Generation VII

The seventh generation (Japanese:  seventh generation) of Pokémon is the seventh installment of the Pokémon video game series starting with  and continuing with, followed by Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. Unlike previous generations, the core series games of the seventh generation were released on two different Nintendo platforms, with the Alola-based games released on the Nintendo 3DS and the Kanto-based games released on the Nintendo Switch. It is the last generation released on the 3DS and the first one on the Switch.

History
The seventh generation of Pokémon was announced with the reveal of on February 27, 2016, the Pokémon 20th Anniversary. These are the first pair of games in the generation and were released worldwide on November 18, 2016, except in Europe where they were released on November 23, 2016.

The second pair of games in this generation,, were revealed in a Pokémon Direct held on June 6, 2017. The games take place in Alola once again, but with a new story and includes Pokémon that cannot be found in Sun and Moon. The games were released worldwide on November 17, 2017.

The third and final pair of games, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, were revealed in a press conference held on May 29, 2018. The games take place in Kanto and are inspired by. The games were released worldwide on November 16, 2018.

Some of the Generation VII games can communicate with games from previous generations. Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon can communicate with the application Pokémon Bank, via which Pokémon from the Generation VI games can be received. By way of Poké Transporter, Pokémon Bank can also receive Pokémon from the Generation V games and the Virtual Console releases of the Generation II and Generation I games, from which they can be moved to Generation VII games. Combined with other inter-generational transfer methods, this makes the seventh generation the first generation since Generation II able to communicate with all previous games.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! can communicate with the mobile app Pokémon GO and is able to receive Pokémon that originate from the app and can send a special Pokémon to Pokémon GO. It currently cannot communicate with any other core series games.

In-game continuity
occurs two years after the events of and. Various characters from previous generations such as: Sina, Dexio, Looker, Anabel, Colress, Red, and Blue make appearances, with many of them looking significantly older than in previous games.

During the postgame missions in Sun and Moon, it is revealed that Anabel fell into an Ultra Wormhole prior to the events of Sun and Moon and became, what the International Police refer to as, a and is hinted to be the same Anabel that appeared in Pokémon Emerald's, however, she suffers from. Professor Burnet who originated from the side game, Pokémon Dream Radar, is revealed to be living in Alola and is researching the phenomena surrounding Ultra Wormholes.

are set in an alternate universe similar, but slightly different, to Sun and Moon. The events of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon follow those of the first games, but slightly diverge in its details. Some of the worlds that the player may visit through the Ultra Warp Ride are hinted at being alternate versions of Alola, such as: the Ultra Space Wilds, and the Ultra Ruin which is a world that thoroughly hinted at being a destroyed Hau'oli City from an alternate dimension. In Episode RR, Team Rainbow Rocket takes over the Festival Plaza and Aether Paradise after coming out of Ultra Wormholes, in hopes of taking over other worlds using the Ultra Wormhole technology developed by the Aether Foundation. Team Rainbow Rocket is later revealed to be composed of the villainous team leaders from previous generations, with Team Aqua and Team Magma's leaders, Archie and Maxie, appearing as they they did in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. It is also revealed that each of the villainous team leaders are from alternate universes where they were able to successfully achieve their plans; further cementing the concept of alternate universes. Colress plays a major role in Episode RR by sending all of the villainous leaders back to their original dimensions; when confronting Ghetsis, he and Colress recognize each other, despite being from alternate dimensions, due to Colress working for Team Plasma in both universes.

seems to take place in an alternate universe from Pokémon Red and Blue and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen as Team Rocket was never disbanded, and Red and Blue have already defeated the Indigo League and are now renowned Pokémon trainers. Because of this, the player characters are now composed of Chase and Elaine with Blue's role as rival being replaced by Trace.

Since Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are remakes of Pokémon Yellow, characters from the anime like Jessie and James make appearances and similar events from the anime occur. The games seem to occur less than five years before Sun and Moon, as Mina, albeit slightly younger, makes an appearance in Vermilion City. Despite this, the overall continuity between these games and those that precede them is not clear.

Advances in gameplay

 * The addition of, bringing the total to 802.
 * The addition of, bringing the total to 701.
 * The addition of, bringing the total to 232.
 * A new region to explore, the Alola region, based on.
 * The return of different overworld music depending on the time of day, which was originally introduced in Generation IV.
 * A new villainous team, Team Skull.
 * 18 Generation I Pokémon have a form unique to Alola known as a regional variant; this aspect of Generation VII is based on selective pressures which occur in the real world.
 * The player can move freely in any direction in any area of the game, as opposed to the eight-directional grid of the previous generation.
 * The addition of the Rotom Pokédex, a special Pokédex inhabited by a that doubles as a real-time map on the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS.
 * The 3D models used for characters on the overworld are refined, and Trainers can be seen behind their Pokémon during battle, similar to, , and.
 * Certain NPC trainers may keep their Pokémon in Poké Balls other than the standard.
 * A new battle mechanic, Z-Moves, powerful moves that Pokémon can learn and perform once per battle.
 * The addition of the island challenge, a traditional rite in the Alola region involving trials guided by Trial Captains, battling Totem Pokémon, and battles with Island Kahunas.
 * The introduction of 's Ash-Greninja form and 's four alternate forms, previously shown in the XY&Z arc of the 's.
 * Six new forms based on Ash's Pikachu.
 * Two new battle modes:
 * A battle that takes part between four Trainers called a Battle Royal, where each participating Trainer aims to defeat each other. The battle ends when all of one Trainer's Pokémon are knocked out, with the winner being the Trainer who has the highest combined number of knockouts and number of remaining Pokémon.
 * A battle where wild Pokémon can summon allies to assist them called an SOS Battle.
 * The new QR Scanner allows players to register Pokémon in their Pokédex and receive event Pokémon.
 * The addition of Poké Rides, which allow players to summon Pokémon that they can ride to access otherwise inaccessible areas.
 * The addition of Hyper Training, a system that allows players to exchange special Bottle Caps to maximize the IVs of their Level 100 Pokémon.
 * The introduction of the Zygarde Cube, an item that allows the player to collect Zygarde Cells and Cores scattered across the region to assemble their own.
 * The addition of the Festival Plaza, a hub accessible from the menu that allows the player to interact with other players locally or via the internet, as well as access various shops similarly to Join Avenue.
 * The addition of the Poké Pelago, an option accessible from the menu that allows the player to send Pokémon that are stored in a PC Box to various islands, allowing them to gather items, discover wild Pokémon, and even raise their levels and stats.
 * The player can now replace one of their party Pokémon with a newly caught Pokémon without having to use a PC.
 * One new variant of Poké Ball, the Beast Ball, retaining the 26 found in previous games.
 * The introduction of a new evolutionary stone, the Ice Stone.
 * During a Pokémon battle, the bottom screen now displays a move's type effectiveness once the player has encountered the Pokémon again.

Alterations from Generation VI

 * Several Pokémon can learn new moves upon evolution.
 * Pokémon-Amie is replaced by Pokémon Refresh.
 * The Player Search System is replaced and incorporated into the Festival Plaza.
 * The abandonment of the following elements:
 * Counting how many of each species of Pokémon the player has encountered.
 * The National Pokédex, with Pokémon from outside the Alola Pokédex having no Pokédex entry at all.
 * Horde Encounters, Sky Battles, Inverse Battles, Triple Battles, and Rotation Battles.
 * Super Training, O-Powers, and Poké Miles.
 * Contest Spectaculars, Cosplay Pikachu, Super-Secret Bases, Mirage spots, Soaring, and the DexNav from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
 * The Hall of Fame PC function.
 * The experience formula once again takes in account the difference between the Pokémon's levels.
 * A Pokémon's speed after Mega Evolution is used to determine the turn order, not its Speed before.
 * The following status conditions have been altered:
 * now only removes 1/16 of the Pokémon's maximum HP instead of 1/8.
 * now decreases a Pokémon's to 50% instead of 25%.
 * Confusion only has a 33% chance of making the Pokémon hurting itself instead of 50%.
 * Moves can no longer be used outside of battle.
 * Twenty-six Pokémon from earlier generations receive an increase in one or more of their base stats. They are, , Mega , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,.

Further additions in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

 * An altered story from Sun and Moon.
 * A new post-game scenario, Episode RR, featuring a new villainous team, Team Rainbow Rocket; an alliance between the leaders of the teams of the previous generations.
 * Five new Pokémon are introduced:, , , , and the Mythical Pokémon , bringing the total to 807.
 * The introduction of several new forms.
 * Three new forms for, which plays a central role in the story in.
 * An additional form based on Ash's Pikachu as it appeared in the  I Choose You!.
 * An additional form for which debuted in the 's.
 * The addition of three new moves (,, and ) and six new Z-Moves (, , , , , and ), bringing the total amount of moves to 719.
 * One new Ability is introduced: Ultra 's, bringing the total to 233.
 * An expanded Alola Pokédex, bringing the total to 403.
 * A fleshed out Rotom Pokédex, including the the Roto Loto feature.
 * New hairstyles and clothing.
 * The expansion of Ultra Space and several new locations in Alola.
 * The introduction of a new Poké Ride and mini-game: Mantine Surf.
 * The introduction of the Alola Photo Club.
 * The introduction of the Battle Agency, an addition to the Festival Plaza.
 * The replacement of Zygarde Cells and Cores with Totem Stickers, which the player can redeem to receive special, -like Pokémon.

Further additions in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Lets's Go, Eevee!

 * Two new Mythical Pokémon are introduced: Meltan and Melmetal, bringing the total to 809.
 * Walking Pokémon make a return, working as replacements for Ride Pokémon.
 * Secret Techniques are implemented as replacements for HMs.
 * Wild Pokémon now appear in the overworld.
 * The implementation of the Pokémon Box, a replacement for the Pokémon Storage System that is accessible from the player's bag.
 * The implementation of motion controls. The is used to catch wild Pokémon in a way similar to the method used in Pokémon GO.

Alola
The Alola region was introduced in. This island region is made up of four main islands and one artificial island.

Starter Pokémon
The starters of the seventh generation follow the traditional Grass/Fire/Water trio setup. At the beginning of the game, the player must choose between the Grass and, the Fire-type  and the Water-type.

Trial Captains and Totem Pokémon
In Sun and Moon, there are seven Trial Captains and eight Totem Pokémon, Pokémon which are bigger than the rest of their species and have "auras" that increase one of their stats at the beginning of battle. Upon a Totem Pokémon's defeat, the player will get the corresponding Z-Crystal of the same type of the trial.

In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, all of the trials are altered in some way. In addition, the final Trial Captain, Mina has a trial for the player to complete.

Grand trials
After the player completes all the trials on an island, they must battle the kahuna of the island.

Kanto


In its fifth appearance, Kanto appeared in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! in a capacity similar to Generation I and its previous remakes,.

Starter Pokémon
Unlike in other Pokémon games, the the player starts with in the upcoming games corresponds with the game they are playing. Players of Let's Go, Pikachu! will start with, while players of Let's Go, Eevee! will start with.

Gym Leaders
For the most part, Kanto's Gym Leaders are the same as they were in Generation I, but takes control of Viridian Gym after the player becomes  and can be challenged.

Alola thematic motif
The seventh generation focuses on themes of nature, alternate dimensions, tradition, and relationships. This generation's starters and main legendary trio designs and inspirations are heavily based on alchemical symbols and imagery. Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio's designs are based on the alchemic symbols for salt, sulphur, and mercury, respectively, with the later evolutions also seeming to based on symbol variants or other alchemical symbols, and the legendary trio is mainly based on celstial bodies while taking influences from alchemical imagery, specifically the Azoth Mandala, which is also where Project AZOTH from gets its name: Solgaleo takes inspiration from the  and the Sun, which represents "anima" or "soul"; Lunala is based on the Moon, which represents "spiritus" or "spirit"; and Necrozma is based on stars and prisms, which represents "corpus" or "body". The Aether Foundation's name is also derives from the fifth alchemical element,.

The Alolan region is one of the most vibrant regions to date. The region of Alola and its citizen's way of life are centered in nature as are the areas they inhabit; their major facilities such as: the Pokémon League, is built into a mountain, and the Alolan battle facility, the Battle Tree, is built onto a tree. The Aether Foundation is an organization that wishes to heal and protect Pokémon from threats such as Team Skull or predatory Pokémon like Mareanie, which prey on Corsola. In fact, the Alolan Pokédex is filled with more examples of Pokémon predator-prey relationships than usual. In an interview with Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori, it was stated that Sun and Moon were created with the idea of the revolutions of the sun and the moon in mind, and their how they influence the Earth, as a way to express Pokémon as living creatures. In the same interview, they mention the revolutions of the celestial bodies as being an interesting metaphor for relationships.

Tradition in the Alola region is evident through the Island Challenge; the positions and succession of Trial Captains and Kahunas; and the reverent worship surrounding the Guardian Deities and Solgaleo/Lunala. The main villainous team, Team Skull, is composed of trainers who failed the island challenge who want to go against the Alolan traditions and cause mayhem throughout the islands. Professor Kukui states that he greatly values the Alolan traditions but feels that it is time for Alola make a name for itself with its own Pokémon League. He states that Mount Lanakila was chosen because it is the same place where the island challenge is always completed and as a way to pay respect to the Solgaleo/Lunala because of its closeness to the Sun/Moon.

Generation VII follows in the footsteps of Pok%C3%A9mon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire's Delta Episode by expanding on the concept of parallel universes through the introduction of the Ultra Wormholes, which lead to other worlds and universes. The existence of the Ultra Ruin and the events of Episode RR in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon further confirms the existence of alternate universes. While the Aether Foundaion may focus on the conservation of Pokémon, they also research Ultra Wormholes and the Ultra Beasts that come from them. The Ultra Beasts can be considered invasive species, as they are not native to the dimension that the Pokémon games take place in, mirroring the status of Pokémon like Yungoos and Alolan Meowth.

Throughout the games, there is a major focus on relationships, like the aforementioned Pokémon predator-prey relationships. Z-moves are said to be the physical manifestation of the bond between trainer and Pokémon, which is in a similar vein to Mega Evolution. The storylines of the Alolan games focus on the family running the Aether Foundation, with various characters centralizing on family or relationship-based issues: Lusamine is tormented by the loss of her husband, Mohn, and becomes obsessed with protecting and giving her love to people and Pokémon who she deems "worthy of her love". She later becomes solely obsessed with Nihilego or strongly believes that she is the one who must protect Alola and its light from Necrozma. After the events of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, she vows to stop "interfering" in her children's happiness, and after meeting an amnesiac Mohn, she sees him smile again and decides that he's happier the way he is. Her initial change in behavior prior to the events of the games is what drives to Lillie to steal Nebby and Gladion to take Type: Null; Gladion is concerned with stopping his mother from opening Ultra Wormholes across Alola for the Ultra Beasts or to become strong enough to protect Lusamine and Lilie, due to the disappearance of his father, Mohn. Throughout the story, he tries to become stronger without help, but learns to working together with others, per Hau's advice, during the infiltration of Aether Paradise. He is later deeply grateful to the player character for helping his mother and starts to grow a healthy rivalry towards the player character and Hau; Lillie starts out as shy and reserved, but slowly becomes more confident in herself and her abilities and begins to learn about what everyday life outside of the Aether Paradise. In Sun and Moon, she goes to save her mother in the Ultra Deep Sea and finally gains the confidence to stand up to her mother regarding her recent behavior, while in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, she learns that despite not being a strong trainer that she can support and help those she cares about; Hau suffers from pressure to live up to his grandfather's name with him feeling that he is living in his shadow, but hopes to be as strong as his grandfaher; Guzma teams up with the Aether Foundation due to Lusamine being the only adult who has ever recognized him for his strength; and Team Skull consider themselves as a sort of family with Plumeria as a "bigger sister" figure and all the grunts as her "brothers and sisters".

Trivia

 * Generation VII is the only generation in which:
 * Bicycles do not appear.
 * HMs, field moves and the Dowsing Machine are not present - these being replaced by the PokéRide feature in Pokémon Sun and Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and the Secret Technique and Walking Pokémon features in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
 * Legendary Pokémon and Mythical Pokémon that are part of an evolutionary family were introduced.
 * Brand new species of Pokémon are introduced in later games in the generation, and cannot be traded to the earlier games.
 * There are three different sets of paired core series games released.
 * Not all core series games are released exclusively on the same system.
 * All core series games only feature a regional Pokédex. The National Dex is instead found on Pokémon Bank.
 * Generation VII is also the only generation that did not introduce:
 * A Pokémon that evolves through trading.
 * A Pokémon with gender differences.
 * It did, however, introduce a gender difference for an, the first time since Generation IV.
 * A notable expert.
 * A new Gym Leader.
 * Generation VII introduced the most Legendary Pokémon, with eleven.
 * Generation VII introduced the first main female antagonist in the core series, Lusamine.
 * Generation VII includes the most amount of core series games, at six.
 * Generation VII is the first generation to remake a previous generation that has already been remade in another previous generation.
 * Generation VII is the first generation in which core series games were released in every year of the generation in all territories.
 * Generation VII is the first generation to have aesthetic differences appear on the startup and title screens due to in-game actions, being the chosen gender of the mascot Pokémon and their current outfit.
 * Generation VII is the first generation to introduce a character from the manga, being Green from the Pokémon Adventure manga series.