Despite that, there’s a distinct lack of well-executed pink shiny changes. A lot of them are arguably a light red or purple, but that’s subjective, so I’m discounting it for the list. If you’re a manly man and have no interest in spending dozens of hours hunting adorable squishy pink monsters that could rip your throat out, well, we’ve got other shiny lists to skim. But if you can appreciate the softer things in life, then here are my favorite pink shinies that you should be out catching or breeding right now.
20. Clefable
We’re starting off the list weak in terms of shiny quality, but not so much in the “worth catching” department. Clefable is already pink. And when it’s shiny, it becomes a slightly lighter pink. The only major change is that the tips of its ears become green instead of brown. Game Freak was much more limited with what they could do with early-gen shines because of memory restrictions, so we can forgive this. Despite not being much of a good looking mon’, Clefable is a monster in random PvP battles, ranked or unranked. It learns Cosmic Power, which it can abuse to make its already-decent defensive stats even higher. There are better walls out there, sure. But not too many that also have access to Moonlight and Stored Power. Moonlight, combined with Leftovers, is going to keep Clefable on the field for much longer than your opponent likes. And Stored Power grows exponentially in strength with each Cosmic Power you use. If your Clefable can stay alive to get three or four Cosmic Powers off, it’s going to be able to sweep your opponent’s team. The real kick in the teeth, though, is the fact that it also has Magic Guard, meaning it’s immune to status conditions. If you really want to make someone throw their switch at a wall with a pink shiny of all Pokémon, Clefable is your go-to option.
19. Hypno
If you have an interest in Pokédex entries, then Hypno should be a Pokémon you’re used to hearing about. It’s said that it uses its pendulum to put its prey to sleep. Okay, that’s not so bad. Yet it becomes bad when every other entry exclusively mentions Hypno using its pendulum on humans. So…. Yeah…. It’s one of the better-looking pink shinies out there, with it getting a full recolor from yellow to pink. The change doesn’t make Hypno any less unsettling to look at, though. Unfortunately, Hypno has next to no battle application. So I can’t justify putting it higher. Plus, I don’t feel comfortable with celebrating what could be at best a serial kidnapper.
18. Kommo-o
Kommo-o is a relatively new entry to the series that brought us the interesting type mix of dragon/fighting. Despite having a fitting name for a Pokémon found in the Alola region, it has a disappointing origin of just being based on a dinosaur. There’s no real Hawaiian connection. Despite that, though, Kommo-o is a great battler that also happens to look phenomenal, even moreso as a shiny. It trades its boring grey and cream for a glamorous yellow and pink coat. It’s a jarring color swap, to be sure, but one that the true shiny connoisseurs out there will appreciate. If you don’t, then I guess you’re just not cool enough.
17. Toxtricity
Speaking of interesting typing, it doesn’t get more innovative than Toxtricity. Nobody ever asked for a poison/electric type, but here we are. Toxtricity actually got a spot on my main SWSH team. But it was only after giving Leon a nice dose of humility that I actually learned it was an exceptional battler. That ticks one of our boxes, but what use is that if the shiny model sucks? Thankfully, it doesn’t. Shiny Toxtricity looks just like a shiny should. It’s not a blanket recolor, and the palette choice is enough to make it look unique and rare without being outlandish.
16. Zamazenta
I would put Zamazenta much higher on the list because honestly, it’s an unbelievably good looking shiny. Arguably, it’s the best pink shiny to date. However, whether or not it’s catchable remains to be seen. Generally speaking, we as a community have come to accept that the SWSH box art legendaries have a shiny lock on them. It sucks that Game Freak is still doing this, but it is what it is. However, there is one case of a Korean player managing to encounter a Zamazenta that was shiny. Most people, me included, believe this was a save edit. But there’s no way to know for sure. That being said, it’s possible that you’re reading this at a point when shiny shield pupper is catchable, in which case recognize your temporal privilege and go hunt one right now.
15. Nidoqueen
Remember what I said about the devs having limited shiny-making capability in the older gens? That still applies to Nidoqueen, but they did get a bit creative with it. Instead of its regular blue, she takes on an almost sickly green color. Also as a poison type, I actually think that’s quite appropriate. However, the cream parts of Nidoqueen actually become pink. This matters because it makes it look like the Pokémon is wearing a pink bikini. Whether or not that’s a good thing, I’ll leave it up to you. Just don’t tell anybody what your answer is.
14. Spectrier
Yet again, Game Freak screws us over with a shiny locked legendary. At least, it is at the time of Crown Tundra. That’s not to say that you can’t catch one; it just means that I can’t. You could interchange this spot with shield pupper (who would arguably be number one if it was legitimately obtainable), but it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Like Zamazenta, Spectrier has a shiny sprite that is arguably one of the best ever made, pink or no pink. It gets ghostly pink flames around its hooves, a fluffy pink tail, a dark red mane of hair with a bright pink highlight running through its fringe. Now that I think about it, shiny Spectrier sort of looks like my girlfriend (please don’t be reading this).
13. Kyogre
Finally! A pink legendary that we can catch. The only problem is that’s all I’ve really got to say. It’s pink, as in, fully pink. That’s it. It also happens to be the worst-looking shiny of the weather trio. But the bar is set pretty high with golden Groudon and a goddamn black Rayquaza. That being said, it is a Kyogre. So you really should want to catch it.
12. Heracross
Heracross is just pink. However, it’s a better looking pink than Kyogre. It’s a much more cutesy-looking shade than the god of the sea had to offer, which is exactly what I want out of a pink shiny. Okay, confession time. There’s a reason that Galarian Rapidash is one of my favorite Pokémon of all time. I love unicorns, and I love the color pink (don’t judge me). So if a Pokémon has a cute looking pink shiny, then it gets bonus points. Plus, Heracross is great in battle. So it has that going for it for all of you “manly” shiny hunters out there.
11. Golbat
Golbat has a near-identical color swap to Nidoqueen. Except this time, it’s a little less morally questionable. The span of its wings takes on an almost fleshy looking pink color. Ironically, this is still less unsettling than seeing Nidoqueen in what looks like a bikini.
10. Obstagoon
Many of the previous spots in this ranking could be interchangeable, but this is where the competition gets tough. If you’ve shiny hunted at all in SWSH, then you should have considered going after a shiny Obstagoon at least once. It’s one of the best looking shiny changes we’ve seen out of this generation. And that is honestly saying something. I can’t put it any higher, though. Why, you might ask? Because there’s an argument to be made that the pink parts of the sprite are actually red. In response to that, though, I say that I don’t have my glasses on, so it looks pink to me.
9. Swampert
Swampert, the dark horse starter choice from generation three. It’s actually the first Pokémon that I ever got to level 100 back when I was too young to realize you were meant to use Pokémon other than your starter (remember those days?). Swampert was already a handsome boy, but colored pink instead of blue. He’s not only handsome; he’s downright charming.
8. Toxapex
At the time of writing, I myself am actually hunting for a shiny Toxapex to pair with my freshly hatched shiny Dragapult (you jealous?). Starting off my argument for an eight place spot, Toxapex is a phenomenal competitive battler. It’s one of the few good walls that gets access to Toxic Spikes and Recover, making it a nightmare to deal with. It hasn’t seen as much use these days, especially in VGC, but it’s still completely viable in ranked. Its shiny sprite is one of those simple color changes, but this time it’s executed really well.
7. Virizion
Virizion is the second last legendary shiny on this list (why are there so many pink shiny legendaries?). Unlike Zamazenta, this one is actually catchable. And unlike Kyogre, it’s actually pretty good looking. Once again, the change is simple. It’s pink instead of green. However it’s that soft pastel pink rather than something that makes me wish I was color-blind. Virizion already looks feminine, and the pink aesthetic only adds to that.
6. Genesect
Genesect is the rarest catchable legendary(or mythical) Pokémon on the list. If you don’t have a copy of Gen V, then good luck getting your hands on it. If you do, though, owning one instantly makes you more desirable (at least to me). Instead of being purple, it becomes this sort of pinkish-red color. It’s another simple shiny change, but it’s a good one. Genesect was already one of the most identifiable Pokémon on the roster. And the pink shiny color change makes it stand out even more.
5. Lopunny
Okay. How do I talk about shiny Lopunny without being arrested or put on a list? First off, it loses the cream color on its ears, legs, and arms. The change to pink here is potentially the single best recolor I’ve ever seen in a shiny. Lopunny already has a… ahem, feminine design. And the girlish pink change really accentuates that. It’s so much better looking than its regular design that it goes past saying it shouldn’t be the shiny version. If it were the regular sprite, Lopunny would legitimately look too good. So if you’re looking for a phenomenally well done shiny to hunt, this really should be at the top of your list, and for no other reason. None. At all.
4. Rampardos
I’m going to keep it real with you: I’m not too fond of Rampardos. I think it’s a hell of a lot better looking than its Pearl counterpart, but that doesn’t mean much. However, it gets the number four spot because it has an outstanding base attack, 165 to be exact. What it has in brawn it lacks in brains, though, given that its weapon of choice is its own head. Just think of the concussions. As a shiny, Rampardos gets pink accents instead of blue. That type of color change tends to work extremely well for some reason, and that’s no exception here.
3. Eiscue
I don’t know what the team at Game Freak was on when they came up with this design, but I want some. I’d be lying if I said I knew a lot about this Pokémon. But I know that it’s a penguin with some weird ice-block TV head, which is all I really want to know. As a shiny, the penguin’s body and… ice-head… are both pink. The color swap isn’t nearly as good as others like Lopunny, but the fact that it looks like a DNA splice gone wrong earns it a top-three spot.
2. Inteleon
Inteleons shiny form is simple but oh-so-stylish. The only pink changes it gets is to its fins. But if you combine that with the black and cyan blue changes to the rest of it, the change becomes phenomenal. It’s such a bright and clean looking shiny sprite that seems to ooze confidence through pixels, and that alone is enough to deserve a top spot.
1. Ampharos
Ampharos is everyone’s favorite and loveable dorky Pokémon. It always just looks so happy whenever you see it. It’s sweet and innocent, which is something that we can all be envious of. When shiny, that sheepish look (see what I did there?) we love becomes pink, which only lends itself to the happy-go-lucky, carefree nature of the Pokémon. Shiny Ampharos is a Pokémon that should be loved and treasured. Which is why it gets my number one spot.
