Pokemon Celebrates Year of the Snake with Ekans

Pokémon Rings in the Year of the Snake with a Charming Animated Short

Pokémon kicked off the 2025 Lunar New Year with a delightful animated short featuring Ekans and Arbok, celebrating the Year of the Snake. The video, released January 29th, 2025 on Pokémon's YouTube channel, showcases a heartwarming encounter between two Ekans—one a Shiny variant—and their subsequent evolution into Arbok.

The short film depicts a humorous yet touching interaction. The Shiny Ekans, captivated by its counterpart, accidentally falls onto a passing Arbok, triggering its evolution. The newly evolved Shiny Arbok is then accepted by other Arbok, leading to a charming scene of the golden Arbok leaving the forest, followed by its newfound companions.

The video's simplicity resonated deeply with viewers. Many commented on the bittersweet nature of the brief friendship between the Ekans, while others drew parallels to the innocent interactions of children, highlighting the acceptance shown despite the Shiny Pokémon's unique appearance. Nostalgia also played a role, with several viewers recalling their own early encounters with Shiny Ekans and Arbok in Pokémon Gold and Silver.

Beyond the animated short, The Pokémon Company orchestrated a series of events and merchandise to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Pokémon GO's Lunar New Year Celebration

Pokémon GO joined the festivities with a Lunar New Year event, commencing January 9th, 2025, and running concurrently with the Dual Destiny season (December 3rd, 2024 – March 4th, 2025). This event boosted the spawn rates and Shiny encounter chances for several snake-themed Pokémon, including Ekans, Onix, Gyarados, Dratini, Dunsparce, Snivy, and Darumaka (whose Daruma doll inspiration symbolizes good luck).

The event also featured themed Field Research tasks, special 2km Eggs containing Pokémon like Makuhita, Nosepass, Meditite, Duskull, and Skorupi, and a Timed Research offering players valuable Zygarde Cells for evolving Zygarde.