Alola felt different. Most long-time fans remember the jump from the Kalos region to the Alola region as a massive shift in tone, but it wasn't just the lack of traditional gyms that caught people off guard. It was the people. The characters of Pokémon Sun and Moon weren't just cardboard cutouts handing out TMs or blocking your path because they were "lost." They had baggage. Real, messy, family-trauma-level baggage that we hadn't really seen since N in Pokémon Black and White.
When you first step onto Melemele Island, everything looks like a vacation. Bright colors. Malasadas. Friendly faces. But underneath that tropical veneer, Game Freak actually hid some of the most complex writing in the entire franchise. Honestly, if you look back at Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine, you aren't just looking at NPCs; you're looking at a case study of a broken family trying to put itself back together while an interdimensional jelly-beast threatens the world.
The Aether Family and the Shift in Narrative Stakes
Usually, the "evil team" leader wants to remake the world or expand the ocean. They have these grand, often nonsensical goals. But Lusamine? She was personal.
She’s arguably the most terrifying villain in the series because her motivation is rooted in obsession and grief rather than global domination. When you finally reach the Aether Paradise, you realize the characters of Pokémon Sun and Moon are trapped in her orbit. Lusamine’s obsession with the Ultra Beasts—specifically Nihilego—wasn't just a plot device. It was a visual representation of how she lost her mind after her husband, Mohn, disappeared into a wormhole.
Lillie and Gladion are the fallout.
Think about Lillie’s character arc. She starts the game literally unable to touch a Pokémon. She’s terrified. She’s wearing clothes her mother picked out to make her look like a Nihilego. That’s dark. Like, genuinely dark for a game rated E. Her transformation into "Z-Powered Lillie" isn't just a costume change. It’s her finally reclaiming her identity. Most fans point to the moment she stands up to her mother in Ultra Space as the peak of the story, and they're right. It was a coming-of-age story wrapped in a monster-collecting RPG.
Rivals Who Actually Feel Like People
Then there’s Hau. People give Hau a hard time.
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"He’s too happy," they say. "He’s not like Blue or Silver."
Yeah, he isn't. Hau is the "friendly rival" trope done right because his cheerfulness is a choice, not a personality void. He’s living in the shadow of his grandfather, Hala, who is a Kahuna. That’s a lot of pressure. If you pay attention to the dialogue, Hau is constantly battling the idea that he’s not "strong enough" to carry the family name, but he hides it behind a love for pancakes. It makes the characters of Pokémon Sun and Moon feel grounded.
Contrast that with Gladion.
Gladion is the "edgy" rival, sure. He has the hoodie, the Type: Null, and the aggressive hand spasms. But he’s not just a jerk for the sake of being a jerk. He’s a kid who ran away from a cult-like environment with a stolen experiment because he wanted to save it. His relationship with Silvally—a Pokémon designed to be a "God-Slayer"—is one of the most heartwarming subplots. He had to show it enough love to make it evolve.
Trial Captains and Kahunas: More Than Just Gym Leaders
The Alola region replaced gyms with the Island Challenge. This gave the writers room to breathe. Instead of a Gym Leader sitting in a building waiting for you, the Trial Captains are out in the world.
Mallow is a chef. Lana is a jokester who claims she caught a Kyogre (she didn't). Kiawe is a traditional dancer. These roles make the islands feel inhabited. You aren't just checking boxes; you're participating in a culture.
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The Kahunas—Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu—serve as the anchors. Nanu is a standout favorite for many. He’s a retired police officer who is clearly over everything. He’s cynical, he lives in a dilapidated town filled with Team Skull members, and he barely wants to do his job. He provides a necessary contrast to the "everything is sunshine" vibe of the rest of the game. He’s the one who tells you that being a hero isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
Why Team Skull is Secretly the Best Part
We can't talk about the characters of Pokémon Sun and Moon without mentioning Team Skull. On the surface, they’re a joke. They’re "gangsters" who can’t rap and steal bus stops. They’re hilarious.
But look closer at Po Town.
Team Skull is a collection of kids who failed the Island Challenge. In Alolan culture, if you don't complete your pilgrimage, you're a bit of an outcast. Guzma, their leader, is a man who was once a talented trainer but could never become a Captain or a Kahuna. He felt rejected by the system, so he built his own. "Destruction in human form" is his catchphrase, but he’s really just a guy with a bruised ego and a deep-seated need for validation.
When you see Guzma interact with Lusamine, it’s clear he’s being manipulated. He’s a henchman who thinks he’s a partner. It adds a layer of pity to the "villains" that we rarely get. You don't want to just beat them; you kind of want them to get their lives together.
The Professor and the Legendaries
Professor Kukui is probably the coolest Professor in the series. He doesn't just stay in the lab. He’s out there taking hits from Pokémon to study their moves. He’s also the Masked Royal, which is the worst-kept secret in the history of Alola, but the fact that he tries so hard to maintain the persona for the sake of the fans is endearing.
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And then there's Nebby.
Cosmog is the first time a Legendary Pokémon is a character in your party for the whole game without being "yours." You watch it grow. You protect it. You get frustrated when it won't stay in the bag. By the time it evolves into Solgaleo or Lunala, you have a bond with it that goes beyond "I caught this with a Master Ball." It’s your friend. When Lillie eventually has to leave Nebby with you, it actually hurts.
The Lasting Legacy of Alola's Cast
What most people get wrong about these games is that they think the "hand-holding" tutorials define the experience. Sure, the beginning is slow. But once the story kicks in, it’s arguably the most cohesive narrative in Pokémon history.
The characters of Pokémon Sun and Moon work because they have flaws. They aren't perfect heroes or pure villains. They are people dealing with expectations, failure, and the weight of tradition.
If you're looking to dive back into the games or are experiencing them for the first time through the Ultra versions, pay attention to the optional dialogue. Talk to the NPCs in the motels. Read the books in the Aether House. The depth is there, hidden in plain sight.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Players:
- Play the original Sun or Moon first: While Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon have more content, the original story for Lusamine is actually more cohesive and darker. The "redemption" arc in the Ultra sequels softens her character in a way that many feel undermines the original impact.
- Check out the Pokémon Generations or Twilight Wings-style shorts: Though they don't cover Alola as extensively, the Alola-centric episodes of the main anime actually do a great job of expanding on Mallow and Lillie’s backstories.
- Complete the post-game Looker missions: This is where you get the real closure for the Aether family and learn more about the fall of the International Police and the Ultra Beasts' impact on the world.
- Focus on Friendship evolutions: Since the game is so character-driven, using Pokémon that evolve through high friendship (like Silvally or Alolan Raichu) feels much more thematic for this specific journey.
Alola isn't just a region. It’s a family drama that happens to have monsters in it. That’s why we’re still talking about it years later.