History VideoGame / PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon

''Pokémon Ultra Sun & Pokémon Ultra Moon'' are the second major set of seventh generation games in the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series, also released for UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS. The games were first announced on June 6, 2017, and released worldwide on November 17, 2017. The games are {{updated rerelease}}s of the original ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon Sun and Moon]]'', featuring several Pokémon that didn't appear in the original set of games, [[SequelDifficultySpike increased difficulty]], and an alternate story that shifts some characterization and quickly diverges from the plot of the original installments to place far greater emphasis on the AlternateUniverse elements.

** The UsefulNotes/WiiU that used to be in the player's bedroom in ''Sun and Moon'' has been replaced with a UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. The Wii U can still be found in the game however, namely [[spoiler:in Guzma's old house on Route 2, and in the Shady House in Po Town]].
** Like in previous games, children can be seen playing on the current portable system, this being a UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS with ''Pokémon'' loaded on it.

** Hiker Sill will offer to trade a Phantump with yours to evolve them into Trevenants, just in time for the trial at the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart.

* AndroclesLion: In Exeggutor Island, you'll notice that several Exeggutors are agitated, and when you approach them, they're being accosted by a Pinsir. Defeating the Pinsirs calms them down, and will help you get to higher areas in Exeggutor Island.

** Lillie, compared to ''Sun and Moon''. In this game, when Nebby is attacked by Spearow, she says she cannot act due to not being a trainer, instead of being too scared like the original games. Also, she [[spoiler:becomes a trainer, teaming up with the player to battle Faba and a grunt during Episode RR. Afterwards, she also becomes a Multi-Battle partner in the Battle Tree.]]
** [[spoiler:Team Rainbow Rocket is a revival of the original Team Rocket, and while the grunts have the same incompetent streak as before they are ''by far'' the highest-leveled grunts in the entire series, also using fully evolved Pokémon.]]

* These are the first games to add completely new Pokémon mid-generation.

* BreakingOldTrends: Mascot Legendary Pokémon have long been part of a ''Pokémon'' villain's plan, and/or key in defeating them, but this is the first core game where the mascot Legendary ''itself'' is the BigBad.

* AlternateDimension: [[spoiler:The various worlds on the other end of Ultra Wormholes are alternate versions of the world the game takes place in. Some are more obvious than others, such as the one Guzzlord inhabits]].

* NamesTheSame: InUniverse: Apparently, Beach Points earned at Mantine Surfing were a different currency than Battle Points, but due to confusion between the two, both facilities accept them as 'BP'.

* ButThouMust: Two in the post-game:
** Once you meet Hau, Wicke, and the Ultra Recon Squad at Ancient Poni Path, and complete two encounters with Blacephalon or Stakataka, it sends you back home, where you are met by Sophocles. He takes you to Festival Plaza, which has been infiltrated by Team Rainbow Rocket. You have to help him beat them. He ''will not'' take no for an answer. The rest of the Team Rainbow Rocket arc after that can wait until you go to Aether Paradise.
** Lysandre presents you with two buttons, one of which will activate a superweapon and the other which will allow you to proceed. No matter which one you pick, it will activate the weapon, and Lysandre battles you to prevent you from pressing the other button to deactivate the weapon.

* ButThouMust: In the post-game, once you meet Hau, Wicke, and the Ultra Recon Squad at Ancient Poni Path, and complete two encounters with Blacephalon or Stakataka, it sends you back home, where you are met by Sophocles. He takes you to Festival Plaza, which has been infiltrated by Team Rainbow Rocket. You have to help him beat them. He ''will not'' take no for an answer. The rest of the Team Rainbow Rocket arc after that can wait until you go to Aether Paradise.

** [[spoiler:Necrozma provides a CurbStompBattle to a fully-evolved Nebby in both versions. In actual gameplay, Necrozma would actually be ''losing''. (See GameplayAndStorySegregation below for why.)]]

** At Hokulani Observatory, Sophocles and Molayne have a Togedemaru on site to use its ability, Lightning Rod, in case of an electrical emergency. [[spoiler:It protects the Chargabug in the trial when the machine designed to summon the Totem goes awry, only for Totem Togedemaru to show up and take its place and start the battle.]]

* BackForTheFinale: In a EndOfAnAge sense for the handheld games, we have all of the previous Legendaries, and every single previous villainous team leader. Unfortunately, however, [[PermanentlyMissableContent Mythical Pokémon]] remain available [[SubvertedTrope only through their respective events or by hacking.]]

* MovingAwayEnding: The game plays with the original's ending by showing Gladion leaving to Kanto instead. For him, it's a continuation of his journey as a Pokemon Trainer. Once a month, he may also return to Alola to challenge the player for their Champion title, using Pokemon from the Kanto region.

* HeelFaceMole: [[spoiler:Faba helps Team Rainbow Rocket infiltrate the Aether Foundation.]]

** Necrozma, who was only a post-game BonusBoss in the original pair with no plot significance, is the [[BigBad focus]] of these games' plot.

** In the main games, Mewtwo was always little more than a BonusBoss fought after the main story was over. However, not only is the player able to capture it ''before'' the Pokémon League for once, but it appears [[spoiler:in Team Rainbow Rocket's headquarters as Giovanni's ace Pokémon, essentially promoting it to TrueFinalBoss status as it's the last Pokémon faced over the course of the postgame story.]]

* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the first games, her symbiosis with Nihilego leaves Lusamine in a seriously compromised state. Since her obsession with the Ultra Beasts and Nihilego in particular is AdaptedOut in this version, she isn't seriously hurt, merely [[spoiler:emotionally traumatized by the battle with Necrozma. She's rendered unconscious in the Team Rainbow Rocket postgame, but wakes up when they're gone. She even becomes one of the potential [[BonusBoss title challengers]] in place of Faba.]]

* LuckBasedMission: The various Ultra Space Wilds areas you arrive in may or may not have a Legendary appear at all--even if there is one, it will be randomized based on what can appear there (assuming you didn't already catch it), so if you're going for specific Natures on specific Legendaries, it can be frustrating. The same holds true for Ultra Beasts; while white wormholes guarantee an Ultra Beast habitat, ''which'' one you find is random, with Guzzlord's habitat being particularly rare next to Nihilego's.

* MadeOfIron: The player character. They're able to survive searing-hot temperatures in Haina Desert without need of water and [[spoiler:[[UpToEleven spend a few minutes in a heavily-irradiated and toxic alternate Hau'oli City]]]] without any ill effects.

* AbsenteeActor: Neither Archer nor any of the other three Rocket Executives from ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' are part of Team Rainbow Rocket.

* DangerouslyShortSkirt: [[spoiler:The female Team Rainbow Rocket grunts are wearing miniskirts that contrast with their long-sleeved tops]].

* PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling: Wild Chansey can be found at Poni Plains in the postgame - as a ''base'' encounter, unlike in the previous game where they were S.O.S.-only. This means that a weakened Chansey with an Adrenaline Orb in play will constantly S.O.S. other Chansey into the fight that give massive amounts of experience, or sometimes even a ''Blissey'' which is even better. With a Lucky Egg (which is a rare drop from Blissey herself) and Roto Experience Points active, the amount of experience you gain becomes very arbitrary very quickly.

* DiscOneNuke:
** A Rockruff with Own Tempo for its Ability was released via Wi-Fi at launch until January 10th, 2018. It comes with Fire Fang or Thunder Fang, two reasonably powerful moves for that point in the game, Happy Hour to give the player more money at the end of Trainer battles, and it evolves into Dusk Lycanroc--which hits very hard with Tough Claws and moves very fast at base 110 speed. Its usefulness is offset by the extremely specific conditions under which it evolves (only between 5:00 and 5:59[[note]](p.m. in Ultra Sun, ''a.m.'' in Ultra Moon)[[/note]]) and the fact that its defenses are below average later in the game. Thankfully, it can breed to create more Own Tempo Rockruff, but those can never learn Happy Hour.
** Buneary, which wasn't available in the originals, is catchable on Route 1 here. It's one of the few Pokémon that knows Splash, which seems useless...until you realize that Z-Splash exists. If you can stick with Buneary (which, while it has good Attack and great Speed, doesn't learn a new attack move until level 16) until you clear Ilima's trial, you'll have access to a move which boosts Attack by THREE stages. This gets even more broken when you evolve Buneary into Lopunny (also very difficult to do, as it's friendship starts at 0); it will learn Return upon evolution - a move that has at least base 88 power with STAB. Even late game, where Lopunny's Attack is passable, it will still punch a huge hole into anything that doesn't resist it.
** In the originals, the Flyinium Z was available at Ten Carat Hill, but couldn't be accessed until late in the game because Machamp Shove was needed. Not so much here, as the Strength boulder is no longer in the path, allowing you to access the Flyinium Z as soon as you have Tauros and access to Ten Carat Hill. The Z-Crystal is a significant up for your Flying-types.
** On Route 2, you can trade a Spearow for a Hawlucha. This Hawlucha has a perfect IV in Attack, levels up very quickly, and has a type advantage against five of the eight Totem Pokémon. You can get it right before the first trial, and with it completely breeze through the first two islands.
** The Move Tutors can create some of these:
*** Both Shock Wave and Water Pulse are available early on, and are on the cheaper end of BP costs. A Meowth with Technician can get good coverage for the Trials on Akala this way.
*** Uproar is a powerful move for when it's available, having a power on par with moves in the end-game.
*** Signal Beam, Giga Drain, and Fire Punch are available as soon as you get to Akala Island, all of which are strong moves and low BP costs that can be obtained easily with a few Mantine Surf runs.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ultra_sun_and_ultra_moon_boxarts.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:New Necrozma formes, Team Rainbow Rocket, and the return of every single mascot legendary from the last 20 years? It's all come together, indeed.]]

** The fates of the [[spoiler:Rainbow Rocket Archie and Cyrus]] are eerily similar to what happened to them in ''Anime/PokemonGenerations'', as [[spoiler:Archie was apparently eaten by Kyogre during a raging storm and Cyrus was banished to the Reverse World by Giratina, but didn't mind at all since it's exactly like what he wanted in the first place.]]

** During the conversation in the [[spoiler: post-game battle with Madame Meowth]], one of the player's quote choices is [[Characters/PokemonAnimeTeamRocket "That's right!"]].