Z-Move/Anime

Similar to the, Z-Moves are powerful moves that can be executed by a Pokémon that knows an appropriate move which corresponds to the type of Z-Crystal on the Trainer's Z-Ring. Z-Moves were first featured in the in episode Alola to New Adventure!, where  and his  used, with the help of Kiawe's Z-Ring and Firium Z, to defeat Zipp's , Tupp's , and Rapp's.

According to in Alola to New Adventure!, only Trainers who are successful in the island challenge can use Z-Moves. As seen with Ash's Rowlet in Young Kiawe Had a Farm!, Z-Moves drain a lot of the Pokémon's energy, but with adequate training, the Pokémon can reduce the amount of energy necessary to execute a Z-Move. In a similar manner, in Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence!, Lana's Popplio failed its first attempt at since it was not strong enough to execute the move. In Showdown on Poni Island!, 's, having endured Ash's Lycanroc's , was able to take advantage of its opponent's fatigue by finishing it with a Z-Move of its own.

Due to their vast blast radius and power, they can usually be used to wipe out many targets at once, like in a Battle Royal. Typically, bipedal or semi-bipedal Pokémon with arm-like forelimbs tend to mimic the poses of their Trainer during the activation. On the other hand, quadrupeds and the like, whose forelimbs show no manual dexterity, tend to stay still and wait until the activation is completed before acting.

As revealed in A Battle Hand-Off!, a Pokémon using a Z-Move can receive Z-Power from multiple other people and Pokémon provided they do the Z-Move pose as well. In Heart of Fire! Heart of Stone!, helped Olivia and her  use a variation of  he named (Japanese: ワールズエンドフォーリンラブ World's End Fall in Love).

first performed a Z-Move in The Guardian's Challenge!, with his using  thanks to the Z-Ring and Electrium Z Ash had received from. After using the attack, however, the Electrium Z shattered, preventing Ash from using the move again until he obtained a new Electrium Z in Trial and Tribulation!.

In the Japanese,, , and versions, when a Z-Move is used, the name of the specific move is shown, like in the games; however, the names are removed in most other dubs.