What is the Ultra Recon Squad in Pokemon GO?

This month is one of the biggest for Pokemon GO in recent history. With the upcoming GO Fest coinciding with the next season of content for the game, players have a lot to look forward to in terms of the game's future. A recent announcement that has players excited concerns the arrival of Ultra Beasts.

Ultra Beasts is an odd take on the standard format of Legendary Pokemon commonly seen throughout the franchise. These are the franchise's take on alien invaders coming to the world the player finds themselves in to create chaos. That said, in the game's lore, they are closer to an invasive species than a threat.

With their inclusion in Pokemon GO, players are excited to get their hands on these foreign Pokemon from another world. However, it appears that these alien visitors have brought more with them than a fun event. Enter the Ultra Recon Squad, Pokemon trainers from an entirely different world.

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Pokemon GO's Ultra Recon Squad: Speculations and their role in the game

The Ultra Recon Squad made their franchise debut in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on the Nintendo 3DS. These characters were absent from the original Sun and Moon as the newer Ultra titles have a much larger focus on the Ultra Beast catalog of Pokemon. This Recon Squad also plays a huge role in the plot.

This group of characters has strong ties to the Legendary Pokemon and Ultra Beast Necrozma. Necrozma is responsible for stealing all of the light from their home, Ultra Megalopolis. As such, their secondary objective is to investigate the wormholes the Ultra Beasts are using to transport themselves between worlds.

Their investigation into these Ultra Beasts and the wormholes they use has placed them in Pokemon GO's world. However, their direct purpose in the game has yet to be announced. In the trailer, they are listed as a new ally. What this exactly means is unknown, but it may be related to the story of the new season.

Official artwork for the Season of GO (Image via Niantic)

On the official Pokemon GO website, it has been teased that Team GO Rocket may also be involved with these Ultra Wormholes. This may be a huge plot point for the game as their interests may directly conflict with those of the Ultra Recon Squad as their goal is to study them rather than catch Ultra Beasts.

Team GO Rocket is known for catching powerful Pokemon and converting them into Shadow Pokemon. With this in mind, members of the Ultra Recon Squad may work with players in potential Raid Battles to help contain the powerful Pokemon to keep them and their power out of evil hands.

While the exact goal of the Ultra Recon Squad is still unclear in Pokemon GO, this group is not nefarious in the main series. Thus, this group of researchers may serve as a valuable asset to players. While the only Ultra Beast in GO at present is Nihilego, more may be added as the story of the Ultra Recon Squad is expanded.