Pokémon Sun has seven Totem Pokémon, one at the end of each island trial. In order: Gumshoos (Lv. 12, Verdant Cavern), Wishiwashi in School Form (Lv. 20, Brooklet Hill), Salazzle (Lv. 22, Wela Volcano Park), Lurantis (Lv. 24, Lush Jungle), Vikavolt (Lv. 29, Hokulani Observatory), Mimikyu (Lv. 33, Abandoned Thrifty Megamart) and Kommo-o (Lv. 45, Vast Poni Canyon). Each one is bigger than a normal Pokémon of its species (except Wishiwashi, whose School Form is already huge), raises its stats with an aura when the battle starts, and calls for an ally. You can’t catch a Totem or its allies. Pokémon Moon swaps only the first one, to Alolan Raticate. Ultra Sun replaces three of them and adds Ribombee.
This page covers retail Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, up to version 1.2. Nintendo’s notes for the 1.1 and 1.2 updates don’t mention any change to the Totems. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are separate games, not updates, so their bosses only appear here to help you tell them apart. For the trial puzzles and the route between bosses, use the Sun and Moon walkthrough.
Pokémon Sun’s seven Totem Pokémon
The table lists every Totem in trial order, with the stat its aura raises, the Pokémon it can call in, the item it holds and the Z-Crystal you get for winning.
| # | Captain | Totem | Lv. | Where | Aura | Allies | Holds | Weak to | Reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ilima | Gumshoos | 12 | Verdant Cavern | +1 Defense | Yungoos Lv. 10 | Pecha Berry | Fighting | Normalium Z |
| 2 | Lana | Wishiwashi (School Form) | 20 | Brooklet Hill | +1 Defense | Alomomola, Wishiwashi, both Lv. 18 | Sitrus Berry | Grass, Electric | Waterium Z |
| 3 | Kiawe | Salazzle | 22 | Wela Volcano Park | +1 Sp. Def | Salandit Lv. 20 | Petaya Berry | Ground (4×), Water, Psychic, Rock | Firium Z |
| 4 | Mallow | Lurantis | 24 | Lush Jungle | +2 Speed | Castform, Trumbeak, both Lv. 22 | Power Herb | Fire, Flying, Ice, Poison, Bug | Grassium Z |
| 5 | Sophocles | Vikavolt | 29 | Hokulani Observatory | +1 Atk, Def, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | Charjabug Lv. 27, Charjabug Lv. 28 | Occa Berry | Fire, Rock | Electrium Z |
| 6 | Acerola | Mimikyu | 33 | Abandoned Thrifty Megamart | +1 Atk, Def, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | Haunter, Gengar, both Lv. 27 | Lum Berry | Ghost, Steel | Ghostium Z |
| 7 | none | Kommo-o | 45 | Vast Poni Canyon | +1 Atk, Def, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def, Speed | Hakamo-o, Scizor, both Lv. 32 | Mental Herb | Fairy (4×), Flying, Psychic, Ice, Dragon | Dragonium Z |
Vast Poni Canyon is the only trial without a captain. You reach it after Hapu’s grand trial on Poni Island. Pokémon Moon uses the same list except for trial 1, where Totem Alolan Raticate (Lv. 12, also +1 Defense, holding a Pecha Berry) calls an Alolan Rattata at Lv. 10.
Totem Abilities and moves
Sun and Moon share every Totem except trial 1. The Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon bosses are in the next section.
| # | Totem | Ability | Holds | Moves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gumshoos (Sun) | Adaptability | Pecha Berry | Super Fang, Bite, Leer, Scary Face |
| 1 | Alolan Raticate (Moon) | Gluttony | Pecha Berry | Tackle, Bite, Tail Whip, Scary Face |
| 2 | Wishiwashi (School Form) | Schooling | Sitrus Berry | Water Gun, Growl, Rain Dance, Soak |
| 3 | Salazzle | Corrosion | Petaya Berry | Torment, Venom Drench, Toxic, Flame Burst |
| 4 | Lurantis | Leaf Guard | Power Herb | Razor Leaf, X-Scissor, Solar Blade, Synthesis |
| 5 | Vikavolt | Levitate | Occa Berry | Vice Grip, Charge, Bug Bite, Spark |
| 6 | Mimikyu | Disguise | Lum Berry | Shadow Claw, Play Rough, Astonish, Mimic |
| 7 | Kommo-o | Soundproof | Mental Herb | Clanging Scales, Sky Uppercut, Flash Cannon, Protect |
Moon and Ultra Sun don’t use this list
If a video shows Kiawe’s Totem as Alolan Marowak, it’s about Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon. Those games replace three Sun Totems and add an eighth trial. A Sun save can’t be loaded in Ultra Sun.
| Trial | Sun | Moon | Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilima | Gumshoos | Alolan Raticate | Gumshoos (Ultra Sun), Alolan Raticate (Ultra Moon) |
| Lana | Wishiwashi | Wishiwashi | Araquanid |
| Kiawe | Salazzle | Salazzle | Alolan Marowak |
| Mallow | Lurantis | Lurantis | Lurantis, different allies |
| Sophocles | Vikavolt | Vikavolt | Togedemaru |
| Acerola | Mimikyu | Mimikyu | Mimikyu, different allies |
| Vast Poni Canyon | Kommo-o | Kommo-o | Kommo-o, different allies |
| Mina (trial 8) | No trial | No trial | Ribombee |
Two more things exist only in the Ultra games: a postgame rematch with the first Totem, and the Totem Stickers you trade to Samson Oak for totem-sized Pokémon. Sun has no Totem Stickers, so you can’t earn a totem-sized Pokémon there. You can still trade one over from Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon if the species exists in Sun, such as Gumshoos, Lurantis or Mimikyu. Once you beat a Totem in Sun, you can’t fight it again. The Sun vs Ultra Sun comparison covers the rest of the differences.
What the aura and the ally do
When the battle starts, the message “Totem [name]’s aura flared to life!” appears and the Totem’s stats go up. These are ordinary stat stages, not an item or an Ability. One stage multiplies the stat by 1.5, and two stages double it. Lurantis is the only Totem in Sun that gets two stages, both in Speed, so it moves before almost anything you have at that point.
- Haze and Clear Smog remove the boosts.
- Critical hits ignore a boost to Defense or Special Defense. That helps against Gumshoos, Wishiwashi and Salazzle.
- Allies: each Totem calls a set ally, so most of the fight is two against one. Most Totems have a limited number of calls. Vikavolt, for example, can call each of its two Charjabug only once. Salazzle is the exception: it keeps calling a new Salandit whenever its ally faints, so there’s no point clearing allies in that fight.
An ally that heals or sets up weather is worth knocking out before the Totem. In Sun those are Alomomola, which uses Heal Pulse, and Castform, which uses Sunny Day.
The Sun Totems that hold out
Gumshoos goes down quickly to Fighting moves, and Kommo-o comes late enough that your team is usually ready for it. The four below are the ones that hold out longer than their level suggests.
Wishiwashi stays huge until 25% HP
Totem Wishiwashi starts in School Form, which has far higher stats than the tiny Solo Form. Its Schooling Ability checks HP at the end of each turn. While its HP is above a quarter it stays in School Form. At a quarter or less it breaks up into Solo Form. Its Sitrus Berry restores a quarter of its HP when it drops to half, which can lift it back above the cutoff, so plan for one extra hit. Grass and Electric moves do double damage. Knock out the Alomomola ally first, because it heals.
Lurantis, Castform and the sun
Lurantis does four things at once. Its aura gives it +2 Speed. Its Castform ally uses Sunny Day, and in the sun Solar Blade hits on the first turn with no charging turn. Even without the sun, its Power Herb lets one Solar Blade skip the charge. While the sun is out, its Leaf Guard Ability stops it from getting a new burn, poison, paralysis, sleep or freeze, so you can’t put it to sleep or paralyze it then. It doesn’t cure a condition it already had before the sun came out. It also knows Synthesis, which heals more in the sun.
Take out Castform first. Then hit Lurantis with Fire or Flying. Fire moves are boosted in the sun, so a Fire move is the safest pick. A Litten or Torracat on your team makes this fight much easier.
Vikavolt can’t be hit by Ground moves
Vikavolt is a Bug and Electric type, and its Levitate Ability makes Ground moves miss it. Use Rock or Fire instead. Its Occa Berry halves the first super-effective Fire hit, so don’t count on a one-hit knockout with Fire. It calls two Charjabug, at Lv. 27 and Lv. 28. Their Battery Ability raises the power of an ally’s special moves, but all of Vikavolt’s attacks (Vice Grip, Bug Bite and Spark) are physical, so Battery adds nothing. The real danger is Charge: if Vikavolt uses Spark on the very next turn, Spark’s power is doubled.
Mimikyu’s first hit does nothing
Mimikyu’s Disguise Ability blocks the damage from the first attack that hits it. Open with a weak move or a fast multi-hit move to break the disguise, then use Ghost or Steel moves. It holds a Lum Berry, which cures the first burn, poison, paralysis, sleep, freeze or confusion you give it. Moves that lower its stats aren’t affected. Its Haunter and Gengar allies know Hypnosis, so expect some of your team to fall asleep.
Salazzle and Kommo-o
Salazzle knows Toxic, and its Corrosion Ability lets it badly poison even Steel and Poison types, so bring Antidotes or a Pecha Berry. Ground moves do four times damage. Its Petaya Berry raises its Special Attack when its HP gets low, so finish it quickly once it’s in the red.
Kommo-o has Soundproof, which blocks sound moves like Hyper Voice. Fairy moves do four times damage. Its Mental Herb cures the first Taunt, Encore or Disable, so those moves won’t stick the first time. Its Scizor ally takes four times damage from Fire.
You can’t catch a Totem
If you throw a Poké Ball during a Totem battle, the game says “No! You can’t catch any Pokémon until you finish the trial!” The same rule covers the allies. You also can’t run: “No! There’s no running from a trial!” Every Totem and every ally is shiny-locked. Normal versions of each species are easy to get:
| Totem | How to get a normal one in Sun |
|---|---|
| Gumshoos | Catch Yungoos on Route 1 or Route 2 by day, then level it to 20 during the day. |
| Alolan Raticate (Moon) | Catch Alolan Rattata on Route 1 or Route 2 at night, then level it to 20 at night. |
| Wishiwashi | Catch one of the two splashing Wishiwashi at Brooklet Hill (Lv. 17 and Lv. 18) before the trial starts. After Lana gives you the Fishing Rod, fish at Kala’e Bay: 20% at normal spots, 30% at bubbling spots. |
| Salazzle | Catch Salandit on Route 8 or in Wela Volcano Park. Only a female evolves, at Lv. 33. |
| Lurantis | Catch Fomantis on Route 5 or in Lush Jungle, then level it to 34 during the day. |
| Vikavolt | Evolve Grubbin into Charjabug at Lv. 20, then level Charjabug up in Vast Poni Canyon. |
| Mimikyu | Wild in the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, at 5%, Lv. 29–32. |
| Kommo-o | Catch Jangmo-o in Vast Poni Canyon. It evolves at Lv. 35 and again at Lv. 45. |
In Sun, the 3DS clock decides day and night: day is 06:00–17:59. Moon’s clock runs 12 hours apart, so if you evolve Yungoos or Fomantis in Moon, play during the 3DS night. See the Sun and Moon Pokédex for every location.
Rewards and fights that aren’t Totems
Each Totem gives the Z-Crystal for its type, in this order: Normalium Z, Waterium Z, Firium Z, Grassium Z, Electrium Z, Ghostium Z and Dragonium Z. Captains add a few gifts along the way, such as the Fishing Rod from Lana. In Sun, Mina gives you the Fairium Z on a bridge in Vast Poni Canyon without a battle. In Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon you earn it by beating Totem Ribombee.
Some big Alola battles look similar but aren’t Totem fights:
- The four kahunas (Hala, Olivia, Nanu and Hapu) run grand trials with normal Trainer teams. See the island trials guide for their teams.
- The four Tapu are guardian deities you catch in the postgame. They aren’t Totems.
- Totem Hakamo-o appears only in the Special Demo, not in the full game.
Quick answers
- How many Totem Pokémon are in Pokémon Sun? Seven. Ultra Sun has eight.
- What is the first Totem Pokémon in Sun? Totem Gumshoos, Lv. 12, at the end of Ilima’s trial in Verdant Cavern. In Moon it’s Totem Alolan Raticate.
- Can you catch Totem Pokémon in Sun? No. Totems and their allies can’t be caught and are shiny-locked.
- Is Alolan Marowak a Totem in Pokémon Sun? No. Kiawe’s Totem in Sun and Moon is Salazzle. Alolan Marowak is the Totem in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.
- What is the difference between Sun and Moon Totems? Only trial 1 changes: Gumshoos in Sun, Alolan Raticate in Moon.
- What does a Totem aura do? It raises the Totem’s stats by one or two stages when the battle starts. Lurantis gets +2 Speed. The last three Totems get +1 to Attack, Defense, Sp. Atk, Sp. Def and Speed. HP, accuracy and evasion don’t change.
- Why does Wishiwashi stay in School Form? It only changes back when its HP is a quarter or less at the end of a turn, and its Sitrus Berry can heal it back above that.
- How do you get a totem-sized Pokémon in Sun? You can’t earn one in Sun. Totem-sized Pokémon come from Totem Stickers in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and you can trade them to Sun if the species exists there.