Can Charizard be shiny in Pokemon GO? (March 2023)

Charizard is one of the most popular creatures in Pokemon GO and the Pocket Monsters franchise as a whole. As a result, plenty of trainers are looking to capture the powerful Fire/Flying-type and add it to their battle roster. While many trainers search for Charizard to improve their battle teams, some hunt the Kanto Starter Pokemon for another reason. Specifically, they want to find its shiny variant in Pokemon GO.

Charizard's shiny form in the mobile title ranks as one of the most visually appealing, which is part of the reason it's so coveted.

If you are interested in catching a shiny Charizard, you have a good opportunity to do so via raiding for approximately one week.

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How to catch Shiny Charizard in Pokemon GO's Season of Heroes

Shiny Charizard is among the most visually appealing shiny variants in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

The good news for Pokemon GO trainers who want a shiny Charizard is that an excellent opportunity has opened up to encounter it.

Specifically, from March 1, 2023, to March 8, 2023, Mega Charizard Y will appear in Mega Raids. Granted, this isn't the most economical means of acquiring a shiny Charizard in the game. However, since little is known about the upcoming event calendar as Pokemon GO transitions to the Season of Heroes, it is the earliest opportunity available.

In its essence, trainers will need to take on Mega Raids during the first full week of March 2023 and defeat Mega Charizard Y as often as possible.

Like with other Mega Pokemon, defeating Mega Charizard Y rewards players with not only Mega Energy but also a standard Charizard that has reverted from its Mega Evolution. The chances of this Charizard being shiny will be small, but it isn't zero. Persistent trainers may very well be rewarded with a shiny variant by the time Mega Charizard Y leaves the raid rotation.

When stepping into the raid arena with Mega Charizard Y in Pokemon GO, it's best to come as prepared as possible. This means stocking up on plenty of healing items like Potions and Revives, picking the right Pokemon to counter Charizard, and bringing along fellow trainers to complete the raid as quickly as possible.

For the best possible results, players will want their entire raid team to use Electric, Water, and Rock-type moves. This is especially true for Rock-type moves, as Charizard is doubly weak to them as a Fire/Flying-type Pocket Monster.

Keep in mind that finding a shiny Charizard is highly unlikely after completing one Mega Charizard Y raid in Pokemon GO, albeit not impossible. It will likely take multiple repetitions of the raid to encounter even one shiny Charizard. Players will have to account for this, resupply their items, and power up their Pokemon accordingly to ensure they can clear the raids as often as possible.

If trainers have access to Mega Evolutions, this is also certainly a great time to use them, as they can severely cut down on the completion time for the raid.

At the end of the day, finding a shiny variant mostly comes down to luck. If trainers can't manage to snag shiny Charizard during this current raid rotation, they may have to wait until Charizard returns during an upcoming event in the Season of Heroes.