Summary
Shiny Pokémon in the anime are rare and are usually owned by powerful trainers like Lance. Notable shiny Pokémon include Winona's Swellow, Acerola's Mimikyu, and Lillie's Magearna. Trainers like Ash, Steven Stone, and Gladion also own influential shiny Pokémon like Noctowl and Gyarados.
Shiny Pokémon are highly coveted, both in the games and in Pokémon anime. Their appearances in anime are quite rare and they usually have an important role in at least one episode when they appear.
Many Shiny Pokémon are also owned by powerful trainers, as a symbol of their superiority over the average trainer. Shiny Pokémon owned by a trainer are more likely to appear multiple times and often appear multiple times under their ownership, even if their appearances can sometimes be hundreds of episodes apart. As such, it's not too difficult to state which Shiny Pokémon have had the biggest impact in the anime, as that often matches the importance of their trainers. Here are the 10 biggest instances of Shiny Pokémon appearing in the anime, along with their notable trainers.
Winona's Shiny Swellow gave Ash a challenge.
First Appearance: Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, “Sky High Gym Battle!”
Winona is a Gym Leader in the Hoenn region who awards the Feather Badge upon defeat. Ash challenged her for his sixth gym badge there, and defeated her first Pokémon, a Pelipper, with Pikachu in a double KO. That's when Winona surprised everyone by calling her Swellow, which happens to be Shiny. Winona's Swellow easily takes down Ash's Grovyle, after which Ash summons his Swellow, starting an aerial battle.
Winona's Swellow was a tough opponent, able to use the extremely fast Aerial Ace, accelerating around Ash's Swellow. Ash's Swellow took quite a few hits, but was able to recover and perform an unorthodox attack on the ground, kicking up dust to reveal the direction Winona's Swellow was heading. Ash used this to predict its location and take it down, eventually earning the Feather Badge.
Ash helped Clair catch her shiny Druddigon.
First appearance: Pokémon Black and White, “Pokémon with different colors!”
Clair is a Gym Leader from the Johto region who awards the Rising Badge upon defeat. However, at the time of her gym battle with Ash, she did not have any Shiny Pokémon. Instead, Ash came across her in the Decolores Islands, near Unova, where she was actively searching for Shiny Druddigon, a Dragon-type Pokémon, based on rumors of an encounter in the area. Ash and his companions agreed to help Clair hunt for the Shiny Pokémon.
The joint mission gave Clair the chance to get to know Ash's Dragon-loving friend, Iris, since their Dragonite had a contentious meeting earlier in the episode. They discovered Team Rocket trying to capture Shiny Druddigon and defeated them, allowing Clair to get close to the rare Pokémon. Druddigon turned out to be injured, so Iris helped heal it with a berry, endearing it to the group. Clair initially said she wouldn't catch Druddigon, but when Druddigon insisted, Clair happily caught her first Shiny Pokémon.
Acerola's shiny Mimikyu is very special
First appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon, “Why don't you give me a Z ring?”
Acerola is a trial captain in the Alola region, somewhat similar to a Gym Leader. When she was introduced, She is accompanied by an unusual Mimikyu, named Mimikins, which has a glossy color, as well as a flower brooch above the ear of the costume.. However, in this case, Shiny is not Mimikyu's most special thing.
It is later revealed that this Mimikyu is not just a Ghost-type Pokémon; it is a full-fledged ghost, no longer a corporeal entity. Despite this, it can still use attacks like Shadow Claw, although it never actually uses it in battle. Mimikins, being an actual ghost, has a supernatural energy that attracts Ghost-type Pokémon to its area. It seems to be as loyal to Acerola as Ash's Pikachu is to him, drawing interesting parallels between the two species.
Lillie's Shiny Magearna is extremely rare
First Appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon, “The Secret Princess!”
When Lillie entered her missing father's room at their home, she was surprised to see Discovered a non-functional Magearna, an automatic Pokémon, that happened to be shiny. Lillie discovers that Magearna was meant to be her gift, and decides to repair the broken Pokémon herself while her father is away. A few episodes later, Magearna is activated while Lillie is feeling some intense emotions, and the artificial Pokémon suddenly comes to life.
Magearna happened to be able to sense Lillie's father through the energy of his Z-Ring, and so Lillie left the Alola region to find her father, with Magearna's help. After Sun & Moon, Lillie eventually found her father in the Crown Tundra of the Galar region, and she and her family set out to that location to finally reunite with her long-lost father.
Lysandre's shiny Gyarados is well suited to his threat
First appearance: Pokémon XY, “Coming Apart at the Dreams!”
Lysandre is the boss of Team Flare and a dangerous figure in the Pokémon world, though he has hidden his intentions very well for a very long time. During the Kalos Pokémon League, Lysandre made his move, using a mysterious Pokémon they called Z2, which turned out to be a Zygarde Core. Ash fought against Lysandre, and eventually convinced Alain to switch sides as well, prompting Lysandre summoned two Pokémon: a Pyroar and a Shiny Gyarados, and he quickly Mega Evolved them.
Alain Mega Evolved his Charizard, and he and Ash began battling the villain's extremely rare Pokémon. Ash and Alain quickly took down Pyroar, but even against some of Ash's Pokémon, Shiny Mega Gyarados continued to attack. Eventually, Mega Charizard, Ash's Greninja, and Ash's Pikachu all worked together to take it down, making it perhaps the most powerful Shiny Pokémon the series has ever seen.
First appearance: Pokémon XY, “Mega Evolution Special II”
Steven Stone is the champion of the Hoenn region and one of the competitors in the Masters' Eight tournament. He fought Ash in the first round, giving Ash a serious challenge. Ash and Steven Stone have met before, but Steven's Shiny Metagross first appeared in the special edition of Mega EvolutionWithout Ash, it took a while for Ash to see this gorgeous Shiny Pokémon. Metagross is extremely experienced in battle, having even faced legendary threats like Primal Groudon and Kyogre.
Ash faced Steven's Shiny Metagross, which also had the ability to Mega Evolve, in the Pokémon Journeys episode “Battling as Hard as Stone!” Ash initially faced it with Dracovish, but switched to Pikachu, eventually overwhelming Shiny Mega Metagross with a 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt Z-Move, and advancing Ash to the next round.
Lance's Red Gyarados has been around for a long time.
First appearance: Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Talkin' 'Bout An Evolution!”
Lance is the champion of the Johto region of Pokémon, and later participates in the Masters' Eight tournament. Lance initially encounters his Shiny Gyarados while investigating Team Rocket, who are hatching a sinister plot to force Pokémon to evolve ahead of their time. Lance teams up with Ash and his friends to stop Team Rocket, and When Red Gyarados lost control at Rage Lake, Lance was able to capture it.. It later became his signature Pokémon.
Lance later used his Gyarados to help quell the fight between Kyogre and Groudon, and was then not seen for hundreds of episodes until Lance reappeared in Pokémon Journeys, where he was seen battling Leon. While Lance lost to Leon, he entered the Masters' Eight tournament once more, only to be defeated in the first round by Diantha this time.
Gladion's Shiny Nihilego has a special connection
First appearance: Pokémon Journeys, “The Homecoming Crown!”
When Lillie leaves to find her father, she is joined by her brother Gladion, one of the best characters in Pokémon Sun & Moon, and her mother Lusamine. Their search leads them to the Crown Tundra, where they discover her father, Mohn, living with amnesia with a mysterious Pokémon in the house: a Shiny Nihilego, an Ultra Beast from another world, which he believes to be Lillie. Although they initially suspect Nihilego is the cause of Mohn's confused state, it turns out that this is not the case, and Nihilego is actually trying to help Mohn.
Gladion initially challenged the Ultra Beast to battle, but it became clear that Nihilego was simply afraid of being left alone without Mohn. Ultimately, they thanked Nihilego for keeping Mohn company in this remote place, and welcomed him into the family, with Nihilego choosing to be captured. As a Shiny Pokémon from another world, Shiny Nihilego is one of the rarest Pokémon to appear in the entire anime.
Goh's Shiny Voltorb Shocks Fans
First appearance: Pokémon Journeys, “Mad About Blue!”
This Shiny Voltorb was a big surprise for fans, as the episode started with Goh chasing after a rare Shiny Voltorb as Chloe passed by. Goh caught a cool Shiny Pokémon and easily caught it, with Ash explaining that it was rare to encounter such a Pokémon. Goh had caught quite a few Pokémon at this point, but this was his first time catching a Shiny Pokémon, and he ended up becoming Ash's only companion to ever catch a Shiny.
The rest of the episode focuses on the two blue Pokémon fans being extremely jealous of Goh's rare blue Voltorb and frequently fighting over blue Pokémon in general. Goh's shiny Voltorb will appear a few more times after this, usually in the Cerise Park dome with his and Ash's other Pokémon. Hopefully, getting access to this rare shiny Pokémon will help Professor Cerise's research.
Ash's shiny Noctowl has helped him win many battles
First appearance: Pokémon Gold and Silver, “Fowl Play!”
The first Shiny Pokémon to appear in the series was Noctowl, which was known for its exceptional intelligence, repeatedly tricking a man who was trying to capture it. Ash decided to test it, and eventually succeeded in overcoming its psychic tricks, battling it alongside Pikachu and capturing it. This Shiny Noctowl will be an important character in Ash's Johto teamhelping him earn the Mist Badge, and often assisting on scouting missions when Pokémon get lost.
Unfortunately, Ash has never recalled his Shiny Noctowl to his team since the end of his time in the Johto region, so many new fans may not even know that Ash owns a Shiny Pokémon. Noctowl currently lives in Professor Oak's lab with most of Ash's Pokémon, where Professor Oak is able to study its unusual coloration in detail. Despite not appearing in a while, Ash's Shiny Noctowl has appeared in more episodes than any other Shiny. PokémonThis is definitely the most important Shiny in the anime.
