Are Koraidon and Miraidon Shiny-locked in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Shiny Pokémon are some of the most beloved creatures in the Pokémon universe. Their extreme rarity and unique color schemes as well as the immense time effort—or luck—required to obtain them mean that they’re highly sought after across almost all of the main series Pokémon games. They have the exact same stats and moves as their non-Shiny counterparts, but their enhanced appearance makes all the difference to collectors.

While it might be some players’ dream to own the Shiny version of every single Pokémon, unfortunately, that’s not possible. While just about every Pokémon has a Shiny sprite, a handful of Pokémon found throughout the franchise are “Shiny-locked,” meaning their Shiny form can’t be obtained without hacking or cheating. Fans of the recently-released Pokémon Scarlet and Violet may be wondering if the game’s mascot legendaries, Koraidon and Miraidon, also fall into this category.

So, are Koraidon and Miraidon Shiny-locked in Scarlet and Violet?

Koraidon and Miraidon Shiny details

Yes, Koraidon and Miraidon are Shiny-locked in Scarlet and Violet, meaning it’s not possible to add a Shiny version of them to your team unless you hack the game to modify them or obtain a Shiny version. This is similar to many previous Pokémon games’ mascot legendary Pokémon, which generally can’t be obtained in Shiny form. Despite this, there are likely Shiny sprites for both Koraidon and Miraidon hidden within the game’s files, as is the case with many other Shiny-locked Pokémon.

There is also a handful of other Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet that are Shiny-locked, according to Bulbapedia. Gimmighoul and its evolution Gholdengo are Shiny-locked, as are Ting-Lu, Chien-Pao, Wo-Chien, and Chi-Yu.