The Pokémon anime has hundreds of episodes and as such has way too many characters to count. The Sun and Moon anime introduced more main characters than any other Pokémon anime to date so fans got a whole roster of new heroes to join Ash on his journey.
With so many new characters introduced fans are definitely going to want to see some of their fan-favorite faces in the future. Although there are so many to choose from, here are 10 characters from the Sun and Moon anime that fans hope to see again in the future of the series!
10 Lana
Ash met many new wild and energetic friends during his journey in the Alola region. Lana stood out from the rest because of her shy nature and tendency to be quieter than the rest of the noisy students at the Pokémon school. She is very fond of Water-Type Pokémon and her Pokémon pal of choice is a Primarina that she initially befriended as a Popplio.
Although she is quieter than the rest, Lana is shown to be strong-willed and to act with passion when those around her need help. She has a lot of love for Pokémon, especially the ones close to her. She deserves to come back in the future do to her unique mix of being timid while still having a strong-willed personality. She also loved to spook Ash with scary stories and it was hilarious to watch!
9 Sophocles
Sophocles is a standard science-geek with a good-natured but goofy personality. His relationship with Ash was fun to watch because they worked together so well to provide a comedic experience for those around them. Sophocles unsurprisingly prefers Electric-Types and his partner Pokémon is a Togedemaru.
Sophocles is a great character who is rich in personality and he was known for adding humor to the Sun and Moon anime more than any of the other students. He’s afraid of the dark, unathletic and a programming nerd. What more could you ask of a character that serves as the class clown? Hopefully, we get to see him a few more times in the future.
8 Gladion
Gladion was one of Ash’s most interesting rivals in the entire anime thus far and he was also Lillie’s brother. He’s a character that prefers to be alone, with the exception of his Pokémon partners. He is serious by nature and is shown to be easily angered by other people. One of his goals is to defeat all the Ultra Beasts because of what they did to Lillie during her childhood.
Gladion and Ash had some interesting battles throughout the series and if he ever does come back in the future it’s fair to say it could be for a rematch between the two young Pokémon trainers. He has a passion for Pokémon that most other characters just can’t rival, he definitely deserves a spot on this list.
7 Professor Burnet
Professor Burnette is a Pokémon researcher and she is married to Professor Kukui. She has worked on Ultra Beast research in the past. Both Burnet and Kukui have a relationship with Ash that is very parent-child like and when she is around things can get quite emotional at times.
Professor Burnet has a friendly personality and she always looks out for her friends when they need her help. In the anime, she is shown to be very kind towards Pokémon and also to other people. Burnet’s friendliness along with her parental relationship with Ash makes her a fan-favorite and makes fans hope to see her again in the future.
6 Olivia
Olivia is the Kahuna of Akala Island and is an extremely energetic person. She is known for her tendency to display affection towards people who beat her in battle and Pokémon that she likes.
She has a tendency to be hyper and also fall over constantly in the anime. She is a character-based largely in humor and this fact makes her incredibly enjoyable to watch. She has a good relationship with the students at the Pokémon School, Ash included. This makes her a prime candidate to appear in a future episode, especially if Ash ever ventures back to Alola.
5 Hau
Hau was one of Ash’s rivals in the Sun and Moon anime. He was determined to complete the island challenge, which he eventually did and then moved on to the Alola league. In the league, he made it to the final 8 where he battled Ash and lost.
Hau is a very energetic, friendly young boy and he offered a more casual rivalry for Ash in the midst of Gladion’s darker demeanor. He was a good addition to the anime and brought a lot to the Sun and Moon series as a whole. Hopefully, he’ll get at least one more rematch with Ash in the future, for old times sake.
4 Professor Kukui
Professor Kukui lives a double-life as both a teacher at the Pokémon school and also a Pokémon royale battler. He is married to Professor Burnet and acts as a mentor to Ash throughout his journey in Alola, even letting Ash live in his house during his attendance at the Pokémon school. He is an exceptionally skilled Pokémon battler.
Professor Kukui teaches at the Pokémon school helping Ash and his classmates learn more about Pokémon. Although he is generally a fun and friendly teacher, he does expect a lot of his students because he wants to see them grow into competent Pokémon trainers. Because Ash lived with him for so long and they shared a parent-child bond of sorts, it would be surprising if Kukui didn’t appear at all in the future.
3 Mallow
Mallow is one of Ash’s classmates in the Sun and Moon anime. She is very energetic and has a tendency to always help others when they are in need. She has an affinity for Grass-Type Pokémon and her Pokémon is a Tsareena given to her by her mother. she works in her family restaurant and has become a talented chef because of it.
Mallow earns a spot on this list because she has always shown to help Ash and the others whenever they’re in need. She also had some interesting character development regarding her mother who is deceased. Hopefully, she returns in the anime to join Ash on another adventure!
2 Kiawe
Kiawe is among the trainers enrolled at the Pokémon School in the Sun and Moon anime. He is a strong-willed trainer and is known to be a follower of Alolan traditions. He strongly prefers Fire-Type Pokémon and he always has his Charizard, Turtonator and Marowak at his side. He is a unique mix of rival and friend to Ash in the anime.
Kiawe would be a perfect fit to join Ash for future adventures due to their interesting relationship dynamic. Perhaps he will come back for an episode in the future. And if he doesn’t at least fans got to experience his amazing and unique character for an entire series!
1 Lillie
Lillie is one of the most well developed and important characters in the Sun and Moon anime. She was introduced along with the group of students Ash meets at the beginning of the series. When she is first introduced she has a fear of touching Pokémon due to events that occurred in her past, however, throughout the anime her past is explored and she completely overcomes her fear.
Lillie’s Pokémon partner is an Alolan Vulpix nicknamed Snowy that she raised from an egg. Due to the amount of character development, Lillie gets throughout the series, and her interesting relationship with Ash and Pokémon, she would be the ideal character to appear again in the future.
NEXT: Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon: 10 Things To Do In The Post Game After You Beat The Game
