Summary
EveryPokemongame in the series has introduced at least some Legendary critters that are directly tied to the story in some way or represent elemental forces that are integral to the region’s lore, climate, or overall phenomenons. An example is how closely tied to Hoenn’s map and narrative Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza are, or how relevant Zacian and Zamazenta are to the overarching Darkest Day plot, including the Eternatus ending. AllLegendary Pokemoncan be shiny, even if not all of them have already been available in their color-swap version.
A lot of players caught their firstshiny Legendary Pokemon inPokemon GOthanks to the game’s approach to events and availability, whereas sometimes mainline games make Legendaries, starters, and other unique critters shiny-locked. What this means is that even if players spend their time manually resetting static encounters to make these critters' stats and characteristics change, they won’t be shiny, no matter what. However, of the shiny Legendary Pokemon that are currently available, many have great color palettes - and others some disappointing ones.
RELATED:Shiny Mythical Pokemon Tier List
Shiny Pokemon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, The Teal Mask DLC, and The Indigo Disk DLC are not included in this tier list because they’ve never been available since Gen 9 games' release in November 2022. This tier list also only considers the base forms of the mentioned Legendary Pokemon, excluding the likes of Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres or Mega Evolutions.
S Tier
What Makes These Shiny Pokemon S-Tier
One of the reasons why some Legendary Pokemon have shiny forms that are considered to be among the best is that their base colors change completely, altering the critters' appearance a lot compared to their base forms. This often means they gain spectacular colors that enhance their appearance by making them stand out even more than they normally would. An example is the dramatic color change that occurs in the case of shiny Kyogre or evenshiny Rayquaza inPokemongames, with them often being regarded as amazing shinies.
A Tier
What Makes These Shiny Pokemon A-Tier
Although only a handful of Legendary Pokemon are among the very best when it comes to their shiny forms, there are still plenty of critters with amazing color palettes that deserve high praise for the way they look compared to their base versions. A great example is the Tapu mons from Gen 7 games, which all gain black shells that make them seem much more unique and enhance their base colors. The same holds true for critters like Groudon, Dialga, Virizion, andPokemon Sword and Shield’s Zamazenta, one of the most recent additions.
B Tier
What Makes These Shiny Pokemon B-Tier
Even with many great shinies, some color palette changes are actually subpar or somewhat disappointing because they mainly consist of a shade change. An example is shiny Articuno, which becomes a slightly lighter shade of blue that is barely distinguishable from the base form, even if it’s still a good-looking Pokemon.Pokemon’s controversial Zaciansuffers from the same issue in both forms, even if it remains one of the most powerful critters in the franchise.
C Tier
What Makes These Shiny Pokemon C-Tier
There are also shiny Pokemon that are not particularly different from their base versions, to the point that only a small bit or detail of their appearance changes, or simply their color palette remains mostly identical. A great example isPokemon’s Regice, whose shiny form is essentially impossible to tell from the regular one due to how similar their shades are. The same holds true for Zekrom and Entei, whereas creatures like Eternatus only have small details that tell them apart from their non-shiny counterparts inPokemongames.
