It can represent rage, passion, and danger. Because of this, it’s a favorite color for people all over the world – and has been a fixture of the Pokémon series since the very beginning with Pokémon Red Version. So it stands to reason that red shiny Pokémon are some of the best shinies in the entire franchise, right? In this article we’re going to look at the cream of the crop when it comes to red-themed shinies. So if you’re on a shiny hunt that’s tinted red, we’ve got plenty of suggestions.
20. Glalie
Let’s start off subtle, shall we? I already mentioned that red is the color of rage. And there are very few Pokémon that are as angry as Glalie. So it only makes sense that red makes an appearance in its shiny form. When Glalie is shiny, its blue eyes turn red and… that’s it. There’s literally no other change. And I love it! This somehow makes a floating ice skull even scarier than it was before. While I do wish there were some other changes made to make Glalie scarier, I feel that this is a great way to start off this list.
19. Solgaleo
And now for the least subtle option on this list. Solgaleo is essentially a Zoid come to life (look it up, kids) and its look is mainly a classic metallic silver with some gold and black highlights. The shiny version changes this by just making Solgaleo entirely red. I love this! It’s so silly and ridiculous, especially for a Pokemon that looks as noble as Solgaleo. This makes no sense, and is on here for how out there of a choice it is to me.
18. Heliolisk
Keeping with the sun theme, let’s look at Heliolisk! Heliolisk is a cool lizard that is known for using its hood to absorb sunlight to power its electric attacks. Which is why its yellow body turning red is so funny to me. It looks like this lizard who spends all of its time in the sun, somehow got a sunburn on the only part of its body that’s protected by the shade of its hood. Why is Heliolisk’s jaw and other yellow details still yellow? It once again makes no sense, but gets a chuckle out of me.
17. Ferrothorn
Ferrothorn is probably the best defensive Pokémon in the franchise. It actually hurts opponents that try to hit it, and its design shows that. But as a shiny, Ferrothorn has a completely different personality. Its vines and lines under its eyes are red, and its metallic skin is now yellow. This makes Ferrothorn seem a lot more aggressive. It actually looks like a Pokémon that would shoot spikes at you from the ceiling of a cave! Seriously, read its Pokedex entry. Ferrothorn doesn’t mess around.
16. Breloom
I have always been a fan of Breloom. Not only was it strong, but it was also fun and goofy looking. But that is not the case with its shiny form. Breloom’s green skin is turned a reddish-orange. Now I’m not looking at a weird mushroom-kangaroo hybrid. I see a lone warrior, with its hat lowered hiding its eyes. It doesn’t want to fight, but it will if it has to. All of a sudden, Breloom’s a badass!
15. The Rotom Forms
I’ve loved Rotom and its different forms since it was first released. The different orange appliances with the differently colored electric auras make each form feel unique and important. This is interesting because Rotom’s shiny versions of these forms do the opposite. All of the electricity surrounding the appliances are now orange, and all of the appliances are a deep red. This makes them all seem the same. And this may seem like the opposite effect that you’d want from a shiny, but I feel like this suits Rotom better. Rotom loves to possess different appliances and surprise people. Wouldn’t you want some uniformity if you’re going to surprise people? I’d like to think so.
14. Skuntank
There has always been a soft spot in my heart for Skuntank. Yes, it’s a farty skunk. But it looks hilarious with its tail making a combination mohawk/pompadour. This thing just looks delightfully ridiculous. And its shiny form is even more ridiculous because now it’s bright red. Even the white stripes and feet have been given a slightly red hue. It also makes Skuntank just a little more ferocious. Really, the shiny form just makes a silly Pokémon sillier. And that makes me happy.
13. Rampardos
Rampardos is already an intimidating Pokémon. It has one of the highest attack stats in the game, and it’s known for smashing its head into anything that moves. Because of these traits, I love Rampardos’ shiny. All of the blue details are changed to red, including its head. This makes Rampardos look even more deadly, as the crown of its skull is now bright red. This goes great with its already red eyes that are glaring at you through a furrowed brow. Rampardos’ blue and grey coloring made the whole design kind of blend together. With the red, everything pops beautifully.
12. Dhelmise
I always loved the idea of Dhelmise. However, its design makes it just look like a collection of some things that you can see on a boat tied together with seaweed. Is there a way to make it look more… spooky? Actually, there is. Make the seaweed red. All of a sudden, Dhelmise looks scary. Blood red vines are holding this whole thing together. Not only that, but the ship’s wheel used to make its face has gone from brown to white. This color change makes the other features really stand out, like the compass used for an eye. Finally, Dhelmise looks like more than just Drake’s garage sale.
11. Obstagoon
Obstagoon was created to look really punk rock. And its combo of black and white work well with that motif. But you know what else is punk rock? Putting together colors that don’t match at all. Instead of being all black with some grey armor, shiny Obstagoon is now sporting bright red fur with sky blue armor. This. Is. Awesome! Even its tongue was changed to a sky blue color. How cool is that? My only critique is that they’re missing the chance to give Obstagoon a bright green mohawk, but I guess the mohawks are where Toxtricity comes in.
10. Yveltal
Yveltal is an evil Pokémon that absorbs the life force of all living creatures around it. It also has the most evil color combination with black and red. Yet its shiny form somehow looks even more diabolical than the original. All of the black details are now white. Its red body doesn’t change colors, but instead becomes a deeper red. By changing the main body to be darker and the outlining brighter makes Yveltal seem like a much scarier looking creature. Also, it kind of makes me think of uncooked bacon. And I’m sure you can’t unsee that now.
9. Hawlucha
I feel like I’ve talked about Hawlucha’s shiny a ton in my articles. Yet, here I am again praising this gorgeous design. Normally, Hawlucha has a great luchador look. The mask, cape-like feathers, and bright colors resemble many of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of all time. But the shiny form is much darker. What was red is now black. What was white is now red. And what was a bright blue, is now a deep, deep purple. This makes Hawlucha look downright evil. And I am all for it.
8. Genesect
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned researching this list, it’s this: If you want a blue or purple Pokémon to look more threatening, change all of those colors to red. This is certainly true with Genesect. Genesect is already pretty intimidating. It’s an ancient Pokémon that was modified by Team Plasma to be a robot and have a laser cannon on its back. And while it looked cool when it was purple with the red eyes, being entirely red is much cooler. This is especially true when you use the Burn Drive. How effective is the red coloring at making Genesect scarier? Its hands and feet are pink, and still this thing looks scary!
7. Solrock
I’ve always liked Solrock more than Lunatone. Solrock is jagged and actually looks like it’s made from rock, while Lunatone looks a lot smoother and polished. Not only that, but Solrock also has a much better shiny form. Solrock’s orange body has now become a deep red. This makes it seem a lot hotter. You know, like the sun. And the shiny form now actually looks like a rock that’s made of the sun. But what makes it work even better is that its red eyes have now become blue. Kind of like those blue circles you see when you look at the sun too long. Solrock is just another example of a well-designed Pokémon. And the shiny form really drives those design elements home.
6. Grapploct
Remember what I said about Hawlucha earlier? Well, the exact opposite happens with shiny Grapploct. Originally, Grapploct is black and blue. This makes it look like a heel. But when those colors are changed to red and white, we suddenly have a hero on our hands! Not only that, but the yellow suction cups actually remind me of Hulk Hogan – one of the most popular wrestlers of all time! Congratulations, Grapploct, on a successful Face turn.
5. Gyarados
Gyarados has always been an angry and intimidating Pokémon. Heck, it even learns Dragon RAGE when it evolves from Magikarp! And its shiny form compliments this perfectly. However, that’s not why it’s on this list. For many trainers across the world, shiny Gyarados is the first shiny Pokémon they ever saw. That’s because in generation 2 you actually had to go and fight/catch a rampaging shiny Gyarados at the Lake of Rage. This was meant to introduce the shiny mechanic to players, and it was part of the main story as well (ie. unavoidable). Shiny Gyarados isn’t just one of the best red-colored shiny Pokémon out there, it is the classic shiny Pokémon. And it deserves respect.
4. Clawitzer
Shiny Clawitzer is probably the most American Pokémon I’ve ever seen – and there’s literally a Pokémon based off of a bald eagle! Since shiny Clawitzer is mainly red with blue stripes and white details, it actually reminds me of the American flag. However, there’s some science behind this color choice as well! Even though we recognize lobsters as being red, they’re usually darker colors. This is because we see them when they’re cooked, which causes their color to change. This is especially smart, considering that Clawitzer is the signature Pokémon of Siebold – an Elite 4 member who’s a chef!
3. Trevenant
Trevenant is easily one of the scariest looking Pokémon out there. That spiky mouth, those claws, and that singular eye are all terrifying. But Trevenant’s shiny form is even scarier. Its brown bark is now white, and its leaves are changed to a crimson red. Not to mention its bright red eye is changed to purple, which compliments the other new colors perfectly. Regular Trevenant looks like a tree that’s haunted. Shiny Trevenant is a phantom.
2. Heatmor
As I’ve mentioned in previous shiny lists, there’s no cooler color combo than red and black. And this is used to the greatest effect with Heatmor. Regular Heatmor looked pretty lame before, with its combo of brown, red, and light orange. But in its shiny form, it suddenly looks threatening. Its extremities are now black, the red is made darker, and the orange is now a bright red. This makes Heatmor look like it actually comes from the depths of a volcano, not just a muddy anteater. And that’s why this is easily one of my favorite shinies out there.
1. Crabrawler
As great as Heatmor is, it’s not my actual favorite for this ranking. Because shiny Crabrawler certainly tops this list, and it may just be in my top 3 shinies of all time. That’s because the shiny form finally gets Crabrawler right. I liked Crabrawler’s design before. It looked goofy, but it was ready for a fight. The purple and blue looked nice next to each other. But changing the blue gloves and eye lid to red actually makes Crabrawler look like a fighter. I’m not just looking at a crab pretending to fight. I’m looking at Rocky Balboa as a crab. And it’s not going to give up easily. Crabrawler is my favorite Fighting-type Pokémon design-wise. And its shiny form perfects what the original design was going for – which is why I think as a red-colored shiny, Crabrawler deserves the top spot.
