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Pokémon Go's Water Festival Event Debuts Shiny Magikarp, Gyarados

The Pokémon Go development team announced a global Water Festival for the smartphone game on Wednesday. The event, which is increasing Water-type Pokémon spawns, launched at 4:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday.

The announcement specifically mentioned Magikarp, Squirtle, Totodile, and their Evolutions as Pokémon that players are more likely to encounter in the wild. In addition, when players visit areas where water Pokémon are more likely to appear, there is an increased chance to encounter "several of the Water-type Pokémon originally discovered in the Johto region." The game's staff also teased that "you might even encounter Lapras."

To celebrate the event, a free Magikarp hat is also now available for players' avatars.

The above was all that Niantic announced as the Water Festival. However, the games' developers are known for sneaking in surprises without telling fans. The Water Festival update is no exception.

Soon after the event launched, players discovered that Shiny Magikarp is now available in the game. This is the first Shiny Pokémon to appear in Pokémon Go. The golden fish is able to evolve into Red Gyarados, the first Shiny that many players encountered in the main game series.

Red Gyarados debuted in an in-game event in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver games, which shipped for Game Boy Color in Japan in 1999. The monster also appears in the Pokémon anime, and later main-series games include references to this special creature.

Although the launch of Shiny monsters in Pokémon Go is a milestone, some players are experiencing a problem when they encounter apparent golden Magikarp. One of the Pokémon that Ditto disguises itself as in the game is Magikarp. Unfortunate players seeking ultra-rare fish have discovered that Ditto can also conceal itself in the form of Shiny Magikarp.

The Water Festival will end in the game on March 29 at 4:00 p.m. EDT.

Earlier this month, another in-game event gave players more chances to encounter Snorlax in the quake-hit Kumamoto area. Generation 2 Pokémon launched in the app in February. Both Shiny and Generation 2 Pokémon first appeared in the Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver games.

Magikarp has recently received more time in the limelight than usual. A dance video for the carp's official love song began streaming last month. A teaser website for the Hanero! Koiking (Splash! Magikarp) smartphone game for iOS and Android devices also launched in February. The Yokohama Kurikoan taiyaki (fish-shaped cake) shop released custard-filled Magikarp sweets in January. A Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon player reported beating the game with a single Magikarp in November.