Is Shiny Keldeo Officially Available in Games?
Shiny Keldeo Availability in Pokémon Games (2023)
Since GameFreak/TPC decided to start locking certain shinies in Gen 5, their handling of shinies in general has been a roller coaster. They’ve made improvements for catching regular shinies in some games; however, their treatment of Legendary/Mythicals (especially Mythicals) has been consistently irritating after Black/White.
Most people believe this was done to make special Pokémon like Keldeo available for distribution/promotional events only. The issue is, they often never release them. Barring Genesect (Japan only), Diancie (Japan/Korea only), and Zeraora, no other Post-Gen 5 mythical has had their shinies released. This includes Pokémon like Victini and Keldeo, which have existed for almost 14 years without shiny releases.
Additionally, the new DLC has brought back lots of old legendary Pokémon. Yet, they are all shiny locked too. It’s even more ridiculous considering that multiple old games, including the last two, allowed shiny hunting—sometimes with better odds. What’s even the point of locking these now? There seems to be no clear rationale.
As of this post, Keldeo—and Enamorus—are the only Pokémon that are completely shiny-locked. Thus, it’s advised not to bother trying to shiny hunt Keldeo. The list of shiny-locked Pokémon as of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet includes: Victini, Keldeo.
In conclusion, Keldeo remains shiny locked; it cannot be shiny under any circumstances.
Understanding Shiny Locks: Which Legendary Pokémon Are Affected?
To understand the concept of Shiny Locks, it’s important to recognize that certain Pokémon, particularly Legendary and Mythical ones, are programmed not to appear as Shiny under any circumstances.
Starting from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, all in-game event Pokémon encounters, such as Legendary Pokémon, are commonly referred to as Shiny-locked. This can happen if the Pokémon is coded not to appear as Shiny in the wild, or via in-game gifts, in-game trades, breeding, or has never been distributed as Shiny via events.
As of the release of Generation 8, the following Pokémon cannot be legally Shiny: Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Hoopa, Volcanion, Cosmog, and Cosmoem.
- All Keldeo released via event have not been Shiny.
- The catchable Keldeo in the Isle of Armor is shiny locked, which means it cannot be Shiny no matter how many times you soft reset.
- Thus, it’s impossible to legally get a Shiny Keldeo; however, it is possible to obtain one through hacking.
- Shiny Keldeo is illegal due to its shiny lock.
- Any shiny versions of Keldeo would be considered hacked.
In summary, Shiny Keldeo is shiny locked in this game and every other Pokémon game. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain Keldeo legally in its Shiny form.
Moreover, Shiny Celebi can be obtained legitimately in the original Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, via Generation II event distributions, and through in-game encounters in the Virtual Console releases of Pokémon Crystal.
Similarly, Shiny Mew can be obtained legitimately as part of the Gotta catch ’em all! Station, the Japanese version of Pokémon Emerald via the Old Sea Map event item, or through Pokémon GO’s Mew Masterwork Research quest.
How to Obtain Keldeo Legitimately in Pokémon Games?
To obtain Keldeo legitimately in Pokémon games, there are specific methods available:
- In Pokémon GO, you can obtain Keldeo by completing Step 5 of the Something Extraordinary Special Research. This opportunity is available to Ticket Holders starting December 10th, 2022, at 10 am local time. Tickets are priced at $7.99 USD, available for purchase from December 6, 2022, at 10 am to December 11, 2022, at 8 pm local time.
However, it is important to note that:
- Keldeo cannot currently be shiny in Pokémon GO. As of February 2022, all Keldeo released via events have not been Shiny.
- The catchable Keldeo in the Isle of Armor is shiny locked, meaning it cannot be shiny regardless of attempts to reset.
- Overall, it is impossible to legally obtain a shiny Keldeo in any Pokémon game. All Keldeo, regardless of how they are acquired, are shiny locked.
In conclusion, while Keldeo can be obtained through legitimate means in Pokémon games, obtaining a shiny version is not possible without unauthorized hacking.
