If you’re luck enough then you can catch funky colored versions of any Pokémon you want. Even if recent versions have made it easier, it is still pretty hard to obtain these guys without cheats. So among the community it’s really something to be proud of (unless you cheat them all, which makes up most of the legendaries and 6-shinies-teams online). But one question remains: with hundreds of different creatures, which shinies are the best? Well it’s a loaded question but I’ll be doing my best to rank my favorites. My criteria is mostly just which shiny versions look really cool and even better than the original. As a disclaimer I won’t include any Megas or the distinct forms of Necrozma and Kyogre, no matter how great and friggen awesome they look.
25. Lopunny
Maybe not the most popular and I don’t think many would include a Lopunny on this list, or certainly not on their team at first glance. But cuteness surely deserves a spot somewhere. Besides, the new pink color is definitely more thematic for a Lopunny than the brownish tones of a wild rabbit. General and normal vs. weird and funky. I know what I want. With abilities like Cute Charm and moves like Baby Doll Eyes you can actually picture this cute critter taking out some foes as well.
24. Heatmor
Much more in line with the lava origins of Heatmor, these new shiny colors look awesome. The crimson body, hot red claws, and ash-like black details. This design actually makes you think of volcanoes and heat, just what Heatmor would want. Throwing in signature attacks like Heat Wave and Flamethrower make this more visually impactful.
23. Breloom
I don’t know, maybe it’s the Mario fan in me. But I believe that red mushrooms definitely look cooler than green mushrooms. For a Pokémon that does not call a lot of attention to itself, usually because it’s a dark green that blends into the forest… turning red is a huge step forward. Such an improvement can’t be overlooked which is why Breloom makes it onto this list.
22. Celesteela
We cannot forget about our best Sun & Moon girl, the terror of the first competitive meta of the game, and the Pokémon equivalent to the mother of Christ, Celesteela. The usual gray/green colors reflect pretty well its steel nature; however the white and turquois shiny style give much more an air of solemnity and greatness. Almost like an imposing presence you just can’t ignore, which is exactly what Celesteela represents.
21. Dratini
I will defend pink shinies until the day I die! But being fully honest, Dratini’s style as a sea snake serpent… thing gives it such a smooth feeling that the pink color just fits. Even if the blue is perfectly fine(which it is, Dratini rocks). There is just something majestic about this new color and it is quite obviously a shiny that you’d notice right away.
20. Electrode
Voltorb and Electrode work perfectly fine as Poke ball parodies. Both make sense as mechanical creatures and as a universal phenomenon in the world of Pokémon. However the distortion of that trope makes shiny Electrode feel odd and spooky. “Is this a new kind of ball?”, you may ask yourself. No, it’s a cool shiny version of a really old electric ball we used to play with on an archaic gaming machine. I think the color tone here is perfect and the blue version looks pretty darn cool, better than the original.
19. Bisharp
With Bisharp we have to see it as a duo and not only as a shiny separately. The Red vs Blue theme has been a discussion for the ages and one that has filled pop culture since forever. We can see it in Power Rangers, in every Player 1 / Player 2 in-game dynamic and even in Pokémon itself with the first gen games. In my mind these colors rival each other, and a shiny Bisharp represent this perfectly.
18. Legendary Beasts
I will cheat a little bit and make a single entrance for these 3, instead of saying the same thing three times in a row. Entei, Raikou and Suicune are greatly improved by their shiny versions. They all look so cool that I feel like they all deserve a rank, but want to leave room for other gens too. But these dogs go from being ultimately forgettable to pretty badass in their darker tones.
17. Roselia (and Roserade)
Although the red and blue roses work great for regular Roselia, there is a whole new air about this little gal with shiny Roselia. Roses are romantic, charming, and beautiful. But purple and black ones feel mysterious and almost dangerous. This darker tone added onto such a cute Pokémon is such an interesting contrast that it’s definitely what I’d rather have on my team.
16. Volcarona
I know, I know. Volcarona base colors are pretty in line with what you would think of a fiery moth, so why change it? But this just looks cool man! The yellow and purple integrate so well in this design and give Volcarona a whole new level of treasure-likeness. Besides, it goes really well with the Pyramids theme of the only area you can catch a Volcarona: Relic Castle.
15. Trevenant
Ok, this shiny is really well done. The white birch bark and the autumn leaves give such a great forest vibe here. I’d argue it’s much nicer than the original colors if you want that “au natural” look. It truly feels like an ancient treant walking alongside you.
14. Milotic
Canonically one of the most beautiful Pokémon, Milotic was gonna find its way here somehow. Weirdly enough it can only evolve once you reach max beauty with a Feebas, if that means anything. Milotic has always presented itself as majestic and the light-blue fins help to maximize this effect.
13. Gourgeist
Like Trevenant, this is just a thematic improvement through the roof. The darker pumpkin and purple tones of the hair makes you think much more of Halloween. Even if regular orange pumpkins are a staple of Halloween, these darker tones give an aura of terrors hidden in the night, so a perfect thematic shiny. I feel this is one of those shiny versions that is very true to the original design.
12. Magnezone
I believe the colder and more robotic tones of shiny Magnezone make it look extremely cool. And this is not just a couple of magnets joined together. I mean, maybe it kinda is. But it almost feels like an artificial entity all of itself, almost alien in nature. And that robotic blue eye is just the icing of the cake.
11. Ho-Oh
Although the red and green feathers combine well enough to imagine Ho-Oh’s plumage to be like a rainbow, the shiny version is such an improvement on this classic legendary bird. And I say that with Ho-Oh generally being my all-time favorite legendary from all gens! The golden and white feathers look truly fearsome, yet also approachable. Something worthy of collecting, if you could ever get your hands on one. And the silver beak and crest make it even better.
10. Staryu
Staryu’s shiny form is just a revamping of style and class. A star with silver arms and golden center looks extremely valuable, and the blue pearl at the middle is just the final detail that makes this shiny so awesome. I would include Starmie in here too but I think between the two, I kind of like Staryu more. Gotta remember your roots y’know?
9. Zygarde
Zygarde’s shiny form is such a departure from the original concept. And I love it. Zygarde’s design implies a bunch of single cell unite to form the 100% version of Zygarde, and the white and turquoise colors reflect this a lot better that red and green. These new colors present an aura of a laboratory work. It feels like weird tube samples and molecular biology basically created this shiny version. I think that perfectly suits this Pokémon’s theme.
8. Yveltal
Maybe you don’t agree with me on this one but hear me out. I know the red and black colors of regular Yveltal perfectly show him as the bird of death. That color scheme is also super badass. But this white and crimson contrast feels… more rare. Like yes it’s menacing, but it’s also not a color choice you see every day. Besides, it kind of looks like the negative version of Yveltal and death being the negative of life just makes sense to me.
7. Ponyta
There’s just something about blue fire that fascinates me. That’s why it’s everywhere in fantasy work like Avatar the Last Airbender with Azula. Here it is one more time with Ponyta(and also Rapidash). With these two fire horses the color choices just feel so right. The flames look amazing, especially in more recent games. And the Pokémon are actually pretty solid to have on your team too! I wouldn’t mind taking on some E4 trainers with a shiny Rapidash backing me up.
6. Charizard
Some may mock of edgy anime fans, but in the end we all have a piece of that feeling that just wants stereotypically cool things for the sake of being cool. A black Charizard feels like the epitome of this. The original was already insanely powerful, did it really need to go black? Yes. Same with Haxorus, Rayquaza and Greninja. They just look cool and way badass in black. And so much better than their regular form, that these shinies are sought by a lot of trainers.
5. Honedge (and evolutions)
This is the one that rises above the rest. An amazing shiny concept and improvement from the original(in my eyes) that there is no other word than “really cool” to describe it. I particularly like the Aegislash red edge looking at its sword to contrast with the black tones. This is even better in Honedge and Doublade because the entire blade is red and they look like cursed swords, something extremely appropriate for a Steel/Ghost Pokémon with the shape of a… sword. Yeah, it’s a weird guy but the design is still damn cool.
4. Metagross
Approaching the top of the list I have only the coolest of the coolest, the universally great shinnies. There is no denying that Metagross is one of those Pokémon. Changing its bluish tone for a silver one, and the iron X and claws take on a golden accent. This truly gives it an amazing style unlike many other shinies that you’ll find. Also Metagross is a pretty sick guy to have on your team so not only does it look cool, it’s also powerful.
3. Gigalith
Changing its usual blue rock and red stalagmites for a purplish rock and cyan stalagmites is just what the Poké Doctor ordered. This way, Gigalith just gives such a greater vibe of cave whether it’s by glowing for bioluminescence, or by finding hidden minerals deep inside the cave. In my eyes this design is just an improvement that looks cool as hell.
2. Magikarp
So the runner-up for best shiny in the game is… a completely useless fish. OK I know it doesn’t look like much. It’s a Pokémon that is practically worthless, why is it ranked so high up? Well it’s simple: a gold Magikarp legitimately looks really freaking cool. Even if it’s useless and goofy, this fish is an icon to the series much like Pikachu. So a golden version is totally wild. Not to mention a shiny Gyarados is actually super badass and really useful so let’s call them both tied for #2.
1. Umbreon
There is only one Pokémon that can surpass our god Magikarp in its shiny design, and that is Umbreon. Its shiny form changes its body rings from yellow to blue. Simple right? But it’s a blue that contrasts amazingly with its dark fur. Although it was originally intended to replicate the moonlight with its yellow rings, the blue ones feel more like replicating the mist and shadows of the night. It also is one of the most popular Pokémon so I know a few fans will agree with me on this one.
