Over the past four years, Pokémon GO has introduced several special Pokémon. Some of them wear hats, some of them wear full costumes, and some of them just look different than their regular counterparts. Typically these Pokémon are released as part of events.
Most of these special Pokémon are Hat Pikachus, but some other species have received the special treatment as well. While fans have grown a bit tired of endless costumed Pokémon, one has to admit that some of them are pretty cool, even if the idea is overdone. Here are some of the best that have been released.
10 Flower Crown Eevee
One of the first Pokémon to receive a “costume” aside from Pikachu was Eevee, when it was given a flower crown. Pikachu, Eevee, and their evolutionary families were given cute little pink flower crowns as part of the celebrations for Pokémon Day 2019.
Leafeon and Glaceon were not yet released but were given flower crowns as well when they eventually made their way into the game. This was great, as Leafeon sporting the flower crown is probably the best of the flower crown-eligible species. But, they’re all very cute.
9 Armored Mewtwo
While the flower crown Pokémon are cute, there is a different costumed Pokémon that’s on the opposite end of the spectrum — Armored Mewtwo, which is epic and very cool-looking. Released in July of 2019 initially, Armored Mewtwo returned in 2020 alongside the release of the Mewtwo Strikes Back remake.
It has more defense-based stats than regular Mewtwo, which changes how it can be used in battle entirely. It looks sick with all of its spiky armor, improving an already cool-looking Pokémon.
8 Party Hat Nidorino and Gengar
To celebrate Pokémon Day 2020, GO introduced Nidorino and Gengar wearing party hats. These two Pokémon are seemingly-random choices, but they actually make sense if you know this bit of Pokémon history. Nidorino and Gengar were shown battling in the opening cinematic of Red & Blue all the way back in 1998.
This is directly referenced by these two being the party-hat-adorned Pokémon for this celebration of the series’ history. Unfortunately, some parts of the world had their Nidorino/Gengar raid day canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and still haven’t seen their promised make-up day.
7 Flying Pikachu
As stated, there have been a ton of different variations of Pikachu added to the game, to the dismay of many who find it an easy out for Niantic rather than introducing something worthwhile.
However, many of the Pikachu costumes are pretty fun, even if widely-unappreciated. One of these is Flying Pikachu, which is hanging from a bundle of balloons. This is a direct reference to the early-series Flying Pikachu that appeared in Snap, the TCG, and other media.
6 Heart-Pattern Spinda
In the main series, no two Spinda are the same. With over a billion possible patterns available, it’s unlikely that two of the same Spinda have ever been caught. Pokémon GO has handled Spinda differently, however, originally releasing one of a handful of versions on a month-to-month basis that was the same for everyone.
However, for Valentine’s Day 2019, Niantic released a Spinda with a distinct heart-shaped spot in its pattern. It’s very cute and a great addition to one’s collection.
5 Holiday Stantler
One of the first costumed Pokémon that wasn’t Pikachu was Stantler. Initially found in the game’s files long before its release, Stantler wearing holiday bells was released during the Holiday 2019 event.
It is meant to mimic Santa’s sleigh-pulling reindeer. It was part of a larger holiday event that also included Cryogonal, Pikachu wearing a toque, and Delibird. However, Stantler was definitely the most fun out of the whole group.
4 Clone Starters
Joining the return of Armored Mewtwo for the Mewtwo Strikes Back — Evolution promo was the clone starters. These models are based on the different-looking patterns that adorned the clones Mewtwo made of Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise in the film.
Charizard has tiger stripes on its limbs, Blastoise has stripes on its head and face, plus geometric patterns on the back of its shell, and Venusaur has white lines on its body with shapes on its flower.
3 Pikachu Libre
One of the coolest costumed Pokémon is, unfortunately, one of the rarest. Pikachu Libre is obtainable to those who achieve Rank 10 in the GO Battle League, which is a very difficult thing to do. It’s very, very hard to reach this rank, as one needs to have what seems like a perfect win record to advance that far.
This special Pikachu knows the move Flying Press, which is interesting in its own right, as in the main series it is both a Flying- and Fighting-type move simultaneously.
2 Summer Hat Pichu
To celebrate the second anniversary of Pokémon GO, Niantic added a new hat for Pikachu — the summer hat, paired perfectly with some aviator shades. Officially called “Summer Style Pikachu,” this little guy was released alongside its evolutionary relatives with the same costume.
Among the three of them, Pichu is definitely the best. This tiny Baby Pokémon sporting these cool shades and big, floppy hat, is cooler than the rest of us, and it knows it. The rest of us could never reach this level of cool.
1 Sunglasses Squirtle
Before there was Pichu wearing sunglasses, though, there was Squirtle. To celebrate Squirtle Community Day, Niantic listened to the people (for once) and made a tribute to the classic Squirtle Squad from the Pokémon anime. This group of Squirtle sported cool shades and got up to all sorts of trouble, and Niantic referenced them with a classic sunglasses-adorned Squirtle on its special day.
To make things even more fun, Wartortle and Blastoise both keep the sunglasses after evolving. There isn’t anything cooler than a giant cannon turtle wearing some aviator shades.
NEXT: Pokémon Sword & Shield: 10 Abilities With Effects The Game Never Tells You
