There’s no denying that the Pokémon Sun and Moon era brought a lot of changes to the franchise. The standard gym-hopping quest was replaced by the Island Challenge, HMs were finally done away with and replaced by the Ride Pager, Alolan forms (and all manner of quirky and questionable Pokémon besides) were added to the mix… what a time to be alive.
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Sun and Moon also brought us an intriguing new duo of mascot Legendaries, the Psychic- and Ghost-type Lunala and the Psychic/Steel Solgaleo. Here are some interesting details you might not have known about the pair.
10 They’re The First Boxart Legendaries To Evolve
Of course, those continuous bag-escaping shenanigans between Lillie and Nebby wore a little thin by the... second time it happened. Nonetheless, Game Freak thought it’d be a good idea to keep them up throughout the game.
There were numerous hints about the seemingly worthless Cosmog’s potential, but no-one could’ve really seen this coming. The curious little Psychic-type evolves into Cosmoem at level 43, then into either Solgaleo or Lunala (depending on the version you’re playing) ten levels later. As such, they’re the only Legendary Pokémon known to be part of an evolution line (except Type: Null and the upcoming Kubfu/Ursifu).
9 Lunala Loses The Most Weight Of Any Evolved Pokémon
We all know the basic goal of Pokémon evolution: to become bigger, scarier, angrier and toothier than you were before. Otherwise, it’s a step backwards, and who wants that? With this in mind, you’d think that an evolution from a tiny speck of Psychic nothing at all (Cosmoem) to an enormous, terrifying doom bat of doom (Lunala) would be a step in the right direction.
Interestingly, though, Cosmoem is incredibly dense (999.9kg/2204.4 lbs), while Lunala weighs a mere 120kg/264.6 lbs. This is the biggest weight loss after an evolution of any Pokémon in series history.
8 Both Of Their Abilities Are Exclusive, But Not
The Pokémon franchise has a unique way of renaming the same Ability and handing it out like it’s something new. What’s the difference between Huge Power and Pure Power, for instance? Nothing, that’s what.
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Lunala’s base Ability is Shadow Shield, which reduces the direct damage it takes while its HP is full (exactly like Multiscale). Meanwhile, Solgaleo gets Full Metal Body, which prevents its stats from being lowered, just like Clear Body and White Smoke. Exciting stuff.
7 These Abilities Are Super-Slightly Better Than Their Counterparts
There we are then. These Abilities are a little more exciting than if they’d simply had Pressure slapped on them like every other Legendary Pokémon ever. As it turns out, though, there’s a bit more to them.
Shadow Shield and Full Metal Body aren’t affected by Abilities or moves that would negate Multiscale, Clear Body and White Smoke (such as Mold Breaker), so they’ve got that to distinguish them at least.
6 They Can Be Ridden
That’s right, friends. On first seeing these noble, powerful, majestic creatures, surely ever Trainer’s first thought was: can we ride them through hoops like in some kind of flight sim? Good news, friends: you definitely can.
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, charging through those wormholes over and over is central to the Legendary- and shiny-catching post-game. It’s an oddly satisfying and addictive minigame, playing out similarly to the bonus stages in which Sonic the Hedgehog has to nab Chaos Emeralds.
5 Solgaleo Can Make Great Use Of The Move Splash
Of course, when a Pokémon veteran thinks of the move Splash, only the worthless Magikarp springs to mind. With Generation VII, however, came Z-moves, which actually made Splash a viable option.
Z-Splash, for the uninitiated, increases the user’s Attack by three stages! Thanks to Cosmog and Cosmoem’s uselessness, they actually learn it, which means Solgaleo can make use of it! Scary times indeed.
Solgaleo, as a Psychic/Steel Pokémon, isn’t particularly unique. It shares this typing not only with Dusk Mane Necrozma, but also with the Metagross line, the Bronzong line and Jirachi.
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Lunala, on the other hand, is much more unique as a Psychic/Ghost Pokémon. Besides Dawn Wing Necrozma (of course), only Hoopa shares this typing, and only in its Confined form (Hoopa Unbound is Psychic/Dark). This unique typing gives it only two weaknesses, albeit two 4x weaknesses (3x in Dawn Wings’ case, thanks to its Ability).
3 Necrozma Brings Out The Very Worst In Them Both
Speaking of Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma, you may not know about these Pokemon if you haven’t delved into everything Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon have to offer. These are the forms that Necrozma takes when it fuses with Solgaleo via the N-Solarizer and Lunala via the N-Lunarizer respectively.
Of Dusk Mane, Ultra Sun’s Pokédex reports, “this is Necrozma's form while it's absorbing the power of Solgaleo, making it extremely ferocious and impossible to control.” If that’s not frightening enough, Pokémon Shield tells us of Dawn Wings, “when Necrozma latches on to Lunala, it becomes vicious, seeing enemies everywhere it looks. It will burn the world with lasers.” World-burning laser ferocity? No thanks.
2 Lunala Was Already A Menace, Though
As powerful as Legendary Pokémon tend to be, they’re also often presented as intelligent, empathetic beings. In the case of Lunala and Solgaleo, it’s Necrozma’s insidious influence that makes them so destructive, right?
Well, not exactly. According to the Pokédex, Lunala didn’t need any help on that front. Dubbed the Beast That Calls the Moon, this creature “devours light, drawing the moonless dark veil of night over the brightness of day.” All Necrozma really did was harness that impulse.
1 Solgaleo’s Z-Move Sent Ash And His Friends Through Ultra Space
As we’ve mentioned, the games allow us to ride either Solgaleo or Lunala through Hyper Space, in pursuit of wormholes that lead to Legendary Pokémon, Ultra Beasts and shiny Pokémon. In the anime, Solgaleo did a very similar thing with Ash and co., using the power of its Z-move.
In anime episode “Revealing the Stuff of Legend!,” Nebby evolves into Solgaleo, as the gang desperately seek a way to save Lusamine from Ultra Space. In response, Solgaleo’s Searing Sunraze Smash creates a wormhole through which our heroes could travel to rescue her. What a first impression this mighty creature gave!
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