How to get Shiny Jirachi in Pokémon GO

Pokémon GO players can finally obtain Shiny Jirachi in game. This exclusive, limited-time reward comes at the end of the Masterwork Research story, which players can purchase for $4.99 in the in-game shop.

However, simply purchasing this special research will not yield a Shiny Jirachi. The Masterwork Research requires a ton of work by normal Pokemon GO standards, as the opening set of included missions require over 1,100 Pokemon to be caught.

pokemon go shiny jirachi — Shiny Jirachi released alongside Pokemon GO’s 2023 Hoenn Tour event | From Niantic and Pokemon GO

The first tasks required of the Masterwork Research story require the player to catch a total of 1,155 Pokémon: 385 from the Kanto Region, 385 from Johto, and 385 from Hoenn. Thankfully, Pokémon caught don’t need to be unique species every single time, but its the Hoenn leg of the requirement that comes with a bit more of a caveat.

Players will also need to make sure they’ve earned the Hoenn gold medal, having caught at least 90 different species of Pokémon introduced in the Hoenn region. Having done so gets you plenty of useful XP, Ultra Balls and candy for Hoenn’s legendary Pokémon, but won’t get you any closer to the Shiny Jirachi encounter.

After completing the arduous first stage, stage two proves to be a completely different beast. Players need to achieve “Best Buddy” status with ten different Pokémon, and then earn a heart with their buddy Pokémon for 14 straight days. At a minimum — within the constraints of normal gameplay — this stage of the research takes two weeks to complete.

What’s the next stage of the Masterwork Research story?

Since the Masterwork Research has just been released, at the time of this writing, there is no existing information about what comes after the second stage. Odds are, the later stage(s) will be as equally grueling.

These near herculean feats required to encounter this shiny mythical Pokémon have players already claiming that Shiny Jirachi is by far one of the most difficult Pokémon to find in the game. Pokémon GO’s player base has been vocal about how easy shiny Pokémon are to come by at times, but Shiny Jirachi proves to be nothing short of an exception.

Catching Shiny Jirachi will by no means be easy, and it will take only the most dedicated of players to finally encounter this elusive Mythical Pokémon.