Pokemon Celebrates Year of the Snake with Ekans

Pokémon rings in the Year of the Snake with a charming animated short featuring the serpentine Pokémon Ekans and Arbok. Read on to discover more about this delightful video and how The Pokémon Company is celebrating the 2025 Lunar New Year.

Pokémon Celebrates the Year of the Snake

A Shiny New Animated Short Featuring Ekans and Arbok

On January 29th, 2025, Pokémon's YouTube channel unveiled a heartwarming animated short celebrating the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake.

The short film showcases a funny encounter between two Ekans dangling from a tree, one of which is a striking Shiny variant. A captivating fall leads the Shiny Ekans into a close encounter with an Arbok, culminating in a surprising evolution after a playful threat from its fellow Ekans. Accepted into the Arbok group, the golden Shiny Arbok leads its newfound companions away.

The video's brevity hasn't stopped it from touching the hearts of many YouTube viewers. One fan commented, "Even though their time together was short, saying goodbye was still sad," reflecting on the brief but meaningful interaction between the two Ekans. Another viewer likened their relationship to that of children, emphasizing that differences in appearance didn't hinder their immediate and friendly connection.

Many others expressed a wave of nostalgia upon seeing the Shiny Pokémon, recalling their first encounters with Shiny Ekans in Pokémon Gold and Silver. One nostalgic comment read, "My first differently colored Pokémon in Gold and Silver was Arbok. It ran away, and I've regretted it ever since! I'm so happy to see them again like this!"

Beyond the animated short, The Pokémon Company has prepared a range of events and merchandise to enhance the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Pokémon GO's Lunar New Year Event

Kicking off on January 9th, 2025, Pokémon GO announced its Lunar New Year event, featuring boosted encounter and Shiny rates for snake-themed Pokémon. This event is part of the Dual Destiny season, running from December 3rd, 2024, to March 4th, 2025.

Pokémon with increased encounter rates include Ekans, Onix, Gyarados, Dratini, Dunsparce, Snivy, and Darumaka. While Darumaka might appear less serpentine, its inspiration from the Daruma doll symbolizes good luck and perseverance, fitting the celebratory theme.

The event also includes themed Field Research tasks, special 2km Eggs featuring Pokémon like Makuhita, Nosepass, Meditite, Duskull, and Skorupi, and a Timed Research event rewarding players with rare Zygarde Cells, crucial for evolving Zygarde.