Sun & Moon series

For other uses, see Sun and Moon.



Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon (Japanese: ポケットモンスター　サンムーン Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon), referred to by fans as the Sun & Moon series, is the sixth series of the Pokémon anime and is based on the events of the Generation VII core series Pokémon games. It follows the. It premiered on November 17, 2016 in Japan and on May 12, 2017 in the United States, although the first two episodes aired as a sneak peek in on December 5, 2016.

Ash Ketchum heads off to a new region, Alola, wearing a new set of clothes with his partner. Unlike the five previous series, however, Ash doesn't travel through the region. Instead, he becomes a student at the Pokémon School on Melemele Island, where he meets his new, , , , and. Ash receives a Z-Ring and takes on the island challenge to get new Z-Crystals and qualify as a Z-Move user. The Sun & Moon series is notable for Ash's friends not being present in every episode. Also, Ash usually keeps his Pokémon out of their Poké Balls in this series.

A new art style is implemented for the third series in a row, this time more drastically than the series that preceded it. With this new style, characters are drawn with a much more exaggerated, rounded, "cartoony" style.

Episodes in the Sun & Moon series are numbered with SM on Bulbapedia. For a complete episode listing, see the list of Sun & Moon series episodes.

Dub seasons
When the Sun & Moon series came to be dubbed into English and other languages, it was divided into seasons, with one so far:
 * Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon (SM001 - SM043)

Movies

 * Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!

Gallery

 * For more images, please see artwork from the Sun & Moon anime series on the Bulbagarden Archives.

Trivia

 * This is the only series in which:
 * doesn't consist of a jacket/hoodie, jeans, or gloves.
 * Ash doesn't challenge Gyms for Badges.
 * Ash doesn't have a Gym Leader as a.
 * Ash doesn't keep his Pokédex in his pocket.
 * Not all of Ash's friends appear in every episode despite being a main character.
 * This series has more human protagonists than any other series, with a total of six.
 * This series has the most walking Pokémon, with a total of five.
 * This series marks the first time Ash has returned to Kanto in the middle of a regional journey.
 * This is the first series to feature in-person appearances by and  since the  and  since the.
 * This series marks the longest time to have Ash choose to challenge a Pokémon League, with it only becoming an option in SM043. In prior series, Ash intended to pursue the regional league either at the start or within the first few episodes.