Why Shedinja can't be shiny in Pokemon GO

One of Pokemon GO's rarer finds, Shedinja, is a special evolution of Nincada and Ninjask in the main games. However, it does not yet evolve from them in Pokemon GO and must be obtained otherwise (typically through research breakthroughs).

With Shedinja being tough to find and catch in general, more than a few Pokemon GO trainers are curious about the ghostly bug Pokemon's shiny form.

Unfortunately, Shedinja's shiny form is unavailable in Pokemon GO, though Niantic always updates the game and adds more shinies as they progress.

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Pokemon GO: More info on Shedinja

Without a shiny form, what purposes can Shedinja serve in Pokemon GO? (Image via Nintendo/The Pokemon Company)

Currently, Niantic has yet to provide a specific reason why Shedinja's shiny form is unavailable. As many other Pokemon in the game also don't have shiny forms, it's likely that Niantic simply hasn't implemented it yet and that there's no specific reasoning against Shedinja in particular.

As a Pokemon in and of itself, Shedinja hails from Pokemon's third generation, including Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. It is part of Nincada's evolutionary family, evolving in most games when Nincada evolves into Ninjask when the trainer has an extra party slot and Pokeball available.

In Pokemon GO, this special evolution has yet to be included, so trainers typically have to capture it on its own.

Unfortunately, aside from a Pokedex entry, Shedinja doesn't have a ton to offer in Pokemon GO. Its stats don't hold up to justify its usage in PvE or PvP battle, despite its intriguing dual nature of Bug/Ghost-type.

It does have an interesting collection of moves it can learn, including Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak, and Aerial Ace. Still, they don't perform exceptionally well in Shedinja's hands in either PvE or PvP.

The Hoenn region native Pokemon wouldn't last long in just about any fight, which more or less makes it a step towards Pokedex and not much else.

Its relatively weak capabilities in battle may have something to do with the Pokemon's lore, which casts it as the risen husk of a Nincada that has molted its original body.

Sad as it is to think about, a discarded and reanimated body of a Pokemon who has reached its next evolution wouldn't likely be considered a heavy hitter. That being said, Pokemon GO completionists or trainers who genuinely like Shedinja will still seek it out where they can.

For those Pokemon GO players, there's currently an excellent opportunity to catch the elusive Pokemon. Thanks to the upcoming Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) event beginning on November 1, trainers will have a chance to collect Shedinja as part of a collection challenge.

Suppose they manage to complete the collection challenge before the event's end on November 2 at 8.00 pm local time. In that case, they will not only get an opportunity to catch Shedinja but will also receive a Poffin and an Incense for their inventories.

The event also presents a great time to catch Pokemon such as Alolan Marowak, Houndour, Murkrow, Sableye, and Roselia.