Alola was weird. I mean that in the best way possible. When Game Freak dropped the sequels to the 20th-anniversary titles, people sort of expected a simple "Emerald" or "Platinum" style polish. What we actually got with the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon roster was a massive, multidimensional expansion that fundamentally changed how we look at the Pokédex.
It wasn’t just about adding a few new faces. It was about the Alola Dex hitting over 400 entries.
Honestly, if you look back at the 3DS era now, these games feel like the last time the franchise really tried to shove everything into a single cartridge before the "Dexit" controversy changed the landscape forever. You’ve got regional variants, Ultra Beasts, and legendary encounters that make the current Switch titles look a bit sparse by comparison.
The Ultra Beast Problem and Why It Worked
A lot of purists hated Ultra Beasts at first. "They don't look like Pokémon," was the common cry on every forum from Reddit to Serebii. But that was literally the point. These things—Nihilego, Buzzwole, Kartana—came from Ultra Space. They were supposed to look alien. They were supposed to feel like an intrusion.
In the original Sun and Moon, they were late-game treats. In the "Ultra" versions, they became a core pillar of the ecosystem. You’ve got Stakataka and Blacephalon joining the fray, and suddenly the competitive meta was turned upside down. Stakataka, basically a sentient brick wall, became a Trick Room staple. Meanwhile, Blacephalon—a literal clown that explodes its own head—offered one of the highest Special Attack stats in the game. It was chaotic. It was fresh.
Think about the sheer design audacity of Guzzlord. It's a black hole with a mouth. You find it in the Ultra Ruin, a version of Hau'oli City that’s been completely decimated. That kind of environmental storytelling, tied directly to the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon you're catching, is something the series hasn't quite hit with the same intensity since.
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Finding the Best Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon for Your Team
If you’re booting up a save file in 2026, you aren’t just looking for the mascots. You want the stuff that actually makes the Alola trek easier. Because let’s be real: Ultra Necrozma is probably the hardest boss fight in the history of the main series. If you aren't prepared, that dragon will sweep your entire team before you can even select "Bag."
For a solid playthrough, you have to look at the Alolan Forms.
Alolan Muk is a beast. Period. Its Poison/Dark typing is arguably one of the best defensive combinations in the game, leaving it with only one weakness: Ground. Plus, it gets Power of Alchemy, which lets it steal an ally's ability in doubles. Then there's Alolan Marowak. Changing a Ground-type to Fire/Ghost was a stroke of genius. It’s slow, sure, but give it a Thick Club and it hits like a runaway freight train.
The Totem Factor
Don't forget that these games replaced Gym Leaders with Totem Pokémon. These aren't your standard encounters. They have boosted stats and they call for help. To beat them, you need specific counters found within the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon list.
- Hawlucha: You can trade for one (named "Speary") early on in a Pokémon Center. It outspeeds almost everything in the early game.
- Magnezone: Steel-types are your best friend in Alola. Period. The resistances are too good to pass up.
- Mudsdale: Its "Stamina" ability raises Defense every time it gets hit. It can basically solo physical attackers.
Most people sleep on Araquanid. Big mistake. Its "Water Bubble" ability is secretly broken—it doubles the power of Water-type moves and prevents burns. It makes the "Ultra" difficulty spike much more manageable.
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Legendary Hunting in the Ultra Warp Ride
This is where the game actually outshines the newer generations. The Ultra Warp Ride. Using Solgaleo or Lunala to fly through wormholes is basically a mini-game that leads to every legendary Pokémon from previous regions.
You want Mewtwo? It’s in a green hole.
Looking for Rayquaza? It’s in a red hole, but only if you have Kyogre and Groudon in your party.
The complexity here is immense. Unlike Sword and Shield's Dynamax Adventures, which felt a bit like a glorified slot machine, the Warp Ride felt like you were actually exploring the multiverse. It’s also one of the most efficient ways to hunt for Shiny Pokémon. If you travel over 4,000 light-years, your odds of finding a Shiny non-legendary skyrocket to nearly 36%. That is unheard of in any other game.
The Strange Case of Necrozma
We have to talk about Necrozma. In the original games, it was a weird, crystalline mystery hiding in a crater. In the Ultra sequels, it’s the protagonist. The way it fuses with Solgaleo or Lunala (becoming Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings) mimics the Kyurem mechanic from Gen 5, but it takes it a step further with Ultra Burst.
When you trigger Ultra Necrozma, the music changes, the atmosphere shifts, and you realize you're facing a deity. It’s a Psychic/Dragon type with a base stat total of 754. For context, that’s higher than Arceus. It’s the "final boss" energy that many fans feel is missing from the more recent open-world entries. It requires strategy—specifically using Focus Sash or "Rattle" tactics—to overcome.
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Why the Alola Dex Remains Relevant
The Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon lineup is a bridge. It connects the classic "hidden secrets" era of the 2D games with the high-definition, cinematic goals of the modern era. You have Z-Moves, which provided a tactical nuke once per battle, and you had a Pokédex that felt curated rather than just dumped.
Even the "regular" additions like Zeraora or Marshadow felt special. Marshadow's unique Z-Move, "Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike," is still one of the coolest animations Game Freak has ever programmed.
The Z-Move mechanic itself gets a lot of flak for being "too long," but it allowed Pokémon that were usually useless in competitive play to have a niche. Eevee became a legitimate threat thanks to "Extreme Evoboost." That’s the kind of variety these games encouraged.
Making the Most of Your Alolan Journey
If you're jumping back into the 3DS, don't just rush the story. The real value of the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Pokémon experience is in the side content.
- Hunt for Totem Stickers: Collecting these allows you to get "Totem-sized" Pokémon from Samson Oak. These are literally larger versions of Pokémon like Araquanid or Salazzle that you can use in battle.
- Island Scan: Use your QR scanner to find non-Alolan Pokémon like Charmander or Greninja on specific days of the week.
- Mantyke Surf: It’s not just a mini-game; it’s the fastest way to earn BP (Battle Points) to teach your team move tutor moves that they can't learn anywhere else.
The Alola region is dense. It’s layered. While the "hand-holding" in the first few hours is definitely annoying, once the world opens up, the diversity of the encounters is staggering. Whether you're hunting Ultra Beasts in the White Wormhole or trying to hatch a Shiny Rockruff with the "Own Tempo" ability for that elusive Dusk Form Lycanroc, there is always something to do.
The key is to embrace the weirdness. Don't just stick to the classics. Use the weird bug-aliens. Use the sand castles. The Alola Pokédex was built for experimentation, and years later, it remains one of the most rewarding collections to complete.
To truly master the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon roster, start by focusing on the "Island Scan" schedule to fill out your team with rare starters from other generations, then head to the Battle Tree to test your synergy. If you're looking to complete the Dex, remember that some Pokémon like Blacephalon and Stakataka remain version-exclusive, so you'll need to find a trading partner or use a secondary console to grab them all.