Neon purple, to be precise (you can blame Blade Runner for that). There are no neon purple shinies, which is a shame. But there are a handful of regular purples that are well worth spending tens of hours to get your hands on. I’ll preface this list by saying that a lot of the purple shiny designs we have at this point come from the older generations. At that point, shiny hunting wasn’t a fraction of what it is now. As a result, Game Freak didn’t put all that much time and effort into creating them. The designs do get better as the generations go on, though, so bear with me.
20. Vaporeon
Unfortunately, Vaporeon starts us off on the trend of uninspired shiny Pokemon. This was something of a team in the older generations, and there haven’t been many purple variants in recent years. Despite that, I still love Vaporeon’s shiny design, even if it is overly simplistic. The simple hue change from blue to purple adds a bit of a feminine flair to Vaporeon that complements its more elegant design really well. Especially since the sprites are nowadays more in 3D.
19. Lapras
Lapras is almost exactly the same as Vaporeon.
It’s an old Pokémon from a time when shinies didn’t get as much love and attention. It also has a feminine design that the color change compliments really well.
Unusually, though, it’s one of the Pokémon that I would argue got worse looking as the generations went on.
Its Gen II sprite had a bright purple belly that made Lapras almost look like some a Disney character.
Why they decided to scrap this in favor of its usual white belly, I will never know.
18. Rapidash
I wish I could put Rapidash right at the top of this list; I really do. I have a thing for purple/blue fire that is unexplainable. I don’t know why, but it’s just like dopamine for the eyes. Case in point: Emboar and Litwit (both do not make the list). Rapidash was my favorite shiny back in the day. The color change of its flames made the Pokémon look ethereal, almost like it should belong to one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Then Gen III hit. And Rapidash’s mystical purple flames were replaced for black. Don’t get me wrong, it still looks cool. And I suppose it’s supposed to represent smoke. However, it took the “pop” that purple Rapidash had and threw it in the bin. I’m still putting it on the list, though. It was, at one point, a purple shiny. Even if it isn’t anymore.
17. Dragalge
Dragalge has a bomb-ass design that really went under the radar. A dragon-type based on sea algae shouldn’t work as well as it does, but Game Freak pulled it off. It’s one of the shinies that gets a dramatic improvement from the simple color change, even if the purple is incredibly dulled. Looking at the sprites side by side, you would swear that the shiny was how it looked normally, and the brown design was its shiny variant. If this was the case, then maybe it would have gotten the love I feel it deserved.
16. Wailord
Yet another water type that’s turned purple. How fun! I’m putting Wailord above the other two solely on the basis of how happy he looks in Gen VIII. Seriously, if you haven’t seen its sprite yet, then you’re missing out. It just looks so innocently happy, and his teeth are sparkling white. Honestly, I’m a little bit jealous.
15. Heracross
Is Heracross’s shiny sprite pink?
Maybe, but what’s the difference, really?
Female Herracross has a heart-shaped horn instead of a pointed one, which adds credence to the “pink” argument… but it was definitely purple in Gen II, so your point is invalid either way.
Why am I a fan of Herracross’s alternative color?
I’m honestly not entirely sure.
Its regular blue is rather dull, whereas the lighter pink/purple makes it look like an exotic bug, which is good enough for me.
14. Sharpedo
Purple Sharpedo looks so much more unhinged than its regular counterpart. It was a Pokémon that looked vicious before. But now it looks like the type of Pokémon that would have been hunted to extinction. That’s not even touching on its shiny mega evolution, which looks even more crazed. If my Pokémon looks like it would rather attack my opponent themselves instead of their team, then it has a spot on any list of mine.
13. Kingdra
Royalty is synonymous with purple.
So it’s only natural that Kingdra would look great decked-out in those colors.
Blue Kingdra was far too light to carry any air of regality, a problem that has been completely eliminated by its shiny color change.
In fact, I would go as far as to say that the simple swap from light to dark is enough to change Kingdra from looking mediocre to looking downright cool.
12. Swampert
I’m willing to go on record as saying purple and pink do not work together. Swampert, being the dapper boy that he is, somehow manages to pull it off. I feel like Swampert’s regular colors suffer from the same “light blue” problem that I mentioned with Kingdra. The purple is a nice side addition when all Swampert honestly needed was a darker color, even if the shade of purple he is make him look like he’s blushing after someone has called him handsome.
11. Roserade
No, okay!? Roserade is not purple when it’s shiny, but it gets a purple flower, so I’m counting it anyway! My preference for shinies leans towards carefully thought-out adjustments rather than just color changes. I appreciate when the actual design of the Pokémon is taken into consideration, not just its color scheme. This is the case with Roserade. The purple and black flowers look so much better than the traditional red and white colors. It makes it look like a poisonous flower, which I’m guessing was the point. I wish more shinies followed suit when it came to nuance and design, but what can I do?
10. Delibird
Delibird should be red. Its original color scheme was the perfect representation of Christmas, and Game Freak could not have done a better job. That being said, its purple shiny sprite still keeps that Christmas spirit alive. If we ignore how it looked in Gen II… which let’s be honest, was hideous, Delibird is a simplistic little penguin that looks exactly like a Santa’s little helper Pokémon should. The fact that it finds no greater calling in life than bringing joy to others is nothing short of inspirational. When it’s shiny, it trades its Christmas uniform in for what looks like an adorable little Winter coat. And that’s a level of cuteness that I will forever aim to achieve.
9. Ampharos
When I think of cute Pokemon, Ampharos is always one of the first to spring to mind, even before Delibird. The fact that it abandons the sheep-inspired design of its earlier evolutions is irrelevant when its design is executed so perfectly. It’s a Pokémon that looks like it should have always been purple. The shiny style is far more feminine than its yellow counterpart, to the point where I wouldn’t bat an eye if male Ampharos were yellow and females were purple by default. Should I be sending these ideas to Nintendo? It’s also one of a handful of non-legendries to play a small role in a main titles story outside of battle.
8. Dragonair
Dragonair is in a weird spot where it looks so much better in purple, but the fact that its shiny variant is better looking is appropriate. It looks elegant and rare. To the point that it naturally falls into a one in a million situation. The purple makes its white wing-ears pop a lot more than its regular colors, which only adds to that sleekness and mystique that being shiny adds to it.
7. Gourgeist
If it wasn’t obvious from my thoughts on shiny Roserade, I love the purple and black combination.
While Roserade only incorporates the colors in small amounts, it becomes the entire theme of shiny Gourgeist.
Given that it’s meant to be a festive Halloween Pokemon (a gourd, not a pumpkin?) the darker and more sinister colors do this design wonders.
It also manages to pull this off without making Gourgeist look any less cute or friendly.
It’s the perfect color scheme for a ghost type, with the Gengar being a case in point.
Plus, I have a sophisticated appreciation for purple hair, which Gourgeist has.
6. Quagsire
Quagsire is a surprisingly powerful Pokémon that really looks like it shouldn’t be anywhere near battle. It looks like all it thinks of are puppies and rainbows, and I can only dream of being so content with life. The blue to purple color change compliments this innocence incredibly well. Rather than looking just derpy, it looks cute and derpy. And that’s something I can relate to.
5. Celebi
Celebi is the only legendary on the list. Which is a shame, because I’d love to see a Moltres with purple flames. As it stands, though, purple Celebi will have to do. And do it does. Kyogre also has a purple shiny sprite, but unlike Kyogre, Celebi doesn’t look like a giant beetroot. Which is ironic because Celebi is a head of lettuce with wings that just so happens to have the power to manipulate time. And the shiny sprite isn’t just a purple spray paint job. Instead, it actually uses two different shades of purple. This simple choice takes Celebi from what could be something resembling a rotten vegetable, up to a mystical fairy more than worthy of its legendary status. Good luck getting your hands on one, though. To this point, Celebi hasn’t been catchable in the base game of any main series entry. For the few generations it does appear in, it’s only catchable through mystery gifts or exclusive in-game events, which you no longer have legitimate access to. Better fire up those ROM hacks, boys.
4. Zoroark
I generally prefer blue shinies to purple.
Zoroark is the exception.
It’s pre-evolution, Zorua, goes from black and red to a duller brown and blue, which looks incredible. Zoroark takes this one step further by trading the brown for black and blue for dark purple.
It’s another case of black and purple color combinations stealing my heart. But Zoroark does it better than any other Pokémon thus far.
Zoroark is one of the few Pokémon on this list that I actually managed to get a shiny variant of myself, so maybe that sways my opinion a little.
Either way, there’s no denying the quality of the shiny change here. It’s a prime example of how better Game Freak has gotten at designing shiny variants.
3. Magcargo
I’ve already discussed my love for purple fire types, and Magcargo falls under that flame-resistant umbrella. Unlike Rapidash, though, Game Freak didn’t insult me by changing its shiny colors mid-series. We could talk about how the existence of Magcargo should literally end all life on earth, but that’s another topic for another list. Instead, you and I are going to sit here and appreciate how much better a purple lava snail looks instead of being orange. I don’t know why that particular transition works so well, but it does.
2. Omastar
If you were involved with the community during the now legendary Twitch plays Pokémon, then you know exactly why Omastar is this high. Through the willpower of the Internet, Omanyte/Omastar achieved godhood. From that point forward, this ancient ammonite has been recognized as “God Helix, Father to Bird Jesus.” That sentence alone sums up why I love the Pokémon community so much. In terms of design, purple Omastar looks just as good as its blue variant on account of the age-old “uninspired old-school shiny design.”
1. Honchkrow
Shiny Honchkrow is a pimp. There, I said it. You can’t refute that point. Look at its dapper hat, look at how its “coat” looks. Sure, it looks more like a noir film character with its black colored design. But when it’s purple, it just turns into a pimp. I have no doubt that Game Freak knew exactly what it was doing with this design, too. What sold it to me is the white “scarf” that it has, the only color to remain consistent with both designs. The fact that the purple change looks fantastic is secondary at this point. Being consciously designed to be a Pokémon pimp (god, that sounds wrong), that alone is enough to put Honchkrow leagues and above any other purple shiny that has been, or ever will be, created.
