Zorua
Zorua is a tricky Dark-type Pokémon that disguises itself as your current Buddy Pokémon. It appears on the map wearing your Buddy’s appearance and only reveals its true form after being caught.
Shiny Zorua and Shiny Zoroark are available, while Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark can also be obtained in Pokémon GO. This guide explains how Zorua’s disguise works, how to find Shiny Zorua, how to evolve both forms of Zorua, and whether Zoroark is useful in battle.
Zorua disguises itself as your current Buddy Pokémon and appears on the overworld map using the Buddy’s appearance. Your Buddy does not need to be fed or walking on the map for Zorua to appear.
Tapping the disguised Pokémon starts a normal catch encounter. The disguise remains in place during the encounter, so you will not know whether you have found Zorua until you catch it.
After the catch, an “Oh?” message appears and the Pokémon transforms back into Zorua.
Zorua can be a rare wild encounter outside events. Events featuring Zorua usually offer the best opportunity to collect Candy, hunt for a Shiny and look for good IVs.
Best Buddy Pokémon to use when hunting Zorua
The easiest way to spot Zorua is to use a Buddy Pokémon that would not normally appear in the wild.
Good choices include:
- A Shiny Pokémon
- A Shadow Pokémon
- A Legendary or Mythical Pokémon
- A large Pokémon that is easy to see and tap on the map
- A Pokémon wearing a rare costume
If your Shiny, Shadow or Legendary Buddy suddenly appears as a wild Pokémon, it is almost certainly Zorua in disguise.
Using a Shiny Pokémon as your Buddy does not increase the chance of encountering Shiny Zorua. It only makes disguised Zorua easier to recognise on the map.
Your Buddy also does not need to be walking beside you. Some Trainers prefer to leave their Buddy off the map, as this makes the disguised Zorua easier to spot.
Shiny Zorua made its Pokémon GO debut during the Pokémon GO Halloween 2023: Part II event. It remains available and can be encountered whenever regular Zorua is available with its Shiny form enabled.
The only way to know whether a disguised Zorua is Shiny is to catch it. The appearance it copies from your Buddy has no connection to Zorua’s actual Shiny status.
This means:
- A Zorua disguised as a regular Buddy can reveal itself as Shiny Zorua.
- A Zorua disguised as a Shiny Buddy is not guaranteed to be Shiny.
- Changing your Buddy does not change Zorua’s Shiny odds.
- Items such as Incense and Lure Modules can provide more encounters but do not directly improve the Shiny rate.
- Some events may specifically increase the chance of encountering Shiny Zorua.
Zorua evolves into Zoroark with 50 Zorua Candy. There are no additional evolution requirements.
You can earn Zorua Candy by catching Zorua, transferring unwanted Zorua, using Pinap Berries or walking with Zorua as your Buddy. Zorua requires 5 km of walking to find one Candy.
| Pokémon | Evolution requirement | Evolution |
|---|---|---|
|
Zorua
|
50×
Zorua
Candy
|
Zoroark
|
Hisuian Zorua
|
50×
Zorua
Candy
|
Hisuian Zoroark
|
Regular and Hisuian Zorua use the same Zorua Candy.
Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark made their Pokémon GO debuts during the Ultra Unlock: Hisui Celebration event in July 2025.
Hisuian Zorua uses the same Buddy disguise mechanic as regular Zorua. It copies the appearance of your current Buddy and reveals itself after being caught.
Unlike the regular forms, Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark are Normal/Ghost-type Pokémon. Hisuian Zorua evolves into Hisuian Zoroark with 50 Zorua Candy and has no additional evolution requirement.
Shiny Hisuian Zorua and Shiny Hisuian Zoroark are not currently available. Only the regular Unovan forms can be Shiny.
Zoroark has a high Attack stat but very poor bulk. Its best Dark-type moveset is Snarl and Foul Play, but it falls behind the strongest Pokémon in our best Dark-type attackers list. It also struggles in the GO Battle League because it faints quickly.
Hisuian Zoroark is a little more interesting thanks to its unusual Normal/Ghost typing. Its best Ghost-type moveset is Snarl and Shadow Ball, while Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball and Foul Play is preferred for Trainer Battles. It still lacks bulk but can have some use in limited PvP formats.
| Pokémon | Level 50 max CP |
|---|---|
|
Zorua
|
1,329 CP |
|
Zoroark
|
2,907 CP |
|
Hisuian Zorua
|
1,360 CP |
|
Hisuian Zoroark
|
2,957 CP |
Zorua and Zoroark play central roles in the thirteenth Pokémon movie, Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
In the main series Pokémon games, Zorua and Zoroark are known for their Illusion Ability. When sent into battle, they take the appearance of the last conscious Pokémon in the player’s party. The illusion breaks when they take direct damage.
Their Pokémon GO disguise works differently. Instead of copying another member of a battle party, wild Zorua copies the Trainer’s current Buddy Pokémon.
Zorua and Zoroark are fox-like Pokémon inspired partly by kitsune from Japanese folklore. Kitsune are supernatural foxes associated with shapeshifting, illusions and trickery, making them a natural influence for the Tricky Fox Pokémon and Illusion Fox Pokémon.
Does Zorua always look like your Buddy?
Wild Zorua normally copies the appearance of your current Buddy Pokémon. It reveals its true form after being caught.
Does your Buddy need to be on the map?
No. Your Buddy does not need to be fed or walking beside you for Zorua to use its appearance.
Can a Zorua disguised as a regular Pokémon be Shiny?
Yes. The disguise has no connection to Zorua’s Shiny status. A regular-looking disguise can reveal itself as Shiny Zorua.
Does using a Shiny Buddy increase the Shiny Zorua rate?
No. A Shiny Buddy only makes Zorua easier to spot. It does not improve your Shiny odds.
How much Candy does Zorua need to evolve?
Both regular and Hisuian Zorua require 50 Zorua Candy to evolve. There are no additional evolution requirements.
Can Hisuian Zorua be Shiny?
No. Shiny Hisuian Zorua and Shiny Hisuian Zoroark are not currently available in Pokémon GO.
