Japanese Title for the 18th Pokémon Movie Released – ‘The Archdjinn of the Rings: Hoopa’

Quite a lot of news has been going on in the Pokémon world recently. Back in November, the remakes of two Pokémon games, Ruby and Sapphire, were released worldwide, followed by the first trailer for the new movie.

However, at the time, the film was simply called Pokémon the Movie XY 2015 or simply Movie 18 by the fans. Just recently, the Japanese name for the movie was released: The Archdjinn of the Rings: Hoopa. Along with the release of the Japanese title, this marks the official acknowledgement of Hoopa’s existence.

Hoopa in the Trailer

Of course, some people already knew about the existence of Hoopa, but with Pokémon that can only be received through special distribution events, they usually are not acknowledged by the company until they star in one of the Pokémon movies. The trailer, while not explicitly showing Hoopa, did hint at its existence. Primal Groudon, Kyogre, and a shiny mega-Rayquaza, were shown battling, only to be disrupted by a huge, golden ring sucking the three Pokémon into it. One of the ‘o’s in the Pokémon logo also became a golden ring, followed by multiple Pikachus appearing in a series of rings, further hinting at Hoopa.

What makes Hoopa so special is its two forms: its confined form and its unbound form. According to the games, Hoopa was a troublesome, legendary Pokémon that had the ability to suck things into a portal created by its rings. Due to its troublesome and greedy nature, it was eventually sealed into its confined form. The only way to unleash its true power was by using an item known as the Prison Bottle, similar to a djinn or a genie and its lamp on which Hoopa is based. Just look at that wispy tail. Looks familiar?

Players of the games also noticed, when hunting for legendary Pokémon in Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire, that they would appear from a portal through a golden hoop. This raised the question: is Hoopa behind bringing the legendary Pokémon to the player? Well, this trailer seems to confirm so.

Poster and New Image

Along with the announcement of the film’s title, two pictures were released for the new movie. One is the movie poster, which shows Hoopa front and center while Ash and Pikachu look on in amazement.

The other show Ash, Pikachu and Hoopa in its bound form eating donuts together.

It looks like Ash and his friends are going to have a good relationship with Hoopa; however, any other plot details are currently unknown. The movie is set to premiere in Japan on July 18, 2015. No English title or international release dates has been announced yet.

What do you think about The Archdjinn of the Rings: Hoopa? Are you excited to see Hoopa on the big screen?

Edited by: Kelly Conley