Summary
An anime adaptation of the Rainbow Rocket storyline of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon would be a great opportunity for Ash as well as fans. Rainbow Rocket's plot in the game recalls the villainous leaders of the past, as a threat to the player. Ash could have faced these powerful opponents, with whom he had a closer connection. The series may not have adapted Rainbow Rocket due to its dark tone and the need to stay consistent with the next anime series.
The Pokémon The anime left several video game storylines unadapted, but there is one that opens the door to the Pokémon multiverse. An anime adaptation of the Rainbow Rocket storyline of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon would be great, both in terms of continuity and the potential for epic battles.
The Rainbow Rocket storyline sees an alternate universe version of Giovanni, who has successfully piloted Mewtwo, travel from universe to universe to gather the leaders of the anti-hero teams. another successful character, assembling a supergroup of Pokémon villains to threaten the Alola region. These villains working together pose a serious threat, and of course, in the game, it is the player's responsibility to stop them.
An anime adaptation of this could have placed Ash in that position, creating an even more compelling story than the one presented in the game.
Rainbow Rocket is the Pokémon Anime's biggest missed opportunity
In-game, the Rainbow Rocket storyline is clearly intended for longtime fans of the series, bringing back the leaders of every past villain team, including Teams Aqua, Magma, Galactic, Plasma, and Flare . Each leader comes from a world they have won, controlling their respective region's Legendary Pokémon and facing off against powerful and difficult opponents who must battle back-to-back before facing off. with the leader of them all, Giovanni. Unfortunately, the Ultra Sun/Moon player character has no connection to these villains the way the player does.
However, Ash had already taken down all of these evil teams by the time the Sun & Moon anime came out, so seeing him face off against them again would be much more interesting, giving the series a chance. to enjoy constant change. It will create an incredible challenge following Ash's Alola Federation victory, pitting him against extremely dangerous villains who may even remember alternate versions of him.
This will also give some of Ash's Alola team members a chance to shine more, especially those who barely get any screen time, like Melmetal and Naganadel. This part may even have other characters like Gladion and Kukui helping out, who don't play much of a role in Rainbow Rocket in the game. Alas, this simply couldn't be the case, as the anime quickly jumped from Sun & Moon straight to Journeys without so much as a hint of Rainbow Rocket.
There are several possible reasons why the series decided not to address this fan-favorite storyline. It was already dark, since these villains came from the world they had won, and celebrating Ash's victory might have been a bit dull. However, the series had a Guzzlord attack after Ash's victory, which had the same effect. The need to switch to a new anime series to accommodate the release of Sword and Shield certainly forced the anime's hand as well, leaving no room for any such adaptation to take place.
Similarly, the films have turned to Pokémon to replace “I Choose You!” continuity at this point, so the idea of a Rainbow Rocket movie was gone. It's a shame that the Rainbow Rocket arc will never be adapted into an anime, as it could have been a grand ending to a relatively light-hearted show. Pokémon Sun & Moon cartoon.