They aren't Pokémon. Not really. When Game Freak dropped Pokémon Sun and Moon back in 2016, the community sort of had a collective meltdown because, frankly, Nihilego looked more like a piece of glass furniture than a pocket monster. These things—the Ultra Beasts Sun and Moon introduced—were designed to be intentionally "wrong." They come from Ultra Space, they don’t follow the standard elemental rules we grew up with, and they basically broke the competitive meta for years.
Honestly, if you go back and play through Alola now, the tonal shift when an Ultra Beast appears is still jarring. It’s supposed to be. Lead designer Shigeru Ohmori has mentioned in interviews that the design philosophy was based on the "uncanny valley." They wanted something that felt biologically impossible.
The Alola Incident and Why Ultra Beasts Sun and Moon Changed Everything
The lore is actually pretty dark if you dig into it. We’re talking about invasive species on a cosmic level. In the Alola region, these creatures didn't just appear for a fun battle; they were ripped through holes in reality called Ultra Wormholes.
Look at Guzzlord. This thing is basically a walking black hole that eats mountains. It doesn't poop. It doesn't have a soul as far as we can tell. It just consumes. When you encounter it in the Ultra Ruin, the game heavily implies you're looking at an alternate-dimension version of Hau'oli City that has been completely devoured. That’s heavy for a game usually about friendship and collecting badges.
The Ultra Beasts Sun and Moon brought to the table weren't just about shock value, though. They introduced the Beast Boost ability. This is arguably one of the most polarizing mechanics in high-level play. If an Ultra Beast knocks out one of your Pokémon, its highest stat increases. It’s a snowball effect. You let a Kartana get one kill? It’s probably game over because its Attack stat—which is already a ridiculous base 181—just keeps climbing.
Catching the Uncatchable
Standard Poké Balls are almost useless here. You’ve probably wasted dozens of Ultra Balls trying to catch Xurkitree only to realize the catch rate is modified to be abysmal for non-interdimensional tech.
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The Aether Foundation developed Beast Balls specifically to handle this. They have a distinct, high-tech look and a 5x catch rate multiplier against Ultra Beasts, but they are nearly worthless (0.1x) against anything else. It’s a cool bit of ludonarrative resonance. It tells the player: "This ball is for these monsters because they are fundamentally different from the Pidgey in your backyard."
The Roster of Terror
- Nihilego (UB-01 Symbiont): It’s Rock/Poison, which is a weird typing, but it’s mostly known for its parasitical relationship with Lusamine. It’s a literal space jellyfish that injects neurotoxins to make its host lose all inhibitions.
- Buzzwole and Pheromosa (UB-02): These are the version exclusives. One is a body-building mosquito that literally strikes poses after it sucks your blood, and the other is a super-model cockroach that is so fast you can't actually see it move.
- Kartana: It’s a tiny piece of origami. You’d think it’s weak. It’s not. It has the highest base Attack of any non-Mega, non-Legendary Pokémon. It’s made of paper, but it cuts steel.
- Celesteela: This thing is massive. It’s a bamboo-themed space shuttle that weighs 2204.4 lbs. It’s the heaviest Pokémon tied with Cosmoem and Primal Groudon.
Competitive Dominance and the Beast Boost Problem
Let’s talk about Smogon and the VGC (Video Game Championships). For a long time, you couldn't escape Pheromosa or Celesteela. Celesteela was the ultimate "wall." It had Leech Seed, Heavy Slam, and Flamethrower. Because it’s Steel/Flying, it had resistances to almost everything.
The Ultra Beasts Sun and Moon meta was fast. It was brutal.
Most players hated it initially. People felt the designs were too "Digimon" or too "Ultra Man." But over time, the community started to appreciate the bravery of the design team. They took a 20-year-old franchise and injected something truly alien into it.
You can’t just use a standard strategy against these things. If you’re facing a Blacephalon (introduced in the Ultra versions), you have to account for Mind Blown. It literally blows up its own head to deal massive damage. How do you prepare for that? You don't. You just react.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Ultra Space
There’s a common misconception that Ultra Beasts are Legendaries.
Technically, they aren't.
They are "Sub-Legendaries." In the game code, they occupy a different space. They can be found in multiples. They are just common animals in their own dimensions. That's the terrifying part. Imagine a world where there are hundreds of Guzzlords just hanging out. Our world's "God" Pokémon like Arceus are unique, but Ultra Beasts are just... some guys.
The lore suggests that the International Police, specifically characters like Anabel and Looker, have been tracking these things for years. Anabel herself is a "Faller," someone who passed through a wormhole and lost her memory but is now basically a beacon for Ultra Beast energy.
How to Handle Ultra Beasts in Your Next Playthrough
If you're dusting off your 3DS or playing on an emulator, don't treat an Ultra Beast hunt like a standard Legendary hunt.
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First, stock up on Beast Balls at the Aether House. Don't even bother with Timer Balls or Dusk Balls unless you want to spend four hours soft-resetting.
Second, understand the "Prime" number theme. A lot of the Ultra Beasts' base stats and move levels are prime numbers. It’s a subtle nod to how "unnatural" they are compared to the base-10 logic of the human world.
Third, use a Pokémon with the move "Haze" or "Clear Smog." Because Beast Boost is an automatic trigger, you need a way to reset their stats immediately. If you don't, a Nihilego with a few Special Attack boosts will sweep your entire team before you can say "Alola."
Actionable Strategy for Ultra Beast Management
To effectively master the Ultra Beasts Sun and Moon endgame content, you need a specific checklist.
- Identify the Beast Boost trigger: Check the summary screen to see which stat is highest. This is the one that will increase. If it's Speed, you need priority moves (like Extreme Speed or Sucker Punch) to finish them off.
- The Master Ball Trap: Do not use your Master Ball on Nihilego. You get plenty of Beast Balls for the missions. Save your Master Ball for a shiny encounter or the final Necrozma fight in the sequels.
- Nature Syncing: Use a Pokémon with the Ability "Synchronize" (like Abra or Espeon) at the front of your party. This gives you a 50% chance (or 100% in later games) of getting the Nature you want. For Kartana, you want Jolly. For Celesteela, usually Relaxed or Sassy.
- Type Coverage: Ultra Beasts have extreme stats but often have glaring type weaknesses. Pheromosa dies if a Fletchling sneezes on it (4x weakness to Flying). Use that.
The impact of these creatures is still felt in the latest generations. Even in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, the "Paradox Pokémon" feel like a spiritual successor to the Ultra Beast concept—creatures that shouldn't exist in our timeline. But they never quite captured that same "what on earth am I looking at" feeling that we got when we first saw a Xurkitree twitching in the tall grass of Memorial Hill.
Go back and check your PC boxes. If you haven't optimized your Buzzwole for a physical sweep, you're missing out on one of the most hilarious power trips in the franchise. These monsters are weird, they're difficult to catch, and they're arguably the best thing to happen to the 7th Generation.