The first DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield is out, and fans are very excited about one new Pokemon in particular. The Isle of Armor adds a lot of returning Pokemon to the game, but also adds the unique Kubfu. This new friend has special evolutions and sort of walks the line between unique and legendary, which has many players wondering: Can they get a shiny version? The short answer is no, but there is more to it than that.
In Pokemon Sword and Shield, Kubfu is given to the player after completing the main story in Isle of Armor and talking to Mustard. This is where the question of being shiny locked comes into play, as many hardcore fans know well the key to being given a shiny Pokemon: Reloading the game. This is usually easier than hunting for one in the wild since players know exactly where the Pokemon is rather than spending hours wandering the tall grass. Saving before receiving the Pokemon, checking to see if it is shiny or if it has good stats, and reloading the save until they get the one they want is a process that has been around since shinies were first introduced in Pokemon Gold and Silver.
After research and some data mining, it appears that Kubfu is indeed shiny locked, meaning the one that Mustard gives as a gift cannot be shiny ever. Now, the easiest way around this is normally to breed the Pokemon at a Day Care or Breeder. When it is left with a compatible partner, the two will eventually produce an egg that the player must then carry around until it hatches. If the stars are aligned that day, a shiny will pop out sooner rather than later. Some factors in this can be changed, such as having a Pokemon with the Flame Body ability to decrease hatch time or getting the Oval Charm to increase odds of the two Pokemon producing an egg.
Unfortunately, Kubfu is technically a legendary Pokemon, so it cannot be bred with any other. Ditto—the go-to compatible partner for all breeding—doesn’t even breed with it. This means that, while the one that players are given cannot be shiny, they also cannot breed it for a shiny version.
The hope is that, since Kubfu is the poster Pokemon for this DLC, Nintendo will release a shiny version as a special event in the future. Until then, players will have to be satisfied with the new fighting-type friend and its two special method evolutions.
Pokemon Sword and Shield are available now on Switch.