Pokémon Sun and Moon are filled with in-jokes and gags that may have bypassed the average player. It’s not too late to go check them out, though, as YouTuber and Pokémon fan Maxx has done a lot of the legwork.
The video above collects almost 10 minutes of Easter eggs and where to find them, and some of them are pretty specific references that could use some explanation. Thankfully, Maxx fills in the gaps for some of these, like a gag based on the popular Hawaiian singer Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwoʻole.
One opposing trainer named Veteran Roger introduces himself as Future and begins to talk about his songwriting prowess. It’s a weird conversation that prompts a response from the player about whether they’re familiar with this apparent Pokémon universe superstar.
As Maxx explains, the whole encounter is in reference to Kamakawiwo’ole’s album Facing Future. This and other text-based Easter eggs can likely be chalked up to the localization team at The Pokémon Company. Kamakawiwo’ole, who died in 1997, is well known stateside for his cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and throwing him some kudos in Sun and Moon makes sense: The game’s setting of Alola is heavily inspired by the Hawaiian islands.
Other references will be more familiar for Pokémon players. A picture of Ash Ketchum, star of the Pokémon anime, can be found while using the photo-taking Poké Finder feature, further including him into the video game canon. (Pokémon Sun and Moon also include a Greninja with Ash’s coloring and a Pikachu wearing his trademark hat.)
Maxx goes over where to spot these and more — including a seeming shout-out to American independence — and says there’s yet another video’s worth of references coming soon. Just as the Sun and Moon demo hid plenty of secrets, turns out the full game does too.
