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One of the biggest things to do in Pokemon GO without the need of other players is fighting the members of Team GO Rocket and taking down their leaders. While Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra can be found as usual through a Rocket Radar, Giovanni is a different case.

Since September 2021, Giovanni has been missing from Pokemon GO. This has been confirmed by Niantic to not be a glitch, with a currently unknown plot being related to his disappearence. Even players with a Super Rocket Radar won't be able to encounter him.

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With it now being October, many are hoping for the boss of Team GO Rocket to return. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any sign yet that Giovanni will be coming back to Pokemon GO in any known future event. While he's definitely not gone forever, he still can't be fought at this time.

Pokemon Giovanni

What to do with the Super Rocket Radar

Although rare, there are still plenty of Pokemon GO players that still have their hands on a Super Rocket Radar. This isn't to be confused with a normal Rocket Radar, which is used to encounter either Sierra, Cliff, or Arlo.

If a player still has an unused Super Rocket Radar, the best thing to do is turn it off from their item menu until more news regarding Giovanni is revealed. The item is currently useless as any battle with Giovanni is unavailable at this time.

The Other Leaders of Team GO Rocket

While Giovanni cannot be battled, the same can't be said for Team GO Rocket's other leaders. Sierra, Cliff, and Arlo are all still able to be fought after players assemble a normal Rocket Radar. This can be accomplished by defeating normal Team GO Rocket Grunts.

After getting a Rocket Radar, players will have the chance to encounter one of the normal leaders via Rocket Balloons and occupied PokeStops. These trainers are far stronger than any of the Team GO Rocket Grunts, giving players much more of a challenge.

Giovanni's Possible Next Legendary Pokemon

One of the biggest benefits of defeating Giovanni is getting the chance to capture one of his legendary shadow Pokemon. Which Pokemon he's using has rotated over the months before his disappearance, but there is a big candidate for what he might come back with.

The most likely scenario is Shadow Lugia, considering that his previous shadow legendary was Ho-Oh. What would make this so important and give a good reason for a break is that Shadow Lugia appeared before Pokemon GO in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. This Lugia has a completely original color pallete and is known as one of the strongest Shadow Pokemon ever created.

If Shadow Lugia were to appear in its Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness form, it would likely be connected to an event that has yet to be announced. This is due to the unique features of this legendary Pokemon and the fact that Super Rocket Radars are usually only distributed through research tasks and events.

Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.

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