BODY: One of the most infamous locked shiny Pokémon has finally been set free. The Pokémon Company announced on April 27 that trainers who complete the Software Pokédex for Pokémon LEGENDS Z-A in Pokémon HOME will receive a Shiny Volcanion as a reward — the first time this form has ever been obtainable through any official method.
Volcanion, the Fire/Water-type Mythical Pokémon introduced in Generation VI, has held a peculiar place in community lore. While its shiny variant has existed in the game data since X and Y, it was never distributed in any region through any event. That didn't stop the rumor mill — over the years, elaborate fake tutorials and bogus glitch methods claiming to unlock Shiny Volcanion circulated across forums and video platforms, becoming a running joke among veteran players. The phrase "ウソ裏技" (fake secret trick) became practically synonymous with the creature.
To claim the reward, players need to register every Pokémon in the LEGENDS Z-A portion of the Pokémon HOME national Pokédex. Given the game's Lumiose City–focused roster, this is a significant but achievable task for dedicated completionists. The shiny form swaps Volcanion's red accents for a striking gold, making it one of the more visually distinct Mythical shinies in the franchise.
The unlock follows a pattern of Pokémon HOME offering exclusive shiny Mythicals as Pokédex completion incentives — Magearna's Original Color form set the precedent years ago. But Volcanion's release carries extra weight given just how long the community waited.
The insider take
In Japanese Pokémon circles, this announcement hit different. Volcanion's unobtainable shiny was a decade-long meme — the gold standard (literally) for "Pokémon you'll never legitimately own." Seeing longtime collectors on Japanese Twitter posting screenshots with captions like「やっと本物が来た」("the real one finally arrived") captures the emotional payoff. It's a small reward in the grand scheme, but for the subset of fans who spent years cataloguing every shiny myth, this one felt personal.
Originally reported by AUTOMATON (Japanese).