And it only makes sense that their shiny forms would be legendary as well! All of these shinies range from beautifully simple to absolutely ridiculous. However, they all carry one distinction with them: you have absolutely got to get them on your team!
15. Vibrava
While Flygon is one of my favorite Pokémon of all time, I feel like its pre-evolutions get forgotten. Trapinch and Vibrava are both great Pokémon, with Vibrava having a great design, and Trapinch having a great attack for a first form Pokémon. But what I like most about their shinies is how they work together. Trapinch is a brownish/orange Pokémon that evolves into Vibrava, a green Pokémon. It only makes sense that they just trade colors! It works especially well for Vibrava since it would live in a desert normally. However since Trapinch isn’t a Dragon-type, only Vibrava makes it on this list.
14. Mega Amphoros
Most Mega Pokémon get an incredibly cool design that makes them really stand out from their original form. Amphoros gets a ton of hair. And it’s just ridiculous enough to work. This also works really well with its shiny! Amphoros’ yellow fur changes to pink, and the red gems detailing it are turned to blue. While this looks pretty cool on regular Amphoros, it looks especially great on the mega form. It just makes Mega Amphoros look so much more mystical and legendary. And that makes sense, of course, since the mega stone “awakened its lon-sleeping dragon’s blood.”
13. Flapple
“People like dragons. People like apples. So people must want an apple dragon!” This is how I imagine the conversation started when designing Appletun and Flapple. A ridiculous concept, yet it actually works out kind of charming. Especially with Flapple’s shiny. In both Pokémon’s shiny forms, the previously red apple is changed to green, like a Granny Smith. And while this makes Appletun’s apple hat disappear into its green body, it makes a lot more sense for Flapple. After all, Applin evolves into Flapple while holding a Tart Apple. This just logically makes sense while also making Flapple look more like an actual dragon. That’s a win in my book!
12. Noibat
As a bat, you would expect Noibat to take on colors that help it hide within the trees outside its cave as it hunts for prey. Regular Noibat doesn’t really show that off, as its coloring is mostly a brighter purple. However, the shiny form makes a lot more sense for the sound wave Pokémon. Shiny Noibat is mostly a dark green, but with its details made black instead of the aforementioned purple. This makes more sense for Noibat since it can now blend into the caves and trees it makes homes in. And it makes Noibat look a lot spookier for any Halloween gatherings you might have.
11. Fraxure
A lot of people, myself included, love Haxorus. But I don’t think a lot of people talk about the middle form of the Axew line, Fraxure. That’s probably because it actually looks like the actual teenage form of Fraxure. It even has red zits on its belly! That’s where the shiny form comes in. The green top is made a bit more olive and its gray legs are now black. But all those red details are changed into a sky blue, making the eyes, claws, and tusks really stand out. Now Axew isn’t nearly as forgettable! Wait. I mean Fraxure. Dammit.
10. Altaria
Altaria has always had an ethereal feeling to it since its wings look like clouds. It’s an incredibly well-designed Pokémon, and I’m happy that its shiny form goes along with that design. Normally, Altaria has blue skin coming out of the cloud. This represents a cloud going across a bright blue sky. In its shiny, Altaria’s skin becomes gold, making it almost look like the sun is just coming up from behind that cloud. This shiny form design makes Altaria seem downright heavenly.
9. Drampa
I’ll always have a soft spot for Drampa. It feels like the designers said, “What if we stuck Goofy’s face on a Chinese dragon’s body?” It just looks so silly and sweet! And its shiny is even sillier. In the shiny form, Drampa’s blue skin is changed to yellow and orange, giving a similar effect to Altaria. However, that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to talk about those eyebrows. What was once bright yellow is now black, almost as if Eugene Levy himself was being channeled through a Pokémon. And for me, that’s enough to get it into the top 10 for this ranking.
8. Kingdra
Kingdra is only the second fully evolved dragon in Pokémon, but it seems like it should have been here from the beginning. Not only does it make the Horsea line viable, but it provided one of the best shinies from generation 2! Since Kingdra is supposed to be a “king of the sea,” why not give it some royal colors? And as we all know, the most regal color of all time is purple. Simply changing that blue to purple makes Kingdra stand out a lot more, especially with that orange belly! Kingdra looks great and its shiny looks even better.
7. Gabite
Gabite is a lot like Fraxure in that it’s often forgotten for its evolution. And I completely get it here. Garchomp is one of the strongest Pokémon of all time! However, there’s one place where Gabite will always beat Garchomp: it’s shiny. If you saw a shiny Garchomp, there is a chance you wouldn’t even notice it. Essentially, the color saturation was taken down a notch or two. Gabite’s shiny is gorgeous. The blacks and grays were changed into a navy and sky blue. Suddenly, everything else about Gabite pops! Those yellow eyes and orange stomach just look better – and its white claws look even more dangerous against those deep blues. Sorry, Garchomp. Looks like you’re not perfect after all.
6. Dragalge
And now we have the second seahorse on this list, Dragalge. But Dragalge is different, in that it’s a Poison/Dragon Pokémon that’s meant to be camouflaged amongst kelp and seaweed. And it’s for this reason that the design doesn’t really stand out too much from other Pokémon. That’s where the shiny comes in. Shiny Dragalge ditches the kelp camouflage and instead goes for a dark purple against an almost periwinkle blue. But it doesn’t end there! Dragalge also has a green and yellow crest on top of its head. While none of this really screams “hidden predator,” it really does bring the message of “poisonous dragon” home.
5. Dragonair
Although Dragonite is nowhere on this list, I do believe it’s important for the first Dragon Pokémon ever to appear somewhere on this list. Luckily, Dragonair has a beautiful shiny that is easily one of my favorites. In its shiny form, Dragonair sheds its deep blue skin for a bright pink, and it’s blue gems are changed to orange. While orange and pink don’t usually work well together, they do an amazing job here. I think it’s because there’s so little orange that it doesn’t seem like too crazy of a statement. Instead we get a weird color combo that’s just as elegant as the original. It’s simple, beautiful, and still keeps the essence of Dragonair.
4. Kommo-o
And now for something a lot less simple and elegant. Kommo-o has a shiny that has grown on me the more times I’ve seen it, mostly because of how ridiculous it is. Kommo-o is a Pokémon that already has a lot going on in regards to design, with its club-like tail and all of those scales all over its body. So why not make it even busier with neon yellow and hot pink? Kommo-o is supposed to look like a warrior covered in armor ready to battle. With all of these colors, it now looks like a flat-out barbarian ready to destroy anyone and anything that gets in its way. And I can’t look away!
3. Hydreigon
To put it simply, Hydreigon is one of the most evil-looking Pokémon that has ever existed. Its head is menacing, and its hands are two more heads! Combine this with the blue, magenta, and black coloring, and you get a truly terrifying sight to behold. So how do we make it even scarier? Simple: change the blue and magenta to purple and green. Suddenly, you’re looking at a creature that looks truly unsettling. It honestly looks like if you took Fluffy and the Basilisk from Harry Potter and formed them into a single creature. I mean seriously. Shiny Hydreigon looks like the ultimate mascot for Lord Voldemort.
2. Flygon
I love everything about Flygon. I love its Dragon/Ground typing. I love that it’s based on dragonflies. I love the little bubbles that go over its eyes. And amongst all of this, I also love its shiny. Flygon’s original design is pretty safe with two shades of green and red on the details. On the other hand, its shiny form takes a ton of risks. Its darker green parts are changed to a sky blue, and all of the red is changed to orange. This just makes Flygon seem so much faster and cooler than it already did! I look at this shiny and I know this is a Pokémon that I want to ride across the desert like a motorcycle. Flygon is easily my favorite Dragon-type Pokémon of all time. And its shiny emphasizes everything I already loved about it. However, it still isn’t my favorite Dragon-type shiny…
1. Haxorus
Haxorus has always looked cool and terrifying. But the fact that it was mainly yellow always made it look a bit safer. That’s why I love its shiny form so much. One of the coolest/scariest color combinations of all time has got to be black and red. With shiny Haxorus, this is exemplified. All of the yellow has been turned to black: the same kind of black that was already on Haxorus. This means you’re looking at an entirely black Pokémon with blood red eyes, claws, and axe-like tusks on its face. It’s simple. It’s intimidating. It’s effective. And it’s because of all this, that I think Haxorus deserves the #1 spot here.
