These are Pokémon Sun and Moon’s strangest new characters yet

Pokémon Sun and Moon starred in two trailers this morning, one for Japanese audiences and another for English-speaking ones. Among the bevy of new features shown off between the two were a handful of humans, alongside Pokémon unlike any we’ve seen before — and we’re not even sure one of them is a Pokémon.

Below, take a look at today’s by-and-large bizarre additions to the games’ cast.

Type: Null

This "synthetic Pokémon" creates more questions than answers for the longtime Pokémon player. For one, its the first ever monster to feature punctuation in its name. This Pokémon is also inscrutable by design. Composed of disparate parts, Type: Null was created to weather any storm or situation and defeat even the most powerful mythological creatures. The normal-type is also an intimidating 6-foot-3, and we’re not ashamed to admit that that freaks us out even more than its battle readiness.

Jangmo-o

This tiny, scaly baby is about making itself stronger. It’s essentially the Pokémon world’s version of David, or maybe the Little Engine That Could. Jangmo-o spends all of its time training amidst its fellow miniature dragon-types so that it can conquer all of its enemies. Its dedication makes it a hit with trainers, and we’re sure its cute face helps it win over softhearted humans, too.

Alolan Raticate

We knew Rattata gets a facelift in Alola, but we weren’t expecting Raticate to be so much ... heftier. The Raticate of Kanto is all bared teeth and an aggressive grimace, and the Alolan Raticate sports that look as well. It's those chubby cheeks that make this version of the rat such a strange sight to behold, especially considering its defined palate and preference for "high-class ingredients." In fact, it sounds like Alola’s Raticate just sit at home and eat all day while the Rattata go out and fetch food for them. Trainers face Raticate in Pokémon Moon’s Meleleme Island challenge, so maybe it does go out once in a while.

UB-01

This ... thing is the first of what could be a long line of Ultra Beasts. These are powerful creatures that have befuddled Alolan researchers. Are they Pokémon? If not, what are they? It’s believed that they’re a threat not just to the pocket monsters, but their trainers as well. UB-01 is a fairly delicate being, with a body made of glass and movement said to resemble those of a little girl. But looks can be deceiving, of course, and UB-01 changes shape often.

The Aether Foundation

The team trying to understand the Ultra Beasts is called the Aether Foundation. They live on their own manamde island, Aether Paradise, which is home to both refugee Pokémon and the researchers hard at work to understand the Ultra Beasts. The protagonist of Sun and Moon can help out, teaming up with president Lusamine, branch chief Faba and assistant Wicke. The whole thing sounds like a hyper-focused version of the Pokémon labs of yore.

Dexio and Sina

We also met two more Pokémon researchers today: Dexio and Sina, who assist Professor Kakui with his own, less frightening research. These guys are scouting out the legendary Zygarde, whose pieces have somehow ended up around the Alola region. Helping the collecting Zygarde Cores and Zygarde Cells will lead you to your own Zygarde, making them possibly the most useful pair of NPCs outside of the Pokémon professor.