Shedinja, the ultimate gimmick Pokemon. From its start this dual bug/ghost type was already seen as this. Despite the negative connotations the work gimmick tends to have, Shedinja’s gimmick can be used with the right setup.
About Shedinja
| First appearance in anime | In the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire series episode ‘The Princess and the Togepi’ | |
| First appearance in game | Ruby and Sapphire | |
| Region | Hoenn | |
| Evolution | Nincada-->Ninjask & Shedinja | |
| 1st Evo level | 20 | |
| Pokedex Entry | A most peculiar Pokémon that somehow appears in a Poké Ball when a Nincada evolves. | A strange Pokémon—it flies without moving its wings, has a hollow shell for a body, and does not breathe. |
Shedinja’s Base Stats
| HP | 1 |
| Attack | 90 |
| Defense | 45 |
| Sp. Attack | 30 |
| Sp. Defense | 30 |
| Speed | 40 |
Appearance
Shedinja is a uniquely designed Pokemon. It looks like the husk of a cicada. It's almost entirely brown but with some grey and has tattered wings sprouting from its back. Though, like a husk, Shedinja is completely empty and is the least alive Pokemon in the entire series, with no internal organs and not even the ability to breathe.
Behavior
Shedinja cannot move but it is able to float. It stays in the forests where it evolves and barely has a personality. It is in all ways a husk, completely empty.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Shedinja’s gimmick comes from its ability: Wonder Guard. This means it is unaffected by anything by any move that isn't super effective. Shedinja can only be hit by flying, rock, ghost, fire, and dark type moves.
Shedinja Weakness
Shedinja Weakness is what the Pokemon’s gimmick is all about. Wonder Guard means that Shedinja Weakness is the only way to hit the Pokemon. Shedinja Weakness means that Shedinja is immune to almost all move types except for 5.
Best Moveset for Shedinja
Setup: Shedinja’s damage immunity makes it a good choice for setting up with. Its only good stat is its attack stat. And it can learn Swords Dance making it ideal for setting up with lots of attack and sweeping opponents.
| Swords Dance | Shadow Sneak |
| X-Scissor | Will-O-Wisp/Protect |
How to Catch Shedinja in Pokemon Go
In Pokemon Go, Shedinja does not evolve from Nincada like it does in other games but instead it is found through field research. Similar to other rare Pokemon from research, Shedinja can only be found by completing a set of research which ends with Shedinja appearing and allowing you an opportunity to capture it.
Video Guide
Trivia
Shedinja is the only bug/ghost type Pokmeon in the entire series.
When Shedinja appears from a Ninjask evolution, a Pokeball is taken from the player’s inventory.
Shedinja, alongside Ditto, cannot be used in Trainer Battles in Pokemon Go.
FAQs
Why does Shedinja only have 1 hp?
This may be a reference to it being a ghostly husk and therefore being fragile but more likely, Shedinja has 1 HP for the sake of game balance. Shedinja is the only Pokemon which is widely immune to types which is an incredibly powerful trait.
Is Shedinja a legendary?
Shedinja may be special, but it isn’t legendary. Not only is it just not categorized as one but it comes from an evolution making it impossible for it to be legendary.
Why is Shedinja banned in Pokemon Go?
It's not entirely sure why Pokemon Go disallows the use of Shedinja in battle but there are two possible reasons. The first is that Niantic may not see Shedinja as worth using or, more likely, Niantic doesn’t need to waste development time programming its special ability so instead they just disallow it. This is more probable due to ditto also being banned and it also has a special transform ability.
Conclusion
Shedinja is a very unique Pokemon but not a very good one. It can be useful when used right but its weaknesses absolutely hard-counter it and you may as well have not used Shedinja if your opponent can counter it. Thankfully Shedinja isn’t the only Pokemon that comes from its evolution.
