Back on the shiny train in commemoration of the recent Shiny distribution Pokemon did, today I'm talking about the most known or iconic shiny Pokemon across the Pokemon series be it they're fan favorites or the games or anime brought special attention to them.

1. Gyarados

The famous Red Gyarados introduced in Pokemon Gold & Silver in 1999. It is famously owned by Kanto & Johto Champion: Lance and ALSO the first ever Shiny Pokemon to be introduced to the game series. Not only is the Lake of Rage event in the games iconic on their own, Red Gyarados is practically an icon in and of itself. This Pokemon's shiny is one that both non fans and fans can name without batting an eye. Plus, you cannot deny that the first Shiny ever is a great one in its own right and is almost if not always found on everyone's top 10 Shiny lists.

2. Metagross

Another iconic shiny but it's iconic thanks to the anime, it is a shiny whose owned by yet another Champion: Hoenn Champion Steven Stone. Shiny Metagross was introduced as a shiny Pokemon who went around Hoenn and Sinnoh characterized by its strangely aggressive nature as it'd always 'kill on sight' when it came to Pokemon Trainers, Team Rocket in particular. Another reason Shiny Metagross is so known in the fanbase is thanks to the Ruby & Sapphire Remakes in 2014 as the pre-order bonus for these titles was a Shiny Beldum. Ever since, the fanbase has raved non stop about how great this shiny is.

3. Charizard

I haven't came across a single person who doesn't know of shiny Charizard. Strangely enough, Shiny Charizard has no anime or game influence. It's just a great shiny that everyone happens to know and it doesn't help that Charizard is most likely the most beloved Pokemon in existence alongside Pikachu, Eevee & Mewtwo.

4. Noctowl

Although Noctowl's shiny isn't the best, it's Shiny was made iconic to the anime as it was the first shiny introduced in the Pokemon anime on top of how it was a Shiny that Ash of all people caught. Yup! Ash owned a Shiny Noctowl! It is also the ONLY shiny Ash has ever owned and I'll be honest, I never knew this guy was shiny. I watched Pokemon religiously when I was 0-12 years old, even owning most of the Kanto & Johto episodes on VHS. Either I was too young to know what a shiny was at the time, or I didn't watch the introduction episode of Ash's Noctowl😅 Either way, whenever I hear debates on which Pokemon was the best or most impressive that Ash caught, Noctowl is ALWAYS brought up and I rightfully understand why. Most players DREAM of ever owning a shiny and Ash has lived it.

5. Gengar

Made iconic for the sake that it's shiny is just THAT bad, shiny Gengar is also quite great if you look at its other forms. In the film: Volcanion & The Mechanical Marvel, the film featured a shiny Gengar of whom sported it's Mega Evolution state for most of the film and it was a mind blowing experience to say the least. What I thought was an average Gengar turned out to be a scary white demonic being that pursuited Ash & Volcanion for most of the film. 90% of the fanbase say that the only reason Gengar ISNT the worst shiny in existence is due to how its Shiny Mega & Gigantamax forms save it.

6. Rayquaza

Made iconic both as a fan favorite and by making an appearance in the film: Pokemon: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. Shiny Rayquaza is often regarded as the BEST Shiny legendary in the entire fanbase and honestly, I can't disagree. Compared to the rest of the Legendaries, Rayquaza is rivaled by very very few in regards to shiny forms. In fact, the only other Legendaries that remotely rival or best RayRay in regards to shinies would be Giratina, Koraidon & Ho-oH.

7. Mimickyu

Both a fan favorite AND owned by a major Pokemon character in the anime, this shiny guy belonged to Acerola in the Sun & Moon anime. Many often regard the Sun & Moon anime as the best series of Pokemon since the Kanto days and it helps that during this series, Ash FINALLY became a regional Champion. Acerola acted as a sister & guardian of sorts for Ash during his travels on the Ula'Ula Island and she doubles as the Ghost Trial Captain. Acerola became an instant fan favorite and the fact that she had a shiny Mimickyu companion made her all the more better.

8. Ponyta

A shiny iconic for the sake that it's just that awesome looking and has an entire mission dedicated to it in Legends Arceus, Ponyta is the only Shiny in Pokemon history you are guaranteed to obtain no matter how many times you fail at doing so. If you accidentally scare it or kill it in a wild encounter, the game resets this encounter until you eventually capture it. This mission in Legends Arceus was just such a nice way to bring more awareness to Shinies and give them much necessary lore we were previously lacking.

9. Zeraora

Another Shiny we can thank the anime for, shiny Zeraora made an appearance in the Sun & Moon anime when Ash went through a wormhole that transported him to a different dimension. There, Ash encountered a reality where Guzzlords were actively destroying the world where one of the Guzzlords were shiny. In this alternate dimension, a man and his shiny Zeraora fought off these Guzzlords. It was such a one of a kind sight to have multiple shinies in one episode, but Pokemon also distributed a Shiny Zeraora years later as a thank you for so many players downloading the Pokemon Home App.

10. Arcanine

Just an honorable mention! In the Pokemon World Championships this year in 2023, the World Championships is when players across the globe get together with teams they've built and battle it out for the title of best Player. The winner this year had a Shiny Arcanine on his team and to commemorate this win, Pokemon distributed a Shiny Arcanine to the fanbase in June. This isn't the first time Pokemon has distributed a shiny, but It was so cool that this shiny IS the shiny Arcanine, stats, Trainer ID and all, that belonged to the winner of the Championships.

Which Shiny do you think is the most iconic?