If you walked into a Pokémon game in 1996, you expected a bird, a dragon, or maybe a sentient pile of sludge. You didn't expect a literal origami samurai that can cut through a skyscraper or a muscular mosquito that looks like it spends eighteen hours a day at the gym. But then 2017 happened. Ultra Beasts Ultra Sun and Moon changed the DNA of what we consider a "Pocket Monster." They aren't just rare. They are alien.
They come from Ultra Space. That sounds like a cheesy 50s sci-fi trope, but in the context of the Alola region, it’s a terrifying reality. These things don't follow the rules of biology we know. They have high stats. They have Beast Boost. Honestly, they’re kind of terrifying if you’re unprepared.
What People Get Wrong About Ultra Beasts
A lot of players think Ultra Beasts are just another flavor of Legendary Pokémon. They’re not. While they share some mechanical similarities—like high base stat totals and limited availability—the lore treats them as invasive species. Think of them like Asian Carp or Cane Toads, but with the power to level a city.
In the original Sun and Moon, you only got a handful. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon blew the doors off that restriction. By using the Ultra Warp Ride, you can find almost all of them in infinite supply, provided you have the patience to tilt your 3DS for three hours.
The most common misconception is that they’re all "broken" in competitive play. Look, Celesteela is a nightmare to kill, and Blacephalon hits like a freight train, but Guzzlord? Guzzlord is basically a giant HP sponge that dies if a Fairy-type breathes in its general direction. Complexity matters here. You can’t just slap one on a team and expect an easy win.
The New Additions: Poipole, Naganadel, Stakataka, and Blacephalon
Ultra Sun and Moon didn't just give us more of the old stuff. It introduced four new entities that shifted the meta significantly.
Poipole and Naganadel: This is the only Ultra Beast line that evolves. That’s a huge deal. Poipole is actually kind of cute, which is weird for a creature that lives in a world of pure poison. But once it learns Dragon Pulse and evolves into Naganadel, it becomes a premier special sweeper. With a Base Speed of 121 and Special Attack of 127, it outpaces almost the entire unboosted cast of Alola.
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Stakataka: Imagine a four-legged tower made of sentient stone eyes. That’s Stakataka. It’s the definition of a Trick Room monster. Its Speed is so low—Base 13—that it almost always moves first under Trick Room. If you’re playing Ultra Moon, this is your defensive wall.
Blacephalon: Exclusive to Ultra Sun, this thing is a literal clown that blows up its own head. It’s a Fire/Ghost type with a signature move called Mind Blown. It’s high risk. It’s high reward. It’s exactly the kind of chaotic design that makes Ultra Beasts so polarizing.
The design philosophy here was clearly "let's see how weird we can get." Stakataka isn't a creature; it's an architectural nightmare. Blacephalon isn't an animal; it's a firework display with a malicious intent. This is where Game Freak really flexed their creative muscles, moving away from "animal with an element" toward "concept made flesh."
Hunting Through the Ultra Wormhole
The Ultra Warp Ride is a mini-game you’ll either love or loathe. You ride Solgaleo or Lunala through a psychedelic tunnel, dodging electricity and hitting orange orbs for speed.
Distance is everything. If you want a Shiny Ultra Beast, you need to go deep. We’re talking 3,000 to 5,000 light-years. At that distance, the odds of finding a legendary or a beast increase dramatically.
- White Wormholes: These are your target for Ultra Beasts.
- Wormhole Tiers: The more rings a wormhole has, the better the rarity. A double-ringed wormhole with a flowery aura is the jackpot.
- The Beast Ball Factor: Don't forget these. Standard Poké Balls have a 0.1x catch rate multiplier against Ultra Beasts. Beast Balls flip that to a 5x multiplier. If you run out, you're basically throwing pebbles at a tank.
It’s a grind. No way around it. But the fact that you can hunt for a Shiny Nihilego or a Shiny Buzzwole is what kept the endgame of Ultra Beasts Ultra Sun and Moon alive years after the Switch launched.
The Beast Boost Snowball
Every single Ultra Beast has the Ability Beast Boost. It’s simple: when the Pokémon knocks out an opponent, its highest stat goes up by one stage.
This creates a "snowball effect." If Kartana gets a single kill, its Attack—which is already a staggering 181—jumps even higher. At that point, very little in the game can switch in safely. It’s a mechanic that rewards aggressive play and punishes mistakes instantly.
However, you can manipulate this. Through EV training and Natures, you can sometimes choose which stat gets boosted. For some Celesteela builds, you might want the boost in Defense or Special Defense to make it an unkillable wall. For Pheromosa, it’s almost always Speed or Attack. It’s a layer of strategy that casual players often overlook, but it’s the difference between a good Ultra Beast and a terrifying one.
Narrative Weight: Are They Actually Evil?
The games go back and forth on this. The Aether Foundation, led by a spiraling Lusamine, views them as objects of obsession. The Ultra Recon Squad treats them as a natural part of their dying world.
In the Ultra Ruin—the home of Guzzlord—the game takes a dark turn. You find a destroyed version of Hau'oli City. It’s implied that Guzzlord didn't just show up; it ate the world. This environmental storytelling is some of the heaviest lifting Pokémon has ever done. It suggests that while the Ultra Beasts aren't "evil" in a moral sense, their mere existence is a catastrophe for our dimension. They aren't trying to be monsters. They just are.
Competitive Impact and the Power Creep
Let's talk shop. Before Gen 7, the "power creep" in Pokémon was steady. Ultra Beasts kicked the door down.
Kartana became a staple because of its Steel/Grass typing and its ability to cut through bulky waters like Primarina or Tapu Fini. Celesteela became the "Swiss Army Knife" of the meta, capable of running Leech Seed, Heavy Slam, and Flamethrower all on one set.
But they have glaring weaknesses. Most of them have lopsided stat distributions. Kartana has incredible Defense but its Special Defense is like paper. Pheromosa can kill anything it touches, but if a stiff breeze hits it, it faints. They are the definition of "glass cannons" or "specialized tools."
This forced players to adapt. You couldn't just bring a balanced team of "good" Pokémon anymore. You needed specific checks for specific Beasts. You needed a way to stop the Beast Boost from spiraling out of control. It changed the game from a slow burn to a high-speed chess match.
How to Optimize Your Ultra Beast Team
If you’re still playing on your 3DS or looking to bring these monsters into the modern era via Pokémon HOME, you need a plan.
Synergy is Key
Don’t just run six Ultra Beasts. That’s a recipe for disaster. You need "glue" Pokémon. Pokémon like Tapu Koko or Incineroar provide the support these aliens need to thrive. Incineroar’s Intimidate can soften physical hits, allowing a Beast like Nihilego to survive long enough to set up Power Gem or Sludge Bomb.
The Choice Item Meta
Because many Ultra Beasts rely on raw speed or overwhelming power, Choice items are your best friend. A Choice Scarf on Xurkitree makes its mediocre speed a non-issue, allowing it to fire off 173-Base Special Attack Thunderbolts before the opponent can blink.
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The Hidden Power Struggle
In the original 3DS games, Hidden Power was a crucial tool for Ultra Beasts to cover their weaknesses. For example, Nihilego almost always ran Hidden Power Fire to deal with the Steel-types that resisted its STAB moves. If you’re playing on the original hardware, spending the time to soft-reset for the right Hidden Power IVs is miserable but necessary for high-level play.
The Cultural Legacy of Alola’s Aliens
Looking back, the Ultra Beasts Ultra Sun and Moon era was a turning point. It was the moment Pokémon stopped trying to look "natural." It embraced the weird, the glitchy, and the unsettling.
Some fans hated it. They felt it didn't "feel like Pokémon." But others, myself included, loved the disruption. Pokémon is a series about discovery. What’s more exciting than discovering something that shouldn't exist?
The Ultra Beasts represent the unknown. They represent the idea that the Pokémon world is just one small slice of a much larger, much weirder multiverse. Whether you’re hunting them for their competitive viability or just because you want a giant origami friend, they remain the most unique additions to the franchise in the last decade.
Actionable Steps for Ultra Beast Trainers
- Check Your Natures: Before catching an Ultra Beast in the Ultra Warp Ride, put a Pokémon with the Synchronize ability and your desired Nature at the front of your party. This gives you a 50% (100% in Ultra Sun/Moon) chance of the Beast having that same Nature.
- Farm Beast Balls: Go to the Aether Foundation after the main story. You can buy Beast Balls in bulk. You’ll need hundreds if you’re hunting for specific IV spreads or Shinies.
- Prioritize the "Big Three": If you’re starting a competitive collection, focus on Kartana, Celesteela, and Naganadel first. They offer the most versatility across different battle formats.
- Utilize the Ultra Recon Squad: In Ultra Sun and Moon, the Recon Squad will give you a Poipole. Don’t just take it immediately. You can soft-reset for a Shiny Poipole here, which is one of the coolest-looking Shinies in the game with its white and gold palette.
- Master the Warp Ride: Learn to use the Circle Pad efficiently. Avoid the blue spheres (they slow you down) and prioritize the orange ones. The further you go, the higher the "tier" of the wormhole, which directly impacts the stats and Shiny rates of the Beasts inside.