Pokémon Celebrates Lunar New Year with Ekans

Celebrate the Year of the Snake with Pokémon! A charming animated short featuring Ekans and Arbok has been released to mark the 2025 Lunar New Year. Read on to discover more about this heartwarming video and other Pokémon Lunar New Year celebrations.

Pokémon's Lunar New Year Celebration

A Shiny New Animated Short

The Pokémon Company's YouTube channel unveiled a delightful animated short on January 29th, 2025, to honor the Year of the Snake.

This short film showcases a comical encounter between two Ekans, one of which is a Shiny variant. The Shiny Ekans's captivating appearance leads to an unexpected evolution after a chance meeting with Arbok. The heartwarming story resonated with viewers, with many commenting on the endearing interaction between the Pokémon.

Nostalgia for Shiny Pokémon flooded comments, with many recalling their first encounters with Shiny Ekans and Arbok in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Beyond the animated short, the Pokémon Company has organized various in-game events and released special merchandise to celebrate.

Pokémon GO's Lunar New Year Event

Starting January 9th, 2025, Pokémon GO launched its Lunar New Year event, boosting the encounter and Shiny rates for snake-themed Pokémon. This event is part of the Dual Destiny season (December 3rd, 2024 – March 4th, 2025).

Featured Pokémon with increased encounter rates include Ekans, Onix, Gyarados, Dratini, Dunsparce, Snivy, and Darumaka (whose Daruma doll inspiration symbolizes good luck). The event also features themed Field Research tasks, special 2km Eggs containing Makuhita, Nosepass, Meditite, Duskull, and Skorupi, and a Timed Research rewarding players with rare Zygarde Cells.