You're standing in the game aisle or staring at the eShop screen, and it hits you. That nagging feeling of FOMO. Every Pokémon fan has been there, paralyzed by the choice between two boxes that look almost identical but hide frustratingly different rosters. Choosing between ultra sun ultra moon exclusives isn't just about whether you like the giant lion or the weird bat thing more. It's actually about your competitive team, your Pokedex completion sanity, and whether you want to be stuck hunting for a specific fossil for three hours.
Let's be real. Game Freak loves making us trade. It's the "social" aspect they’ve pushed since 1996, but in the Alola region, the stakes felt higher because these were the "definitive" versions of Gen 7. You aren't just missing out on a few Rattata variants. You're potentially locking yourself out of some of the most powerful Ultra Beasts in the meta.
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The Legendary Divide: Lions, Bats, and Dimensional Gods
The most obvious difference lies in the box art, but the rabbit hole goes way deeper than Solgaleo and Lunala. If you pick Ultra Sun, you're getting the "day" experience, which, thanks to the shifted clock, means the game aligns with your real-world time. Ultra Moon flips the script, making the sun go down when it’s noon in your living room. It's a weird vibe, honestly.
When you get to the Altar of the Sunne or Moone, your version dictates your heavy hitter. Ultra Sun grants you Solgaleo (and by extension, the Dusk Mane Necrozma form), while Ultra Moon hands over Lunala (Dawn Wings Necrozma). Solgaleo is a Steel/Psychic powerhouse that eats Fairy-types for breakfast. Lunala? It’s a Ghost/Psychic glass cannon that relies heavily on its Shadow Shield ability to survive a hit.
But the legendaries don't stop there. The Ultra Wormholes changed everything. If you’re hunting in the gold warps, Ultra Sun is where you’ll find Ho-Oh, Groudon, Dialga, Reshiram, and Xerneas. Meanwhile, Ultra Moon players are the ones sitting on Lugia, Kyogre, Palkia, Zekrom, and Yveltal. If you’re a competitive player, this is usually the deciding factor. You want a Primal Groudon? You better buy Ultra Sun. You want that bulky Kyogre? It’s Moon or bust.
Those Frustrating Fossil and Wild Exclusives
It’s not just the gods of the Pokémon world that are split up. The "boring" stuff matters too.
In Ultra Sun, you’re looking at Alolan Vulpix. It’s adorable, it’s Snowy Ambush incarnate, and it’s a pain to get if you’re on the other side. You also get Houndour, Cottonee, and Rufflet. On the flip side, Ultra Moon gives you Alolan Sandshrew, Electrike, Petilil, and Vullaby.
Then there are the fossils. This is where people usually get annoyed. Ultra Sun players get the Claw and Fossilized Root (Anorith and Lileep), along with Cranidos and Tirtouga. Ultra Moon players get the opposite: Shieldon, Archen, Amaura, and Tyrunt. Honestly, if you want a Tyrantrum—and who doesn't want a T-Rex with a beard?—you basically have to pick Ultra Moon or find a very generous friend on the GTS (which, let's face it, is a nightmare of hacked requests these days).
Ultra Beasts: The Real Meta-Shakers
The Ultra Beasts are where the ultra sun ultra moon exclusives list gets spicy. These aren't just weird aliens; they are fundamental to how the Sun and Moon era played out in tournaments.
Ultra Sun gives you:
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- UB-02 Beauty (Pheromosa): Actually, wait, that's wrong. Pheromosa is Moon. Sun gives you UB-02 Absorption (Buzzwole). Buzzwole is a physical tank that looks like a mosquito on steroids.
- UB-04 Blade (Kartana): This thing is a paper-thin origami sword with an Attack stat that defies logic. It's a staple in almost every high-level team.
- UB-Burst (Blacephalon): A Fire/Ghost type that literally blows its own head up to do damage. It’s chaotic and exclusive to Ultra Sun.
Ultra Moon gives you:
- UB-02 Beauty (Pheromosa): High speed, high attack, zero defense. It’s the definition of a "glass cannon."
- UB-04 Blaster (Celesteela): One of the most annoying defensive Pokémon to ever exist. It’s a Heavy Metal bamboo rocket ship that uses Leech Seed to drain your soul.
- UB-Assembly (Stakataka): A literal stone fortress. It has a Speed stat of... well, almost zero, which makes it a king in Trick Room teams.
If you’re looking to play "Hyper Offense," Kartana makes Ultra Sun very tempting. If you prefer "Stall" or "Balance," the defensive utility of Celesteela in Ultra Moon is hard to pass up.
Totem Sized Pokémon
Don't forget the Totem Stickers. Samson Oak will give you giant, Totem-sized Pokémon based on how many stickers you find, but the rewards change. In Ultra Sun, you get stuff like Totem Lurantis and Totem Ribombee. In Ultra Moon, you’re looking at Totem Salazzle and Totem Kommo-o. The Kommo-o is especially cool because it’s massive and carries that "boss fight" energy into your own party.
The Misconception About "Third Versions"
A lot of people think Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are just like Emerald or Platinum. They aren't. In the older games, the "third" version usually combined the exclusives so you could get everything in one go. That didn't happen here. Game Freak stayed committed to the split. This means if you already played the original Sun, and you buy Ultra Sun, you’re getting mostly the same exclusive pool.
Switching "sides" for the Ultra versions (e.g., going from Sun to Ultra Moon) is a popular strategy to fill a Living Dex, but it means you'll miss out on the specific "Ultra" additions to your original color's roster. It's a trade-off.
Does the Choice Still Matter in 2026?
You might think with the Switch and now the newer consoles, the 3DS era is dead. It's not. The Pokémon Bank and Pokémon HOME pipeline still works (for now), and collectors are still hunting for specific Alolan marks. Plus, the 3DS games have a certain "feel" that the new open-world titles lack.
Honestly, the "best" version is subjective, but if we're looking at pure value: Ultra Moon often edges ahead because of the legendary birds and the sheer defensive utility of its exclusive Ultra Beasts. But if you want a giant fire-breathing lion and a sword made of paper, Sun is your home.
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Practical Steps for Choosing Your Version
- Check your HOME boxes first. If you already have a Groudon or Xerneas from a previous generation, you don't need to prioritize Ultra Sun for them.
- Decide on your "vibe." Do you hate playing in the dark? Avoid Ultra Moon, or be prepared to change your 3DS system clock. The permanent nighttime during day hours can be depressing for some players.
- Look at the Ultra Beasts. Kartana (Sun) and Celesteela (Moon) are the two biggest game-changers. If you like fast, aggressive play, go Sun. If you like outlasting your opponent, go Moon.
- Fossil check. If you are a dinosaur nerd, check which fossil Pokémon you actually like. You can't find Tyrunt in Ultra Sun without trading.
- GTS is a wasteland. Don't rely on the in-game Global Trade System. It's filled with glitched requests that can crash your game. If you need the other version's exclusives, use Discord communities or Reddit's r/pokemontrades.
The Alola region is a weird, beautiful, and sometimes frustrating place. Whether you're fighting through the Mantine Surf or hunting for that last Totem Sticker, knowing your ultra sun ultra moon exclusives ahead of time saves a lot of heartache. Just pick the one that has the monsters you actually want to look at for 40 hours. Everything else can be traded, but your starter journey only happens once.