Shiny Pokémon
Rare alternative colours: the odds in each generation and the methods that make them easier to find.
A Shiny Pokémon is a rare version of a Pokémon with a different colour scheme. It plays exactly like a normal one, but finding one is a classic collector's goal. Shinies were introduced in Gold and Silver, and the red Gyarados you meet at the Lake of Rage in the story is the classic first one.
The odds
In Generations II to V, any wild Pokémon had a 1 in 8,192 chance of being Shiny. From Generation VI on, the chance doubled to 1 in 4,096. Behind the scenes, the game combines the Trainer ID with a hidden number for the Pokémon. If the result of that test is small enough (under 8 in Generations III to V, under 16 from Generation VI), the Pokémon is Shiny. A Shiny stays Shiny when it evolves and cannot be changed.
Extra rolls
Many methods work by giving the game extra chances to find a Shiny, called rolls:
- Shiny Charm: from Generation V, two extra rolls. About 1 in 2,731 in Generation V, and about 1 in 1,366 from Generation VI. You earn it for completing a Pokédex (in Scarlet and Violet, the Paldea Pokédex). - Masuda method: breeding two Pokémon from different language games. About 1 in 683 from Generation VI (1 in 1,639 in Generation IV and 1 in 1,366 in Generation V). - Both together: about 1 in 512 from Generation VI. - Poké Radar chaining in Diamond, Pearl and Platinum: a long chain can reach about 1 in 200. - Chain fishing and the Friend Safari in X and Y: about 1 in 100 for a long fishing chain, and about 1 in 820 in the Friend Safari. - SOS Battle chaining in Sun and Moon: about 1 in 315 after a long chain.
Scarlet and Violet
In Paldea, shiny Pokémon show up in the overworld, but without a sparkle effect to warn you. Two things help: mass outbreaks (after 30 Pokémon are cleared you get one extra roll, after 60 you get two) and Sparkling Power sandwiches, from level 1 (one extra roll) up to level 3 (three extra rolls). With a Shiny Charm, Sparkling Power level 3 and a 60-Pokémon outbreak, the odds reach 1 in 512. Wild Tera Pokémon, Tera Raid bosses and a few fixed overworld Pokémon are not helped by the Charm or sandwiches, and legendaries and other one-off encounters are coded never to be Shiny.
Other games
In Legends: Arceus, the Shiny Charm gives three extra rolls, for about 1 in 1,024, and Shiny Pokémon are visible in the area with a special sound. In Sword and Shield, Dynamax Adventure Pokémon have a 1 in 300 chance of being Shiny. In Legends: Z-A, the Shiny Charm also gives three extra rolls, and most one-off gifts and static encounters are designed never to be Shiny.
Always, never, and special cases
Some Pokémon are locked and can never be Shiny in a given game. In Scarlet and Violet that covers every Legendary Pokémon and all gifts, and in Legends: Z-A most one-off encounters and gifts are locked too. A few are guaranteed: the red Gyarados of Generation II, and a Shiny Mareep in a Legends: Z-A side mission. In Generation II, Shininess depended on a Pokémon's DVs, so only certain values (a Speed, Defense and Special DV of 10, and an Attack DV from a short list) were Shiny.
What it looks like
Shiny Pokémon use a different colour palette. In Generation II, Charizard turned purple and green, and from Generation III its palette became black. When a Shiny appears, it is usually surrounded by stars or light with a chime. Sword and Shield used two sparkle styles, stars and squares, and the square kind marks an especially rare roll or an event Pokémon. Scarlet and Violet dropped the square style.