Ditto has been such a sought-after Pokémon for both the main games and other Pokémon releases because Ditto can breed with almost every Pokémon in a player’s Pokédex. Dittos also make Shiny Hunting a whole lot easier. But what if we have a Shiny Ditto? Will it transform into a Shiny Pokémon?
In current generations, any Ditto will transform to the opposing Pokémon’s color scheme. So, if the player has a Shiny Ditto but is copying a normal Pokémon, then it will only transform into a normal Pokémon. However, in Generation 3 games, a Shiny Ditto will transform into the shiny version of the opposing Pokémon.
Most people have tried to get a Shiny Ditto to see different Shiny Pokémon, but sadly a Shiny Ditto doesn’t work that way. So, if a player would want to start seeing more Shiny versions of their Pokémon, the best way is to do some Shiny Hunting using a Foreign Ditto instead.
Featured image source: r/ShinyPokemon
How Does a Shiny Ditto Look Like?
Instead of the usual purple blob that everyone is familiar with, a shiny Ditto is blue in color but otherwise retains the features of every other Ditto. The normal Ditto is already rare in the game, so trainers would consider a Shiny Ditto a prized possession.
What Can a Shiny Ditto Transform Into?
Similar to a regular Ditto, a Shiny Ditto should be able to transform into any Pokémon or object that it can see. The condition is that the object the Ditto is copying should be right in front of it. Otherwise, it will fail in its transformation.
In the anime, a failed transformation done by a regular Ditto is portrayed by the Ditto being able to copy most of the Pokémon’s features except the Pokémon’s facial features. Instead, the Ditto in the anime would retain its own facial features.
In the games, a Shiny Ditto and a regular Ditto cannot transform into an already transformed creature or a Pokémon with an active illusion that would prevent a Ditto from seeing its true form. Otherwise, a Ditto should be able to transform into any Pokémon, including legendaries.
Why Can’t a Shiny Ditto Transform Into a Shiny Pokémon?
A Shiny Ditto can transform into a Shiny Pokémon if the Pokémon it is copying is also a shiny variant. Otherwise, a Shiny Ditto will simply copy the pigment of the Pokémon it sees in front of it.
However, back in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, a Shiny Ditto will actually transform into the shiny variant of the opposing Pokémon. While it was never explained why the Pokémon Company changed the transformation look, one could guess it might be due to the company wanting to be accurate to the Poké entry.
Can I Shiny Hunt Using a Shiny Ditto?
If you’re hoping to complete your Shiny Pokédex with a Shiny Ditto, using one to breed with other Pokémon will neither increase nor decrease the odds of hatching a Shiny Pokémon. In Pokémon Sword and Shield, the Pokémon you would want to have in order to increase your shiny odds is a Foreign Ditto.
A Foreign Ditto is a Ditto that has been traded from another copy of Pokémon Sword or Shield that is being played in a foreign language from your game. Essentially, if one player is from America and the other player is from France, and they decide to trade Dittos, then both players will receive a Foreign Language Ditto.
A Foreign Ditto with a Shiny Charm will increase the chances of hatching a Shiny Pokémon. The chances of hatching a Shiny are usually just one in every 4096 eggs. Not everyone who wants to complete the Shiny Dex would wish to hatch over 4096 Pokémon.
How Can I Get a Shiny Ditto in Pokémon GO?
During the “Kanto Tour” event in Pokémon GO, players who participated and completed the event managed to get a Shiny Ditto. However, that doesn’t mean players who missed the tour completely missed their chance to get a Shiny Ditto. Luckily, Shiny Dittos remained in the game even after the event finished.
Getting a Shiny Ditto is similar to getting a regular Ditto. However, the odds are extremely low. In order to get one, you need to either catch a Paras, Hoothoot, Spinrak, Hoppip, Remoraid, Whismur, Galpin, Numel, Bidoof or a Foongus. If you capture any of those Pokémon, there’s a chance that it’ll be a Ditto and possibly even a Shiny Ditto.
Why Are Shiny Pokémon So Desirable?
People who might not be interested or invested in Pokémon games may not understand why having Shiny Pokémon is important to a lot of players. At the end of the day, it’s really the effort to get a Shiny that people pride themselves with.
Shiny Pokémon are regular Pokémon that come in different colors. They do not have any boosted stats or special skill sets. However, their different pigments make them rare as there aren’t many in the game, and chances of encountering or hatching them are already very low.
When shinies were first introduced in Generation 2, the odds of encountering these odd colored Pokémon were one in every 8192 encounters. Luckily, by the time players hit Generation five, the odds were increased to one every 4096 encounters. In addition, a lot of things were added to increase the odds, such as a Shiny Charm. However, even with all these additions, it can still take trainers weeks, months, or even years to get their hands on a Shiny.
