Generation V of Pokémon introduced more new ‘mons than any other generation, with 156 new faces to see and discover. As a result, there is a ton of great shinies, but also a ton of terrible ones. This is one of the last times that shinies were not done manually, meaning that there are some true duds.
On the flip side, there are a ton of really great shinies that stand apart from the rest of the generation. With so many diverse color palettes in Generation V, many of the Pokémon in it adopt dramatically different coloring. Here are some of the worst and some of the best.
10 Worst - Seismitoad
As a Pokémon that is already somewhat hard to look at, it’s no surprise that Seismitoad’s shiny is also pretty terrible. Sure, it gets some credit for at least changing, unlike many Pokémon that hardly look different when shiny, but unfortunately, the change isn’t a good one.
Seismitoad swaps its different shades of blue for teal and orange. The strange pustules and boils all over its body look even more disgusting in the shade of washed-out orange that they become when shiny. The orange in the eyes doesn’t help reduce how weird Seismitoad’s bloodshot eyeballs are, either.
9 Best - Liepard
A Pokémon that is arguably already underrated, Liepard’s shiny is the same — underrated. This purple and yellow cat Pokémon is a great, simple design, that is very aesthetically-pleasing. When shiny, Liepard’s purple swaps for a very nice shade of deep burgundy or maroon.
The yellow of Liepard’s underbelly fades to a slightly less rich shade, which works well with the red. The pink “eyeshadow” that Liepard normally has looks so nice against the burgundy. All in all, it just looks nice and is a great shiny.
8 Worst - Conkeldurr
Like Seismitoad, Conkeldurr’s shiny already comes in at a point of disadvantage from the start. It’s a very ugly Pokémon, to begin with, even in its regular coloring, looking like a cross between a clown and someone from the Jersey Shore.
Conkeldurr keeps its inspiration from Jersey Shore by taking on a terrible tan when shiny. Its beige-brown body becomes a painful-looking sunburn-like shade of pink, making this Fighting-type look kind of like raw chicken. It’s just a bad shiny on an already-ugly Pokémon. Gym, tan, laundry, Conkeldurr.
7 Best - Bisharp
One of the more dramatic color swaps in this generation comes in the form of Bisharp, the Dark/Steel-type that evolves from the adorable Pawniard. Bisharp changes from a nice deep red to a bright blue on most of its body. The rest of its coloring stays mostly the same, with the white parts becoming slightly yellowed.
Overall, it just looks great, and it is nice to see a blue shiny that isn’t terrible as they sometimes are. Bisharp’s two color palettes look almost like opponents or like a player one/player two type deal, as blue and red are always used for opposing sides.
6 Worst - Watchog
Why did Game Freak make such a frightening Pokémon even worse in its shiny form? Watchog is such a creepy thing, with its deadly eyes and weird ability to look both evil and also like the kid in school who tattles on you for playing Beyblade in the courtyard.
The shiny form of Watchog becomes even worse, trading its yellow accents for an inexplicable neon green. Patrat, its preevolution, takes on a much better coloring, with the lighter brown and blue elements. Why must Watchog always be the uglier of the two?
5 Best - Haxorus
There aren’t very many black shinies, for whatever reason, but the few that do exist tend to be pretty nice. Haxorus is no exception to this, taking on a fantastic black-and-red design that makes it look great as a shiny form.
Typically, Haxorus is an arguably-terrible shade of puke-green. Some like it, some hate it, but it’s very distinct. When shiny, the green goes away in favor of the beautiful black coloring. It makes Haxorus look like it’s wearing armor, and it looks really good with the red elements.
4 Worst - Munna
While there aren’t many black shinies, there are plenty of terrible yellow shinies. Why so many Pokémon become a terrible shade of snot yellow when shiny is unclear, but it plagues many otherwise-great species. One victim of this phenomenon is poor Munna, the Psychic-type dream Pokémon from Generation V.
Munna swaps its pretty pink and purple design for a truly terrible shade of pale yellow. It kind of resembles a floating egg yolk. Musharna, its evolution, takes on a beautiful shade of blue. Why couldn’t Munna have the same treatment?
3 Best - Scolipede
Often, a simple change is all that’s necessary to make a really great shiny. Scolipede embodies this well, mostly retaining the same color palette, save for a change in its “rings” and detailing.
This centipede-Pokémon is a shade of red that fits its design well, with purple circles in a pattern along its body and horns, along with purple claws on its front arms. When shiny, Scolipede trades these purple rings for neon green ones. Unlike Watchog’s terrible neon green, the green on Scolipede works perfectly. It almost looks like neon lights illuminating its body, like bioluminescence.
2 Worst - Druddigon
Seismitoad can find a terrible shiny friend in Druddigon, who also turns a gross combination of green and orange. This Dragon-type is already a weird mismatch of different colors, with its blue body and red face, but its shiny makes it even worse. The blue parts of its body turn rich emerald green and its face becomes bright pumpkin-orange.
The combination together makes Druddigon look like a reverse carrot, especially because its wings are already kind of leafy-looking. For a Pokémon that’s meant to be scary and intimidating, the shiny coloring doesn’t do it any favors.
1 Best - Emboar
By far the best starter shiny in Generation V, Emboar is really fantastic in its shiny coloring. The orange Fire-type pig Pokémon swaps its orange belly pattern and legs for a cool shade of light blue. The complimentary orange and blue naturally look good together and make Emboar much more visually interesting.
The best part, though, is the flames wrapped around its neck like a scarf. Typically, these are a regular orange and red like most Pokémon fire. When shiny, though, they become purple and blue. It’s a great look and matches the new blue body coloring perfectly.
NEXT: Pokémon: Every Fire Starter Second Stage Evolution, Ranked
