The recently released Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, in addition to introducing over 100 new Pokemon to the Pokedex, brings back plenty of fan-favorite creatures from Generations 1 through 8. However, the Generation 9 Pokemon games are missing a number of earlier Pokemon, including one particular Pokemon that has appeared in almost every game since its creation: Shedinja. Fans theorize that Shedinja's absence in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is deliberate due to its unique interaction with the generation's Terastallization gimmick.
Shedinja, a Bug/Ghost-type Pokemon first introduced in the Generation 3 games, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, is a very unique Pokemon in more ways than one. It can only be obtained when a Nincada evolves into Ninjask - which occurs at Level 20 - and the player has an empty space in their Party and an empty Poke Ball in their possession. This is because Shedinja represents the empty skin of the Nincada, which it sheds during the evolution process. Because it is a shed skin, Shedinja is extremely frail and relies on its powerful Ability Wonder Guard when used in battle. However, Terastallization would allow Shedinja to change its type and make Wonder Guard so powerful that, with the right Held Item, the Shedinja would be almost completely immune to damage.
Shedinja Relies On Wonder Guard
Shedinja has only one HP, the lowest of any Pokemon in the entire series. However, the ability Wonder Guard makes Shedinja immune to any damaging moves that are not super effective. This makes Shedinja surprisingly useful in battle, as its natural Bug/Ghost typing makes it immune to over a dozen different damage types, including Normal, Dragon, Fairy, Fighting, Poison, and several more. However, it is not unbeatable, as Shedinja is weak to Flying, Rock, Ghost, Fire, and Dark-type damage. This makes using Shedinja in battle a high-risk high-reward maneuver that depends entirely on the opponent's Pokemon lineup.
With Shedinja appearing in the Generation 3, 4, 6, and 8 Pokemon games as well as the remakes of the former two generations, many Trainers found it a valuable asset on their teams - and found ways to make it even more powerful. In particular, a Move Tutor found in Pokemon Emerald or Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen can teach Shedinja the move Mimic, which allows it to temporarily borrow an opponent's type in battle. Trainers then found that Wonder Guard was particularly effective if the Shedinja temporarily became Electric-type, as suddenly only Ground-type damage would be super effective. When the Terastallization gimmick was announced, fans realized that this could make Shedinja nearly unbeatable even without Mimic - and were thus disappointed when it failed to appear in the Paldea region's Pokedex.
An Electric-Type Shedinja Is Almost Unbeatable
Terastallization is a gimmick introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. In addition to its standard type, each Pokemon has a Tera Type, which it can access in battle using a Tera Orb. The Terastallized Pokemon takes on a crystalline appearance, and its type switches to that of its Tera Type. Moves of that type are increased in power as long as the Terastallization lasts. Any Pokemon can have any Tera Type, but some combinations are rarer than others. Some particularly strong Tera Type combinations can only be found in multiplayer Tera Raids, which players can take on with up to three of their friends.
A Shedinja with an Electric Tera Type, when it Terastallizes, would be completely immune to all damaging moves except those of the Ground type. However, there is a way for the Pokemon to get even stronger. The Held Item Air Balloon makes Pokemon immune to Ground-type moves, meaning that an Electric Terastallized Shedinja holding an Air Balloon would take no damage from all 18 types. The only way to drain this Shedinja's HP would be to use indirect damage, such as that caused by the Burn or Poison status or moves such as Leech Seed. It is likely that the developers of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet considered this eventuality and chose not to include Shedinja in the game.
Will Shedinja Be Available in the Future?
Currently, players cannot transfer any Pokemon into or out of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. However, it has been confirmed that the Generation 9 games will be updated to be compatible with the Pokemon Home app sometime in 2023. This will allow Pokemon to be transferred into Scarlet and Violet, including some forms and evolutions introduced in the recent title Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
It has not yet been confirmed if Shedinja is one of the Pokemon that will be transferable into Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. If it is, it is likely that the developers will have to think of a way to limit or remove Shedinja with the Electric Tera Type. One option would be to neutralize the Wonder Guard ability while Shedinja is Terastallized, although that would make the single HP Pokemon nearly unusable in battle. Another would be to make Shedinja with an Electric Tera Type completely unavailable, even though every other Pokemon in Paldea is available with every possible Tera Type. Finally, an Electric Tera Type Shedinja could be the reward for a particularly rare or difficult Tera Raid, signifying its extreme power and usefulness in battle.
For now, players are enjoying Pokemon Scarlet and Violet while experimenting with the Terastallization system using those Pokemon that are currently available in Paldea. Although nothing as unbeatable as Electric-type Shedinja has been discovered, some Tera Type combinations have been noted to be extremely powerful. These include an already powerful Pokemon gaining a Normal or Ghost Tera Type, which has few weaknesses, or Pokemon with crippling 4x weaknesses using the Terastallization system to temporarily remove them. As more and more Trainers journey through Paldea, complete Tera Raids, and acquire Pokemon with rare Tera Types, it is likely that this experimentation with the Terastallization system will continue - even though the "nearly unbeatable Shedinja" is currently just a hypothetical dream.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are currently available for the Nintendo Switch.