Summary
ThePokemonfranchise is one of the most popular and beloved media series ever, spanning many games, TV shows, toys, and various other avenues over the past few decades. The appeal of this series stems from the hundreds of eye-catching Pokemon designs the company has released over the years. From cute little rodents to menacing dragons, Pokemon designs have a certain charm to them that makes them stand out from creatures of other similar franchises.
To top it off, Game Freak alsointroduced an alternate color schemefor each of its Pokemon designs, commonly called a shiny form, which only added to the appeal of these fictional creatures.
Updated on Jun 09, 2025, by Ben Painter: Catching a shiny Pokemon in a game is something, special as they are so rare to find. First introduced inPokemon Gold & Silverback in Generation 2 to make use of the Game Boy Color’s ability to display colored screens. Some fans dedicate a lot of time to finding their favorite Pokemon in shiny form or even collecting every shiny Pokemon. Some Pokemon’s shiny variations are less than admirable, but the ones that always seem to land are the black-colored monsters. There is something about darkening the color palette of a Pokemon which really works. This update adds five more of thebest black shiny Pokemon.
1Hisuian Braviary
National Dex Number: #0628
Braviary is often described as the Pokemon which best represents the USA. It is found in Unova, which is inspired by the States and is based on an Eagle, which is the national animal of the US. Normally, this Pokemon has a red, white and blue color scheme.
InPokemon Legends: Arceusit gained a new form which took the inspiration of a sea eaglewith an alternate color scheme; white and black. In its shiny variant, it represents a different variant of this bird which is all black. It is nice when shiny forms have some real-life inspiration and are not just picked at random. What makes this even sweeter is the fact this one is a black shiny, which is always the coolest.
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2Roselia
National Dex Number: #0315
Roselia’s shiny is one of those which don’t really change that much. There is debate about whether it can be considered a black shiny at all. Nonetheless, it does gain a dark coloring as one of its rose hands changes from red to black.
Black roses do not occur naturally in the wild, but they are a symbol of anarchism, which could be a reference to the fact that Roselia is part Poison-type. However, it could just be an aesthetic choice, which works well as a subtle change. Whatever the reason, it is one that fans do consider one of thebest shiny black Pokemon.
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3Chandelure
National Dex Number: #0609
Chandelure is an expertly designed Pokemon. In its base coloring, it has blue flames with a light blue body and piercing yellow eyes. But if gamers are looking to encounter a shiny form, the colors are darkened on its main body and the flames are replaced with a much more traditional orange.
In contrast, the main body is white, which allows everything else to stand out. The dark arms fit in so well to represent a haunted chandelier, and they areperfect for a Ghost-type Pokemon.
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4Purrloin
National Dex Number: #0509
Purrloin is based on a black tuxedo cat, but its original form doesn’t represent that the best way it can, as it is colored a dark purple rather than black. This is where the shiny form comes in, as it became a much darker purple, not quite black but it is a truer representation.
It is one of those blink-and-miss shinies, but overall it works well for this Pokemon and is fitting considering this Pokemon is a Dark-type, so it doesn’t really make sense to take it in another direction, especially considering this ‘mons inspiration.
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The Eruption Pokemon draws inspiration from two things: a camel and, as its category suggests, a volcano. Its original color scheme works well, being orange, which is a common color for Fire-type Pokemon.
When in its shiny form, it gains the black coloring, which is more fitting as it better represents the dark, ash-filled mountain that is a volcano. This also remains the samein its Mega evolution too, which better plays up to this volcano looking as it is actually shown to be erupting. Overall, it is great shiny and the black works well in more than one way here.
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6Pumpkaboo/Gourgeist
National Dex Number: #0710, #0711
The Halloween-inspired duo of Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist have a very appropriate shiny, switching from a traditional orange and brown color scheme of a pumpkin to a purple and black appearance. This makes it very witch-like and spookier, fitting the theme of the Pokemon.
Black Pokemon look more menacing, and this is certainly the casefor this spooky ‘mon. There is also an additional challenge to this shiny hunt. Both Pumpkaboo and Gourgeist are available in four different sizes, so the player may want to collect all four forms as a shiny. It will require a lot of time and patience to complete this daunting task.
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7Magearna (Original Color)
National Dex Number: #0801
Magearna is a Mythical Pokemon that was released inPokemon Sun & Moon, available through the QR Scanner function after completing the main story. Its shiny form is less than admirable, having a plain steel look to it.
However, the Artificial Pokemon has an alternate form, which has an awesome black shiny. The new Magearna is ‘Original Color,’ which has the same color scheme as a Poke Ball. This can be unlocked in Pokemon Home when completing the National Dex. Its shiny form turns that red ball into a black one, reminiscent of the Ultra Ball, a great way to do a Pokeball-inspired Pokemon. Sadly, both versions of Magearna are shiny-locked, meaning that these shinies can’t even be acquired. What a shame.
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8Umbreon
National Dex Number: #0197
It is questionable whether Umbreon’s shiny form can be considered a ‘black shiny.’ The Dark-type Eeveelution is black, to begin with, and when it is a shiny, the only thing that changes is the color of the rings on its body. However, this Pokemon is a fan-favorite, and itsshiny form is regarded as one of the best in the franchise. So, considering it still remains black, it counts.
The gold rings found on Umbreon become a blue, almost neon color. Although it’s a subtle change, it really works. Umbreon becomes a Pokemon with a Tron-like inspiration. Light blue and black are two colors that look good together, and with a cool Pokemon such as Umbreon, it is an even bigger bonus.
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9Furfrou
National Dex Number: #0676
Furfrou is a Pokemon inspired by the poodle, a breed of dog known for its eccentric hairstyles. This is reflected in the game with this Pokemon. Gamers can take their Furfrou to groomers in Kalos and change the style, which also adds another color.
The base form of this Pokemon is white, so a black shiny works well shiny as they are opposite colors, which makes for the best shiny Pokemon. With Furfrou’s different looks, there is an additional task to collect every different hairstyle in the shiny form, which will take a lot of effort to do.
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10Alcremie
National Dex Number: #0869
If gamers want a big challenge, thenthey should attempt to evolve all forms of Alcremie in the games. Milcery is the pre-evolved form, and when the player gives it a Sweet to hold and then physically spins around and strikes a pose or gets dizzy, Milcery will evolve into Alcremie. The form it takes upon evolving depends on the time of day, the length of the spin, and whether the Trainer was spinning clockwise or counterclockwise. Its appearance is further determined by the type of Sweet that is held. There are nine different types of cream and seven different sweets, which make for 63 total versions of Alcremie.
Thankfully, for shiny hunters, only the different Sweet affects the color, so there are only seven different shiny Alcremie. Alcremie’s base color is determined by several different factors, and it matches the color of the cream. The shiny form abandons this, and the color of Alcremie’s body is black, vastly different to all of its other pastel-shaded forms. It looks really cool because so different, while the colored sweet remains the same and pops as a bright color against the dark body.
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