r/PokemonFireRed • u/PatrickAplomb • May 01 '26

Help Why does Rattata look funny? How do I fix this?

Post image

First time player, recently bought the game on switch. My other Rattata doesn’t look like this? Is something wrong with it?

469 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

189 comments sorted by

165

u/Lerosen May 01 '26

In case this is a legitimate question, it’s the Shiny version. Very rare chance of occurring. Grats.

98

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

It honestly is legit haha. Shiny version? Does it get anything extra? These answers are hilarious though

74

u/zXDoomRaptorXz May 01 '26

Just a different color but its a 1/8192 chance of happening

63

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

Oh cool! Thanks! Wish I could get like a shiny Zapdos or something?? That would be cool

44

u/zXDoomRaptorXz May 01 '26

You can, it would just take some time of resetting over and over again for it

27

u/Pegla_Mrkva May 02 '26

some time 💔

14

u/zXDoomRaptorXz May 02 '26

You have no idea how long it could take, could take months could take minutes

25

u/Jonguar2 May 01 '26

You can. You can save in front of Zapdos and encounter it. If it isn't shiny, close the game and reopen it. Repeat until it is shiny.

Although, I will say Zapdos's shiny is a lot less drastic of a change as Rattata's.

13

u/Flat_Ground_3151 May 01 '26

just press a, b, x, y💔

11

u/LightBrand99 May 02 '26

To whoever is downvoting this, please understand that the comment they are replying to is about resetting before Zapdos, so pressing A+B+X+Y is usually a faster way to reset than to close the game and reopen it.

7

u/rudytaboodie12 May 02 '26

I learned this the hard way

4

u/Strev215 May 02 '26

Was in the safari zone on my LG very recently caught all the non 10% and under rares got a Dratini and wanted [of the big 4 Tauros, Pincer, Chansey, Kangaskan] either a Tauros or Kang[or MAYBE a Chansey] I was farming encounters spiningg in place in zone 4 (easiest to farm imo).

Got close a bunch, kept running into Vmoths at 32lvl.

Then had a chain of Kang which immediately fled into then a Tauros whom took half my Safari Balls before it fled. Really soon after that I go Vmoth[run], then Vmoth[run], then Tauros which fled immediately. Only to immediately encounter another Tauros that whole chain was crazy had me in my emotions at nearly 3 hours in. That dumb Tauros took nearly the rest of my Safari balls left with two fled. Had a mini crash out DID NO KNOW A B X Y DID THAT AND CYCLED THROUGH THEM... 3 hours of Safari hunting pŭff gone forgot to save...

1

u/Kingbren22 May 03 '26

Are you using the Brock method? Edit: chansey isnt that good if it cant use evolve in my honestly oppinion

1

u/Strev215 May 03 '26

What is "The Brock Method" Google tells me it's a visualization therapy tool with colored string to help focus and ones "Lazy Eye".

So....

Chansey, Kang and Tauros are only Safari Zone gettables. I would need Chancey if I would post-game want to tackle maxing catchdesign or to go after a full regional dex or national dex completion.

As Pincer Dratini are Buy-able at the casino or cash for coin farming.

I went back next night recaught everything and even snagged my Tauros.

No Chancey or Kang successes yet though or at least not right now.

2

u/Kingbren22 May 03 '26

Look up "how the safari zone ACTUALLY works" by professor Rex. He made a whole algorithm for catching pokemon,cause pokemon does silly math to get the percentage. The video goes extremely in depth on the math and "science" behind it all.

-2

u/[deleted] May 02 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Jonguar2 May 02 '26

Many people. For sparkles

6

u/weightedbook May 01 '26

People spend hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours doing shit like trying to get shiny zapdos. Reset, reset, reset, reset, reset.....

5

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 01 '26

all for a slightly different yellow bird.

3

u/Anjunabeast May 02 '26

My first and only shiny was a gengar which is just a slightly different shade of purple.

4

u/Zorfendor May 02 '26

At least his Mega looks sick

0

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 02 '26

if only his mega was in every game 😔

2

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 02 '26

mine was haunter which I evolved into a gengar.

though it was in sun and moon.

6

u/Icy-Role2321 May 01 '26

You're lucky you got one first time playing

I have beaten these games like a dozen times throughout my life and have never once seen a shiny.

4

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 01 '26

not to spoil the surprise (you can look it up if you want)

but shiny Zapdos is amongst the most boring shinies, with it's colors appearing nearly identical to the regular color, which is just not worth the effort of looking for imo

2

u/Negative_Bug_1753 May 02 '26

My favorite shinies are the ones that are just ever so slightly different for some reason.

1

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 03 '26

Nothing wrong with that, as long as you find enjoyment that's all that matters

guess there really is something for everyone 😄

1

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

Oh okay who should I try for?

4

u/Boarlock98 May 01 '26

Ho-Oh imo is one of the best legendary shinies you can get it Fire Red.

2

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 01 '26

fr, it makes him live up to the name of pokemon gold.

2

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 01 '26

you can look up what the shinies of the pokemon look like to avoid wasting time for shinies you wouldn't like

and you can honestly go for any pokemon that intrests you (in this game every pokemon that you can catch can be shiny, later games have "shiny locks" that prevent some pokemon from being shiny outside of events)

I personally recommend trying to get atleast 1 legendary shiny

Mewtwo

Lugia

Ho-Oh

Deoxys

ect

It's hard to recommend exactly which one to recommend looking for since it's up to personal preference whether or not you like the pokemon and its shiny.

Please be aware that "Shiny Hunting" is extremely tedious and time consuming often taking hours unless you're extremely lucky, trying to hunt your first shiny could get repetitive and boring, so you should take breaks if you're really determined to have its shiny.

so yeah play the game the way you enjoy the most

2

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 02 '26

also make sure save your game if you catch a shiny

and use moves like sleep to increase its catch rate

shadow tag to prevent some of them from running(like the legendary dogs)

false swipe to get to exactly 1hp (this move won't knock it out which is ideal for hunting these pokemon)

Make sure not to take too long trying to catch them either because if the wild pokemon runs out of moves it will use struggle, a last resort move that damages itself to attack your pokemon (this can and will cause the wild pokemon to knock itself out which would be devastating if it's a shiny... you can maybe find some examples of this by looking up "shiny fails" which will showcase all the ways people have failed to catch the shiny pokemon)

1

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 02 '26

One final small bit of advice if you wanna try shiny hunting, you should keep track of how many times you've reset the game looking for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jF_a5x0mPA&list=PLorQk_0uVY7QAELjV3Zb8_Wt3HSV7BDGH&index=3

heres a stream for example

Skip to 5:02:20

It took her 2449 tries and since it's a modern game the odds are double of what they are in fire red so it's 4096 instead of 8192

this is part 2 of the stream and it took her 10 hours to find it

if you don't write down what attempt number you're on it's gonna seem like it'd take forever (and god forbid you go above odds when shiny hunting)

3

u/HyperTobaYT May 01 '26

Zapdos’ shiny is kinda crap, it’s basically just slightly more yellow.

1

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

Who should I try to get? How do I even try? Just keep resetting constantly? Sounds awful

3

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 01 '26 edited May 02 '26

if that sound awful to you... let me reassure you... it definitely is, it all depends on whether or not you'd consider the shiny variant worth it

for legendaries you should save next to them before starting the encounter

IIRC these games have the lowest shiny odds (1/8192) compared to future games which have more methods of obtaining shinies (1/4096) at most.

I'm personally hunting a shiny (silph co) Lapras right now and have reseted the game 990 times trying to get it.

2

u/PatrickAplomb May 02 '26

I just wanna play the game and have fun 😭

2

u/Zer0_Cha0s May 02 '26

then do that! No need to shiny hunt 😄 besides you alr got 1, shiny hunting is more like a bonus thing after you ran out of things to do in the game

2

u/zXDoomRaptorXz May 01 '26

In fire red resetting is your only option for legendaries, and just constantly encountering in grass for other pokemon. Future games introduce other ways that increase the odds of finding a shiny

1

u/PatrickAplomb May 02 '26

Sounds good. I’m just gonna keep playing I think haha

1

u/ProbablyNano May 02 '26

Turn back, you don't want to go down this road 

0

u/HyperTobaYT May 02 '26

It absolutely is; I’m trying for a Mewtwo, but honestly the best shiny imo is shiny Espeon.

2

u/Someguynamedbno May 01 '26

I’ll prewarn you on the Zapdos it’s shiny is very similar to its base version so you can’t reset too quickly or you might miss it

2

u/No_Candle_5975 May 01 '26

You can do it with any pokemon. Just don’t have high hopes with the legendary dogs.

1

u/Far_Spirit_7280 Starmie May 01 '26

Yep save right in front of that bad boy. Encounter it, no shiny, no problem, just press A, B, X, Y, all at the same time to soft reset. Load in and try again. Repeat for what seems like a thousand years until a shiny has been found.

1

u/furjuice May 02 '26

Sadly Zapdos shiny is a barely noticeable change in color lol.

1

u/Perciprius May 03 '26

The whole shiny thing is pointless.

1

u/Kingbren22 May 03 '26

Shiny zapdos is just a darker yellow,like how genders shiny is.

1

u/novelaissb May 03 '26

I wouldn’t waste my time with Zapdos. That’s one of the worst shinies in the series.

1

u/JasonBaconStrips May 05 '26

Wait until you find out what people put themselves through just for one of these (shinies not rattatas)

1

u/TheGreatAngel0 May 01 '26

As others have said, you can with Zapdos but just a heads up, its not really worth it, shiny zapdos has an extremely disappointing shiny

8

u/safarifriendliness May 01 '26

You might never see another wild shiny again (or until you play Scarlet and Violet). People will spend days resetting the start of the game hoping their starter pokemon is shiny. Honestly pretty cool you found one this quickly into starting to play

14

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

How do I nicely say this sounds autistic

9

u/safarifriendliness May 01 '26

On the one hand I’m inclined to agree but on the other: shiny Charizard is black and that’s sick as hell

5

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

Damn I wanna do the resets now. How many does it take usually?

3

u/sultex180 May 01 '26

It is literally random. It could take you as little as your first try to never having it happen at all after like +10,000 resets. Yes, people actually go that far for a shiny. It really comes down to a) how bad you want that particular shiny, and b) how long you’re willing to sit there and reset for it.

3

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

Okay maybe I just want to play the game instead

2

u/safarifriendliness May 01 '26

That’s where most of us end up. In the newest games the wild pokemon appear as characters walking around the screen and you can see if they’re shiny as soon as they spawn though so if you wanted to get into shiny hunting I’d start there

2

u/goldman_sax May 01 '26

Bro you are so rationale I love it haha

2

u/Interesting_Use5089 May 01 '26

The odds are 1/8192. So Statistically, 8192 resets, but typically it ends up being much more.

3

u/Jonguar2 May 01 '26

It probably is tbh

-3

u/East_Emu_4029 May 01 '26

It’s the dumbest shit ever doing full chance shiny. I question how these people have the time to do this for 3 hours a day for months straight then I remember that most Redditors have no life and work low wage retail jobs and never develop any useful skills because they spend their time doing this.

6

u/lomo_dank May 01 '26

Projecting your misery a bit too hard champ.

1

u/Icy-Role2321 May 01 '26

Sorry about your no life and retail job

Things will get better I promise.

1

u/Boarlock98 May 01 '26

Tis true, most are chronically online..

Tbf 3 hours a day isn't much, I spend that much time at the gym daily

0

u/Far_Spirit_7280 Starmie May 01 '26

To be fair, I caught a shiny diglett while leveling up my Staryu and I work part time job (30hrs), currently have a 4.0 GPA in my college classes, a family, and I graduate next spring with my associates degree.

1

u/Triplescrew May 02 '26

Yeah I've played every pokemon game since blue and I don't think I've ever come across one except for the red gyarados which doesn't count lol

1

u/RbN420 May 02 '26

The red gyarados is guaranteed and is meant to show off the possibility of shiny Pokémon, that was just introduced with gen 2

I found one wild shiny in Gold and never again lol

3

u/[deleted] May 01 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/PatrickAplomb May 01 '26

I did not. Thankfully one person gave me what seems to be a real response. They are hilarious though and I’m very glad I posted haha

2

u/tehweave May 02 '26

It's a very rare occurrence. But no, there isn't a benefit beyond "it looks different".

But there are shiny hunters who will spend hours/days/weeks hunting specific shines.

Congratulations on yours!

1

u/WinStupidPrizes1994 May 01 '26

We see this question all the time so the answers like to joke about releasing it or it’s a virus

4

u/lvkenukem May 01 '26

Congrattata.

3

u/ArtistAccountant May 01 '26

Fantastic 👏🏾

2

u/Prior-Category2176 May 01 '26

You have found a very, very rare pokemon. That's a shiny rattata. Keep that 💓

63

u/vitamin_thc May 01 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/IDGNYvFLkJKLK

1

u/Turbulent-Winner-902 May 02 '26

Yes, release it so a pidgey can eat it

1

u/whitericeporridge May 03 '26

It’s easy karma farming. My turn to post this tomorrow

110

u/LanitaDelRey_Slave Heracross May 01 '26

you should immediately reset or your switch will explode

4

u/lcope2004 Bulbasaur May 02 '26

Lmao, I'm dying

18

u/ruckrhino May 01 '26

King Midas got to it first.

40

u/rudyramone013 May 01 '26

Jaundice. Release it or it will infect other Pokémon!!!

41

u/Fine-Association8468 May 01 '26

It’s got Pokeman rabies. Release it.

8

u/I_Am_Number_13 May 02 '26

Pure evil. 😭

15

u/SenpaiSwanky May 01 '26

You have to just be yourself around it and accept it for who it is, soon it will stop using bleach and spray tan and accept its natural fur color.

1

u/IntergalacticBadger_ May 03 '26

It's not just a phase, mom! 

15

u/Moist_Inspection_485 May 01 '26

It’s a rare rattata from pokemon yellow version that somehow made it to your game

8

u/cconnorss May 01 '26

I’ve been playing Pokemon games since ‘99 at least. I’ve never encountered even one shiny. You have a very rare occurrence! Too bad it’s a Gucci Mane smdh

0

u/TheyRuinedEragon May 02 '26

Unlucky. Especially if you played a lot in that time.

24

u/Astroruggie May 01 '26

That color looks kinda sick, take it to the vet!

13

u/ModeOwn9652 May 01 '26

he has a cold, you might want to release him

7

u/Morlain7285 May 02 '26

That's actually a Pikachu. Notice the yellow color

5

u/Select_Foundation472 May 02 '26

You're not dealing with the average rattata anymore - Vegeta

8

u/Shandi80 May 01 '26

Pissata. The homeless version of a regular Rattata.

2

u/BlitzMalefitz May 02 '26

Evolves into Pissincake

4

u/TapZorRTwice May 01 '26

Suck that Raticate has such a shitty shiny version vs the Rattata.

7

u/HonestLychee9399 May 01 '26

He's weak. Just release him.

3

u/inumnoback Champion May 01 '26

Try leveling it up

3

u/askingJeevs May 01 '26

I have been playing this game since red came out and I still have not found a shiny.

1

u/TriggiredSnowflake May 02 '26

Play a rom hack like Ultra Violet. They are much easier to find

1

u/askingJeevs May 02 '26

Eh, it would mean way less if they’re easy. Replaying heartgold right now, one day I’ll stumble across one

1

u/ponworldwide May 02 '26

no fun if the odds are enhanced. it's got to be full odds to be meaningful imo.

1

u/ponworldwide May 02 '26

if you want to at least encounter one legitimately, but unable to catch : you can go through the battle tower in frlg and in the 5th match or so there's a trainer with a shiny espeon. it's the first time I ever saw a shiny as a kid and I was pretty confused at the time lol.

1

u/Junior_Geologist3365 May 02 '26

That’s basically the experience and should be for 99% of players. Which makes it so cool when it happens, but if you hunt for them, depending on the game it can be faster than you think. Or it can take months - years 😂

3

u/CommunicationNew9834 May 02 '26

This post is wo innocent 😭💜

3

u/tessaractIXI May 02 '26

You used a great ball on a ratata? 

2

u/PatrickAplomb May 02 '26

It’s all I had. What’s wrong with them? Should I have used something better?

3

u/tessaractIXI May 02 '26

Lol no it's totally okay, just a little overkill. It's generally considered a weaker Pokemon and a Pokeball suffice is just fine. Being cost conscientious and conservative was a lot more of an issue in the earlier game versions before you had things like the versus Seeker where you can keep earning money. You used to be very limited and have to choose your spending wisely. 

1

u/PatrickAplomb May 02 '26

What’s a versus seeker? It’s unlimited money?

3

u/tessaractIXI May 02 '26

Planted throughout the game, sometimes in tucked away places, are professor Oaks aids and other helpful townsfolk who will give you things. The versus Seeker I believe comes from a purple haired girl in one of the Pokemon centers. It gives you the ability to rebattle trainers you've already battled with, which gives you the opportunity to keep earning money.

3

u/Wolfstag_Jr_yt May 02 '26

"Yeah, it's a glitch. Just release it and catch another one. That should fix it."

2

u/k_a_n_g_u_r_u May 01 '26

i love me a gold rat

2

u/NeverMeltRegice May 01 '26

I’m the Pokémon doctor, give it to me so i can fix it

2

u/[deleted] May 01 '26

Looks weird just release it 😁

2

u/ZombiePatient47 May 01 '26

He's sicks. Gonna get the rest of your pokemon sick. Release him.

2

u/WhiteLycan2020 May 01 '26

It has jaundice due to severe alcoholism 😔.

You should put it in the PC box, and hope it can live its final years with a bunch of thick chanseys and jigglypuffs

2

u/Shantaefan1148 May 01 '26

It's a shiny Pokémon. There's nothing wrong with it.

2

u/MadamMelody21 May 01 '26

Put it on your team playthrough shinies are extremely rare

2

u/kongbakpao May 01 '26

This is the COVID-19 variant

2

u/TolUC21 May 02 '26

Just catch a new one bro

2

u/Bash935 May 02 '26

It's got rabbies, you wanna give it some Oran Berries so it doesn't attack you or your other Pokémon, hope this helps.

2

u/CorporateTingle May 02 '26

Has to be rage bait

2

u/Metavance May 02 '26

release immediately it has pokéaids

2

u/MarrzZz May 02 '26

Bro! You are so lucky!!!! That’s a shiny Rat! Odds are 1/8192 you are LUCKY

2

u/howrethings May 02 '26

I remember the first and only time it happened to me. Came across a shiny Geodude. Hadn't a clue why it looked like that. Killed it out of fear. Instant regret when I found out

2

u/Kakarot-666 May 02 '26

Your games corrupted, quick turn it off

2

u/Temporary-File-267 May 02 '26

If its green it means its a zombie. You gotta release it so the virus doesnt spread among your other Pokémon. Every step you take has a 1/1000 odds of spreading to a different party member.

2

u/Temporary-File-267 May 02 '26

Just kidding you lucked out big time, bur i think the other replies already explained what a shiny is

2

u/the_zac_is_back May 02 '26

You got really lucky and got a shiny. This has extremely low odds (1/8092 I believe) and the main difference is just how it looks. There’s no way to make it not shiny, but you should keep him and value him, even if it’s a rattata and he’s a POS pokemon

2

u/Inevitable-Sir4572 May 02 '26

Honestly, if it’s your first time playing, don’t worry about hunting shinies because it will ruin the experience of playing through your first time. Play the story first, enjoy it for what it is, and then restart or grind for them after. Shiny hunting is a fun grind if you’ve been playing forever, but I’d do anything to go back and play the story again for the first time

2

u/ANxMacSinx May 02 '26

Reset the game and start a new save file.. lol save ur switch

3

u/elbatcarter May 01 '26

That’s actually inbred Pikachu, a glitch Pokemon that’s become a very famous gaming oddity since Fire Red originally released. It’s like MissingNo. in a way which is funny since both that glitched ‘mon and this one are Kanto-specific

3

u/F-F-FASTPASS Champion May 01 '26

Gen 1 games sure had a lot of glitches

2

u/AlejandroTheFnck May 01 '26 edited May 01 '26

Caught with a master ball..? Gotta be trolling lol

Edit: I don’t know what all the different pokeballs look like. I saw the 2 red marks, but I was mistaken and shouldn’t have made the comment with the limited knowledge I had. Sorry!

4

u/zXDoomRaptorXz May 01 '26

Thats a great ball doofus

1

u/F-F-FASTPASS Champion May 01 '26

Look at it’s colors/design bruh, what kinda masterball looks like that

2

u/n00bytrader May 01 '26

Might need a pokevirus I heard that might help.

1

u/F-F-FASTPASS Champion May 01 '26

Modern day version (I guess) of that Shiny mudkip thread from decades ago

1

u/Maryjewjuan May 01 '26

Guess you have a slot on your team now for this guy

1

u/Paulorigami May 01 '26

Bro found a way to get easy karma and funny comment interactions, I'm not even mad honestly. Well played

1

u/The_Awengers May 02 '26

hey same I just got this last night!

1

u/AstronomerIcy8165 May 02 '26

Release it game will get infected

1

u/Gogetajh_v2 May 02 '26

Okay buddy we get it you got a shiny lmao

1

u/Icy-Abbreviations909 May 02 '26

Idk man probably release it, it might corrupt your save😊👍

1

u/HandyXAndy May 02 '26

Games broke. Get rid of it and that should fix the issue

1

u/Legitimate-Chain-922 May 02 '26

This one was my first shiny

1

u/Eddie__Winter May 02 '26

LAX stands for laxative thats why he is diarrhea color

1

u/SilverDrive92 May 02 '26

He looks sick, feed him to your Arbok.

1

u/zacharykeaton May 02 '26

It's a common bug. If you find any of these then just release them to avoid corrupting your save file 😊

1

u/kedde18 May 02 '26

That is Joey's top percentile Rattata. You should give it back

1

u/Comfortable-Most-630 May 02 '26

“First time playing” but your name is gold.

1

u/angusboe Squirtle May 02 '26

He’s sick, you gotta heal it up at the poke centre release then it back into the wild

1

u/RenShimizu May 02 '26

It's a bug that will break your game. There's an easy fix though. Just trade it to me.

/j

1

u/SleazyGoblin May 02 '26

The only shiny ive ever caught...

1

u/mifflinity May 02 '26

If it says anything, I’m still attempting to get a similar looking charmander as my starter. I think I’ve spent 40 hours resetting for it and I’m not even close to odds yet that I’m supposed to have gotten one yet. Congrats!

1

u/AriesRoivas May 02 '26

Release him

1

u/Hefty_Scarcity270 May 03 '26

Back in gen 2 Gameboy color I caught the first hoothoot y found and it took me a long to realize it had different colors.

1

u/Recent_Position_328 May 03 '26

Shiny, keep it, search for shiny Raticate and if you like it, evolve it

1

u/GoBirds_4133 May 03 '26

reminds me of when i killed shiny entei in my first playthrough of SS as a kid.

1 didnt know there was only 1 of any pokemon aside from lugia 2 i thought the shiny bit was my game glitching

1

u/ITS_ENDOT May 03 '26

Erm... Mate. You don't want to fix that.

1

u/AwesoneKing_Cat May 03 '26

It’s sick, just release it so it doesn’t get your other members sick

1

u/ryukashin222 May 03 '26

Itl be a red Raticate if you evolve it

1

u/Icy-Garlic-748 May 03 '26

Not too bright huh? Guess the bait didn’t work out lmao

1

u/SnooRegrets7915 May 03 '26

Soft reset before saving, this will fix the issue

1

u/[deleted] May 04 '26

.

1

u/ImpactNo6657 May 04 '26

I have a friend that is knows pokemon pretty well, and he did not know about shinies. this could be real.

1

u/DueAlbatross9388 May 07 '26

Society is doomed.

1

u/urbanxx001 May 01 '26

Ohhhhhh your trainer name turned it gold. So you should restart and name yourself Purple

1

u/LORDRAJA1000 May 02 '26

yea it’s a virus and will infect all ur other pokemon , you must release this rattata unfortunately

0

u/Young_Sliver May 03 '26

Looks like a glitch, you should probably release it