First making their debut in the second generation ofPokemongames, shiny Pokemon have become a staple of the series - and even something of a sport with the advent of “shiny hunting.” While there is no real distinction between shiny and normal Pokemon beyond superficial color differences, there’s a certain fascination when it comes to shiny Pokemon.These rare, hard-to-find Pokemonhave become coveted among fans.
Beginning withPokemon’ssixth generation, Game Freak began to purposefully design how shiny Pokemon would look. Up until that point, shiny Pokemon coloration were loosely determined as a result of game design. For fans who despise Ursaring’s shiny green color compared to more recent shinies like Wooloo, there may be a reason why. Game Freak should consider revisiting its oldest shiny Pokemon and updating some designs.
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The History of Shiny Pokemon
The series has a habit of showcasing new features in each game, such as creating two Pikachu “clones” in Gen 3 with Plusle and Minun to advertise double battles, or an Alolan Raichu in Gen 7 to reflect the new regional forms.In Gen 2, a shiny Gyarados was obtainableand made integral to the game’s progression, the idea continuing on toPokemon Legends: Arceus’shiny Ponyta quest.
However, until Generation 6, shiny Pokemon were just color swaps with the next available color palette in the game’s code. This helps to explain why some shiny Pokemon are significantly different from their original, meanwhile others are nearly indistinguishable, like Gengar’s different shade of purple. Gengar is an excellent example of the radical difference when Game Freak took control of shiny designs, asshiny Mega Gengarwas a stark white compared to its base form’s purple.
When Pokemon shifted from 2D sprites to 3D models, Game Freak began to base more shiny designs as reflections of the Pokemon’s inspirations. For instance,Sandygast and Palossand’sshiny is a reference to black sand, commonly seen at sites of volcanic activity like in Alola’s inspiration Hawai’i. While not all monsters are as carefully thought out as Palossand’s shiny, other shiny Pokemon no longer rely on palette swaps, making them more aesthetically coherent overall.
The Problem With Early Shinies
Not all shiny Pokemon between Gens 1 to 5 are bad, and a lot of fan-favorite shiny Pokemon hail from the series' earliest generations, such asshiny Ditto, Rayquaza, and Gardevoir.However, many of the series' worst shiny Pokemon also come from its earliest games. One common complaint is the abundance of green shinies like Ursaring, Espeon, Kabutops, Stantler, and more. A rough count of shiny Pokemon shows that close to a fifth of all monsters have some shade of green included.
In addition to green shiny Pokemon, fans have pointed out that many Water-type Pokemon have purple or pink shiny versions - as Water-type Pokemon tend to be blue likeLapras, and thus the system would swap these blue palettes out for purples and pinks. It would be detrimental to the legacy of shiny Pokemon to limit these designs, as it would leave five generations of Pokemon with potentially ill-fitting shiny versions that a few changes could markedly improve.
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Game Freak Has Fixed Shinies Before
While Game Freak could easily revisit its earliest Pokemon designs and alter shiny colors, there’s an argument to be made about how it’s too late. Some fans, for example, might like the commonality of green shiny Pokemon, or they may like someshiny Pokemon that others think are bad. As the series nears its ninth generation, some believe the time has passed to revise old designs. However, Game Freak has already changed a shiny design before, creating one of the series' most popular iterations.
Charizard’s shiny form saw its orange-and-teal color scheme swapped for purple-and-green in Gen 2, but by Gen 3 the colors were changed to a more familiar black-and-red. A shiny Charizard version exists that is no longer obtainable outside Gen 2, demonstrating that Game Freak is capable of making radical changes to the series even when it comes toits most popular Pokemon. Since no official explanation was given for Charizard’s color change, it stands to reason that Game Freak could alter other shiny designs without just cause.
Deciding which shiny Pokemon should receive redesigns is going to be a challenging task, but it’s one that Game Freak should tackle sooner rather than later. With each new generation introducing Pokemon with interesting shiny forms, leading to interestingPokemon ScarletandVioletfan-made shiny ideas, the designs from its earliest generations are going to persist with thePokemoncommunity. It would be better to face the issue head-on and weather any outcry now instead of turning a blind eye and hoping nobody says anything else for years to come.
