Pokémon GO has changed a lot since its initial release in 2016, with new Pokémon being added to the game consistently, but the addition of Shadow Lugia has left some fans disappointed. Over the course of its run, Pokémon GO has received frequent updates, adding monsters from the main games' many regions, and in one of the largest updates to the game, the addition of Team GO Rocket, an offshoot of the infamous Team Rocket from the main series. Players who choose to do battle with of Team GO Rocket are able to capture their Pokémon, a mysterious Shadow Pokémon.
The recent Festival of Lights event in Pokémon GO introduced plenty of new content for players, such as the addition of the Pokémon Dedenne, and an update to Team GO Rocket. New Shadow Pokémon had new shiny forms, in tandem with the addition of several new encounters against the Team GO Rocket leaders, providing an extra challenge to players seeking out the Shadow Pokémon these leaders have a hold of. Possibly most significant to Pokémon GO's latest update is Giovanni's return, the main antagonist of the Kanto region-based games, and leader of Team Rocket, now Team GO Rocket.
Having been absent from GO for some time, his return with a new Shadow Pokémon to capture marked a major event within the game. His new Shadow Pokémon that players could capture, Shadow Lugia, had been hinted at after his previous encounter, offering a Shadow Ho-Oh, the other half of Lugia's Legendary duo. But as players completed the research to track down Giovanni and do battle with him for a chance to capture his Shadow Lugia, many immediately noticed that the Pokémon wasn't what they had hoped for.
Pokémon GO's Shadow Lugia Differs from Pokémon XD's Variant
The first introduction of Shadow Pokémon was long before Pokémon GO, back in the GameCube spin-off titles Pokémon Colosseum, which returned in its sequel, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. Although Gale of Darkness and Colosseum were both overlooked Pokémon games, they offered a different feeling from the main series Pokémon games, featuring a protagonist who was a former member of the villain team of this series, Team Snagem, in a grittier setting compared to the typical vibrant Pokémon environments. In these games, a new villainous team known as Team Cipher has been conducting research on Pokémon to corrupt them and turn them into Shadow Pokémon.
Pokémon XD expanded on Shadow Pokémon, with the introduction of Shadow Lugia. Referred to in-game as the "Ultimate Shadow Pokémon", Shadow Lugia was the only Pokémon to get a unique Shadow form, as most other Shadow Pokémon merely had a glowing dark aura around them, as they do in Pokémon GO. Fans were initially excited by the prospect of the unique Shadow Lugia's potential return in GO, and were disappointed to find a standard Lugia with the shadow particle effect surrounding it. With so many alternative regional variant forms of existing Pokémon being added to the game, many are disappointed the fan-favorite Pokémon XD design wasn't added as well. As the GameCube era continues to be a prevalent source of nostalgia, the inclusion of the true Shadow Lugia could've provided some much-beloved fanservice to those who have been with the series since then.
It may not be over for this much-beloved form of Shadow Lugia yet, however. After all, the Shadow Lugia of Pokémon XD is the "ultimate" Shadow Pokémon. It's possible that this one is a more standard Shadow Lugia, and a future update will include an "Ultimate Shadow Lugia" form. For now though, many see the release of Shadow Lugia in Pokémon GO as a missed opportunity.
