Released back in October of 2000, Pokemon Gold and Silver introduced a new game mechanic to the then four-year-old franchise, giving players the chance to catch color-swapped variants of their favorite pokemon, referred to as "shiny Pokemon" by developer Game Freak.
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Since then, shiny Pokemon have become a beloved staple of the Pokemon franchise, with Pokemon Sword and Shield bringing the total number of catchable shiny Pokemon to an astounding 898 in the main series games. Of this expansive list, Niantic's 2016 AR mobile title Pokemon GO lets players catch over 350, including a number of fan favorites from across the series' eight generations.
Updated August 4, 2021 by Tom Bowen: With each passing month, more and more Pokemon are being added into Pokemon GO. That of course means more shinies as well, with most of the series' best-looking shiny Pokemon now available to be captured in the game. Though catching them all isn't easy due to how infrequently they appear, the introduction of special events with increased chances of encountering a shiny has at least made things a bit more tolerable for collectors. This bodes well, really, considering all of the cool shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO.
15 Shiny Ponyta
Ponyta was the first of many horse-inspired Pokemon to make its way into the series and is a firm favorite of many Pokemon fans as a result. Its original model features vibrant red flames in place of its mane and tail fur, perfectly capturing the Pokemon's fire-typing. When it came to designing a shiny form, however, Game Freak took this idea a step further.
Rather than red flames, Shiny Ponyta features flames of a rich and vivid blue. This works nicely, as those who remember their high school science classes will already know, a blue flame is generally a lot hotter than a red one. Ponyta also has one of the cooler-looking Galarian forms too, and that also has a great shiny form.
14 Shiny Luxray
Though some may prefer the way that the blue and black contrast in its regular form, Shiny Luxray's bright yellow coloring definitely makes it stand out from the crowd. Granted, it does take a little away from its iconic yellow eyes, but it's at least instantly recognizable as a shiny Pokemon, which isn't always the case.
Perhaps most importantly, the yellow coloring highlights Luxray's electric-typing, which is more than can be said for its regular form. Without knowing any better, players would likely assume that Luxray was a dark-type Pokemon, which would actually make a lot more sense given some of the Pokemon's characteristics and traits.
13 Shiny Dragonite
There are quite a few orange dragon-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO, but very few green ones. Given that most mediums tend to portray dragons as being either green or black, Dragonite's shiny form is therefore a lot more in keeping with the way that most players imagine dragons than its base form.
The light green coloring makes for a pretty drastic change, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It contrasts really well with the purple on the underside of the Pokemon's wings and also works pretty well with the cream coloring that extends across the Pokemon's chest and belly.
12 Shiny Umbreon
When compared to some of the other shiny Pokemon in the series, some may find Shiny Umbreon to be pretty underwhelming. The changes are certainly quite minimal, but given the strength of the Pokemon's original design, it's perhaps understandable why Game Freak took this approach. Being able to easily evolve a Shiny Eevee into a Shiny Umbreon is a nice bonus too.
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The blue markings on its head, legs, and tail really stand out against the blackness of the Pokemon's fur and definitely give the design much more of a dark-type appearance when compared to the original yellow. The blue arguably looks a lot more intimidating too, which better suits the underlying lore behind the Pokemon.
11 Shiny Charizard
Charizard's original design is one of the most iconic and most recognizable in the series, so it would have been very easy for Game Freak to take a minimalistic approach when it came to designing the Pokemon's shiny form. Instead, however, the team went in the exact opposite direction, making drastic changes that completely transformed the look of the Pokemon.
Charizard has always looked mean to a certain degree, but Shiny Charizard takes this to a whole new level. The black and crimson coloring is incredibly intimidating and is somewhat reminiscent of its Mega Charizard X form. It may not be for everyone, but many consider Charizard to be the best shiny Pokemon in Pokemon GO.
10 Shiny Gyarados
As the first shiny Pokemon of the franchise, Shiny Gyarados holds a special place in the hearts of long-time fans of the franchise, bringing back fond memories of a fateful battle on the Lake of Rage in the second generation Pokemon games. It's one of the very few instances in the series where players were guaranteed a shiny too, which only adds to the Pokemon's appeal.
This particular palette swap is especially striking, as it replaces the iconic blue coloring of the gen 1 water/flying type with a bold crimson, enhancing the Pokemon's already intimidating demeanor to new levels. When it comes to the best shiny Pokemon, Gyrados can definitely hold its own.
9 Shiny Vaporeon
One of the series' many Eevee-lutions, Vaporeon can either be captured in Pokemon Go by staking out waterways, dams, and canals or evolved directly from an Eevee. Interestingly enough, if a player has managed to obtain a Shiny Eevee, then evolving that Pokemon will result in a Shiny Eeveelution of the player's choosing.
As such, Shiny Vaporeon is an especially good option, as the water-type's usual blue veneer will be replaced with a pleasant pink and purple palette instead. To guarantee their Eevee evolves into a Vaporeon, players simply need to set its nickname as "Rainer," although this method can only be used once.
8 Shiny Lapras
One of the original 151 Pokemon, Lapras has been a staple in the minds of Pokemon fans since 1996. In fact, whenever the player used the move surf to travel on water in gen I and II, the sprite used was that of a Lapras. Bearing this in mind, any alterations to the original design were always going to be heavily scrutinized by the community.
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However, Shiny Lapras' subtle shift from its usual blue to a light purple is just the right amount of change to make an old favorite feel new again, while not detracting from the original design in a radical manner. It's a somewhat subtle change, yet manages to appear far more striking.
7 Shiny Politoed
This petite frog Pokemon might not make most players' list of the best Pokemon, but Politoed definitely has one of the best shiny skins of any Pokemon in the franchise. Like many of the other great shinies in Pokemon GO, the changes are fairly minimal, but they make a huge difference to the Pokemon's overall aesthetic.
Forgoing its usual green and yellow color palette, Shiny Politoed sports a lively purple and blue color palette, one which blends seamlessly with the swirl located on its stomach. Players looking for a unique and fun addition to their collections should keep their eyes peeled for this Pokemon in watery areas.
6 Shiny Delibird
In keeping with many of the design swaps of the franchise, Game Freak developers opted to swap the usual red Delibird for a blue-ish purple that perfectly compliments the overall design of the flying/ice-type Pokemon. It looks great and completely transforms the look of the Pokemon in the process.
As an added plus, the Pokemon's cooler tones more accurately reflect its wide array of ice-type moves and makes it an absolute joy to have on a player's team. Given the limited selection of strong ice-type Pokemon there are in the game, this can only be seen as a good thing.
5 Shiny Rayquaza
Though every Legendary Pokemon features a shiny variant, none have captured the Pokemon community's imagination quite like Shiny Rayquaza. The flying/dragon-type introduced in gen III usually sports a striking emerald green, red, and yellow color palette, giving it an almost otherworldly appearance.
However, Shiny Rayquaza kicks the design up a notch and ditches the vibrant green scales of the original for a much more menacing black. Truly, its modified appearance makes it a legend amongst legendaries and a fantastic Pokemon to have on one's team.
4 Shiny Gardevoir
Ever the fan-favorite, the psychic/fairy-type Pokemon Gardevoir is a potent weapon against fighting-types. It can also be an absolute menace to its fellow psychic types, as well as dark and ghost types due to a surprisingly robust move pool. In many ways, it's a Jack of all trades that few Pokemon can match when it comes to versatility.
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Additionally, Gardevoir has been praised by the Pokemon community for its overall design, which has captured the imaginations of the fandom. However, the developers over at Game Freak turned these looks up a notch when they introduced Gardevoir's shiny variant, which swaps the Pokemon's normal green flourishes with a subtle pale blue.
3 Shiny Wailord
Introduced in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Wailord holds the distinction of being the largest Pokemon in the franchise (barring Legendary Pokemon), coming in at a whopping 47 feet (14.3 meters) long. As such, Shiny Wailord has big shoes to fill when it comes to building upon one of the franchise's most beloved water types.
However, the decision to swap Wailord's blue exterior for a vibrant shade of purple is a welcome addition to the franchise and adds a splash of color to any player's waterside Pokemon hunt. It may not be to everybody's tastes, but the general reception to Shiny Wailord has been positive from fans of the series.
2 Shiny Shuckle
Taking the min-max approach to defense and special defense, Shuckle and its red turtle shells are almost synonymous with bulky defensive walls. In fact, Shuckle has the highest defensive stats of any Pokemon in Pokemon Go, although its other stats might not make it a good choice for competitive play.
When it came to reimagining this defensive giant from gen II, Game Freak opted to swap the Pokemon's stark red shell out in favor of a rich blue one. Despite the minimalistic approach taken, the changes make a huge difference to the overall look of the Pokemon and make Shiny Shuckle one of the most sought-after Pokemon in Pokemon GO, though it's actually pretty rare.
1 Shiny Ditto
Among the Pokemon franchise's many iconic creatures and abilities, Ditto perhaps has the most unique of all: it can transform into any other Pokemon at a moment's notice. As such, its own default appearance can often be overlooked, as Ditto will spend most of its time in battle looking like another Pokemon.
Despite this, the shiny variant of this gen I Pokemon is an absolute gem to look at, swapping the Pokemon's already pleasant purple coloring into a light, almost pastel blue. Sadly though, Shiny Ditto won't transform into the shiny version of an opponent's Pokemon unless that Pokemon also happens to be shiny as well.
NEXT: Pokemon: The Best Signature Moves (& Which Pokemon Can Use Them)
