Is the Shed Pokemon "the most fun Pokemon evolution"? Community weighs in

The Shed Pokemon, Shedinja, is one many players have either fond or unusual memories of. The creature is the only instance of a monster technically evolving into two different creatures at the same time, with Shedinja being the shell of the Nincada that just evolved. With Shedinja debuting in 2002, there were no datamines of demos or leaks spoiling this interesting creature and its unique acquisition method.

In a recent Reddit post made to the Pokemon subreddit, user Visiny reflected on this creature, calling it the most fun Pokemon evolution. Many players shared this sentiment, but what in particular makes this creature of all things so beloved despite the evolutionary family never really seeing much attention in the franchise's media?

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Why fans love Shedinja: Pokemon's greatest buy one, get one deal

Is shedinja the most fun Pokémon evolution? byu/visiny inpokemon

To understand the hype around Shedinja, we should first go into more detail about how players can get it, as well as what sets it apart from every other creature in the franchise.

Nincada, its pre-evolved form, evolves at level 20. It will evolve into Ninjask, and afterward, if the player has a free slot in their party and a Poke Ball in their bag, Shedinja will be in their party without any additional cutscene or input from the player.

Comment byu/visiny from discussion inpokemon

The concept of receiving a free Pokemon from evolving another is still entirely unique to the Nincada line. For this reason, players are more tempted to actually try out Shedinja to see how it fairs in battle. This is where players will first encounter its unique gimmick: Shedinja only has one hit point. To survive in battle, Shedinja relies solely on its Wonder Guard ability.

The ability, solely given to Shedinja, protects the creature from all attacks except status and super-effective attacks. This adds an extra layer to battles, which can bring a nice challenge for those who have already played a game multiple times and want to spice up their playthrough. This ability also makes Shedinja immune to 13 offensive types, which is the most out of any other creature.

Comment byu/visiny from discussion inpokemon

From a design standpoint, Shedinja is a very interesting concept as well. Since Nincada is inspired by the cicada, its evolution symbolizes the pupa stage metamorphosing into its fully-grown state. The shell that is left behind in this process is seldom thought about, but the idea of the shell being an undead husk is a very interesting idea.

In this context, it makes sense why players receive Shedinja for free. Since the now Ninjask shed its cacoon-like shell, Nincada's evolution leaves players with both their evolved Nincada, and the shell it left behind which has gained new life. Even other Bug-types with similar inspirations like Butterfree have not included such semi-realism into their designs, making Nincada and family truly unique.

Overall, Shedinja is easily one of the brightest sparks of inspiration and creativity Game Freak has ever implemented into their new titles. While new methods of evolution for creatures like Kingambit or Annihilape are neat, they will never compare with Nincada's inherit buy one, get one free value from its evolution.