Ultra Beast

The Ultra Beasts (Japanese: ウルトラビースト Ultra Beast), also abbreviated as UBs (Japanese: ＵＢ UB), are a group of extradimensional Pokémon who have gone through Ultra Space. Most of them were introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon, though some were introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Artwork of the Ultra Beasts from Pokémon Sun and Moon, drawn by Hitoshi Ariga

Ultra Beasts infrequently appear from Ultra Wormholes in Alola. These appearances are apparently as unexpected for the Ultra Beasts as it is for Alolans, which tends to make them combative. They are especially drawn to people who have passed through an Ultra Wormhole due to the Z-Power energy left on them, apparently expecting to find another wormhole they can use to return home.

There are 11 Ultra Beasts in total. All Ultra Beasts share common attributes with one another, such as possessing the Ability Beast Boost. When an Ultra Beast is encountered in the wild, the Z-Power energy from Ultra Wormholes manifest as a red aura that boosts one of its stats at the start of battle, similar to a Totem Pokémon's orange aura. Wicke theorizes that they store this energy in their bodies. All Ultra Beasts as well as Cosmog, Cosmoem, and the light trio all share a unique sound frequency found in their cries, approximately 1.25 seconds in duration.

All Poké Balls (except for the Master Ball, which can catch any Pokémon without fail) have difficulty recognizing Ultra Beasts as Pokémon due to their extradimensional origins, and thus have a catch rate modifier of 410/4096× (~0.1×) when used on them, impairing their ability to effectively catch them. To circumvent this, the Aether Foundation's Faba had created Beast Balls, Poké Balls specifically designed to catch Ultra Beasts, having a catch rate modifier of 5× when used on them, though they have a modifier of 410/4096× (~0.1×) on Pokémon that are not Ultra Beasts.

Concept and development

Ultra Beasts are based on the idea of invasive species, as stated by Shigeru Ohmori in an interview in Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon: The Official Alola Region Pokédex & Postgame Adventure Guide. Ken Sugimori had advised that each Ultra Beast design incorporate contradictory elements, along with concepts that are typically avoided when creating new Pokémon to differentiate them from other Pokémon.

List of Ultra Beasts

In Pokémon Sun and Moon, the player is requested to obtain and catch all Ultra Beasts who have been spotted in Alola. Looker of the International Police and Wicke of the Aether Foundation will both provide the player with information on the Pokémon both during and after their mission with an Ultra Beast. Looker will also provide information based on Necrozma through the player's Pokédex after they have caught it.

Ndex	Ultra Beast	Type	Code name	Homeworld	Description
Introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon
#0793	Nihilego	Rock  Poison	UB-01 Symbiont	Ultra Deep Sea	UB-01. Code name: “Symbiont.” Properly known as Nihilego. There have been sightings reported of this beast in Alola’s past. Its most distinctive feature is its parasitic capability. When Nihilego latches on to a host, it does not manipulate its actions directly. Rather it awakens the host’s own capabilities and boosts them to an extreme extent in order to protect itself. It injects the host with a sort of neurotoxin to achieve this effect. This neurotoxin of Nihilego’s is incredibly stimulating and inspires feelings of extreme excitement and a lack of inhibition in its host. In other words, anything or anyone that Nihilego latches on to will have its native skills forcibly activated to their fullest extent and will then act as it naturally desires to.
#0794	Buzzwole	Bug  Fighting	UB-02 Absorption	Ultra Jungle	UB-02. Code name: “Absorption.” Properly known as Buzzwole. This UB was sighted for the first time following the incidents at Aether Foundation. Its most distinctive feature is its skill to strengthen itself. Buzzwole is able to absorb energy and then achieve a chemical reaction between the energy it has absorbed and its own body fluids. As a result, Buzzwole’s body swells to an almost explosive extent. Its muscles bulge and are so thick and dense that they are stronger even than steel. Both its Attack and Defense experience a clear leap in power. It also displays a habit of striking a pose each time that it takes any sort of action... It is thought this might serve as a method of communication, but it is not well understood.
#0795	Pheromosa	Bug  Fighting	UB-02 Beauty	Ultra Desert	UB-02. Code name: “Beauty.” Properly known as Pheromosa. This UB was sighted for the first time following the incidents at Aether Foundation. This UB can reach speeds exceeding 120 mph in just an instant. This speed is greater than any other living creature that has been discovered to date. But its most distinctive features may in fact be its beauty and its powerful pheromones. Most any creature that squares off against Pheromosa becomes confused, as if struck by the beast’s beauty, and loses the will to fight. It is still a subject of research, but it’s thought that Pheromosa may possess some sort of organ able to produce a pheromonal substance previously unknown to science.
#0796	Xurkitree	Electric	UB-03 Lighting	Ultra Plant	UB-03. Code name: “Lighting.” Properly known as Xurkitree. This UB was sighted for the first time following the incidents at Aether Foundation. Its most distinctive feature is an organ that can generate power. This UB’s bodily makeup is highly reminiscent of electric wiring, thus enabling it to conduct electricity with great efficiency. It can discharge as much as a million volts of power at a time. When it begins to run out of power, it stabs its legs and tail into the soil, entering a treelike state as it absorbs electricity from the ground.
#0797	Celesteela	Steel  Flying	UB-04 Blaster	Ultra Crater	UB-04. Code name: “Blaster.” Properly known as Celesteela. This UB was sighted for the first time following the incidents at Aether Foundation. Its most distinctive feature is the energy that it stores within itself, a flammable gas that it can shoot from its two huge arms. This is mostly used to propel itself in flight and for battle, but it is thought to have sufficient power and lift to even fly into space. Its bodily construction closely resembles that of a plant, and it absorbs nutrients from the soil.
#0798	Kartana	Grass  Steel	UB-04 Blade	Ultra Forest	UB-04. Code name: “Blade.” Properly known as Kartana. This UB was sighted for the first time following the incidents at Aether Foundation. Its most distinctive feature is its thin and razor-sharp body, of which every edge has as cruel a cutting edge as any well-honed blade. The edges on its arms are particularly in a class of their own. Any opponent who tries to attack it will be cut down with a single strike of its “blades.” Its thin body also allows it to evade attacks by dancing lightly out of the way. This is a very dangerous creature, considering its excellent offensive and defensive capabilities, but due to the nature of its body, it is also highly vulnerable to fire and moisture.
#0799	Guzzlord	Dark  Dragon	UB-05 Glutton	Ultra Ruin (core series) Unknown (Pokémon the Series)	UB-05. Code name: “Glutton.” Properly known as Guzzlord. This UB has been sighted in the Alola region in the past as well, according to our reports. It seems it was targeted by the International Police in a top-secret mission at that time. Its most distinctive feature is its limitless appetite. It feeds without pause every moment that it is awake. It uses the two large tongues that protrude from its mouth to catch and devour everything in its path, be it organic or inorganic matter. And while it eats such an inordinate amount, Guzzlord excreta has never been discovered. It is thought that it might fully convert the things that it eats into energy for it to use.
Introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
#0803	Poipole	Poison	UB Adhesive	Ultra Megalopolis (games) Unnamed World (Pokémon the Series)	Pokédex entries: This Ultra Beast is well enough liked to be chosen as a first partner in its own world. An Ultra Beast that lives in a different world, it cackles wildly as it sprays its opponents with poison from the needles on its head.
#0804	Naganadel	Poison  Dragon	UB Stinger		Pokédex entries: It stores hundreds of liters of poisonous liquid inside its body. It is one of the organisms known as UBs. One kind of Ultra Beast, it fires a glowing, venomous liquid from its needles. This liquid is also immensely adhesive.
#0805	Stakataka	Rock  Steel	UB Assembly	Unknown (found in Poni Grove)	Pokédex entries: It appeared from an Ultra Wormhole. Each one appears to be made up of many life-forms stacked one on top of each other. When stone walls started moving and attacking, the brute's true identity was this mysterious life-form, which brings to mind an Ultra Beast.
#0806	Blacephalon	Fire  Ghost	UB Burst	Unknown (found in Poni Grove)	Pokédex entries: It slithers toward people. Then, without warning, it triggers the explosion of its own head. It's apparently one kind of Ultra Beast. A UB that appeared from an Ultra Wormhole, it causes explosions, then takes advantage of opponents' surprise to rob them of their vitality.

Related Pokémon

Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma are thematically related to the Ultra Beasts, and share many similarities with them, although they are not usually considered to be Ultra Beasts themselves. However, in some media, Necrozma is considered to be an Ultra Beast, although none of the other four are.

Noted similarities to Ultra Beasts

• The disputed Pokémon are thematically related to the Ultra Beasts and Ultra Space, including the ability to create Ultra Wormholes.
• In the core series games, the disputed Pokémon include a sound frequency within their cries that is also shared with all Ultra Beasts.
• In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, Professor Mohn's research for the Aether Foundation hypothesized that Cosmog may be an Ultra Beast due to it originating from Ultra Space.
• In Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, Necrozma is often referred to as being similar to an Ultra Beast.
  • In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Looker claims "It was black and yet it was shining somehow! It was...it was like it was refracting light! It might have been a UB! No, I'm certain of it! It surely was a UB!"
  • In Pokémon Sun and Moon, after catching Necrozma, the following dialogue is displayed: "You caught the mysterious life-form that appeared to be an Ultra Beast..."
  • Necrozma's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Sun describes it as "reminiscent of the Ultra Beasts."
  • In Pokémon Ultra Sun, Dulse refers to Necrozma as "a creature almost like an Ultra Beast".
• Ultra Necrozma's battle at Megalo Tower has its stats raised and covered in Z-Power, similar to that of an Ultra Beast. However, the aura that surrounds the Pokémon is yellow as if it were using a Z-Move rather than the typical red aura that Ultra Beasts are covered in.
• In the English localization of the core series games, the term "beast" is used to refer to the Ultra Beasts as well as Necrozma, and is also used in mythology to refer to Solgaleo and Lunala (as "the beast that devours the sun" and "the beast that calls the moon"). This ambiguity does not exist in most other languages, including Japanese.
  • In languages other than English and Spanish, either distinct terms are used for both, or shorthand is not used to refer to the Ultra Beasts. For example, in Japanese, different terms are used to refer to the Ultra Beasts (Japanese: ビースト beast) than to Solgaleo and Lunala (Japanese: 獣(けもの) beast).
  • In all languages other than English, Necrozma is never described as a "beast" at all. In the lines that refer to it as such in English, no equivalent term appears in other languages.
• In Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, the Aether Foundation, mistaking it for an Ultra Beast, gives Necrozma the code name "UB Black" (Japanese: ＵＢ:ＢＬＡＣＫ UB: Black).
• In Pokémon GO, Beast Balls were used to catch Necrozma after raids during Go Fest 2024 - Global, and it received the catch rate boost from them.

Distinctions from Ultra Beasts

• In the core series games, these Pokémon are not considered to be Ultra Beasts. This has several functional implications:
  • Beast Balls do not have increased effectiveness against them, and other Poké Balls do not have reduced effectiveness against them.
  • These Pokémon do not display their names as ??? before being caught in Generation VII.
• Unlike the Ultra Beasts, none of these Pokémon have the Ability Beast Boost.
  • In Pokémon Shuffle, these Pokémon cannot have the Skill Beast Power, but all Ultra Beasts can.
• In Pokémon Sun and Moon, after completing the Ultra Beast side quest, the International Police report that all Ultra Beasts they had detected had been caught, even while Necrozma is still in the wild.
• In Pokémon GO's search and Pokémon HOME's Challenges, these Pokémon are not considered Ultra Beasts.
• In the Trading Card Game, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, and Lunala are not Ultra Beasts.

Media in which Necrozma is considered an Ultra Beast

• In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Dawn Wings Necrozma, and Ultra Necrozma are all Ultra Beasts, but Necrozma's default form is not.
• In Pokémon Adventures, Necrozma is an Ultra Beast, and a Beast Ball was required to capture it.
• Pokémon Duel considers all forms of Necrozma to be Ultra Beasts.

In the core series games

History

Ultra Beasts are originate from other dimensions accessed through the Ultra Space, an interdimensional realm that's connected to other worlds through Ultra Wormholes.

Pokémon Sun and Moon

Aether Foundation's research

The first recorded sightings of Ultra Beasts were documented a few years before the events Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon during researches done by the Aether Foundation in the Lab area of Aether Paradise in the center of the Alola region. Professor Mohn discovered and proved the existence of Ultra Wormholes, the realm beyond them: Ultra Space, and even life living there: Ultra Beasts, the first one discovered being the UB-01 Symbiont Nihilego. However, at some point, Mohn was sucked into an Ultra Wormhole, disappearing to be never seen again.

Main story

During the main story of Pokémon Sun and Moon (as well as in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), the player encounters Nihilego at Aether Paradise during their first meeting with Aether President Lusamine, when it emerges from a spontaneously appearing Ultra Wormhole. This Ultra Wormhole was later revealed to have come from the gases of Cosmog down in the basement of Aether Paradise.

During the player's confrontation with Lusamine at their return to the facility, Lusamine is revealed to have captured Nebby, uses its power to open Ultra Wormholes across the Alola region and bringing Ultra Beasts into the region; Nihilego is seen emerging from the portal near Lusamine, while Buzzwole^S/Pheromosa^M is seen emerging from a portal over Melemele Island and battling Tapu Koko. The player also encounters several Nihilego in Ultra Space after arriving with Solgaleo^S/Lunala^M and Lillie.

Post-game

After the player becomes Champion, some Ultra Beasts remain at large around Alola. The player receives the Enigmatic Card from a stranger directing them to visit the motel on Akala Island's Route 8. When they enter the guest room, they will find Looker and Anabel, who invite the player to join the International Police's UB Task Force and protect the Ultra Beasts currently loose in Alola. Upon accepting, the player begins a series of missions to capture the Ultra Beasts, spanning all four of Alola's islands, each time based out of the island's motel (or the restaurant on Poni Island). In some missions, there are multiple of the same species of Ultra Beast to be captured, and in some missions they may be found at either of two locations. If the player flees from or defeats an Ultra Beast, it remains in the area and the player will still be able to find it again immediately (either at the same place or at the alternate location, if applicable). When the player is in an area where there are Ultra Beasts during a mission, the music changes from the area's normal score.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

During the story of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player encounters Poipole as the main Pokémon used by the Ultra Recon Squad member Dulse^US/Soliera^UM.

Like in Pokémon Sun and Moon, Nihilego appears at Aether Paradise after meeting with Lusamine.

During the player's confrontation with Dusk Mane^US/Dawn Wings^UM Necrozma, it proceeds to open multiple Ultra Wormholes all across Alola, unleashing Ultra Beasts into the region. Blacephalon^US/Stakataka^UM appears on Mahalo Trail, facing off against Hala, Hau, and Tapu Koko. Additionally, Olivia encounters Buzzwole^US/Pheromosa^UM at the Ruins of Life, Nanu encounters Guzzlord at the Ruins of Abundance, and Hapu encounters Xurkitree at the Ruins of Hope.

Post-game

The first seven Ultra Beasts can be reached in white Ultra Wormholes in the Ultra Warp Ride. Nihilego can be found in Ultra Deep Sea, Buzzwole^US in Ultra Jungle, Pheromosa^UM in Ultra Desert, Xurkitree in Ultra Plant, Celesteela^UM in Ultra Crater, Kartana^US in Ultra Forest, and Guzzlord in Ultra Ruin. They can be caught once per visit. After defeating Necrozma at Megalo Tower, the Ultra Recon Squad offers Poipole to the player, and after the player becomes the Champion, the player can catch two Blacephalon^US/Stakataka^UM at Poni Grove.

Pokémon Sword and Shield

The Crown Tundra

In The Crown Tundra DLC in Pokémon Sword and Shield, the Ultra Beasts, excluding Poipole and Naganadel, can be found in the Max Lair as part of a Dynamax Adventure, after the player finds the fourth Legendary Clue. They can also be encountered by players who have not yet obtained it if they join the games of players who have. This seems to be a result of an Ultra Wormhole appearing above the Max Lair, summoned by Solgaleo^Sw/Lunala^Sh. Like the Legendary Pokémon found in the Max Lair, only one of each Ultra Beast species can be caught. Poipole can be obtained as a gift after catching five Ultra Beasts in Dynamax Adventures.

Base stats comparison

Pokémon	Nihilego	Buzzwole	Pheromosa	Xurkitree	Celesteela	Kartana
HP	109	107	71	83	97	59
Atk	53	139	137	89	101	181
Def	47	139	37	71	103	131
Sp. Atk	127	53	137	173	107	59
Sp. Def	131	53	37	71	101	31
Spd	103	79	151	83	61	109
Total	570	570	570	570	570	570

Pokémon	Guzzlord	Poipole	Naganadel	Stakataka	Blacephalon
HP	223	67	73	61	53
Atk	101	73	73	131	127
Def	53	67	73	211	53
Sp. Atk	97	73	127	53	151
Sp. Def	53	67	73	101	79
Spd	43	73	121	13	107
Total	570	420	540	570	570

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

The following sync pairs use Ultra Beasts:

Dex	Trainer		NDex	Pokémon		Type	Weakness	Role	EX role	Base potential	Availability
#101		Lusamine	#0795		Pheromosa	Bug	Fire			★★★★★☆EX	Sync Pair Scout
#088		Special Costume Guzma	#0794		Buzzwole	Fighting	Fairy			★★★★★☆EX	Costume Sync Pair Scout
#093		Special Costume Jasmine	#0797		Celesteela	Steel	Electric			★★★★★☆EX	Costume Sync Pair Scout
#043		Fall 2022 Iris	#0804		Naganadel	Poison	Psychic			★★★★★☆EX	Seasonal Sync Pair Scout
#025		Summer 2023 Liza	#0797		Celesteela	Flying	Electric			★★★★★☆EX	Seasonal Sync Pair Scout
#020		New Year's 2024 Wallace	#0806		Blacephalon	Fire	Dark			★★★★★☆EX	Seasonal Sync Pair Scout
#122		Alt. Elio	#0805		Stakataka	Rock	Ground			★★★★★☆EX	Poké Fair Sync Pair Scout
#121		Alt. Selene	#0793		Nihilego	Rock	Ground			★★★★★☆EX	Poké Fair Sync Pair Scout

Pokémon UNITE

Buzzwole is a playable Pokémon in Pokémon UNITE.

In animation

A Nihilego coming from an Ultra Wormhole in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Pokémon the Series

Main article: Ultra Beasts (anime)

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Nihilego debuted in a flashback in A Masked Warning!, where Gladion revealed to Ash that Lillie was once attacked by one when she was younger, resulting in her present-day fear of touching Pokémon. It appeared again in another flashback in Mission: Total Recall!.

In Faba's Revenge!, Faba managed to summon another Nihilego from an Ultra Wormhole. Lusamine, Gladion, and Ash briefly battled the Ultra Beast before it took Lusamine into the Ultra Wormhole and disappeared. They were given the proper name Nihilego in The Professors' New Adventure!.

Multiple Nihilego appeared in Rescuing the Unwilling! in Ultra Deep Sea.

Nihilego appeared again in a flashback, and Poipole debuted in The Professors' New Adventure!. It would eventually be caught by Ash in Love at First Twirl!.

Buzzwole debuted in A Mission of Ultra Urgency!, where it wreaked havoc throughout Melemele Island until the Ultra Guardians caught it in a Beast Ball and released it back into Ultra Space. In this episode, it is also revealed that despite being Pokémon, Meowth cannot understand what Ultra Beasts are saying.

Celesteela debuted in Rise and Shine, Starship!, where Sophocles found one while camping at Bamboo Hill. He and his classmates dug it out of the ground, and although the Ultra Guardians failed to catch it due to the fact that it was rooted down, it eventually flew off back into space. Unlike other Ultra Beasts, this Celesteela had been growing in Alola for more than 200 years.

Twirling with a Bang! saw the debut of both Blacephalon and Xurkitree. Ash and his classmates first encountered Blacephalon performing during a fireworks show, thinking that it was a part of the show. The next day, they learned that it was an Ultra Beast and set out as the Ultra Guardians to capture it. However, instead of Blacephalon, they encountered a different Ultra Beast, Xurkitree. After preventing Xurkitree from feeding on electricity from a power line, the Blacephalon from the night before appeared. The two Ultra Beasts ended up in a performance showdown, each trying to outperform the other with their moves. Thanks to a distraction from the Ultra Guardians, they were able to distract, weaken, and subsequently catch the two Ultra Beasts, allowing them to be returned home.

A Guzzlord in Ultra Ruin in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Naganadel debuted in The Shape of Love to Come!, where it appeared inside the dream of Ash's Poipole located inside of an unknown Ultra Space nest location. It physically debuted in The Prism Between Light and Darkness!, where it revealed that Ash's Poipole originally came to Alola to scout for a place for it and its hive to live.

Stakataka debuted in The Long Vault Home!, where it arrived at the Pokémon School during midnight. After several unsuccessful attempts, it later moved to another location where it was mistaken for a pedestal for Viren's statue. The statue being placed on top of it caused it to go berserk, necessitating intervention by the Ultra Guardians.

Guzzlord debuted in Battling the Beast Within!, where it was shown to have destroyed an alternate version of Hau'oli City, leaving behind the Ultra Ruin. In the present day, it attacked Ash and Pikachu before they were saved by Dia and his Zeraora. In Parallel Friendships!, Ash and Dia successfully sent it back to its home world through an Ultra Wormhole, saving the Ultra Ruin.

Pheromosa debuted in Beauty is Only Crystal Deep!, where it was stealing all of the Z-Crystals from Trainers throughout the Alola region. After several unsuccessful attempts by the Ultra Guardians to stop it, it was eventually defeated by Bewear, giving the Ultra Guardians the opportunity to catch it and send it back home.

Kartana debuted in Living on the Cutting Edge!, where it was cutting everything throughout the Melemele Island. The Ultra Guardians attempted to capture it, but were unsuccessful. Soon after, a meteor approached from outer space, due to a conflict between a Deoxys and a Rayquaza. The Ultra Beast eventually cut it and saved it from hitting the Pokémon School. Afterwards, it made a cut in the fabric of space, which created an Ultra Wormhole, allowing it to return home.

Gladion's Shiny Nihilego, Lillie, in Pokémon Journeys: The Series

An exclusive, unseen Ultra Beast is mentioned in Thank You, Alola! The Journey Continues!, where it was helped by Ash and Solgaleo during their travels through Ultra Space, they arrived in its reddish home world, full of crystal-like structures.

In Pokémon the Series, Nebby was speculated to be an Ultra Beast by the Aether Foundation before its relationship to the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo was fully understood. Similarly, Necrozma, having not yet been identified as the "Blinding One" of Alolan myth, was given the codename UB Black (Japanese: ＵＢ:ＢＬＡＣＫ UB: Black). In the final episode of the series, Ash recounted a story of an adventure he had with Solgaleo in an unnamed Ultra Space world, where he helped an Ultra Beast he had "never seen before", despite all known Ultra Beasts having debuted in the animated series by that point.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

As revealed in The Homecoming Crown!, Mohn encountered a Shiny Nihilego after his disappearance into an Ultra Wormhole years earlier. It brought him back to his own world and used its powers to make him see it as Lillie, living with him in a small house at the Crown Tundra for years until his family found him and restored his memories. The Shiny Nihilego was subsequently invited into the family with the nickname "Lillie" and joined Gladion's team. In the following episode, Lillie was Gladion's Pokémon of choice for a Battle Royal between him, Ash, Kiawe, and Professor Kukui.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Various of Lusamine's Ultra Beasts in Pokémon Adventures

Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc

The Ultra Beasts were first mentioned in The Final Match and a Surprising Finale! by Gladion, who, after losing to Sun at an Iki Town festival tournament, contemplated losing his chance to meet with the guardian deities and instead decided to train elsewhere to prepare to confront the Ultra Beasts when they arrive. In True Identity and the Totem Pokémon of Brooklet Hill, Moon and Mallow found Tapu Lele battling a Xurkitree as it was emerging from an Ultra Wormhole above Lush Jungle. Moon attempted to capture the Xurkitree, but it managed to retreat back inside the Ultra Wormhole and escape. Later, the two chose to give it the codename "Lighting" to avoid having to describe its appearance every time when talking about it.

In A Raid and Po Town, Guzma was confronted by the Kiawe, Mallow, Lana, Acerola, Ilima, and Hau, who had traveled to Po Town to talk with the Team Skull boss. Guzma instead sent a Pheromosa, Celesteela, and Guzzlord to attack the Captains' group. After the beasts proceeded to defeat the Captains' Pokémon, Guzma used a Cosmog to open more Ultra Wormholes, summoning a Xurkitree and a Nihilego. The Captains were rescued by Gladion, who used his Type: Null to battle the beasts, and managed to easily hold them back due to being created specifically to combat them.

Ultra Necrozma, an Ultra Beast in the Pokémon Adventures's canon

Afterward, Nihilego captured Guzma and dragged him into an Ultra Wormhole with it. The other beasts escaped from Po Town's barrier, allowing them to wreak havoc on the rest of Ula'ula Island. Anabel and Looker arrived shortly thereafter, and while Looker went off to investigate the Ultra Beasts that broke through the walls, Anabel assisted Sun and Moon in battling a Blacephalon. Anabel attempted to capture Blacephalon, only to discover that ordinary Poké Balls do not work on Ultra Beasts. Before Blacephalon could retaliate with Mind Blown, Tapu Bulu blew it away. Afterward, while Sun, Moon, Professor Kukui, and Professor Burnet gave Tapu Bulu a Mirage Berry, Anabel speculated that there was a certain person hiding in Alola, who was capable of creating Poké Balls that would be able to capture Ultra Beasts.

A mass of Ultra Beasts later converged on Poni Island, but were fought off by Lunala, which had evolved from Nebby. Solgaleo also wanted to join the battle, but was unable to when Sun rejected its aura and refused fight alongside it. Six months after Sun and Moon had disappeared into the Ultra Wormhole at the Poni Altar, Lusamine and her Ultra Beast were shown to have taken over Poni Island. She planned to use the wormhole at the altar to travel to Ultra Megalopolis and use the Beast Balls delivered to her by a disguised Blake to capture Necrozma, which is classified as an Ultra Beast in this canon. Meanwhile, Sun and Moon were freed from Ultra Deep Sea by Lunala and the Ultra Recon Squad, who took them to Ultra Megalopolis. The city was attacked by a Stakataka, which Sun and Moon succeeded in subduing. Soon after, Lusamine arrived at the city with some Aether Foundation Employees by using Ultra Warp Ride with some Naganadel. After fusing herself with a Nihilego, she attempted to capture Necrozma. While her attention was focused on the Prism Pokémon, Sun used one of her Beast Balls to capture Stakataka.

The battle against Necrozma eventually moved to Alola, where the Trial Captains, who had tried to join the battle, were attacked by a group of Aether Foundation Employees wielding Ultra Beasts. In the meantime, the island kahunas joined forces with the guardian deities to fight the Ultra Beasts across Alola. The Trial Captains succeeded in defeating the Ultra Beasts with a series of Z-Moves, and once Necrozma had been caught by the Ultra Recon Squad, the Ultra Beasts sensed the threat to them had passed and started heading back to their home worlds through a wormhole above Mount Lanakila.

In the TCG

Main article: Ultra Beast (TCG)

An example of an Ultra Beast card

Ultra Necrozma's Ultra Beast card

Ultra Beasts were introduced to the Pokémon Trading Card Game in the Crimson Invasion expansion as a classification of Pokémon cards. Ultra Beast cards are distinguished by a red Ultra Beast label superimposed on the card art below the HP and type. Ultra Beast GX cards have a red graphic instead of the blue graphic depicted on other Pokémon-GX cards. Similarly, Ultra Beast Tag Team GX have a red graphic as opposed to a blue one.

Every Ultra Beast Pokémon has an attack or Ability that is affected by or affects the player's and/or opponent's Prize cards. If that Pokémon is a Pokémon-, its GX attack is always that attack.

Unlike the core series games, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Dawn Wings Necrozma, and Ultra Necrozma are Ultra Beasts in the TCG. Necrozma in its base form, however, is not.

Trivia

• Buzzwole and Pheromosa are the only Ultra Beasts that share a type combination.
• The only Ultra Beasts that are part of an evolutionary line are Poipole and Naganadel.
• The base stats of the Ultra Beasts and the levels at which they learn moves in Generation VII (except level 1) are all prime numbers, a trait shared with Cosmog and its evolved forms. The only exception to this is Naganadel, which has a Speed stat of 121, which is a prime power.
  • With the exceptions of Poipole and Naganadel, all Ultra Beasts have a base stat total of 570.
  • In Pokémon Shuffle, the Ultra Beast-exclusive skill Beast Power uses prime numbers for all of its activation rates (17%, 53%, and 73%). Nihilego's skill Possession and Buzzwole's skill Demolish also have prime-number activation rates (73% and 89% respectively), though only at max skill level. Beast Power and Demolish also require a prime number of skill points (61) to reach max level, and they are the only skills to require that specific amount.
• Of all the Ultra Beasts, Naganadel learns the most moves via level up with 18, and Poipole learns the fewest with 14.
• Buzzwole, Xurkitree, and Guzzlord's Ultra Sun Pokédex entries and Pheromosa, Celesteela, and Kartana's Ultra Moon Pokédex entries all have exactly the same text: "Although it's alien to this world and a danger here, it's apparently a common organism in the world where it normally lives." They are the only Pokémon in the games to share Pokédex entries with each other.
• According to Pokémon Daisuki Club's Mystery File feature website, some researchers theorize Unown may be related to Ultra Beasts.
• Although the Ultra Beasts are not Legendary Pokémon, they share some characteristics with many of them: they all are gender unknown, they are in the No Eggs Discovered Egg Group, they have scripted encounters with special battle music and at least three IVs guaranteed to be 31, and they have special Rotom Pokédex pages. Furthermore:
  • In Generation VII, if the player chooses to filter out people seeking Legendary or Mythical Pokémon on the Global Trade System, people seeking Ultra Beasts will not be displayed. In Pokémon HOME, the filter originally only filtered out Mythical and Special Legendary Pokémon and did not filter out Ultra Beasts and non-Special Legendary Pokémon; however, in the v1.2.1 update, the filter was renamed to "Include people searching for Legendary, Mythical, and other special Pokémon" and was expanded to cover all Legendary Pokémon and Ultra Beasts.
  • Prior to Generation IX, the Ultra Beasts belonged to the "sublegendary" category in the games' code.
  • In The Crown Tundra DLC of Pokémon Sword and Shield, Peony refers to both Legendary Pokémon and Ultra Beasts as "legendary".
  • In a Pokémon Sword and Shield online competition called "Mythical Melee" that claimed to restrict players to the use of only Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, Ultra Beasts were allowed to participate.
  • In GOTCHA!, the Ultra Beasts are shown as silhouettes alongside the rest of the Legendary Pokémon.
• The Ultra Beasts share some similarities with the Paradox Pokémon, introduced two generations later:
  • Both groups consist only of Pokémon that cannot evolve in the first set of games they appear in.
  • Both play a role in the main story of their debut games.
  • Both groups consist entirely of gender unknown Pokémon in the No Eggs Discovered Egg Group, thus being unable to breed.
  • Both are connected to the mascot Legendary Pokémon of the games they were introduced in.
  • Both have base stats themed around a certain type of number, with the ancient Pokémon having odd-numbered base stats and all future Pokémon have even-numbered base stats, while Ultra Beasts have base stats themed around prime numbers. Additionally, the levels they learn moves at are themed around numbers, with Paradox Pokémon learning moves around multiples of seven, while Ultra Beasts learn moves around prime numbers.
  • The majority of Pokémon in both groups have a base stat total of 570.
  • Every Ultra Beast and Paradox Pokémon (except Koraidon and Miraidon) has an Ability that boosts its most proficient non-HP stat.
  • Promotional material for both groups' debut games did not refer to them as Pokémon or reveal any of their types prior to the games' releases.
  • Characters in the games are initially unsure whether the members of either group are actually Pokémon.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 究極異獸 Gaugihk Yihsau Mandarin 究極異獸 / 究极异兽 Jiūjí Yìshòu Czech Ultra Bestie Danish Ultra Beast Dutch Ultra Beast Finnish Ultrapeto French Ultra-Chimère German Ultrabestie Hungarian Ultra Bestia Indonesian Ultra Beast Italian Ultracreatura Korean 울트라비스트 Ultra Beast Malaysian Mergastua Ultra Norwegian Ultra Beast Polish Ultrabestia Portuguese Brazil Ultracriatura Portugal Ultrafera Russian Ультрачудовище Ul'trachudovishche* Ультра-Чудовище Ul'tra-Chudovishche Spanish Ultraente Swedish Ultra Beast Thai อัลตร้าบีสต์ Ultra Beast อุลตร้าบีสท์ Ultra Beast Vietnamese Quái thú Ultra

Related articles

• Trainers with Ultra Beasts
• Paradox Pokémon
• Ultra Aura
• Ultra Wormhole
• Beast killer project

Ultra Beasts

Related: Cosmog • Cosmoem • Solgaleo • Lunala • Necrozma

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.