Pokemon Ultra Sun & Moon: where to find the name rater, battle style changer & other key NPCs
The Pokemon series has a bit of a bad habit. These are amazing games generally speaking, but they really do like to hide certain features behind NPCs that you can easily miss. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon very much follow that template, even for the valuable move tutors.
Some games would pop a name rater inside every Pokemon Center or something, but Pokemon always has one sole NPC in the whole game that can do this function. You'll have to remember where they are, and in a sprawling RPG that isn't always easy.
Have no fear, however. We have your back. There's a few important functional NPCs in Sun & Moon including the name rater, happiness checker and the NPC that lets you change your battle style, determining what their animations look like when throwing Poke balls and the like. Here's how to find all of those - but if you're looking to track down the game's various move tutors including the move deleter and move reminder, we've got another page all about how to find them, so head over there.
Where to find Pokemon Sun & Moon's Important Functional NPCs
Move Tutors have a more immediate impact on battle, but outside that there are also several major NPCs in Pokemon Sun & Moon who offer important quality-of-life services to players. Some are cosmetic, such as your trainer's battle animation style or switching names of Pokemon on your team, but others actually have a material gameplay benefit in that they help you to understand the status of your Pokemon that's hidden behind-the-scenes. Here's how to find all these handy NPCs.
Pokemon Sun & Moon Name Rater
Pokemon Sun & Moon's name rater can be found hanging out in Heahea City, which is on Akala Island. Look out for the Alola Tourist Bureau. Inside the bureau there's a man in a sort of bright Hawaiian style shirt on the right hand side. Chat to him and he'll be able to change your Pokemon's nicknames and all the other good stuff folk associate with the move tutor from previous Pokemon games.
Where to find the NPC to change Trainer Battle Styles
The person who can help you to change trainer style and thus change how you throw your Pokeball and other such battle-specific animations is hiding away on Ula'ula Island to the north - he's outside the place that's a recycling plant.
You should note that the trainer battle styles you have available to yourself are earned by defeating each trial captain in battle. To do this you'll want to head to their houses after beating their island's Kahuna. This will unlock more styles.
Where to find the Pokemon Happiness checker NPC
To check your Pokemon's happiness head to Konikoni City's market area - the long stretch of road with shops either side. Look out for a black-haired woman on the left outside one of the shops. She'll tell you about your Pokemon's happiness.
She has several different responses, each corresponding to the hidden number value that determines your Pokemon's happiness. Remember you can make them happier through feeding and Pokemon Refresh as well as generally keeping them around.
Where to find the Lomi Lomi massage NPC to boost your Pokemon's happiness
On the same stretch of Konikoni City where you find the happiness-checking NPC you can also find an NPC who'll happily give your Pokemon a massage in order to improve its mood and its attitude towards you.
She's just a few steps south of the Happiness Checker and has a character model that's wearing a headband and an aqua blue dress. She'll offer to massage, and you'll get a big happiness boost out of it - just check that with the happiness checker a few steps away.
Where to find the Hidden Power checker NPC
If you want to know what type of move your Pokemon will perform with the move taught by the TM for Hidden Power, the game girl who actually gives you the TM will help you out with that whenever you like.
That girl is found in Paniola Ranch in the Pokemon nursery building. She's the sister inside the building to the left of the nursery desk where you hand over Pokemon.
Where to find Pokemon Sun & Moon's EV & IV Judge NPCs
If you really want to get deep into your Pokemon stats stuff, you need to start keeping a track of Effort Values and Individual Values - EVs and IVs. There are two NPCs who exist solely to track these two things - exciting lives they have.
The EV tracker can be found inside the Battle Royale Dome on the right - it's a girl in a pink top. You can actually track EVs yourself in the menus now, remember - it's far easier to do that.
The IV tracker is required to track those stats without a lot of number crunching, and he can be found in the Battle Tree, standing next to a PC. This is a post-game area. He won't provide his services to you until you've hatched 20 Pokemon from eggs, however - and then he upgrades your PC.