After the "Pokémon GO" Pikachu Outbreak event, which took place in Yokohama, Japan earlier this week, developer Niantic has announced that the unique Shiny Pikachu is now available for trainers to capture worldwide.
There had been reports from the "Pokémon GO" community of players spotting the rare variant of Pikachu. Niantic later confirmed on Twitter that the Shiny Pikachu had indeed been released.
The Shiny Pikachu boasts a more vibrant shade of yellow that is very distinct compared to its ordinary counterpart. Given Pikachu's popularity, the Shiny version of this Pokémon will probably motivate players to go out and capture their own.
The arrival of the Shiny Pikachu outside of Japan took players by surprise given its sudden release. Reports stated that players in Sweden and in Canada were able to catch the elusive Pokémon.
In the Pikachu Outbreak event, the Shiny Raichu was also made available to Japanese trainers, and will likely be available worldwide soon — and possibly Pichu, which will complete the entire bracket for the Pokémon type.
As players already know, encounters with the Shiny variations of Pokémon can be extremely scarce. This might frustrate avid Pikachu fans, and there are many of them and could eventually lead to a petition for Niantic to make the Shiny Pikachu more accessible — or increase the period of its availability.
A lot of luck is involved for those who are looking to catch a Shiny Pikachu and it is best to be equipped with advanced Pokéballs and berries to significantly increase the chances of obtaining one.
It is expected that Niantic will soon come out with more releases, such as the confirmation of release date of the legendary Pokémon Ho-oh raids.
However, it is more likely that Mewtwo will be available in raid battles before Ho-oh. The Mewtwo raid was also presented in Yokohama, Japan and if Niantic is consistent with their trend, it is likely that Mewtwo will be available worldwide within the next few weeks.
