Pokémon: Sun & Moon
Series, 2016, Alola, Set in Alola
Pokémon: Sun & Moon is #25 of 32 in release order and #25 of 32 in chronological order in the Pokémon.
The story
What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum’s quest to become a Pokémon Master! There’s plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak. More new faces will help guide Ash’s Alolan adventure, in the form of a group of skilled Trainers—Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles—and a mysterious research assistant called Lillie. Frequent foes Team Rocket have also made the trip to Alola, looking to swipe some high-powered new Pokémon. But they have some heavy competition on the villainy front: the ruffians of Team Skull, who delight in causing chaos and may have more sinister intentions…
Pokémon: Sun & Moon recap
On holiday in Alola with his mother, Ash enrols at the Pokémon School run by Professor Kukui and moves in with him. His classmates are Lillie, Kiawe, Lana, Mallow and Sophocles, and a talking Rotom Dex lives with him. Tapu Koko gives Ash a Z-Ring, and he takes on the island trials and grand trials. He raises Rowlet, Litten, which grows into Incineroar, Rockruff, which becomes Lycanroc, and Melmetal, and cares for the cosmic baby Pokémon Nebby. Lillie's mother Lusamine runs the Aether Foundation and is obsessed with Ultra Beasts; Ash and Lillie's brother Gladion rescue her from Nihilego in Ultra Space. The class becomes the Ultra Guardians and later faces Necrozma. Team Skull are the local troublemakers, and Team Rocket are back, now living alongside a Bewear that keeps carrying them home. The series is lighter and more slice of life than earlier ones, built around school lessons, field trips and the class's own goals, such as Lillie overcoming her fear of touching Pokémon.
Pokémon: Sun & Moon ending explained
Ash wins the first Alola League, beating Gladion in the final, then defeats Professor Kukui, battling as the masked Royal, in an exhibition match to become Alola's first Champion. It is the first league Ash has ever won. He graduates from the school with his classmates, who all go their own ways, and Lillie leaves for Kanto with her mother. Ash returns to Pallet Town with Pikachu.
Where to watch Pokémon: Sun & Moon
Pokémon: Sun & Moon is streaming on Netflix, Disney+, YouTube TV, and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, MyAnimeList 7.06
Where it fits
- Release order: after Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, before Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!.
- Chronological order: after Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, before Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!.
What to watch before Pokémon: Sun & Moon
In release order, 24 Pokémon essentials come before Pokémon: Sun & Moon (2016), from Pokémon: The Original Series (1997) to Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel (2016).
Cast
- Rica Matsumoto as Satoshi (voice)
- Ikue Otani as Pikachu (voice)
- Megumi Hayashibara as Musashi / Rabifutto (voice)
- Shin-ichiro Miki as Galar Kamonegi (voice)
- Inuko Inuyama as Nyarth (voice)
- Unsho Ishizuka as Narrator (voice)
- Yuji Ueda as Takeshi (voice)
- Mayumi Izuka as Kasumi (voice)
- Yuko Kobayashi as Shigeru Oak (voice)
- Kenyu Horiuchi as Narrator (voice)
- KAORI as Haruka (voice)
- Kei Shindo as Joy (voice)