It lowered the bar practically everywhere else, but we have to take the victories we can get. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve put together this list. One other reason is that Gen VI happens to be home to my favorite shiny of all time, so I’m looking for an excuse to write about it.
15. Talonflame
Talonflame is, for my money, the best early route Pokémon from the entire series. Not only does it look incredible, but it takes care of both getting a flier and a fire type on your team. For a grass starter purist like myself, that is absolutely invaluable. If I’m honest, shiny Talonflame looks like the guy has gotten a bad bit of sunburn. Its tail also reminds me of a Mcdonald’s logo, which is never a good thing considering I used to work there. That being said, it’s an amusing shiny if you can get your hands on one, but I wouldn’t exactly go hunting for it.
14. Aurorus
I’m arguing that there’s a very real discussion to be had about whether fossil Pokémon are actually Pokémon. Aurora is among the two most prime examples of why I believe they are not. It’s a dinosaur. Simple as that. We know that there are non-Pokémon animals in the series canon, so I don’t think this theory is all that far-fetched. I mean, look at it. Aurora is a pretty brachiosaurus with some fancy eyebrows. That’s all. It does look great when it’s shiny, but I think that fact should take a back seat here.
13. Delphox
I hate Delphox. It’s nothing personal, just that the hair growing out of its ears makes me very uncomfortable. That being said, Game Freak knocked it out of the park with the shiny sprite. It’s meant to be a witch, something that regular Delphox sorely lacks. The shiny turns it from being red and yellow into a dark purple and grey, which really helps to elevate that theme. Honestly, Delphox would probably be a few places further up this list if it weren’t for the fact that it needs a hedge trimmer to cut that ear hair.
12. Chesnaught
There’s my boy! Chesnaught is one of my favorite starters. It’s not at the top of the list, but it’s pretty damn close. I mean, the Chespin line is just consistently great. It turns from this happy chubby little mole into an absolute tank. This change is only amplified by the darker color scheme that its shiny sprite takes on. What really sells me on Chesnaught’s shiny is the fact that the colors actually look like a chestnut. It gets a dark green shell with a brown and cream interior. It’s like an easter egg shiny, which arguably should have been how the Pokémon looked in the first place.
11. Pyroar
The fact that it took until Gen VI for Game Freak to make a lion Pokémon is shocking. When they did finally deliver, though, they went above and beyond. Pyroar is exactly what it needs to be – which is to say, a lion Pokémon. There’s no thrills and no-frills; it’s a lion, but Pokémonified. The differences in the gender variants are a nice touch too, as is how simple the shiny color swap is. Pyroar’s mane gets deeper and darker, while the rest of him gets lighter, which is an unusual looking tonal shift that makes shiny Pyroar look like a rare genetic malfunction – something which is supported by the change from blue to red eyes.
10. Gourgeist
I have a bit of a thing for black and purple. If you’ve read any of my other stuff, then this should already be common knowledge. You can blame Alt-Tok for this infatuation, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. This… interest of mine does mean that certain Pokémon sprites tend to tickle my pickle more than others, based on color contrast alone. As is the case with Gourgeist. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll never use one of these. The fact that it’s meant to be a Halloween pumpkin, but it’s a gourd, is something that will always eat away at me. However, the shiny sprite looks like it was made for me. It has a black pumpkin body that is clearly meant to represent a hoodie of some sort and purple hair. It’s a goth. It’s a Halloween goth gourd.
9. Tyrantrum
Speaking of dinosaurs, Tyrantrum looks like it belongs in Digimon, not Pokémon. At least Aurorus toes the Pokémon company line when it comes to aesthetics. Regardless of looking like it was ripped straight out of Monster Hunter, Tyrantrum is a beast of a Pokémon – specifically when it’s shiny. It just turns from red to blue with some silver accents. It’s one of those changes that looks shiny, without seeming outlandish. And I’ll admit that it’s a great-looking shiny to have based on visuals alone. But, you know, it’s basically just a T-Rex. So that should be more than enough incentive to hunt for one.
8. Noivern
Noivern is actually one of my favorite dragon types, right behind Dragapult. It’s a sleeper that typically gets left behind for the likes of Hydreigon and Garchomp. But you don’t see those losers having shiny sprites like this, do you? While I love (and even prefer) the look of normal Noivern, there’s something special about its shiny form that I can’t quite place. The disgusting contrast between the pale green and blood red makes it look more like a bat than it did before. And that’s something the original color palette sorely lacked. It’s one of the rare occasions of an abrasive color change working really well.
7. Sylveon
If Sylveon is your favorite Eeveelution, you’re an e-girl. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules. But that being said, Sylveon is still a great addition to the Eevee family that’s well worthy of standing beside its brothers and sisters – particularly when it comes to its shiny sprite. It seems that Game Freak learned its lesson after the disaster that were Flareon, Glaceon, and Leafeon’s shiny sprites… Because there’s an actual color change this time! The shift from baby pink to baby blue is so good that it could almost be a gender variant. But it’s 202X (fill in the blank) so we don’t conform to those gender norms.
6. Trevenant
Shiny Trevenant is one step shy of greatness. Instead of being one of the best shiny Pokémon I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the most hilarious. It’s a clown. The white body-like face paint and the orange afro just look clownish. Which is a massive shame, because Trevenant is one of the more terrifying Pokémon in the franchise. That being said, it still looks great. And I’ve always been more of a birch woodman myself anyhow.
5. Yveltal
Shiny legendaries have a history of sucking. Typically, they’re nothing but a slight shade shift that you won’t even notice in the right lighting. There have been exceptions to this rule, like Gen III’s weather trio, but they’re few and far between. Yveltal, however, does not toe that company line. It’s a simple color change, too. The shiny gets more visceral red and white accents, instead of black. This aesthetic is what earns it a spot in the top five of my list here. Shiny Yveltal almost looks like a cut of meat, like the Pokémon doesn’t have any skin. I doubt that was intentional. But it’s the exact same color scheme as the steak I ate last night. And I know I wouldn’t mind a bit of medium-rare Yveltal with some fried Shroomish.
4. Hawlucha
I haven’t watched much wrestling since WWE decided to bring back Goldberg, even with AEW changing the game. However, the wrestling fanboy still lives within me. So it’s only natural that I’m going to be a Hawlucha stan. I like this Pokémon so much that I would go as far as to say it’s one of the best non-legendary Pokémon in the series not to have an evolution. Which is an opinion that only benefits from the fact that it has one of the best shiny sprites of all time, not just in Gen VI. You already know I’m a sucker for black and purple. But do you know the one color combination I like more than that? Black and red. Shiny Hawlucha happens to be all three of those colors, so this entry sort of writes itself, doesn’t it?
3. Greninja
I get what Game Freak did with Greninja’s regular sprite. I do. It’s always been a blue frog, and the addition of its tongue as a ninja scarf was nice. Good thematic ideas aside, you can’t deny that it doesn’t look very ninja-like. That is addressed (and then some) when it comes to Greninja’s shiny form. It’s black, and its tongue is red. Two-color swaps that take it from being an alright-looking Pokémon to one of the best-designed shiny sprites. That’s one hell of an accolade to brag about.
2. Clawitzer
If this were any other generation, Clawitzer would be number one. It just so happens that Kalos is the home to my favorite shiny of all time. That being said, it’s a lobster. It’s a weird-looking lobster that’s malformed and has an unusually pleasing blue and red contrast, but it’s still just a lobster. The color change from blue to a Zoidberg-Esque red is genuinely a stroke of genius. And this turns a Pokémon that I wouldn’t have given a second glance towards, into one that I’m genuinely planning on shiny hunting in the near future.
1. Aegislash
Yes, Aegislash is my favorite shiny Pokémon of all time. And yes, I do have one. I mean, look at the thing. It looks royal. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see a king wielding one in battle. The contrast between the black/grey and the gold works so unbelievably well here. And the red accent on the end of the blade not only ties the whole sprite together, but also has some menacing implications that only deepens my appreciation for this design. Aegislash is the pinnacle of shiny Pokémon design (certainly in Kalos). And that’s not going to change any time soon.
