Ditto Transformation
In the main Pokémon series, there are two Pokémon capable of transforming into other Pokémon: Ditto and Zorua.
While Zorua disguises itself as other Pokémon to hide its identity and protect itself, Ditto is a true transformation Pokémon whose cellular structure is naturally optimized for changing into other Pokémon.
Pokémon That Ditto Can Disguise As
In Pokémon GO, some Pokémon that appear in the wild may actually be Ditto in disguise.
When you catch one of these Pokémon, its disguise will disappear after the catch animation, revealing that it was Ditto all along.
The currently confirmed disguise Pokémon are listed below.
  Ditto Disguises List | ||
|---|---|---|
 Mankey✨ |  Growlithe✨ |  Magnemite✨ |
 Voltorb✨ |  Sentret✨ |  Teddiursa✨ |
 Seedot✨ |  Slakoth✨ |  Surskit✨ |
 Whismur✨ | ||
Unfortunately, there is no way to identify a disguised Ditto before catching it.
However, you can sometimes suspect a Ditto based on its catch difficulty.
Ditto has a Base Capture Rate (BCR) of only 20%, which is considerably lower than many of the Pokémon it disguises itself as. If one of the disguise Pokémon is unexpectedly difficult to catch, there’s a chance it may actually be Ditto.
What Transform Copies
Ditto’s signature move, Transform, copies nearly everything about the opposing Pokémon, including:
- Type
- Base stats
- Moves
- Appearance (including Shiny, Costume, Buddy Ribbon, Shadow, and Purified forms)
However, Ditto retains its own level, HP, and IVs, so it does not become an exact duplicate in battle.
At first glance, Transform appears to be an incredibly powerful move since it copies many of the opponent’s attributes. However, Ditto’s biggest weakness is its low HP.
Because Ditto keeps its own HP even after transforming, it remains relatively fragile regardless of the Pokémon it copies. This inherent limitation prevents Ditto from reaching the same battle performance as the Pokémon it transforms into.
Ditto Information
Type, Base Stats, and Moves
- Type: Normal
- Shiny Availability: ✔ Available
- Base Stats: Attack 91 / Defense 91 / HP 134
- Max CP (Level 50): 940
- Fast Move: Transform
- Charged Move: Struggle
Ditto Encounter Rate
Among the Pokémon that Ditto can disguise itself as, the chance that one is actually Ditto is approximately 3–5%. While relatively uncommon, it’s not an extremely rare occurrence.
Shiny Ditto
Wild Ditto cannot disguise itself as a Shiny Pokémon. Therefore, if you encounter a Shiny version of one of Ditto’s disguise Pokémon in the wild, it will never turn into Ditto after being caught.
| |
|---|---|
| Wild Encounter (Example) | Caught After |
 Mankey | Mankey |
 Ditto | |
 Shiny Ditto | |
 Shiny Mnankey | Shiny Mnankey |
Previously, the Shiny Ditto encounter rate was estimated at approximately 1.6%, making it one of the more accessible Shiny Pokémon.
However, this is now referred to in the past tense because Niantic’s 2026 announcements stated that all Pokémon would use the standard Shiny encounter rate unless otherwise specified.
If this change applies to Ditto, it may no longer benefit from its previous boosted Shiny rate and could instead follow the standard rate of roughly 0.2%. Additional research is still needed to confirm this.
Note: Some events include bonuses that increase the chance of encountering Ditto in the wild. For example, during the Let’s GO! event in March 2023, community research found that Ditto’s disguise rate increased to nearly 10%.
