Shiny Pikachu in ‘Pokémon Go’ is rare, but the real hardcore players have Shiny Pichu too

Pokémon Go players have critiqued the mobile games for leaving out much of the core games’ features. From pro-level aspects like EV training to trading a Pokémon with a friend, Pokémon Go has left out a lot.

There is one thing from the Pokémon RPG games Niantic has added though: shiny Pokémon. It started with Magikarp and now, thanks to the Yokohama event, you can snag a rare Pikahcu too.

Shiny Pikachu isn’t the only alternately colored addition, though. Pikachu’s baby form Pichu can now be had too, and it’s much harder to find.

Shiny Pikachu in Pokémon Go: The real catch is Shiny Pichu

Shiny Pikachu isn’t easy to come by. Those at Japan’s Pokémon Go Fest-style event have a shot at catching one thanks to the Pikachu “outbreak,” leading to the electric mouse being more prevalent. Crazy enough, there are even Pikachu raids — but rarer still are Pichu.

Obtaining a regular Pikachu means catching one in the wild, while acquiring a Pichu requires getting lucky enough to hatch one out of an egg.

If you really want a Pikachu, there are nests you can rely on. If you really want a Pichu, well, hope that the Pokéstops you swipe on yield eggs, hope that the egg has a Pichu inside and hope that your wallet agrees with Niantic’s average $1.50 price tag for each incubator.

Something to consider: A shiny Pichu can always evolve into a shiny Pikachu and shiny Raichu. If you start out with a shiny Pikachu, you can get a rare Raichu but are still missing out on one-third of the evolutionary line. Which makes hatches like the one above from Reddit user sts_ssp all the more impressive.

The same could be said about Ash Hat Pikachu and Ash Hat Pichu. Pikachu with Ash’s hat was more easily discovered during most of July, whereas obtaining the special Pichu required some egg-hatching magic. Vtmcouver is among the pro collectors who snagged one.

Some Pokémon, like Magikarp, have drastic differences between the regular version and shiny version. Shiny Pikachu and its evolutionary forms, unfortunately, look largely similar to their regular coloring. You can tell it’s shiny by the shimmer it gives off when you first find it in the wild.

Since hatched Pokémon aren’t caught (they’re born), the game likely tips you off when the egg Pokémon is revealed. Keep the comparison screenshots for bragging handy.

Check out more Pokémon Go news and coverage here

Raids are here, and so are Articuno, Lugia and now Moltres! See how to locate the best ones and why they may be the key to legendary Pokémon. Find out how to determine how long it will take you to reach level 40, and see what we think of the Gen 2 Pokémon added to the game. And here’s where you can check out what you missed during the Water Festival and Solstice events.