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, 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 humorous encounter between two Ekans hanging from a tree, one of which is a striking Shiny variant. The Shiny Ekans, captivated, falls onto a passing Arbok, triggering a surprising 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.

This brief but touching video resonated deeply with viewers. One fan commented, "Even though their meeting was brief, saying goodbye was sad," highlighting the emotional connection between the two Ekans. Another compared their interaction to that of children, emphasizing that differences in appearance didn't hinder their immediate friendly interaction.

Beyond the animated short, The Pokémon Company has prepared exciting in-game events and 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 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 has a more humanoid appearance, its inspiration from the Daruma doll symbolizes good luck and perseverance.

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