Pokémon can be a highly enjoyable series, but it's not hard to it that it could be a bit formulaic at times. However, that formula was finally broken by one of the anime's most controversial seasons, and the show was better off for it.

The Pokémon formula for the first 6 series was pretty simple: Ash travels from town to town with 2-3 companions, collecting badges and getting into shenanigans along the way, until finally achieving all 8 badges and entering the league tournament. Pokémon Sun & Moon changed all that, though, by instead having Ash attend a Pokémon school and live in one place, with Professor Kukui. This was reflective of a change in the structure of the Sun and Moon games as well, which ditched the badge collecting entirely. This shakeup was a blessing in disguise, however, as it allowed the Alola anime to explore its world like never before.

Sun & Moon Breaking Formula Was a Good Thing

The Alola Anime's Deviation Opened New Possibilities

While there was nothing wrong with Pokémon's base formula, it had become a bit repetitive and tired by the time the seventh generation rolled around. By that point, Ash had 48 badges (52, if one wants to count the Orange Islands) and had been in many tournaments. It was undoubtedly time for the anime to try something new, and the Sun and Moon games offered a perfect opportunity to do just that. While the anime could've had Ash travel around and gather Z-crystals just like before, the team decided instead to have Ash attending school as the premise for this series.

It might seem a bit silly to have someone as experienced as Ash attending a basic Pokémon school, but Alola was a completely different world from what Ash had grown used to. There wasn't yet a Pokémon league, after all, and the Alola region had its own way of doing things that was completely foreign to him. Going to school gave Ash some structure to his adventure, and still allowed him to get up to all sorts of hijinks in his off time. It helped that the school was quite flexible, and Ash's close relationship with Kukui made it easier for him to explore Alola at his own pace.

Alola's Unique Culture Was Worth Exploring

The Alola Region Was Well Developed and Unlike Any Other

Both the anime and the games for Sun and Moon made a big point of the fact that Alola was a unique land with its own traditions and attitudes towards Pokémon. In previous seasons of the anime, there wasn't a significant difference between locations where Ash was traveling. In the early seasons, the different regions look very much the same, to the point where it would be tough to identify a still image from an episode as being from any particular era without looking at Ash's outfit. People behaved much the same way as well, be it in Kanto or Johto or Sinnoh. There was no sense that these were different countries or regions.

Alola, however, changed all of that. The Alola region was designed from the ground up to have an identity unlike any of the previous regions, and the realities of living on a cluster of small islands were very apparent. Being based on Hawaii, Alola had a tropical vibe with a laid-back atmosphere. Instead of gyms, a coming-of-age trial was created, which involved traveling between islands and taking on various challenges. The importance of this ritual was reflected in characters like Guzma, who failed to complete his, as well as the trial captains themselves.

By having Ash based in one area, he got to immerse himself deeply in Alola's culture and the distinctive elements of the region. He was able to learn from Kukui and his friends at school not just about Pokémon, but about Alola itself, giving fans a very different view of Alola than other areas. Ash even got to experience elements of Alolan folklore for himself, such as the Island Guardians and their capricious blessings. More than that, Ash became emotionally attached to the Alola region, since he had been allowed to develop much deeper roots than he did anywhere else.

The Approach Towards Sun & Moon Was Better for Characters

Having a Home Base Made It Easier for Ash to Form Relationships

One element of walking the earth that can make storytelling difficult is that the main character is constantly leaving new friends behind as they move on to the next place. This can be seen with the sheer abundance of one-off characters in most of the other Pokémon series. Alola, however, had very few one-off characters, since Ash wasn't leaving them behind. This allowed the Sun & Moon series to build up a larger cast of recurring characters than any other series, turning characters who might've been around only for short arcs or one-offs in other series into major characters.

Because of this, Ash's entire school class was able to see some character development, and not just them. Professor Kukui is easily the professor with the most screen time, and he's also one of the most beloved because of the strong relationship he and Ash were able to build. Characters were even given their own subplots, such as Sophocles' Charjabug/Vikavolt racing, Lillie and her family, or Kukui's secret identity as the Masked Royal. Kukui even had a romance plot with Burnett, which culminated in them getting married and, later, having a baby.

Thanks to the fact that Ash developed roots, both the main cast and the Alola region as a whole were able to develop in a much stronger way than any season of the anime that had come before. While some fans dismiss Sun & Moon for its changes to the formula and especially the artstyle, the fact of the matter is that the series offered a breath of fresh air for long-time fans of the anime, something that was sorely needed. Both Ash and the Pokémon anime in general were better off for this break from formula, and the series should be praised for this fact.