Can Tapu Bulu be shiny in Pokemon GO? (April 2023)

Tapu Bulu joined Pokemon GO on April 12, 2022, during the Spring Into Spring event, and trainers have been catching it ever since. However, this particular Guardian Deity from Alola is receiving a nice gift on April 17, 2023.

Beginning on April 17, trainers will be able to capture Tapu Bulu's shiny variant in Pokemon GO. In contrast to its usual appearance, shiny Tapu Bulu sports a significantly darker body coloration, with its head taking on a jet-black hue.

Fortunately, the implementation of shiny Tapu Bulu in Pokemon GO coincides with its reemergence as a 5-star raid boss.

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Catching Shiny Tapu Bulu in Pokemon GO

As a Legendary Pokemon, Tapu Bulu doesn't just pop up in the wild in Pokemon GO. Instead, trainers will need to either capture it after beating it in raids or receiving it as a PvP reward when it is rotated into the reward pool. Fortunately, both options will be readily available starting on April 17 and lasting until May 2, 2023. Trainers can either battle Tapu Bulu and defeat it in 5-star raids for a chance to find a shiny or take their chances in PvP and potentially receive it as a reward upon reaching Rank 20.

All in all, the right choice may come down to what resources players have access to. Since Niantic recently nerfed Pokemon GO's remote raiding system, it could take several standard in-person raid passes to find a shiny Tapu Bulu via raiding. However, there's also no guarantee that it will appear as a PvP reward either. To obtain a shiny Tapu Bulu in Pokemon GO, trainers will need to compete with other Pokemon in the Rank 20 rewards tier, and even then, the odds of encountering a shiny variant are slim.

However, if Pokemon GO players do have raid passes to spare, raiding Tapu Bulu to find a shiny is a much more consistent option. Tapu Bulu will be the lone 5-star raid boss for weeks, so trainers won't have to worry about getting different Pocket Monsters as a reward as they would in PvP. However, as a Legendary Pokemon, Tapu Bulu's shiny won't be easy to encounter, and finding one may require several repeat raids unless players are exceptionally lucky.

Since this is the case, it's a good idea to be well-prepared before Tapu Bulu appears in raids and PvP rewards on April 17. For example, it's a good idea to stock up on berries. However, trainers who plan to raid this Alolan creature will also want to stock up on healing items like Potions and Revives. Assembling a team of Poison-type Pokemon that can hard-counter Tapu Bulu is also advised, and finding fellow trainers willing to do the same should make the process of repeat raiding go smoothly.