Pokémon Sun and Moon

About

Pokémon Sun and Moon are the seventh-generation pair of the Pokémon role-playing video game series published by Nintendo and released in November 2016. Taking place in the Alola region, the game had several notable differences from previous games, including “Alola” versions of Generation I Pokémon and a departure from the Gym system of progression that had been a staple of Pokémon games since the first generation.

History

On February 26th, 2016, Pokémon Sun & Moon^[1] were announced in a Nintendo Direct video celebrate the 20th anniversary of the releases of Pokémon Red and Green, the original pair in the franchise. The announcement was accompanied by a trailer (below, left), which has been the primary method with which Nintendo has leaked information about the games. On May 10th, Nintendo released another trailer introducing three new starter Pokémon, Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio (below, center). On August 11th, they released a video introducing Team Skull, Alola’s villains (below, right).

On October 18th, 2016, Pokémon Sun & Moon were released worldwide, followed by a second release in the European Union on October 21st.

Reception

Pre-Release

Pre-release reception for Sun and Moon has been mostly positive, as fans have praised Nintendo for offering substantial information about the upcoming game in video form rather than leaking information in magazines.^[2]

Online Reaction

Fans have responded to each announcement with jokes about the content in the release. This has included reaction to the new starters,^[3] Team Skull leader Guzma, new pokémon Mimikyu, and more.

Alola Exeggutor

One Pokémon announcement that drew the attention of the internet was the Alolan version of Generation I pokémon Exeggutor, a pokémon based off a coconut tree but with a massive neck. It inspired hundreds of images and videos mocking the goofiness of the character.

Wicke

Following September 4th’s introduction video of “Ultra Beasts” and “The Aether Foundation,” fans began to make rule 34 pictures of Wicke, an assistant researcher at The Aether Foundation.

Brionne

On October 4th, 2016, The Official Pokémon Channel released a new trailer for the game, unveiling evolved forms of the three starter Pokemon. Among them included Brionne, the evolved version of Popplio that can be either a male or female creature (shown below).

Shortly, YouTuber TheKingNappy posted a reaction video about the new evolutions, in which he commented on Brionne’s feminine appearance (shown below). That day, many Pokémon fans expressed their displeasure with the Brionne form, claiming that the Pokémon should have a more gender neutral design.

Meanwhile, Reddtior luigimm submitted a post titled “Brionne! I don’t care what the community has to say, he/she is awesome!” to /r/pokemon,^[7] along with an original illustration of the creature (shown below). In the comments section, users discussed the Brionne controversy, with some attributing the backlash to “fragile masculinity” while others argued that the evolved form was just poorly designed.

On October 5th, the news sites Kotaku,^[4]WWG^[5] and Hall of Fame Magazine^[6] published articles about the online backlash to the Brionne evolution. The following day, Redditor Reonat submitted a GIF comparing the Brionne video to a draq queen performance on the reality television show Ru Paul’s Drag Race (shown below).^[8]

Alola Dugtrio

On October 17th, Nintendo released demo versions for Pokémon Sun and Moon. One of the Pokémon revealed was the Alolan version of Dugtrio, which has long blonde hair on its three heads. The reveal prompted a series of jokes about Dugtrio’s appearance. Alola Dugtrio’s internet popularity was celebrated in Kotaku^[9] and The Verge.^[10]

Demo Leaks

On October 18th, data miners extracted files from the demo and discovered a bevy of information, including virtually the entire Alola Pokédex.^[12] This meant that the final forms of the starting Pokémon were revealed, along with information about the Ultra Beasts and some character artwork.^[11]