S20

What starts as a summer vacation in the tropical Alola region turns into the next exciting chapter in Ash Ketchum’s quest to become a Pokémon Master! There’s plenty for Ash and Pikachu to explore in this sunny new region, with exciting new Pokémon to discover and interesting people to learn from along the way—including the cool Professor Kukui and the fun-loving Samson Oak. More new faces will help guide Ash’s Alolan adventure, in the form of a group of skilled Trainers—Kiawe, Lana, Mallow, and Sophocles—and a mysterious research assistant called Lillie. Frequent foes Team Rocket have also made the trip to Alola, looking to swipe some high-powered new Pokémon. But they have some heavy competition on the villainy front: the ruffians of Team Skull, who delight in causing chaos and may have more sinister intentions…

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Poster for the season

• Ash arrives in the Alola region and enrolls in the Pokémon School. (SM001)
• Ash meets Lillie, Mallow, Lana, Kiawe, Sophocles, Samson Oak, and Professor Kukui. (SM001)
• Ash receives a Z-Ring equipped with an Electrium Z from Tapu Koko. (SM001)
• Ash decides to take on the island challenge in order to get new Z-Crystals and qualify as a Z-Move user. (SM002)
• Ash receives a Pokédex from Professor Kukui, which becomes inhabited by a Rotom, turning it into a Rotom Pokédex. (SM002, SM003)
• Team Rocket arrives in the Alola region, having been assigned by Giovanni to capture the region's unique Pokémon. (SM003)
• Ash meets Lana's sisters, Harper and Sarah, for the first time. (SM005)
• Samson Oak gives Ash and his classmates an Egg, which Lillie agrees to take care of. (SM008)
• Lillie's phobia of Pokémon is slightly explained as she gained the trauma from an experience with her mom that she doesn't remember. (SM008)
• Ash meets the Kahuna of Melemele Island, Hala, for the first time. (SM009)
• Ash visits Akala Island for the first time, and meets Kiawe's family. (SM011)
• Team Rocket decides to make Bewear's den their base of operations in Alola. (SM012)
• The Egg Lillie received, which she has nicknamed Snowy, hatches into an Alolan Vulpix. (SM013)
• Team Rocket completes the construction of their base in Bewear's den. (SM018)
• Ash meets Sophocles's family for the first time. (SM019)
• Team Rocket encounters Team Skull for the first time, and fight for a Darkinium Z, which Team Rocket take for themselves. (SM025)
• Ash meets Gladion for the first time. (SM027)
• Lillie is reunited with Gladion. (SM027)
• Lillie becomes able to touch Pikachu. (SM030)
• Ash, Lana, Lillie, Mallow, and Sophocles meet Olivia, the Akala Island Kahuna, for the first time. (SM031)
• Ash and his classmates travel to Akala Island along with Olivia and Professor Kukui. (SM031 - SM037)
  • Olivia converts Lana's Sparkling Stone into a Z-Ring and gives it back to her. (SM033)
  • Olivia informs Ash that his Rockruff will evolve soon. (SM036)
  • Ash, his classmates, and Professor Kukui leave Akala Island and return to Melemele Island. (SM037)
• Ash and his classmates travel to Kanto for an extracurricular activity and arrive in Pallet Town. (SM042 - SM043)
  • Ash reunites with Misty and Brock, while Lana, Kiawe, Lillie, Mallow, and Sophocles meet Misty, Brock, Professor Oak, and Jigglypuff for the first time. (SM042)
  • Brock and Misty are revealed to have obtained a Key Stone each, while Brock is revealed to have obtained a Steelixite and Misty is revealed to have obtained a Gyaradosite. (SM043)
  • Professor Kukui reveals that he intends to establish a Pokémon League in Alola. (SM043)
  • Ash, his classmates, Professor Kukui, Samson Oak, and Team Rocket return to Alola, followed by a Jigglypuff. (SM043)

• This is the first season to air on Disney XD in the United States.
• This is the final season that Kayzie Rogers lends her voice to; she voiced Mimey in the first episode before retiring.
• This season marks the return of the dub in Romania, breaking its eight-year hiatus after the airing of DP157.

• Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon page at Pokémon.com

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.