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. 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, The Pokémon Company released a heartwarming animated short on their YouTube channel to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake.

The short film showcases a funny encounter between two Ekans hanging from a tree; one is a striking Shiny variant. The Shiny Ekans' mesmerized fall onto a passing Arbok leads to an unexpected evolution after a playful threat from its fellow Ekans. Accepted into the Arbok group, the golden Shiny Arbok leads its new companions away into the forest.

The video's brevity hasn't stopped it from touching the hearts of many YouTube viewers. One fan commented, "Even though we were able to meet, it’s sad to say goodbye," highlighting the bittersweet nature of the Ekans' brief interaction. Another viewer compared the scene to children playing, emphasizing that differences in appearance didn't hinder their immediate friendly connection.

Beyond the animated short, The Pokémon Company has organized various events and released merchandise to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Pokémon GO's Lunar New Year Event

Kicking off on January 9th, 2025, Pokémon GO launched its Lunar New Year event, boosting the encounter and Shiny rates for several 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's appearance is more humanoid, its inspiration from the Daruma doll symbolizes good luck and perseverance.

The event also features themed Field Research tasks, special 2 km Eggs containing Makuhita, Nosepass, Meditite, Duskull, and Skorupi, and a Timed Research event rewarding players with rare Zygarde Cells—essential for evolving Zygarde.