What are Ultra Beasts? Debuts and lores explored

With the last of the Ultra Beasts making their way to Pokemon GO in just a few hours, many fans may be wondering about what makes these types of monsters so special. Since the trailers for these creatures were fully animated with CGI and their designs are some of the most bizarre in the franchise, many fans may get the impression that there is more to these Pokemon than meets the eye.

The lore of the Ultra Beasts seems to be fully concluded, with none being added since the latter half of the seventh generation. Although we still do not know everything about this particular subcategory of creatures, context clues across the Alola games can help us piece together what we can about the origins of the Ultra Beasts.

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Understanding the Ultra Beasts: Pokemon from another world

Ultra Beasts come to the world of the main series through Ultra Wormholes (Image via The Pokemon Company)

While Ultra Beasts are alien to the Pokemon dimension we know, they are native to their home world, appearing often in packs. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, it was confirmed that Poipole, one of the recent Ultra Beasts introduced in Pokemon GO, is actually a starter from its home dimension, potentially explaining why it is the only available beast in the franchise that can evolve.

Despite what some fans may believe, every Ultra Beast does not come from the same dimension. In the Ultra Alola Poekmon games, the native home worlds of these monsters were fully explorable, providing some context behind the conditions these creatures had to adapt to. While most are simple alien sci-fi environments, others provide some interesting lore details.

In the Alolan main series games, we learn that Kartana is a highly respected creature, with a dedicated staff of humanoid inhabitants that guard it in its own designated shrine. We also learn that Guzzlord is a serious threat in its home world as it is capable of leveling massive cities to satisfy its endless hunger.

Some creatures classify as both Legendary Pokemon and Ultra Beasts (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Of course, this turns the attention to some of the Legendary Pokemon in the Alola region who have the capacity to create these Ultra Wormholes that bridge the gaps between the worlds of the beasts and the main series. Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma are classified as both Ultra Beasts and Legendaries, as well as each of Solgaleo and Lunala's pre-evolved forms.

However, unlike the other beasts, we never get to see the origin location of these Legendaries. With this in mind, it may be safe to assume that they may be considered Legendary across the multiverse with their power to move freely between dimensions.

Overall, the Ultra Beasts are easily some of the most interesting types of monsters the Pokemon franchise has ever produced. Opening the door to exploring the franchise's multiverse, the subcategory definitely had some great concepts. Sadly, these creatures stopped being designed right when their background was getting interesting, and it is unlikely that we will see any more being added.