Do all Pokémon have a Shiny? (What Pokémon does not have a Shiny?)
The Pokémon games have been around for quite some time now. Apart from creating new Pokémon, the creators have dedicated their creative juices to creating brilliant Pokémon evolutions, including the Shiny Pokémon.
I enjoy hunting Pokémon and building my collection, but Shiny Pokémon have been particularly hard to catch (Don’t get me started! 😭😢) I have played the games so many times with the hope of finding Shinnies, so I understand the frustrations that come with this.
One may wonder if all Pokémon even have one. If you want to know which Pokémon Shinnies aren’t available, this article is for you.
What Pokémon doesn’t have a Shiny Pokémon?
Every Pokémon has a shiny variant in the games. However, not all Shiny variants are available during general play💔.
The creators have a shiny variant engineered and coded into all Pokémon game generations apart from Generation One. Shinnies have a star pattern on their design and a shiny flag on the status screen.
Some shinnies are locked, meaning the shiny forms are unobtainable except during special events. Some shiny locked forms include Volcanion, Hoopa, Marshadow, Keldeo, Victini, Meloetta, Magearna, Spectrier, Glastrier, Calyrex, Urshifu, Kubfu and Zarude.
Other Pokémon are event-limited, meaning hunters can only capture them during special events featuring these Pokémon. These Pokémon include Smeargle, Unown, and Meltan.
In Pokémon Go, some mythical and legendary monsters are also not available. These Pokémon include the Galarian Bird Trio, Armored Mewtwo, Shaymin, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Zacian, Zamazenta, and all Cosmog evolutions.
Although their shiny variants exist, they are not available in the game.
Melmetal and Meltan are the only Pokémon not available in any game.
Why do some Pokémon not have a shiny?
Some Pokémon do not have a shiny because they are locked. This means they do not appear as shiny variants in the wild or during trades😞.
They are also not available via breeding or as gifts. These Pokémon have also not been distributed in events. However, players can get these Pokémon in special events or by hacking.
For example, a Hat Pikachu in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon was supposed to be locked, but remained accessible via QR code.
Most legendary and mythical Pokémon shinnies are also not available.
What is the rarest shiny Pokémon?
The rarity of shiny Pokémon depends on their forms . Some have small sprites and very subtle coloring that may make them hard to spot and catch.
Some are rare to catch even during special events. These include Joltik, Binnacle, Wurmple, Foongus, Fomatis, Shellos, Pawniard, Unown and Peracros.
Here is a table of some of the rarest shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Go.
Pokémon |
Pokedex entry |
Where to find it |
Mew |
151 |
7th Anniversary Quest (ended July 12) |
Mewtwo |
150 |
Raid exclusive |
Tauros |
128 |
Region Exclusive (USA) |
Furfrou |
676 |
Region exclusive |
Shiny Party Hat Nidorino |
33 |
Limited-time event |
Shiny costume Gengar |
Limited-time event | |
Shiny Kraby |
98 |
Removed from the game |
Shiny Abra |
63 |
Released too early, no longer available |
Ash’s hat Pikachu |
25 |
Limited-time events |
Shiny hat-wearing Pichu |
172 |
Limited-time events |
Shiny Lunatone |
337 |
Region-specific |