A strong attacker has been missing in Pokémon GO for a long time. Anyone who missed Zarude back then hasn’t had another chance at the rare Pokémon to this day.
What kind of Pokémon is Zarude? Like Mew or Celebi, Zarude is one of the mysterious Pokémon and has the types Grass and Dark.
The monkey-like Pokémon comes from the 8th generation of the game and therefore from the Galar region. In Pokémon GO it is considered one of the best plant attackers ever.
The problem: Many a coach will have missed Zarude. Because its debut was a long time ago – and it hasn’t appeared in the game since then.
When did Zarude appear in Pokémon GO?
How to get Zarude: Zarude’s debut was part of the Secrets of the Jungle event, which ran in Pokémon GO to celebrate the film of the same name. It started on October 1st, 2021 and ended on October 10th, 2021 – two years and three months ago.
The event had a jungle theme, but also featured Rocket villains Jessie and James, who could be found in the balloon. But the most important thing in the event was the special research “Search for Zarude”.
If you completed it, you secured your only encounter with Zarude to date. The problem: It was absolutely necessary to at least collect the research between October 1st and 10th, 2021.
Anyone who played back then got it automatically. And once you had the special research, you had unlimited time to solve it. But if you didn’t attend the event or even started playing Pokémon GO afterwards, you probably haven’t met Zarude in Pokémon GO to date.
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Is there a chance of a return?
Every now and then, trainers in the online Pokémon GO community ask whether Zarude will appear again. There is currently no official information about this – only hints.
Unfortunately, the clearest thing speaks against a return: If you try to send Zarude from Pokémon GO to “Pokémon HOME”, you will receive a warning that you cannot receive another Zarude in Pokémon GO. So that looks difficult as things stand.
On the other hand, there is still hope, as you could also get “one-time-use Pokémon” like Mew or Celebi again at some point – for example through a masterwork research that then brought the shiny version. For the Johto tour 2022 you also got a Celebi, years after its original release in 2018.
It is therefore conceivable that Zarude could perhaps return as part of a future Galar tour. There is also a Zarude form known as the “Dada form”. These, or even a possible shiny release, could bring Zarude back at some point. But this is just speculation.
Would you be happy to see Zarude return? Do you already have the monster or do you still need it in your collection? Tell us in the comments! And you can find out what else is going on in the game in the overview of the Pokémon GO events in January 2024.