Pokemon Sword and Shield Will Distribute Zarude and Shiny Celebi for New Movie

The Pokemon Company will distribute two Mythical Pokemon to Japanese players that pre-order tickets for the upcoming Pokemon movie. Earlier today, the Pokemon Company announced that fans who pre-order tickets for Pokemon the Movie: Coco will receive two codes that unlock the new Mythical Pokemon Zarude and the Shiny Pokemon Celebi to the game. Fans will receive the first code on April 17th for a Level 60 Shiny Celebi and a second code on June 15th for a Level 60 Zarude. Currently, both distributions are limited to fans in Japan.

The Pokemon Company revealed Zarude earlier this year as the first Mythical Pokemon for the Galar region. A Dark/Grass-type Pokemon, Zarude can extend vines from its feet, wrist, and neck and is very aggressive and protective against those who aren't a part of its pack. Celebi, meanwhile, first appeared in Pokemon Gold and Shield as a Grass/Psychic-type Pokemon with the ability to travel through time. This is the first time that the Pokemon Company has distributed a Shiny Celebi, although the Pokemon was also available in the Virtual Console versions of Pokemon Crystal through random chance.

The two Pokemon will be featured in Pokemon the Movie: Coco, although their exact roles are unclear. The movie will feature Ash and Pikachu befriend a boy named Coco, who has some sort of tie to Zarude and may have been raised by the Pokemon in the jungle. Pokemon the Movie: Coco will be released in Japan over the summer, and an international release is expected either in fall 2020 or winter 2021 depending on the distribution method.

While Pokemon Sword and Shield players who don't live in Japan will probably gripe about the lack of news about an international distribution, it's almost a guarantee that we'll get Shiny Celebi and Zarude distributions at some point outside of Japan that won't require the purchase of movie tickets. The timing of Zarude's distribution also means that we should see the Isle of Armor DLC get released for Pokemon Sword and Shield before then, as Zarude currently isn't coded in the games.

We'll have more news on international distributions of these two Pokemon when they're announced. In the meantime, feel free to drop us a comment or find me on Twitter at @CHofferCBus to chat all things Pokemon!