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (Italian) over 3 meters in Spanish,AZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (Spanish) over 2.7 meters in Portuguese,AZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (Portuguese) approximately 2.7 meters in German,Azett | Official Pokémon X and Y site (German) or over 2.5 meters tall in Dutch AZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (Dutch)) or over 9 feet tall.AZ | Official Pokémon X and Y site (English)
** Dexio states he would be as tall as a Seviper (8'10").: "We're looking for a really tall guy... And I mean tall. If you stretched out a Seviper and stood it up, he'd be that tall."
* AZ is the oldest known human in the history of Pokémon, games or otherwise.
* AZ is the only known human in the games that is immortal.
* During the battle against AZ in Pokémon X and Y, the player's Pokémon do not gain experience points.
* Despite being classified as a Pokémon Trainer, AZ is the only character in the core series who does not have an official Pokémon League title to use the Gym Leader battle theme.
* AZ may be depicted in paintings within Parfum Palace. When one of the paintings is examined after defeating AZ at the end of the story, the player notes that it reminds them of him. A younger AZ is also depicted in a mural displayed in Lumiose Museum.
* All of the Pokémon that AZ uses in battle are Pokémon associated with ancient civilization or longevity; is based on a tortoise, which can live for multiple centuries, and both and are Pokémon thought to be from ancient times. Also, all know , indicating a high friendship level with AZ.
* Unused data for AZ's Floette as an alternate form exists in the internal data of the Generation VI and games.
===Origin===
AZ may be based on the medieval Christian legend of the . AZ may also be based on the Mesopotamian king ; in the , the titular king, described in mythology as a giant of a man more than 5 meters (16 ft 5 in) tall, traveled far and wide in his quest for immortality for himself after the death of his closest companion, Enkidu.
==Names==
Language 	Name 	Origin
Japanese, English,Italian, Korean,Vietnamese	AZ 	From the letters A and Z, the first and last letters of the when listed in the traditional order. Possibly symbolizes the duality of beginning and end.
French 	A.Z. 	From his Japanese name
German 	Azett	From A and Zett (German reading of Z)
Spanish 	A. Z.	From his Japanese name
Russian 	АЗ AZ	Transcription of English name
==References==
==Related articles==
Category:X and Y characters
Category:Pokémon Adventures characters
Category:Royalty
Category:Pokémon Generations characters
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