A wild Pokémon in Pokémon Y has a 1 in 4,096 chance to be shiny. The best method you can start mid-game is chain fishing: after 20 hooks in a row at the same spot, each bite is about 1 in 100. After the Hall of Fame, every Friend Safari encounter is about 1 in 819.6, and at a Poké Radar chain of 40 each chained patch has a 1 in 100 chance to sparkle. The Shiny Charm, for catching the whole National Pokédex, brings normal odds to about 1 in 1,366. Yveltal, Xerneas, Zygarde, Mewtwo, the three legendary birds, Route 7’s Snorlax, Korrina’s Lucario and every in-game trade can never be shiny. Pokémon X works the same way.
This page covers Pokémon Y and Pokémon X on Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, up to update 1.5. No update changed the shiny odds or the locked Pokémon. Sun and Moon’s SOS chains, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s DexNav and the Legends: Z-A methods aren’t in X and Y. If you came for the Evolution item, the Shiny Stone evolves Togetic and Minccino and never makes a Pokémon shiny.
What is a shiny Pokémon in Pokémon Y?
A shiny Pokémon has different colors from the rest of its species. It sparkles when it appears in battle and has a star on its summary screen. Its stats, moves and IVs are no better than a normal one’s. Whether a Pokémon is shiny is set the moment the game creates it, so no item can change it later, and a shiny stays shiny when it evolves.
Each shiny check is a 1 in 4,096 roll. Chain fishing, the Friend Safari, the Masuda method and the Shiny Charm give one Pokémon or Egg extra rolls, and those extra rolls add up. A horde is five Pokémon, each with its own roll. The Poké Radar works differently: when it makes the shaking patches, it decides whether each chain patch will hold a guaranteed shiny.
Shiny odds in Pokémon Y for every method
| Method | When you can use it | Rolls | Odds | With Shiny Charm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any wild Pokémon (grass, caves, Surf, a single fishing bite) | Start of the game | 1 | 1 in 4,096 | 1 in 1,366 (3 rolls) |
| Eggs from same-language parents | Route 7 Day Care | 1 | 1 in 4,096 | 1 in 2,048 (2 rolls) |
| Horde, chance that one of the five is shiny | Honey or Sweet Scent | 5 × 1 | 1 in 820 per horde | 1 in 274 per horde |
| Chain fishing, 20 or more hooks | Any rod, from the Old Rod on | 41 | 1 in 100 | 1 in 96 (43 rolls) |
| Friend Safari | After the Hall of Fame | 5 | 1 in 819.6 | 1 in 585.6 (7 rolls) |
| Poké Radar, chain of 40 or more | After the Hall of Fame | – | 1 in 100 for each chain patch | No change |
| Masuda method | A parent from a game in another language | 6 | 1 in 683 | 1 in 512 (8 rolls) |
These are chances per encounter or per Egg, not countdowns. A shiny can show up on your first try or take three times the listed number. The 1 in 8,192 figure belongs to Generation V and earlier; X and Y halved it.
Eggs are the odd case. In X and Y the Shiny Charm alone gives an Egg two rolls, so same-language breeding with the Charm is 1 in 2,048, not 1 in 1,366. With a foreign parent the Charm still adds two rolls, for 1 in 512.
Which shiny method should you use?
| Where you are | Best method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Before the Old Rod | Hordes with Honey or Sweet Scent | Five shiny checks per battle |
| Have any rod, story not finished | Chain fishing | About 1 in 100 once the chain hits 20, with nothing to unlock |
| Hall of Fame done | Poké Radar for grass species, Friend Safari if you have friends to meet | A long Radar chain makes sparkling patches common. Safari Pokémon have at least two perfect IVs |
| You want a specific Pokémon that breeds | Masuda method | 1 in 683, or 1 in 512 with the Charm. Use a foreign-language Ditto or a foreign partner from a matching Egg Group |
| National Pokédex finished | Any of the above, plus the Charm | The Charm stacks with everything except the Radar’s sparkle chance |
Chain fishing: the best early shiny method
Chain fishing (consecutive fishing) starts as soon as you reel in a Pokémon. Every Pokémon you reel in without a miss adds two shiny rolls. At 20 hooks you have 41 rolls, about 1 in 100, and the chain stops improving. Any rod works, so you can start with the Old Rod from the Ambrette Aquarium.
- Pick a spot whose fishing table has the Pokémon you want. Route 3 and Route 22 have Magikarp on the Old Rod and Gyarados on the Super Rod.
- Put a Pokémon with Suction Cups or Sticky Hold first in your party. Either Ability makes bites more likely.
- Stand in one place, register the rod to the Y button and cast.
- Press A as soon as the “!” appears. Missing it ends the chain.
- Catch, knock out or run from each Pokémon. All three keep the chain going.
- Keep casting from the same spot. A shiny sparkles as soon as the battle starts.
The chain breaks if you get “Not even a nibble...”, miss the reel-in, or leave the area. Staying on one spot also keeps you on the same table.
A Fisherman on Route 16 tells you your longest chain, and the Super Rod comes from the Fishing Shack on the same route; the rod guide covers all three rods. Every spot and rod table is on the Kalos map.
Horde encounters: five shiny checks in one battle
Using Honey or the move Sweet Scent outside battle starts a horde of five wild Pokémon in areas that have hordes. Some, like Route 3 and Route 22, have none. Each of the five gets its own shiny roll, so a horde has about a 1 in 820 chance to hold a shiny, or 1 in 274 with the Charm. Honey runs out; a Pokémon that knows Sweet Scent can start horde after horde.
You can’t choose which horde shows up, so a shiny only matters if it’s a Pokémon you want. You can only throw a Poké Ball when one wild Pokémon is left. With no shiny, a move that hits every foe ends the horde fast. With one, switch to single-target moves, knock out the other four one by one, then catch the shiny.
Friend Safari shiny odds after the online shutdown
The Friend Safari in Kiloude City opens after the Hall of Fame. Every Pokémon there gets five shiny rolls, about 1 in 819.6, and the Charm adds two for about 1 in 585.6. Safari Pokémon are always Lv. 30 and have at least two perfect IVs. The Charm counts in the Safari too.
Nintendo ended 3DS online play on April 8, 2024 (April 9 in some regions). Safaris from friends already on your Friend List still work, and their first two slots never needed anything more. The dependable way to get slot 3 and Hidden Abilities is to have your friend enter the Hall of Fame and then meet them on PSS, which now means meeting in person over local wireless. Once Hidden Abilities are unlocked, Pokémon in all three slots can have them. Types, slots and the full lists are on the Friend Safari page.
Poké Radar chaining in Pokémon Y
After the Hall of Fame, talk to the scientist on 2F of Professor Sycamore’s Lab in Lumiose City for the Poké Radar. Walk 50 steps to charge it, then use it in grass or a flower bed and patches around you shake.
| Patch | What’s in it | Shiny? |
|---|---|---|
| Chain patch (violent shake) | The species you’re chaining | Each has a 1 in (8,100 − 200 × chain) chance to become a sparkling patch, 1 in 100 from a chain of 40. One that doesn’t sparkle is never shiny |
| Sparkling patch | The species you’re chaining | Always shiny |
| Normal patch (side-to-side shake) | A random species from the area | 1 in 4,096, or 1 in 1,366 with the Charm |
| Faint shake | Nothing | Stepping in ends the chain |
The shake is a hint, not a promise: about 1 time in 5 a chain patch uses the normal animation. Catch or knock out the chained species to add one to the chain. If no patch looks right, use the Radar again for new patches without breaking the chain. At a chain of 0 the chain patches can’t sparkle, and catching instead of knocking out makes chain patches a little more likely to appear. Now and then, after a battle that keeps the chain going, upbeat music starts; while it plays, chain patches get the 1 in 100 chance however short your chain is.
The chain breaks if you meet a different species, run from a battle, ride the Bicycle or Roller Skates (moving with the Circle Pad uses the skates), or step into a faintly shaking patch. Walk with the +Control Pad and keep a Repel going. If a sparkling patch shows up, catch the shiny, but know that catching it without the upbeat music sets the sparkle chance back to 1 in 8,100; the chain length stays. The Eevee guide walks through a Radar chain on Route 10.
Masuda method at the Route 7 Day Care
Leave two Pokémon at the Day Care whose games of origin are in different languages, such as an English Pokémon and a Japanese Ditto. Each Egg then gets six rolls, 1 in 683, or eight with the Charm, 1 in 512. The language is the tag on the Pokémon’s summary screen. The Trainer’s name and your 3DS language don’t matter.
With the GTS and Wonder Trade gone, the foreign parent has to come from a local trade with a friend, or from another game through Pokémon Bank. X and Y’s in-game trades don’t give foreign-language Pokémon. Riding the Bicycle back and forth hatches Eggs faster.
How to get the Shiny Charm in Pokémon Y
After the Hall of Fame, Sina and Dexio upgrade you to the National Pokédex at Lumiose Station. Catch (not just see) every Pokémon in it except Mythical Pokémon, then talk to Professor Sycamore at his lab and he gives you the Shiny Charm. It takes trades and Pokémon from other games, so plan on it as a long post-game goal.
The Charm is a Key Item and works from your Bag; no Pokémon has to hold it. It adds two rolls to wild Pokémon, hordes, fishing chains, the Friend Safari and Masuda Eggs. Same-language Eggs are the exception: with the Charm they get two rolls in total, 1 in 2,048. It does nothing for gifts, in-game trades, event Pokémon or the Poké Radar’s sparkle chance. The Oval Charm is a different item. Sycamore gives it for seeing every Pokémon in the Kalos Pokédex, and it only makes Eggs show up more often. Track your progress with the Kalos Pokédex.
Which Pokémon can’t be shiny in Pokémon Y?
| Pokémon | Where | Can it be shiny? |
|---|---|---|
| Yveltal (Pokémon Y), Xerneas (Pokémon X) | Team Flare Secret HQ | No |
| Zygarde | Terminus Cave | No |
| Mewtwo | Unknown Dungeon | No |
| Articuno, Zapdos or Moltres | Roams after the Hall of Fame, then Sea Spirit’s Den | No |
| Snorlax | Route 7 | No |
| Lucario | Korrina’s gift, Tower of Mastery | No |
| Every in-game trade | Santalune, Cyllage, Snowbelle, hotels, Shauna, Diantha | No |
| Chespin, Fennekin, Froakie | Aquacorde Town | Yes, 1 in 4,096 |
| Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle | Professor Sycamore, Lumiose City | Yes, 1 in 4,096 |
| Fossil Pokémon | Ambrette Town Fossil Lab | Yes, 1 in 4,096 |
| Lapras | Route 12 gift | Yes, 1 in 4,096 |
The Shiny Charm doesn’t help with gifts, so starters, fossils and Lapras stay at 1 in 4,096. Save right before the gift and soft-reset if you want one. Shiny Xerneas and Yveltal were only given out at events, such as the 2016 distributions, and those are over. The Abomasnow in Frost Cavern gives you the Abomasite and can’t be caught. For Snorlax’s bridge see the Route 7 guide, and for all three starter families the X and Y starters overview.
Why your shiny hunt isn’t working
- Fishing chain keeps breaking: you’re getting “Not even a nibble...”. Lead with Suction Cups or Sticky Hold, and press A the moment the “!” appears.
- Radar chain broke: you ran, met a different species, moved with the Circle Pad (that’s skating) or stepped into a faintly shaking patch.
- Masuda isn’t working: both parents show the same language tag. Nickname and OT don’t count.
- No slot 3 in the Friend Safari: have the friend enter the Hall of Fame, then meet them on PSS over local wireless.
- Thousands of resets on Yveltal or Snorlax: they’re shiny-locked. Stop now.
- Way past the odds: every encounter is a fresh roll. Being 3,000 encounters in doesn’t make the next one more likely.
Frequently asked questions
What are the shiny odds in Pokémon Y?
1 in 4,096 for a normal encounter, or about 1 in 1,366 with the Shiny Charm. Chain fishing reaches about 1 in 100, and the Friend Safari is about 1 in 819.6.
What’s the best way to get a shiny in Pokémon Y?
Chain fishing, for most hunts. Build a streak of 20 hooks at one spot and every bite after that is about 1 in 100. After the Hall of Fame a long Poké Radar chain is strong for grass Pokémon. Which is faster depends on the species and how often you slip up.
Is Yveltal shiny-locked in Pokémon Y?
Yes. Yveltal in Y and Xerneas in X can never be shiny. Neither can Zygarde, Mewtwo, the legendary birds, Route 7’s Snorlax or Korrina’s Lucario.
How do you get the Shiny Charm in Pokémon Y?
Catch every Pokémon in the National Pokédex except Mythicals, then Professor Sycamore gives it to you at his lab. It works from your Bag.
Does the Friend Safari still give better shiny odds in 2026?
Yes. Every Safari encounter is about 1 in 819.6, or 1 in 585.6 with the Charm. New third slots now need an in-person meeting.
Can I soft-reset for a shiny starter in Pokémon Y?
Yes. Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie aren’t shiny-locked, but the odds are 1 in 4,096 and the Shiny Charm doesn’t help.
Does the Shiny Stone make my Pokémon shiny?
No. The Shiny Stone is an Evolution item. Nothing turns a Pokémon you already have shiny.
Are shiny odds different in Pokémon X?
No. X and Y share every method and every lock. Only the box legendary differs: Xerneas in X, Yveltal in Y, and both are locked.