The 25 Best Shiny Pokémon (Ranked)

Which are the best shiny Pokémon?

While non-shiny Pokémon can be awesome, the shiny versions offer a visual upgrade that makes them rare and collectible.

We’ve explored the world of Pokémon to bring you the very best shiny Pokémon you can find.

The 25 Best Shiny Pokémon

Our ranked lists are created by researching and rounding up information from the most reputable web sources.

Here’s our list of the 25 best shiny Pokémon:

25. Entei

Let’s kickstart this guide with Entei, a Legendary Pokémon known for aimlessly roaming the country and meeting players by chance.

Legend has it that Entei was born in the heart of a volcanic eruption, and its flames are said to be hotter than the molten magma from which it came.

As well as its special relationship with volcanos, Entei also has close links to the ruined tower in Teak City.

24. Haxorus

With its yellow and green color scheme, Haxorus is a Dragon-type Pokémon that stands nearly two meters tall and is covered from head to toe in scales.

Haxorus is the final evolutionary form of Axew and Fraxure, noted for its blade-shaped tusks and bright red eyes.

It’s also among the more popular characters in the gaming community, noted for its broad move set, limited weaknesses, and other stats which set it apart from the crowd.

Patrolling large territories, Hoxorus is a fearsome warrior capable of smashing through steel plates with its sharp-as-an-ax jaw.

23. Zacian

Taking on the appearance of a wolf with light blue fur, the Zacian shiny Pokémon also features yellow eyes and a pink tail in its shiny form.

Zacian, who has appeared in the best Pokémon games, is a graceful Pokémon who captivates its opponents with a dance, and is believed to be either the older sister or rival of Zamazenta.

Zacian earned its nickname, the Hero of Many Battles, as is evident by the heavy battle scars which line its flanks, and the chunk of flesh missing from one of its ears.

22. Chandelure

This unusual-looking shiny Pokémon is the evolutionary form of Litwick and Lampent, and appears in its shiny form as a ghostly chandelier, complete with blazing candles.

Red flames spring from Chadelure’s head along with the black candlesticks held in each of its arms, and these flames can steal the souls of any life form which gets in their way.

This Fire-type Pokémon hypnotizes its victims before burning the remains, and can be found lurking in old mansions and mountain caves.

21. Reshiram

Another shiny Pokémon dragon is Reshiram, which boasts a pure white body with luxurious gold rings around its neck and tail.

This powerful shiny Pokémon has no other forms, while its ability to manifest fire by swirling its tail gives it enough strength to set entire worlds on fire.

According to legend, Reshiram once rested in the Light Stone, waiting in this petrified form for the arrival of a good-natured hero, seeking to change the world.

Reshiram is relatively easy to catch, and if you’re planning on facing it on the battlefield, you might want to choose earth-based Pokémon to stand a better chance of winning.

20. Sableye

Sableye is one of the smaller shiny variants in the Pokémon universe, appearing in purple, red, and blue colors and wearing a green stone on its chest and back.

Falling under the Dark and Ghost types, this Pokémon is capable of performing a Mega Evolution, which causes its appearance to change slightly, as well as weighing more than 15 times its normal weight.

Sableye aren’t big fans of humans, preferring to live far away in hidden caves, scrambling through the rocks in search of gem crystals and scraps of food.

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19. Dratini

A dragon Pokémon which was introduced to the game in Generation I, the Dratini shiny version is a water-dwelling creature with beautiful bright pink skin.

It’s one of the cutest shinies in the game, and originally appeared in episode 35 of the series, kept under the protection of the warden of the Safari Zone.

You can find Dratini in the plunge pools of waterfalls and other flowing water, and it’s noted for shedding its skin as it grows.

18. Electrode

An evolution from Voltorb, the Electrode shiny Pokémon is a round creature that looks remarkably similar to the Poké Ball, albeit an upside-down version with eyes and a mouth.

Its top half is traditionally white, while the bottom half can appear in red and blue hues, and at first glance, it can easily be mistaken for a regular object, which many trainers attempt to collect.

Electrodes hang out in power plants and other sources of energy, consuming fresh energy to increase their speed, and sometimes causing blackouts.

17. Roselia 

No Pokémon games list would be complete without Roselia, a dual-type Grass, and Poison Pokémon.

Roselia evolves from Budew when leveled up with friendship during the day, and transforms into Roserade when exposed to the Shiny Stone.

Its small form and cute appearance gives Roselia a Fairy-type appearance, with three horns sitting on its head and leaves extending around its shoulders.

Don’t let the peaceful expression on the Roselia’s face put you off guard; the thorns on its head contain poison, and it can lull its enemies to sleep using its Grass Whistle signature move.

16. Volcarona

Introduced to the franchise in Generation V, the Volcarona evolves from the Larvesta and takes on the appearance of a large moth.

During battle, Volcarona releases incredible burning scales during its special attack, which engulf the battlefield and are even said to replace the sun.

With its yellow and purple coloring, the Volcarona shiny Pokémon fits in nicely with the game’s Pyramid theme, and can be hunted in Relic Castle.

15. Sylveon

With its beautiful white fur and light blue and pink highlights, the Sylveon shiny design is instantly recognizable among fans of the Pokémon games.

One of the final forms of shiny Eevee, you’ll need to use a neat naming trick to evolve Eevee into its Sylveon form.

Sylveon uses its feelers to emit a feeling of complete relaxation, which means it’s great for defusing potentially aggressive situations.

It’s one of the best Pokémon characters for players who prefer a bit of nuance to their tactics, and is one of the most popular shiny characters found in Pokémon Go.

14. Ho-Oh

This winged creature only has a single normal form, with bright red wings tipped in green, a white body, and yellow tail feathers.

Closely related to Lugia, Ho-Oh is the “guardian of the skies,” as well as being the trio master of the Legendary Beasts.

With the power to resurrect the dead and with the Sacred Fire signature move in its repertoire, Ho-Oh is a powerful Pokémon that only a select few have had the honor of witnessing.

With beasts like these to contend with, it’s no surprise that Pokémon also features some of the toughest video game bosses of all time.

13. Salazzle

This dual-type shiny Pokémon is a slim creature that resembles a lizard, and features white skin when assuming its shiny form, changing from the purple color displayed when in its regular form.

You can hunt down this shiny Pokémon in dangerous places like the Wela Volcano Park, where other Pokémon in the Fire-type category can also be found.

The female Salazzle live deep inside cave networks with their harem of male Salandit, who are attracted by the poisonous gas emitted by the Salazzle.

12. Grimmsnarl

Grimmsnarl is a green-skinned Pokémon that is mostly covered in dark purple hair, which work much like muscle fibers and enhance its strength.

It’s bulkier than its pre-evolution versions, becoming much taller when changing into its final evolution, the Gigantamax form.

As Gigantamax, this powerful Pokémon transforms its leg hair into a drill, capable of creating huge holes in the terrain.

Grimmsnarl is the kind of tough character who wouldn’t be out of place in one of the best fighting games of all time.

11. Staryu

The shiny version of the Staryu Pokémon is an incredibly cute Water-type creature with silver arms and a golden center.

Expose the Staryu shiny form to a Water Stone and watch it evolve into Starmie, and if you encounter one when the sun has gone down, you’ll get to see its core glowing at its brightest.

Conversely, when Staryu grows weak, this core becomes faint and starts to slowly flash, although if it loses a limb there’s no need to worry as these will grow back.

10. Zygarde

With eccentric creations like Zygarde in Pokémon’s impressive roster of characters, it’s hardly surprising it’s among the most popular video games of all time.

Exactly what the Zygarde is is anyone’s guess, since its gelatinous body and large green head defy categorization.

Zygarde’s shiny variant looks like the previous forms have all come together, with the white and turquoise colors forming a geometric pattern around its head.

9. Yveltal

Yveltal is a dual-type Legendary Pokémon first revealed in 2013, with its bold red and black colors hinting that this is a bird of death.

By spreading its tail and wings, Yveltal is capable of absorbing life energy, stealing the energy of anything unfortunate to be close by when it reaches the end of its lifespan.

Of the hundreds of Pokémon in the game’s universe, Yveltal is the only one capable of learning the Oblivion Wing move, a special attack worth keeping your eyes peeled for.

8. Ponyta

The first thing which strikes you about shiny Ponyta is the vibrant blue fire which emanates from its mane and tail, a feature which makes this a firm fan favorite.

Ponyta can use this mane to store the life energy it absorbs from the atmosphere, while the small horn in the center of its head contains special healing powers.

An original creature that has been with the Pokémon series since its creation, Ponyta has kept the same color base and is prized for its fast leveling rate.

7. Honedge

While many of the best shiny Pokémon resemble animals and mythical creatures, the Honedge Pokémon is a deadly sword of the dual-type Steel and Ghost.

This Pokémon sword evolves into Doublade at level 35, then progresses to Aegislash when it is exposed to a Dusk Stone.

Shiny versions of Pokémon sword Honedge bring a deep red to the entire blade, and the slash from this cursed sword can suck the life energy from anyone stupid enough to try and grab it by the hilt.

6. Gigalith

A Pokémon behemoth, Gigalith switches up the blue and red stalagmites for purplish rock and cyan stalagmites when taking on its shiny form.

Its spiny body and crystal-like features make this the ideal cave-dweller, with the compressed energy inside its body capable of emitting powerful fire attacks.

A Rock-type shiny Pokémon, Gigalith was first introduced in Generation V, and in its final great shiny form it becomes Roggenrola.

5. Metagross

Shiny Metagross is one of the toughest-looking Pokémon, with a shiny design of silver and gold which looks infinitely cooler than its regular form.

Capable of Mega Evolution and with a pool of moves which offer great coverage, the shiny Metagross is a wild Pokémon to be feared.

It’s difficult to obtain this character, but its range of special attacks and laundry list of resistances makes it well worth the effort.

If tackling difficult challenges isn’t your thing, you can make the most of Pokémon crystal cheats and cut a few corners.

4. Guzzlord

Guzzlord is one of the Pokémon ultra beasts which were first introduced in Generation VII, which shifts from its traditional form with black skin, to mostly white with orange highlights when in shiny form.

This Dragon/Dark-type Pokémon, also known as Ultra Beast of the Dark, features the Beast Boost ability, its only real weakness showing when it comes up in battle against a Fairy-type Pokémon.

Since Guzzlord is a Glutton, it has a habit of eating anything it comes across, and uses its elastic tongues to grip its prey.

3. Rayquaza

When Rayquaza takes on its shiny appearance, its dark green skin turns black, with the yellow pattern remaining visible across its snake-like form.

Rayquaza is a Dragon and Flying-type creature introduced in the Third Generation, and along with Groudon and Kyrogre completes the Weather Trio of Legendary Pokémon.

Capable of evolving into Mega form, Rayquaza resided high above the clouds for millions of years, eventually descending from the blue skies in a shroud of green light.

2. Charizard

One of the game’s most insanely powerful characters is Charizard, and with shiny Charizard players get to appreciate how cool it really looks with jet black scales.

This Gigantamax Pokémon is capable of unleashing incredible damage, and if you come up against shiny Charizard during battle, you should take advantage of its weakness against water, rock, and electric.

That said, a chance encounter is unlikely, since shiny Charizard is one of the most sought-after Pokémon characters in the game.

1. Greninja

A quick glance at shiny Greninja is all it takes to appreciate why this was awarded Pokémon of the year in 2020. This Water variant became the mascot for the Sixth Generation of games.

With its sleek black body and blue scars, shiny Greninja can resist Ghost, Steel, Fire, Dark, Ice, and Water, and even has its own signature move.

This specific Pokémon has a long video games history, appearing in one of the best GameCube games of all time, Super Smash Bros.

Summary

While most games offer players a wide selection of characters to choose from, the Pokémon game series goes all out and delivers one of the most impressive line-ups in video game history.

We’ve explored some of the best shiny versions, from Pokémon Go to Pokémon Gold, featuring some of the rarest Pokémon the series has to offer.

An honorable mention goes to shiny Gyarados, shiny Ditto, and shiny Umbreon, each of whom fell short of making this list, but bring their own shiny charm to the game.

Here’s a quick recap of the 25 best shiny Pokémon:

1. Greninja
2. Charizard
3. Rayquaza
4. Guzzlord
5. Metagross
6. Gigalith
7. Honedge
8. Ponyta
9. Yveltal
10. Zygarde
11. Staryu
12. Grimmsnarl
13. Salazzle
14. Ho-Oh
15. Sylveon
16. Volcarona
17. Roselia
18. Electrode
19. Dratini
20. Sableye
21. Reshiram
22. Chandelure
23. Zacian
24. Haxorus
25. Entei

What’s your favorite shiny Pokémon? Leave a comment below.