ShinyPokémonhave always been sought after thanks to their rarity and how they often look quite different from their regular variants. ManyPokémon GOplayers in particular spend hours walking about in search of Shiny Pocket Monsters, yet this isn’t always as rewarding as it should be. There are plenty of Pokémonto collect and almost every single one has a Shiny variant, but that is a ridiculous number of recolors and not all get the one that players hoped for.
Some Shiny Pokémonaren’t always the drastic difference in color that players expect. Some completely flip the color of the original on its head, with Red Gyarados being a good example of this, but some don’t really change at all. Of course,there is always a form of color shift, otherwise the Pokémonwouldn’t be a Shiny, but there are instances in which this color shift is so subtle that it is almost impossible to tell the difference without a reference image of the original.
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10Shiny Gengar Is Only A Little Less Purple
It’s Hard To Tell The Difference Without A Reference
Gengar is one of the most popular Ghost-type Pokémonaround, being a part of the first generation. Some could even argue thatGengar’s evolutionary line is the mascot for Ghost-typesand is one of the most marketable Pokémonaround. It’s a fan favorite, so it would be reasonable to think that its Shiny variant would be enough of a departure to give fans more variety. At the very least, it would givePokémona reason to make more toys and merchandise around a different colored Gengar.
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This isn’t the case.Shiny Gengar could easily be mistaken for regular Gengarif the two weren’t put next to each other. The shade of purple is slightly different, but with different screens having different displays, this could be chalked up to looking at an image on a monitor instead of a phone screen. The variation is so subtle thatPokémonwould have a hard time making merchandise of the Shiny variant look different to the regular Gengar, which seems like an odd move for such apopular Ghost-type.
9Shiny Garchomp Is A Different Shade Of Blue, Apparently
The Color Difference Is Far Too Subtle
Garchomp is one of Generation 4’s icons. It is the main Pokémonof Cythnia,one ofPokémon’s strongest trainersand the Sinoh Region’s champion, and is well-liked by thePokémoncommunity, especially byDiamond and Pearllovers.Evolving from Gible, then Gabite, Garchomp is a powerful Dragon- and Ground-typethat many like to have on their team thanks to it’s pretty cool and fierce design, but this design doesn’t get much of a recolor with its Shiny variant.
Cynthia had her Garchomp since it was an egg, and the pair are known to have a strong bond in both the games and the anime.
The Shiny alternative of Garchomplooks like the regular version that had its colors desaturated a little. This variation can be even more confusing, since it has often been drawn to be even darker in the anime, meaning that this slight change in color could simply be mistaken as a different interpretation of thePokémon. The Shiny version’s color isn’t exactly bold nor is it imaginative either. It just looks like a Garchomp who is a little under the weather.
8Shiny Sawk Is Slightly More Purple Than Blue
It Looks Like A Tiny Adjustment On The Color Wheel
Sawk is not one of the most beloved or popular Pokémonaround. Added in the fifth generation, it is more humanoid than most,being in the same vein as Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan as human-like, martial arts-inspiredPokémon. Sawk in particular seems to take inspiration from Karate, wearing a gi and a black belt while taking on a Karate stance. It is also always male, and a Fighting-type Pokémonknown to train in secluded mountains.
The Shiny variant of Sawk is more obvious than some, but it isn’t exactly a wild departure.He goes from being purely blue to a purple-blue, but his gi remains the same. Although this makes sense, since Karate gi are traditionally white with a black belt, it would have been nice to perhaps see this in a different color. Maybe the gi’s colors are inverted, or maybe Sawk changes to a red hue, rather than a slightly more purple one.
7A Shiny Elekid Is A Worse Shade Of Yellow
It Looks A Little Radioactive Now
Elekid is one of those odd Pokémonthat doesn’t have its evolution next on the Pokédex. This is due to all three Pokémonin the Elekid line being introduced in different generations.Elekid saw an introduction in Gen 2,while Electabuzz debuted in Gen 1. For the final evolution in the line, players had to wait until Gen 4 for Electivire, causing the entries to be scattered across the Pokédex. The confusion is further compounded by these three Pokémonhaving different design ideas for their Shiny variants.
While Shiny Electabuzz goes from bright yellow to a burnt orange, looking like it got horribly sunburned,Elekid just takes on a brighter shade of yellow. This change in color is quite subtle and those without a reference to the original might not notice the difference. Electivire is similar, except it takes on a slightly darker shade of yellow, and these slight changes make the Shiny version of these two Pokémonso similar to the original that it probably isn’t worth the effort of catching them.
6Komala’s Log Is Shiny, But Not Komala Itself
And The Recolored Log Doesn’t Make Sense
Komala takes its inspiration from the koala bears of Australia. It borrows from the tree-hugging herbivore so heavily thatit takes its own log everywhere it goes and seems to always be asleep. Introduced in Gen 7, Komala doesn’t evolve and is a Normal-type Pokémonthat is asleep all its life due to eating a specific plant which has sedative properties. It doesn’t exactly sound like a mighty Pokémonmade for battling.
It isn’t really worth collecting its Shiny variant either, considering that the Pokémonitself is practically the same. In fact,the only major change is the color of the log it carries, which is odd considering that trees don’t usually have pearly white bark and pink heartwood. Although a Komala is often given this log at birth, it isn’t actually a part of the Pokémonitself, meaning that the Shiny version just so happened to be given a fancier log in its infancy.
5It’s Impossible To Tell The Differences Between Shiny And Regular Leafeon
Apparently, It’s A Different Color
Leafeon is one of the many,many Eeveelutions. It is a Grass-type, as one would expect, andrequires a Leaf Stone or needs to evolve near a Moss Rock. They tend to be male, and are one of the later additions to the Eeveelutions, being added in Gen 4. It is able to perform photosynthesis and, thanks to being an Eeveelution, has a decent amount of popularity compared to many other Pokémon.
As of writing, there are eight Eeveelutions, with the first three being added in Gen 1.
Despite its popularity, the Shiny version isn’t all that different. This sort of makes sense, since Leafeon is technically a variant of Eevee and having even more variation could be a problem. Still, more could have been done to make the Shiny Leafeon a bit more exciting. As it stands,the Shiny version looks like the regular version if its picture was taken while it was in the shade.
4Shiny Glaceon Is Even More Blue
But Not Much More Than That
Glaceon is another one of the Eeveelutionsthat was added later on in Gen 4. As its name suggests, it is anIce-type called the Fresh Snow Pokémonthat freezes its fur to make its hair stand on end like needles. Eevee requires an Ice Stone or to evolve near an Ice Rock to become Glaceon to make use of these abilities and has been a main-stand ever since its introduction inDiamond and Pearl.
Much like with Leafeon, thereisn’t much of a difference between Glaceon’s regular and Shiny variants. Considering that Vaporean’s Shiny version went from blue to deep purple, it is odd that Glaceon goes from a turquoise-like blue to a more standard blue, rather than something more drastic. Not enough of its design screams ice/snow Pokémonwithout its color, so this might be the reason why very little is done with its Shiny version.
3People Are Arguing Whether Giovanni’s Persian Is Shiny
Not To Be Confused With Shiny Alolan Persian
Out of all the Shiny Pokémonaround, Persian’s version has probably caused the most debate. It is the evolution of Meowth, made famous as the very talkative member of Team Rocket, and the crime organization’s boss,Giovanni, is known to own one. Here lies the debate, since manyPokémonfans are convinced that the crime boss' Persian is actually a Shiny version, but there is such little difference that it is impossible to tell.
Giovanni’s Persian was shown to be powerful enough to default Ash’s Pikachu in theBlack & Whiteseries.
Although Meowth’s Shiny version isn’t that different, it at least has bright red-pink ears, feet and a tail to make it much more obvious.Persian’s ears are a little more pink, and the color of its already blonde coat is a little more yellow, but the change is so subtle that no one watching the anime can tell the difference. It is odd that Persian’s Shiny version didn’t keep the red-pink accents of Meowth’s version, considering that it evolved from that Pokémon.
2Shiny Togepi And All Its Evolutions Look The Same
The Difference In Shade of Color Is Very Subtle
Togepi got its fame as thePokémonthat Misty always hugs in the first season of the anime.It resembles a broken egg and later evolves into Togetic and Togekiss, being introduced all the way back in Gen 2. It is a Fairy-type and can only reach the final evolution of Togekiss through a Shiny Stone. Despite using a Shiny Stone to evolve, Togepi’s evolutionary line leaves much to be desired when it comes to its Shiny Variants.
All the Pokémonin Togepi’s evolutionary line have Shiny’s with slight changes in color. In Togepi’s case,it becomes a pink-tinted off-white, while Togetic and Togekiss become a milky white. With a design theme around eggs, it is hard to make the Spike Ball Pokémonand its evolutions a different color that isn’t some form of off-white, but it does mean that the Shiny versions are very similar to the originals.
1Shiny Pikachu Looks Like Normal Pikachu After A Beach Holiday
It Got A Little Bronzed By The Sun
Pikachu is the face ofPokémonand is perhaps the most marketed thing ever.There are more Pikachu variants than Ash can shake a stick at, including: Detective Pikachu, played by Ryan Reynolds, Pikachu Libre, Ash’s Pikachu wearing his cap, a Pikachu in a Mimikyu costume, and so many more. Many of these can be seen inPokémon GOin particular, but it is odd that the Shiny variant, which could be used to sell more toys, doesn’t have much to it.
Instead of a brand-new color, or perhaps inverting the colors to make a black Pikachu with yellow highlights, Shiny Pikachu is just a darker yellow.It looks like Ash took his Pokémonto a tanning salon to bronze him a little, rather than a rare, sought after version. In fact, Shiny Pikachu ironically looks duller than the original version with its lacking brightness of color, which is surprising given thatPikachu variants tend to sell like hotcakes.
