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Series guide · Sun & Moon

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Concluded 2016 - 2019 146 episodes Ash Ketchum

Region. Alola

The era that finally let Ash win. Sun & Moon broke convention: instead of a region-hopping badge quest, Ash attends Professor Kukui's Pokémon School in Alola alongside classmates Lillie, Lana, Mallow, Kiawe, and Sophocles. The art style softens noticeably, leaning chibi for facial expressions while keeping anatomical fundamentals during battles. Z-Moves replace Mega Evolution as the gimmick, with full ritual dances. Ultra Wormholes and the Aether Foundation's experiments drive the back half. The climax of the entire 22-year Ash run is here: SM139, the Manalo Conference finale, where he defeats Gladion's Lycanroc to win his first regional championship. The fandom catharsis was real.

Story arcs · 3 major beats

How the series moves.

  1. SM001-SM043

    Sun & Moon

    Ash transfers to Pokémon School. Picks Litten; befriends Rockruff. Island Challenge concept introduced as a Pokédex-equivalent quest.

  2. SM044-SM092

    Sun & Moon Ultra Adventures

    Ultra Beasts arc. The Aether Foundation's plot deepens; Lusamine's Nihilego possession arc lands. Ash captures Lycanroc and Naganadel.

  3. SM093-SM146

    Sun & Moon Ultra Legends

    Manalo Conference (Alola League) tournament arc. Pokémon Battle Royals introduced. The Necrozma / Light Trio plot wraps. Climax: SM139, Ash wins the Alola League.

Format introductions

What this era introduced.

  • Z-Moves with full dance sequences
  • Battle Royal format
  • Ride Pokémon (Tauros, Stoutland, Sharpedo)
  • Bond mechanics carried from XY but de-emphasized

Key episodes · the ones to watch

Episodes that mattered.

  1. SM001
    Alola to New Adventure!

    Ash arrives in Alola on family vacation; meets Tapu Koko; decides to stay and enroll at Pokémon School. Sets up the slice-of-life format.
  2. SM053
    A Battle Hand-Off!

    Stoutland Land. Quiet emotional episode about loss; one of the era's prestige episodes.
  3. SM094
    Battle Royal 151!

    The Manalo Conference's preliminary 151-trainer Battle Royal. Tournament arc begins.
  4. SM135
    Battling Besties!

    Lillie vs. Kiawe semifinal. The companion-versus-companion match the show kept hinting at.
  5. SM139
    Enter the Champion!

    Ash defeats Gladion's Lycanroc; wins the Manalo Conference. His FIRST regional Pokémon League championship after 22 in-universe years.

Competitive climax

League result.

Manalo Conference (Alola League) CHAMPION. Ash defeats Gladion's Lycanroc in SM139. First regional championship in 22 in-universe years. Subsequently defends against Champion Kukui.

Cast rotation

Who travels, who rivals, who villains.

Ash KetchumPikachuLillieLanaMallowKiaweSophoclesProfessor KukuiHalaOliviaNanuHapuAcerolaTapu KokoLusamineGladionFaba

Theme notes

Opening songs and scoring.

JP OP "Alola!!" by Mao + Eiichi Tomita. The Z-Move chant sequences are recorded as a separate musical layer that overlays the main score.

Reception

How it lands now.

Most contentious era at the start, most beloved by the end. The chibi style alienated viewers in 2016 who came back when the Manalo Conference delivered. SM139 is consistently the most-rewatched single episode of the franchise.

Episode database · 146 entries

Every episode in the series.

JP debut 2016-11-17, SM001 "Alola to New Adventure!". Latest entry SM146 "Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues!" (2019-11-03).

Show all 146 episodes
  1. SM001 Alola to New Adventure! 2016-12-05
  2. SM002 The Guardian's Challenge! 2016-12-05
  3. SM003 Loading the Dex! 2017-05-13
  4. SM004 First Catch in Alola, Ketchum-style! 2017-05-14
  5. SM005 Yo, Ho, Ho! Go, Popplio! 2017-05-15
  6. SM006 A Shocking Grocery Run! 2017-05-16
  7. SM007 That's Why the Litten Is a Scamp! 2017-05-17
  8. SM008 Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge! 2017-05-18
  9. SM009 To Top a Totem! 2017-05-19
  10. SM010 Trial and Tribulation! 2017-05-20
  11. SM011 Young Kiawe Had a Farm! 2017-05-27
  12. SM012 The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair! 2017-06-03
  13. SM013 Racing to a Big Event! 2017-06-10
  14. SM014 Getting to Know You! 2017-06-17
  15. SM015 Rocking Clawmark Hill! 2017-06-24
  16. SM016 They Might Not Be Giants! 2017-07-01
  17. SM017 Crystal-Clear Sleuthing! 2017-07-01
  18. SM018 A Seasoned Search! 2017-07-01
  19. SM019 A Guardian Rematch! 2017-07-01
  20. SM020 Partner Promises! 2017-07-01
  21. SM021 One Journey Ends, Another Begins... 2017-07-01
  22. SM022 A Shivering Shovel Search! 2017-07-08
  23. SM023 Getting the Band Back Together! 2017-07-15
  24. SM024 Alolan Open House! 2017-07-22
  25. SM025 A Team-on-Team Tussle! 2017-07-29
  26. SM026 So Long, Sophocles! 2017-08-05
  27. SM027 A Glaring Rivalry! 2017-08-19
  28. SM028 Pulling Out the Pokémon Base Pepper! 2017-08-26
  29. SM029 Lulled to La-La Land! 2017-09-02
  30. SM030 The Ol' Raise and Switch! 2017-09-09
  31. SM031 The Island Whisperer! 2017-09-16
  32. SM032 Treasure Hunt, Akala Style! 2017-09-23
  33. SM033 Big Sky, Small Fry! 2017-09-30
  34. SM034 A Crowning Moment of Truth! 2017-10-07
  35. SM035 Currying Favor and Flavor! 2017-10-14
  36. SM036 Trials and Determinations! 2017-10-21
  37. SM037 Rising from the Ruins! 2017-10-28
  38. SM038 Mimikyu Unmasked! 2017-11-04
  39. SM039 Mallow and the Forest Teacher! 2017-11-11
  40. SM040 Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence! 2017-11-18
  41. SM041 Mounting an Electrifying Charge! 2017-11-25
  42. SM042 Alola, Kanto! 2017-11-25
  43. SM043 When Regions Collide! 2017-12-09
  44. SM044 A Dream Encounter! 2018-03-24
  45. SM045 Now You See Them, Now You Don't! 2018-03-25
  46. SM046 Deceiving Appearances! 2018-03-26
  47. SM047 A Masked Warning! 2018-03-27
  48. SM048 Night of a Thousand Poses! 2018-03-28
  49. SM049 Mission: Total Recall! 2018-03-29
  50. SM050 Faba's Revenge! 2018-03-30
  51. SM051 Family Determination! 2018-03-31
  52. SM052 Revealing the Stuff of Legend! 2018-04-07
  53. SM053 Rescuing the Unwilling! 2018-04-14
  54. SM054 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight! 2018-04-21
  55. SM055 The Professors' New Adventure! 2018-04-28
  56. SM056 Let Sleeping Pokémon Lie! 2018-05-05
  57. SM057 The Dex Can't Help It! 2018-05-12
  58. SM058 Fighting Back The Tears! 2018-05-19
  59. SM059 Tasting the Bitter With The Sweet! 2018-07-02
  60. SM060 Getting A Jump On The Competition! 2018-07-09
  61. SM061 A Mission of Ultra Urgency! 2018-07-16
  62. SM062 Acting True to Form! 2018-07-23
  63. SM063 Pushing the Fiery Envelope! 2018-07-30
  64. SM064 Satoshi and Nagetukesaru! A Touchdown of Friendship!! 2018-03-01
  65. SM065 Turning Heads and Training Hard! 2018-08-06
  66. SM066 Smashing with Sketch! 2018-08-13
  67. SM067 Love at First Twirl! 2018-08-25
  68. SM068 Real Life...Inquire Within! 2018-09-01
  69. SM069 Rise and Shine, Starship! 2018-09-08
  70. SM070 The Young Flame Strikes Back! 2018-09-15
  71. SM071 Dewpider Ascending! 2018-09-22
  72. SM072 Sours for the Sweet! 2018-09-29
  73. SM073 Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime? 2018-10-06
  74. SM074 Tough Guy Trials! 2018-10-13
  75. SM075 Some Kind of Laziness! 2018-10-20
  76. SM076 A Battle Hand-Off! 2018-10-27
  77. SM077 Guiding an Awakening! 2018-11-03
  78. SM078 Twirling with a Bang! 2018-11-10
  79. SM079 Showering the World with Love! 2018-11-17
  80. SM080 Not Caving Under Pressure! 2018-11-24
  81. SM081 A Young Royal Flame Ignites! 2018-12-01
  82. SM082 All They Want to Do is Dance Dance! 2018-12-08
  83. SM083 Dummy, You Shrunk the Kids! 2018-12-15
  84. SM084 The Shape of Love to Come! 2018-12-22
  85. SM085 The Long Vault Home! 2018-12-29
  86. SM086 I Choose Paradise! 2019-01-12
  87. SM087 Filling the Light with Darkness! 2019-01-19
  88. SM088 Full Moon and Many Arms! 2019-01-26
  89. SM089 The Prism Between Light and Darkness! 2019-02-02
  90. SM090 Securing the Future! 2019-02-09
  91. SM091 A Plethora of Pikachu! 2019-02-16
  92. SM092 Turning the Other Mask! 2019-02-23
  93. SM093 Lillier and the Staff! 2019-03-23
  94. SM094 A Haunted House for Everyone! 2019-03-24
  95. SM095 Sparking Confusion! 2019-03-25
  96. SM096 Don't Ignore the Small Stufful! 2019-03-26
  97. SM097 No Stone Unturned! 2019-03-27
  98. SM098 Bright Lights, Big Changes! 2019-03-28
  99. SM099 We Know Where You're Going, Eevee! 2019-03-29
  100. SM100 Battling the Beast Within! 2019-03-30
  101. SM101 Parallel Friendships! 2019-04-06
  102. SM102 Alola, Alola! 2019-04-20
  103. SM103 Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone! 2019-04-27
  104. SM104 That's Some Spicy Island Research! 2019-05-04
  105. SM105 Showdown on Poni Island! 2019-05-11
  106. SM106 Evolving Research! 2019-06-01
  107. SM107 Run, Heroes, Run! 2019-06-08
  108. SM108 Memories in the Mist! 2019-06-15
  109. SM109 A Grand Debut! 2019-06-22
  110. SM110 Keeping Your Eyes on the Ball! 2019-06-29
  111. SM111 Show Me the Metal! 2019-07-06
  112. SM112 Got Meltan? 2019-07-13
  113. SM113 This Magik Moment! 2019-07-20
  114. SM114 Beauty is Only Crystal Deep! 2019-07-27
  115. SM115 The Dealer of Destruction! 2019-08-03
  116. SM116 The Secret Princess! 2019-08-10
  117. SM117 Drawn with the Wind! 2019-08-17
  118. SM118 Aiming for the Top Floor! 2019-08-24
  119. SM119 A High-Speed Awakening! 2019-08-31
  120. SM120 The One That Didn't Get Away! 2019-09-07
  121. SM121 A Recipe For Success! 2019-09-14
  122. SM122 Spying For The Big Guy! 2019-09-21
  123. SM123 A Fiery Training Camp Trick! 2019-09-28
  124. SM124 Living on the Cutting Edge! 2019-10-05
  125. SM125 A Timeless Encounter! 2019-10-12
  126. SM126 Pikachu's Exciting Adventure! 2019-10-19
  127. SM127 Chasing Memories, Creating Dreams! 2019-10-26
  128. SM128 League Offenders and Defenders! 2019-11-02
  129. SM129 Battle Royal 151! 2019-11-09
  130. SM130 Battling Besties! 2019-11-16
  131. SM131 The Battlefield of Truth and Love! 2019-11-23
  132. SM132 Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Strategy! 2019-11-30
  133. SM133 Battling on the Wing! 2019-12-07
  134. SM134 The Road to the Semi-Finals! 2019-12-14
  135. SM135 The Final Four! 2019-12-21
  136. SM136 Getting Down to the Ire! 2019-12-28
  137. SM137 The Wisdom Not To Run! 2020-01-04
  138. SM138 Final Rivals! 2020-01-11
  139. SM139 Enter the Champion! 2020-01-18
  140. SM140 Z-Move Showdown! 2020-01-25
  141. SM141 Exhibition Unmasked! 2020-02-01
  142. SM142 A Full Battle Bounty! 2020-02-08
  143. SM143 Fiery Surprises! 2020-02-15
  144. SM144 From Z to Shining Z! 2020-02-22
  145. SM145 Dreams of the Sun and Moon! 2020-02-29
  146. SM146 Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues! 2020-03-07

Editorial facts hand-verified May 2026 against Bulbapedia, Wikipedia, and Pokemon.com. Episode data from the Wikipedia MediaWiki parse. Pokémon, character names, and series titles © Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokémon Company, OLM Inc. This is an unofficial fan reference.