Just recently Junichi Masuda promised new information on Pokémon Sun and Moon, and has been good to his word. A new trailer has been revealed which gives us a first look at the new titles and their setting - the Alola Region. In addition we have the release dates - 18th November in North America and 23rd November in Europe.
Even more exciting is the reveal of the starters, below:
- Rowlet - Grass Quill Pokémon, Grass / Flying type, Overgrow ability
- Litten - Fire Cat Pokémon, Fire type, Blaze ability
- Popplio - Sea Lion Pokémon, Water type, Torrent ability
You can check it all out for yourself in the trailer below. Let us know what you think.
Update:
As an extra bonus here's the Japanese trailer, which takes a completely different approach.
Comments (154)
The release date is November 23rd in the UK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2T25XRYjdw
Very good!!
November 18, to wait!!!!!
jiji, XD
They look amazing. Seems like this region will be based off of Hawaii or some other tropical location
@SeanStiny Ofor course Iyou is
The Pokémon designs look a bit odd but I guess that's always the case at first. I'm sure I'll get used to them.
This is..... awesome.😂
@Pokefanmum82 yeah, I guess the fire truck theory was true.
I think the new starters look terrible. I'm getting the kitty
Awesome!! I'm probably gonna have a hard time choosing between the Water and Fire starters, but overall the game looks great so far!
the japanese trailer is so much cuter lol
The grass starter is an owl! First time I'll be choosing grass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r0_F-_ClcQ
@SeanStiny Thanks, article's been updated.
Worldwide release my ass XD
I gotta admit. Those legendaries look awesome!
Nice. Another 3DS game to look forward too.
21 seconds into the trailer and we're still rocking a Wii U! Guess we'll have to wait for the next generation of Pokémon games before an NX is spotted in the trainer bedroom!
The brakes on my train just broke.
Characters are less chibi, angles are slightly more 3d ,owl starter looks good!
I'm curious where Litten's evolutions will go considering we already have a fire cat. Litleo and Pyroar in case you didn't know. Actually...those would have been great names for Litten's evolutions.
Grass owl for me. Tropical theme region is also nice, but I want to see more of it first.
I wanna know more about gameplay, new elements, new structure etc... I have doubts that there will be much of anything new, it feels like they will wait for next gen (on the next console) to do something more drastic (i hope).
Moon and grass/flying owl for me!
Also, Hawaiian Vivillon is a must for my team.
Pokémon, still bringing the hype on the 3DS.
Great amiibo crossover idea, Pokémon snap living on Delfino Island amongst Mario and friends.
like the owl and cat a lot...the sea lion not so much.but hey,2 out of 3,no need for complaining.
Omg dibs on mr. Fire kitteh
Starters are kinda ugly......
Litten looks metal af. Curious to see its forms. Same for the owl. Water—not so much.
I'm getting Rowlet. The legendaries really incorporate the sun & moon theme. Can't wait for November
Makes me think of Hawaii. Looks like its gonna be a very bright and lush landscape. I can't wait!
Wow, Rowlet is really cute! Definitely gonna pick it as my starter. XD
The hype for these games is really building Loved the look of the legendaries too.
For the first time ever the water type starter is the least appealing to me. I'll have to debate between the grass or fire type. Currently I'm leaning towards the owl.
A region based on Hawaii omg! I can't wait for November 18th!
I'll be getting Moon for sure! Team Moon!
Team Rowlet!! Can't decide between the Sun or Moon legendaries at the moment, also the NPC's look so much better than they have in the past- it almost felt alive!
Rowlet and Litten, God, they're both too cute! It going to be hard to pick one, but Rowlet might have the advantage at being a Grass/Flying Pokemon! Hype train enters maximum hype!
And the hype begins! Litten looks pretty cute to me. That might be my starter this time around. I guess this will be Nintendo's main seller this holiday.
I'm loving the tropical theme! So I guess there is no revisiting Kalos for a Pokemon Z unless they release it after Sun/Moon. How many new pokemon and Mega Evolutions, I wonder?
I love the look of all 3 new starters. But it's releasing on a Wednesday in Europe??
This article gets my seal of approval... I'll see myself out.
Usually I'd pick the grass starter in this scenario as I love owls — but I've been a cat person ever since I adopted one I helped to birth. Fire-type starter, 7 gens and counting.
I notice the characters look a bit more, in style, like the high-quality models that were used in cutscenes in ORAS. I like it!
Sea Lion for the win.
Neat-o
@elekid I don't get that. Also in the sun/moon direct it said that it was a world wide release
Owls. Everyone is fond of owls.
#TeamRowlet
@candy94 Yeah, I'm excited about the rest but disappointed about the launch delay and date for Europe
Water type for life! I'm almost willing to bet that it will have the coolest evos anyways. That's how it always works.
The Sun Pokemon looks far better.
@Shinji Yep the Japanese trailer only further confirms Hawaii with that awesome kid moving there from Japan. Lol
YES! I Grass Flying type! At last, the grass starter will be useful. Plus, its an owl! Totally Going with Rowlet.
Can't wait !!!
Pokemon sub art cover looks horrible
@Detective_TeeJay Yeah I noticed too. They seem more stylized and proportional. Kinda like FF7 to 8. Definitely an improvement over X and Y in that regard.
Yes! We get to see it! Also, I can't decide betwen Rowlet or Litten, in all honesty.
@Piersen Except for mice, and shrews...and Simon Cowels.
@J-Manix98 I'm calling a special tank for some reason.
I can't wait to see the engine performance.
@Detective_TeeJay
Hopefully we'll see Pokemon in their actual size in this game, yknow, out of battle.
Looks good! I can't decide between the grass owl or the fire cat.
I quite like the look of all three starter Pokémon, though my love of cats pretty much ensures that I'll be having Litten as my starter. A similar thing happened with Purloin in Gen 5, the moment I saw him, I knew I had to have one in my squad.
Hoping to hear news of further Gen 7 Pokémon, and in particular, what Pokémon are exclusive to which version. My brother and I need to decide which versions we are getting, as we always go with the opposite versions.
@Tsurii @TerrapinJess Actually I think it's just a refined version because, those style models were used in cutscenes in Gen 6 just not in gameplay like seen here.
I always always always pick the water starter without fail and this time will be no different! Although I have to admit Rowlet would be a worthy alternative. I also for some reason have a sneaky feeling Popplio will become a Water/Fairy dual type in further evolutions, but I don't know why!
yes this is exactly how I wanted it, tropical environment that actually looks tropical and those angles seem much better than the top down view we got in ORAS. Plus the new models look so much better for the characters and I am definitely choosing Litten and Moon version.
I'm so excited for this!!!
Plus can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEAAASE have optimised performance for the New 3DS as you can see the pixelated textures pretty obviously when picking the starters and I'm pretty sure optimisation for the New 3DS should eliminate most if not all of the lag in the previous 3DS entries.
I really like where they are going with the designs. Very different from what we have seen before. #TeamMoon #TeamRowlet
My first impression of the new 'mon was bad, but I grew to like them almost right away. Only the Moon legendary I don't really like, the rest looks nice!
I'm definitely going for Rowlet, the grass starter. First of all he reminds me of Brewster from Animal Crossing (hey, there's a nickname!), secondly he reminds me of the Potoo Bird, a bird I've always wanted to see turned into a Pokémon;

And third, he's just so cute!
I'm also probably going for the Sun version. I just like legendary better, he reminds me of the Roario from Viva Piñata. :3
One thing though, why oh why does Europe have to wait another five days?! Why are we always last?! I know it seems like a minor thing, but it'll mean I can't use the internet for a week if I don't want everything spoiled! You did a succesfull worldwide release with X and Y, why do we have to wait now?!
Those are some ugly Pokémons... The world looks cool, though.
Both trailers are nice in their own way. The American one shows more gameplay which I can always appreciate when having to decide on buying a game or not, but the Japanese one is better in my opinion because of it being a real (and even somewhat touching) story and it also shows how playing games on Nintendo's handheld can let you meet new people, which is a nice side effect of the 3DS spot pass function...
LOVE the new starters. These are the best starters in years (hate the stupid names though). I've been mostly indifferent to the starters of Gens 3-6, so these are definitely a nice change. I'm disappointed that they are STILL persisting with the Grass/Fire/Water starters as the series is in desperate need of a shake-up. We already have X/Y for beginners to the franchise. We don't need EVERY generation to pander to newbies.
Another thing that bothers me, is that the water starter looks too, too much like Drilbur, so I probably won't use him unless he has a really cool third stage in his evolutionary family, but I'll definitely choose the Grass starter for one version and Litten for the other.
I also love the tropical setting and the cool new legendaries. They look very different, stylistically, to any other generation of Pokémon that we've had so far. Genwunners can keep their Gen I. Bring on Gen 7! =)
Looks like the new region is based on Hawaii, plus the name is a giveaway.
The new designs are a bit meh, but I'll still choose the water starter. I got to admit, the grass starter is cute and its design is a hundred leagues better than Chespin.
I rock the idea of a giant bat (of destruction maybe XD), so it will be Moon version for me.
Lastly... I think that, while they are using the engine, they reworked some of the graphics. It looks a bit better than X/Y. The only major dissapointment is that your rival seems to be a nice guy/girl, keeping up the friendship troupe. Give me a badass rival like Blue or Silver so I can feel great when I defeat them, damnit!
@sillygostly Personally, changing the starting types sounds a little too fan fictiony and ruins the whole premise of the starter trio. No other three types reflect each other as well nor have a good move pool for a starting Pokémon.
I love the Owl. My first choice.
The kid in the Japanese trailer picks his skin colour. The only time we've been able to do that previously was of course Kalos. Its a long shot prediction at the moment but maybe we will see Character Customisation again. If not I feel sorry for any female players who have to keep that hat on their heads.
I only like Litten.
I'll be doing a blind nuzlocke when this comes out. Only way I enjoy playing through a Pokemon game these days.
BRILLANT! Ugh I'm so excited, it looks sick. I love the Japanese trailer, it really made me smile. I love how they're trying to persuade people to make friends via Pokèmon. It's really cool.
Okay that Japanese trailer was awesome. Amazing tone of direction!
So much hype, tough call between Rowlet and Litten!! The cover art to Sun is tempting me to go with Sun over Moon now...
Grass Starter: Sweet Jesus SO AWESOME!
Fire Starter: Incredible, great design!
Those two are top tier design wise!
The water one...god..it's bad, but so was Froakie...let's see the evolutions!
Rowlet for president
Why is the Jap and US versions the same day and the U.K. have a delay on it?
I like the japanese trailer better, and I'm 26 lol.
What else to say? Of course I'll get it
I'm going to choose Rowlu! First Grass/Flying type starter! Woo!
When watching the Japanese trailer it makes me want some pokemon based off the experiments from Disney's Lilo & Stitch.
Their designs are impressive!
Is it me or are the visuals in the game better than X&Y?
Wow the graphics look better and this looks like actual 3D perhaps you can use 2nd circle pad
Wow!!! I really want Litten! It reminds me of my old cranky cat! :0
Need myself some Litten action on November 23rd! The other two look good, too, but nothing beats Litten's design imo. Also, by god, those two legendaries look amazing! Gonna get both as per the usual but man, I don't know which one to play first! xD
@elekid it's only a few days different
Birds!!!!
Absolutely pathetic, this game should've had a worldwide release. This isn't the 90s you know!
@Aurumonado I've literally went Water every single generation up to now. The traditionalist in me is crying right now, because in my heart, I'll always be a bird lover. The prospect of a freaking owl starter is overwhelming me...
They look awful,except Rowlet.
@Frank90 And Froakie grew on me over time, as did Oshawott. I thought both looked horrible when they first came out.
@Socar They clearly are. The human models show a level of quality almost rivaling the anime, even outside of battle or cutscenes.
The hype is pulling me in like a moth to the flame! I can't wait until November!!!!
Yep the new region is definitely based on Hawaii. The name even sounds like aloha
@elekid I'm excited for it as well, I wanted it to be a worldwide release
I love the setting but those starter Pokemon are quite possibly the ugliest Pokemon I've ever seen!
Cool, the environments look a bit better than the previous games. And full-size characters rather than chibi.
Looks like they're still running on the same crap engine as the previous 3DS games.
Cant wait!! I need this now!!
I can have an owl? For my starter? In Hawaii!?
YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This looks incredible. They seem to take less of a top-down perspective here. Let's hope that is not just in the areas they showed like with X and Y. Like the new Pokémon, particularly the lion and the owl thing.
This is the first time I can recall being this conflicted on which starter to pick! All three of these are based on animals I love. I hope they come out with the secondary evolutions within a few months. Can't wait to pick up Pokemon Leo versi- I mean, Pokemon Sun.
Japanese trailer is cringe/10
Hm... it looks like a very unique Pokemon game, but still pretty good. I can't wait to see more!
@Aurumonado me too the grass one looks useful
I'll admit my first impression of Popplio isn't the best, I'll need to see it's final evolution before judging it completely. Yet, I'm loving both Rowlet and Litten. I think I'm favoring the Cat more but I've always kind of favored the Fire starters more(Except for Emboar, horribly slow Glass Cannon and third Fire/Fighting-type in a row). The Sun Legendary looks cool, not real surprised that it's a Lion but I'm really loving the Bat.
#TeamMoon
Definitely going with Moon and choosing Rowlet as my starter
I really hope with this lush exotic theme we'll finally see dolphin and humming bird pokemon, its the perfect time to introduce them !
Really looking forward to this game, roll on november.
Grass/Flying? Now that's new!
Jokes aside, this sounds good. Alola is definitely not based on Italy but I'm not complaining; the region's name and the professor's appearance just scream Hawaii to me, which is... kinda interesting, actually! It's weird, but at the same time charming... and going by the Deadpool movie, I'd mash these words up--charmeird, yep, that's the word to describe this. Totally charmeird.
Also, totally forgot today was the day, and I'm glad I did. I still didn't want to get baited by the continuous trolling we've gotten so far.
Oh, yeah, one more thing. The starters get all the more
fuglyunpleasant each generation. Thank goodness for the Pokémon Bank: I'll send myself some more starters to kick off the game the right way.I guess I like Rowlet the best. But I hope it gets a typing change as it evolves because Grass/Flying is awful. The other two are kinda weird... but I feel that way pretty much every gen, so they'll probably grow on me.
Love the fact trainer customization's are back, and it looks like we finally get one rival again. Alola Region looks beautiful, and the trainer's look much more realistic than X&Y
Rowlet is awesome!
...because owls...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8el_P4yvfc
Good reveal, this is looking better than X and Y. I actually really like the starters so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing their final evolutions. Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth, so I am not opposed to this in any way.
The visuals definitely look pretty nice, hopefully they show some new features later in the year since I'm not too interested at the current new Pokemon other than Rowlet.
inb4 ign 7/10 too much water
Interesting, who would have guess it would be indeed in a tropical island, like that backpacker said in XY what we'll see soon enough and IIRC, it gives some sort of totem item.
These are the first starters in a while I find appealing. They look like starters you'd get in a region only talked about in the anime or by other NPCs. You can tell which type each is but they're not directly as obvious as usual.
Really love the grass starter, and even moreso the fire one. Water one looks silly though.
Game looks great, but I hope the region is actually interesting this time around.
RIP Zygarde, though...
Rowlet for me too! Based off of the starters without knowing what the evolutions are like. The cat is second followed by the sea lion.
Serebii recons, based on the trailer, that character customisation is back 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽
Eh, have to see what they look like fully evolved. None of the 3 are screaming "pick me" at this moment.
That Japanese commercial is ridiculously cute.
The grass starter is my favourite, followed by the water one. The fire starter is my least favourite, but I still rather like the design. The region is also looking gorgeous so far.
I'm bummed about the extra five days wait for Europe. Since there'll be spoilers on all my favourite internet places, I might have to avoid the internet for a week
The legendaries look pretty cool. Not sure which one I want now. Don't know if I want to buy two games since I rarely finish pokemon games anymore.
Starters are interesting. They do have personality. As for the Legendaries, very impressive! Now, the Sun Legendary looks like its a pure Fire type, while the Moon Legendary looks like it could be two of these possible types... Psychic or Dark, Flying or Dragon... Or maybe even Fairy? We will see, but it doesn't look like one Legendary will have the type advantage over the other like with Xerneas and Yvetal. Anyway, its because of the potential in the types the Moon Legendary could be that Im leaning towards Moon.
I love the new starters, they're so cute! I think I'm most tempted by Litten, but they're all adorable.
I like grass types, and I like owls. I was actually trying to walk away from Pokemon, but this complicates things.
Welp Moon version for me, I may change my mind if they reveal what each legendary represents other than sun and Moon, I'd also like to see a more story driven version like the Black and White versions and their sequels.
Another thing I'll add this is the first water starter since the original Ruby I have no interest in, I'm Popplio actually scared they will evolve into a ring leader or giant clown lion, I don't mind spoilers as long as I can see the starters final evolutions
I actually love all of the starters. Unfortunately my first impressions of the game itself are that it doesn't seem too different from X/Y, but I could be totally wrong. Either way, I'm still hyped.
Awesome, you know I always love to get more into every new Pokemon.
Japanese trailer confirmed customisation! I was in school reacting to this trailer hahaha. But the delay now means I get this game on my birthday!
Wow, I think all three starters are dynamite! I want Popplio the most.
Love the new starters! Litten is by far my favorite. Here's to hoping that it evolves into some kind of awesome tiger! As for the legendaries, I really like the lion for Sun, but the bat for Moon looks a bit meh.
The Alola (close to aloha) region looks almost exactly like O'Ahu in the Hawaiian Islands. Don't know how many of the other islands it'll incorporate.
The kids a foreign exchange student living in Hawaii, right. If so, the other kids making fun of him might be Pearl Harbor revenganists.
I'm a sucker for Owl Pokemon so Rowlett is the one for me.
I haven't played any 3DS Pokemon game so I was wondering if I should get X/Y or OR/AS before SUN/MOON or just wait?
Let me know!
@LandOfZeldtir its the nose, as soon as I saw them I was like Fire/Dark, Water/Fairy and Grass/Flying what odd group.
@Yorumi I haven't played Pokemon since White 2 and before that I played HeartGold. I got the Dream Radar app which gave me access to some legendaries but now I've missed some of the give away Pokemon, maybe Sun & Moon are better?
Look at that owl with his leaf bowtie! I hope he evolves into a gentleman bird with a top hat.
Definitely getting Moon version, but trying to decide between Litten or Popplio. Hm....
@Yorumi Thanks for all your advice.
Awesomeness, Awesomeness, Awesomeness..
It looks like...Pokemon. The same as every Pokemon ever. The locations are cool.
Another derpy-looking Water starter... dang. Oh well, I'm getting Rowlet anyway, without a doubt!
Great looking starters! Litten's my favorite. Looks better than OR/AS already to me!
I can dig the grass and fire starters well enough, but this looks like the first water starer that I really don't like the design of (at least as far as first forms go). The legendary Pokemon look more robotic and futuristic than a lot of stuff seen before, bar maybe Dialga and Palkia.
The region looks cool enough, but I never really have big expectations with that. As always though I hope that there's enough new designs that I actually like, and/or there's older Pokemon to find in the routes and use instead.
@Grumblevolcano pathetic is a really strong word for what 4 days? It's whatever tho just European tears :]]]
Yeah yeah, who cares. Now show me the female gym leaders!
Yay, rehash #4! So much for refreshing experiences such as there were in the days of the GS series and (to a lesser degree) the Hoenn adventures. Just another generation of fatigue-inducing, superfical, minor improvements and variations.
Oh well, gotta catch 'em all. Goodbye time, money, and interest.
Wasn't there somebody who predicted it would be a tropical setting?
In any case I think I have to go with the owl.
@Detective_TeeJay
Same here. Usually I lean towards Grass/Water but the Fire starter is the only one really appealing to me out of this bunch. I'll wait until their final evolutions to make a judgement though because they can always eff up or improve down the line.
I am marking hard over both the legendaries. A sun lion and a moon bat... I mean, could they be MORE conceptually perfect?! I really am going to have to get both versions this time.
This looks AMAZING and can't wait! I love the Hawaii-themed setting which is very different and unique.
Aw geez I forgot all about the new information we were getting today. Hard to focus on finals and stuff with all this running rampant in my mind...
Popplio is my favorite. And that Japanese trailer is actually really good.
The Japanese trailer give me goosebumps and the feels, which any good trailer should do. Rowlet for life. He has a bowtie!
I bet the Moon legend will be part Fairy type. All of the moon related Pokémon and attacks were made and retconned as Fairies last gen, after all.
The game looks wonderful. I'm definitely going for Moon version.
looks alright and nice we know a release date. But i have a feeling rowlet will be pretty easy to beat considering his types
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