Shiny forms are rare in the Pokémon franchise — they have a 1 in 8192 chance of appearing in the games. Finding one in the wild is a surreal and crazy experience, as it feels like you’ve been rewarded with the opportunity to capture this rare-looking creature. However, not all shinies look amazing. Some of them are so awful that you may have thought to yourself that Game Freak was running out of ideas.
For those who don’t know, shiny Pokémon are different variants of existing Pokémon in the games. They are not regional forms but rather, a different skin for your favorite creatures. They are extremely rare, with a handful of fans engaging in ‘shiny hunting’ so that they’re able to catch all these cool shiny forms.
Out of all of them, these are the worst shiny Pokémon ever.
10. Charizard
Charizard’s shiny form is different from its previous evolution lines. While Charmander and Charmeleon have this slightly faded orange tone, shiny Charizard has dark skin. It’s also the only shiny in the starter evolution line that changes its skin tone, making it feel out of place. I understand the justification of its Mega Evolution but shinies have existed since Gen 2, meaning that by FireRed and LeafGreen, shiny Charizard would have already existed in the games. This wouldn’t be a problem if some of the other starters were like this. But nope, just Charizard.
9. Dragonite
Shiny Dragonite looks very weird. It’s this giant green dragon that doesn’t look like it belongs in the Pokémon world. Imagine one of the best dragon-type Pokémon in the franchise must have a cool-looking shiny form. Both Dratini and Dragonair have an interesting design (even if it just turned pink) but Dragonite… come on?! Dragonite deserved better than this.
8. Flaafy
I understand the theme and desire to keep the shiny Mareep evolution line consistent, but shiny Flaafy looks the same compared to its non-shiny form. You can hardly tell if it’s shiny or not, and that’s upsetting as there are different ways to make this Pokémon’s shiny form interesting. But instead, it feels like a lazy approach, especially for a Gen 2 Pokemon.
7. Entei
Barely anything was done to make Entei look epic in its shiny form. Most legendaries end up receiving a new shiny look that showcases their power or their intimidating stance. However, just like Flaafy, it looks the same. Barely anything was done to make it look different or unique to the point where you can’t tell the difference. At least some shiny Legendary Pokémon have a unique feature or tried to set it apart. But for Entei, it looks the same, which is sad because it’s basically the leader of the Legendary Beasts in Johto. It deserves a better makeover than this.
6. Avalugg
I understand the desire to keep the ice theme, but not much was changed to make this Pokémon look different. It pretty much looks the same with only the cracks changing color. And it’s quite disappointing because other ice-looking Pokémon have their appearance changed to the point of it slightly sticking out a bit. It’s quite a shame too since this is a gen 6 Pokémon. At least its Husuian form has something distinguishable.
5. Scyther
Speaking of “not much has changed”, Syther is worse! All it did was change the patches around the body but it still looks the same. And it’s upsetting too because its evolution – Scizor, turns fully green when it’s shiny rather than maintaining its red hue. Maybe shiny Scyther could be fully red rather than just small parts of its body so it could be somewhat consistent. But other than that you would not notice the difference unless you paid close attention.
3. Gothita
The same can be said the same for Gothita when it comes to ‘lazy shiny design’. Only its eyes and lips change color, that’s it. Nothing else, not even its body has a slight color change. What’s even worse is that the Pokémon receives a touch-up in its design once it evolves, something that does not make sense since its normal form is consistent in its appearance. And Gothita isn’t the only Pokémon that has this problem.
4. Vanillite
Vanillite is another odd one out in its evolution line. While its evolved forms, Vanillish and Vanilluxe, remain consistent in their hue, Vanillite is pink. And this doesn’t make sense cuz their normal forms are very consistent in their shade of light blue. Why does this tiny pink ice cream Pokémon change colors in its shiny form when its regular form is the same. I know shiny forms don’t have a defined pattern but at least try to put a bit of sense in these shiny forms.
2. Roserade
This one is a bit nitpicky but… who thinks shiny Roserade looks like it’s dying? Look at its rose, it’s black and purple, usually signs that the petals are losing their color. Also, black roses have dark symbolism in fiction, usually meaning death or dark magic. And that’s quite sad considering that Roserade is known for its grace and beauty. It’s somewhat horrific to see this graceful Pokémon end up wishing either its trainer or other Pokémon death.
1. The Galarian Legendary Birds
And the biggest crime against Pokémon of all, the shiny forms of the Galarian Legendary birds. It’s really quite insulting that they claimed that Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres changed appearances in the Galar region. But to make their shiny forms look like their Kantonian counterparts is quite disappointing, especially since the Kantonian shinies had their colors altered a bit. Do you mean to tell me that these legendary birds turn back to their Kantonian forms if they’re shiny?
Shiny Pokémon are the best creatures to encounter when playing the game as it feels like you’ve been rewarded with a rare-looking Pokémon. But not all shinies are amazing, sometimes they look so underwhelming that you’d prefer their original look. But regardless, whether you like how a shiny Pokémon looks or you don’t is up to you. Just don’t miss the opportunity to catch one if one presents itself in front of you.
