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The Dark-typeZoruaand its evolution, Zoroark, appeared for the first time inPokemon GOduring the last week of October 2022. In the mainline games, Zorua debuted inPokemon Black& White, but it was only available through a special event. As time passed, Zorua became easier to catch and could even be found in the wild on specific routes.
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InPokemon GO, Zorua was intended to be a surprise encounter. Thanks to a bug during the Shuppet Spotlight Hour (October 2022), Zorua snuck onto the roster a bit earlier than intended. Since then, Niantic has fixed the bug, and Zorua can now be caught via its intended method.
Updated on August 01, 2025, by Renri Seong:Zorua disguised its way intoPokemon GOback in late October 2023 as a surprise encounter. This sly Pokemon can be just as tricky to catch as Ditto since it will take on the appearance of other Pokemon. However, there is a trick to finding andcatching ZoruathatPokemon GOplayers will want to exploit. If enough Zorua are caught, it can evolve into Zoroark with the help of Zorua Candy. The following guide has been updated to include new information, such as the Zorua-line’s best Fast Attacks and Charged Attacks.
How To Find Zorua in Pokemon GO
Zorua won’t appear in its regular form inPokemon GO’s overworld. Instead,it will take on the appearance of the player’s Buddy Pokemon. For players who don’t know, they can assign a Buddy Pokemon by tapping thetrainer iconin thebottom-left corner of the screen. If this is the first time assigning a Buddy Pokemon, they’ll see an option that allows them to “Choose a Buddy.”
From here,players can access the Buddy Pokemon menuby tapping their icon next to the trainer icon on the overworld map. There’s an option calledSwap Buddiesthat, as its name indicates, allows players to swap out their current Buddy Pokemon with another. However, players can only swap out Buddies up to20 times a day.
The Buddy Pokemondoes notneed to be on the overworld map with its trainer in order for Zorua to spawn. In fact, having a Buddy Pokemon out while looking for Zorua may be more confusing than helpful. If players see two of their “Buddy Pokemon,” then there’s a chance one of them is a Zorua.
Upon catching the “Buddy Pokemon,” the screen will say “Oh?” instead of “Gotcha!.” A special animation will play with a magenta-colored background. The Pokemon will then transform into Zorua similarly toDitto’s transformation upon capture. Remember that berries thatincreasethe amount of Candy (ie: Pinap Berries, Silver Pinap Berries) will count towardsZorua Candy. So, if players use a Pinap Berry when catching a Porygon2 (assigned as their Buddy), they won’t get Porygon Candies but will instead get Zorua Candies.
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Assign a Unique Buddy Pokemon
Zorua’s disguise isn’t as flawless as it thinks it is. Players struggling to find Zorua may want to consider assigning a Buddy Pokemon that’s one of the following:
As most players know, Pokemon that are Shiny donotappear as Shiny on the overworld map. Players need to interact with the Pokemon first. Zorua instead will appear on the map as a Shiny Pokemon, giving away its identity. Another trick is to assign a Shadow or Purified Pokemon as a Buddy. These Pokemon have purple (Shadow) or white (Purified) auras, and Zorua’s disguise will keep these special features when it appears.
The last trick is to assign a legendary or an uncommon Pokemon as a Buddy. It’s not likely players will find a Legendary roaming about the wild outside very specific events(excluding Galarian Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno).
Once players have caught enough Zorua, they can evolve it into Zoroark with 50 Zorua Candy. As a Dark-type, Zoroark (and Zorua) will have access to moves strong against Ghost and Psychic-type Pokemon. However, trainers will want to keep them away from Fairy, Fighting,and Bug-type Pokemon.
There was a slight chance of Zorua having less than max HP upon being caught. If this is the case, simply restore its HP with a Potion.
Is Zorua Event-Exclusive in Pokemon GO?
Zorua was more common in the wild during the last week of October. As ofthe Mythical Wishes eventinPokemon GO, there’s still a slim chance that trainers can stumble upon one. However, like Ditto, it’s quite rare. The trick to getting Zorua is, again, assigning a Buddy Pokemon that’s been Purified, is Shiny, Shadow, or a Legendary. Avoid setting common Pokemon as Buddies when hunting for Zoruas.
Players may need to rely on weather effects to increase the chances of Zorua appearing. Dark-type and Ghost-type Pokemon appear more frequentlyduring foggy weather.Pokemon GOplayers should consider using aRegularLure ModuleorIncenseto increase the spawn rate.
Zorua & Zoroark’s Best Moves
Being a pure Dark-type Pokemon, Zorua and Zoroark will get Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) from Dark-type Moves. Zorua’s movepool is shallow compared to Zoroark’s, so playersmay want to evolve it firstbefore spending Stardust and Candy to teach it a new move.
As a Zorua, its best Fast Attack isFeint Attack. This has more EPS than its other Fast Attack, Scratch. Plus, Feint Attack is a Dark-type Move and will deal more damage. Pair this up withFoul Playas its Charged Attack.Dark Pulseis another alternative, butFoul Play uses less energy, meaning it can be used more frequently than Dark Pulse. The Feint Attack + Foul Play combo is great when battling Ghost-type or Psychic-type Pokemon. However, it won’t do much damage to a Fairy or Fighting-type Pokemon.
Zoroark hasa more diverse movepool, but players will wantSnarlas its Fast Attack. It has STAB and deals more damage than its alternative: Shadow Claw. KeepFoul Playas its Charged Attack, but if players prefer, they can go withSludge Bomb. This is a Poison-type Move, which grants Zoroark coverage against Fairy-type Pokemon, one of its weaknesses.
Can You Catch Hisuian Zorua in Pokemon GO?
Hisuian Qwilfish, as well as Hisuian Braviary, have made it intoPokemon GO, but Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroark have yet to make an appearance. Unlike regular Zorua/Zoroark, the Hisuian forms are Ghost/Normal-type Pokemon, making them immune to one of their weaknesses: Ghost-type attacks… but only in mainlinePokemongames.
Since Hisuian Pokemon are starting to cross over intoGO, it’s highly likely that Hisuian Zorua and Hisuian Zoroarkwill be added to the roster. Like the Galarian Yamask, Hisuian Zorua may be exclusive to Special Research Tasks and may require an extra step to evolve into Hisuian Zoroark. Until then, trainers can only find and catch the Unova version of the Tricky Fox Pokemon.
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