Shiny Pokémon

From Pokemon - Wiki on Neoseeker

Shiny Pokémon or Alternate coloration is a word that describes a Pokémon who is colored differently than it's original species. It's one of the many differences that a Pokémon can have within its species. In the video games, Shiny Pokémon may have a slight color change over their normal colors, or have one completely different. For example, a Pokémon like Pikachu has a slightly different shade:

Pikachu Not Shiny		Pikachu Shiny

while a Pokémon like Kirlia completely changes colors:

Kirlia Not Shiny		Kirlia Shiny

In the Games

Shiny Pokémon was first introduced in Generation II. This was likely because Pokémon Gold, Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Crystal were the first games that introduced color to the series (they were played on the Game Boy Color).

When a shiny Pokémon appears in the wild or from a trainer's Poké Ball, stars will surround it and make a pinging sound effect.

Stars surround a Shiny Suicune

In Generation II, this sound happens before the Pokémon's call, while in Generation III and Generation IV it happens afterward. In Pokémon Battle Revolution, a flash of light circles the Pokémon upon its release from the Poké Ball.

On the Pokémon's status screen, its shiny status is indicated in Generation II as three small stars next to its gender and in Generation III and IV as a large star on the status screen. In Generation IV, the Pokémon's Pokédex number will also be colored red instead of black.

The change of encountering a wild Pokémon in the wild is and will always be 1/8192. Many people believe that one way of increasing your chances of getting one is by using the Poké Radar technique, which doesn't always work, because of the Pokémon who ruin the Chain probably 80% of the time. It is very hard to get 20 of the same Pokémon to appear one after another, which makes this method almost impossible. It is also believed that this method doesn't work, although some claim it does.

In the Anime

Shiny Pokémon in the anime have appeared even before they were seen in the games. Probably the most significant one is the Shiny Ho-oh seen by Ash in the very first episode. Ash has also caught a Shiny Noctowl, which was seen in the episode Fowl Play!