Pokémon Day 2025 is upon us and it’s time to salute the Japanese pop culture empire and its marvelous menagerie of pocket monsters that have seemingly taken over our planet in all forms of global entertainment offerings, from the classic trading card game, role-playing games, and anime shows, to manga, feature films, and video games.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All — Pokémon Day is officially recognized annually on Feb. 27, the storied day that Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green video games were first introduced in Japan in 1996 to launch the franchise into the stratosphere.
The fandom has already had the joyful day of announcements during the Pokémon Presents event, with the confirmation that a new pack is coming to the Pokémon Trading Card Game. We also saw the announcement of Pokémon Champions, a Switch and mobile game that looks an awful lot like a modern version of Pokémon Stadium, and a late 2025 release date for Pokémon Legends Z/A.
Here at Space.com, we’re getting into the spirit of Pokémon Day 2025 by delivering an assortment of space-based Pokémon whose roots are found to be directly tied to the twinkling stars and alien civilizations. Let’s go catch a few!
1. Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable
The most obvious entry on our list, especially for fans of the original anime; Cleffa, Clefairy, and Clefable are squat, pink-tinted bipeds heralding from the moon of the Pokémon homeworld.
They have short arms and legs, a curled tail, and a tuft of hair upon their heads. Their horn-like oversized ears are colored dark brown on the ends. Cleffa is the immature stage of its life cycle, which gives way to Clefairy and the mature Clefable form.
In their first appearance in the anime, a group of Clefairy crash land their UFO and run into Ash and the gang. It’s never explicitly stated that they’re from the moon, but they evolve with the moon stone and you find them on Mount Moon. Cleffa’s Pokédex entries on the Pokémon website states that “On late nights illuminated by shooting stars, it gazes intently skyward, as if thinking of its home.”
2. Deoxys
First introduced in Generation 3 aka Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Deoxys is a Psychic type Pokémon. This super-smart entity employs psychokinetic powers emanated from an alien virus that arrived from outer space. Our clever Pokémon emits lasers from the crystal organ centered on its chest which also serves as the creature’s brain.
The name Deoxys is a play on the full name of DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid. Unusually, this Pokémon doesn’t evolve, but instead transforms between various modes during battle.
Unlike some of the other entries on this list, there’s no ambiguity on this one, as the Pokémon website explicitly states that Deoxys was the unnatural mutation of the space virus that underwent transformation to birth this brainy little being.
3. Elgyem and Beheeyem
Morphing from its elemental Elgym stage, Beheeyem is a Psychic-type Pokémon species not born on this planet. Arriving for Pokemon Black and White, Elgym was first discovered in the deserts of Unova, the site of an infamous UFO crash a half-century prior to its official Pokédex entry.
Both incarnations are medium-sized humanoids displaying big heads and uncanny paranormal powers. They have sleek hairless exteriors, hypnotic emerald eyes, and striking “Y”-shaped markings on their foreheads.
4. Staryu and Starmie
Weren’t expecting this one on the list, were you? As it turns out, Misty’s iconic Pokémon Staryu (and later Starmie) has some pretty clear cosmic connections.
Staryu is a brown-and-yellow star-shaped echinoderm Pokémon with five appendages centered around an exterior core organ that shines bright red when conversing with the stars above. It makes its home along the ocean’s shore and can regenerate its limbs if injured. Starmie is a dual-type Water/Psychic Pokémon that transforms from Staryu. These mysterious lifeforms are thought to have originally been born from stardust sprinkling down into the oceans.
The Pokédex entry for Starmie in Pokémon Stadium for the Nintendo 64 notes that “This Pokémon may have come from outer space”, while several others make reference to it sending signals out into space to communicate with… something.
5. Lunatone and Solrock
That’s no moon… wait no, that’s literally a moon and sun with eyes.
Lunatone and Solrock appear as Rock/Psychic-type Pokémon species, with the former taking on the shape of a crescent moon. Its kind zoomed through the spaceways inside meteorites before landing on Earth and settling down to a peaceful existence.
They activate when the moon is full and are believed to be associated with the lunar cycles. Along with Solrock, they’re referred to as the “meteorite Pokémon,” hovering, psychic rock beings that emerged at the location of a meteor strike.
Solrock meanwhile, looks an awful lot like a star, which is fitting given that the Pokédex for Pokémon Pearl mentions that it’s rumored to have originated from the sun itself.
6. Gothita, Gothorita and Gothitelle
Another species imbued with psychic powers and possibly originating from outer space, this time using those special skills to manipulate pebbles into the shapes of constellations.
The primary iteration is innocent and silent with large blue eyes. Gothorita, the intermediate form, is a black, humanoid Pokémon with thin arms and legs and two circular black rolls on each side of its head. Their ultimate source of power is concentrated starlight, and come night time, they designate stellar positions via their telekinetic abilities to float stones.
The final form, Gothitelle, is said to wield psychic powers so powerful that it can predict the future from the placement and movement of stars, and if it learns how long its trainer has left to live, it weeps with sorrow.
7. Kyurem
Kyurem is a dual-type, grayish blue Dragon/Ice Legendary Pokémon introduced in Generation V (Black and White). According to legend, Kyurem is an extraterrestrial Pokémon that crash landed on the planet inside an icy meteor.
This species is distinguished by a blue head and snout that sports yellow pupil-less eyes, blue-hued horns, and a bioluminescent yellow skull crest. Three sharp teeth emerge from the bottom of its frozen jawline. A pair of dual-clawed arms are complemented by blue ice wings.
While Kyurem has no evolutions, it can transform into either White Kyurem and Black Kyurem by fusing itself temporarily with another Pokemon (either Reshiram or Zekrom).
8. Eternatus
Another Pokémon that came from space, which is weird because I’m pretty sure this thing came from my nightmares. Look at this thing!
Eternatus is a dual-type Poison/Dragon Legendary Pokémon with a purple and red skeletal figure, complete with haunting eyes that pierce your soul. Four small limbs are equipped with dangerous claws and its torso resembles a cage-like section of rib bones housing a luminous pink core that acts as the creature’s power source.
Eternatus came to the Pokémon world (which is not actually Earth despite the similarities) inside an asteroid around 20,000 years ago. It cannot evolve into another Pokémon entity, but can become a superpower version called Eternamax Eternatus as seen at the end of Pokémon Sword and Shield.
9. Iron Treads
Iron Treads is a quadrupedal Ground/Steel type Pokémon first presented in Generation 9. It’s been noticed that this cruel engineered creation curls its body and rolls around when in attack mode, leaving a jagged trail in the Earth.
In Pokémon lore, Iron Treads was the first Paradox Pokémon, found centuries ago in Area Zero by the Area Zero Expedition team. While it’s origin is unconfirmed, there is speculation it was sent to Earth by extraterrestrials.
Iron Treads bears a striking resemblance to another Pokémon called Donphan, which has lead some to theorize that it is a future evolution of the elephantine Pokémon, potentially modified with alien technology. Iron Treads is highlighted by a spherical, gray-colored metallic body and a black underside. Its most significant physical feature is a segmented tread protruding from its back, and extending to the front of its face.
10. Umbreon
So this entry may not have originated from space, but our reference editor Daisy threatened to riot if we didn’t include it. And to be fair, its evolution is guided by the forces of our nearest celestial neighbor — the moon.
A true creature of the night, Umbreon is a sleek, black-furred Generation 2 Pokémon that thrives in darkness. It only reaches its final form under the cover of night, evolving from Eevee when the moon’s aura is strongest. This nocturnal predator lurks in the shadows, waiting silently for the perfect moment to strike.
The Pokédex describes how Umbreon’s genetic structure is changed by lunar energy, reinforcing its bond with the celestial body. On full moon nights, its glowing rings light up like eerie beacons in the dark, striking fear into those who cross its path.
More than just a creature of darkness, Umbreon is a reflection of the moon itself — mysterious, ever-present, and commanding both awe and unease.
