Team Rocket is returning to Pokémon Go during the Dual Destiny season for Fashion Week 2025. You can expect to see additional Team Rocket Grunts, leaders, Giovanni, and new Shadow Pokémon appearing halfway through this event.
The Taken Over portion of the event does not start at the same time as Fashion Week 2025. It’ll be a few days after that, giving you plenty of time to prepare to face off against Team Rocket grunts and tracking down various leaders. The grunts, leaders, and Giovanni will have several new Shadow Pokémon captured, with Giovanni having the biggest one of all: Palkia. This means you need a Super Rocket Radar to track him down. Here’s what you need to know about when the Fashion Week 2025 Taken Over event begins in Pokémon Go.
When does Fashion Week 2025 Taken Over event begin in Pokémon Go?
The larger event, Fashion Week 2025, begins on Jan. 10. However, you must wait until Jan. 15 at 12am in your local area for the Taken Over portion to start. New Zealand is the first time zone to get this event, but other parts of the world must wait until midnight on Jan. 15 for everything to begin happening. Our timer below reflects when the event begins in New Zealand, but for us, we’ll have to wait 18 hours later until we get the event. Despite the time zone start differences, everyone has the same amount of time to participate in it.
Notable Pokémon making their debut for the event are Shroodle and Grafaiai, who you can find in 12km eggs which you get from defeating Team Rocket leaders Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra.
When the timer reaches zero, the Taken Over event begins in New Zealand. You should expect to see it in your local area when you wake up past midnight on Jan. 15. However, if you’re a night owl, there’s a good chance you can find nearby Team Rocket grunts who already have the new Shadow Pokémon that they’ve captured. You can work toward challenging Giovanni using a Super Rocket Radar in Pokémon Go.
How you get the Super Rocket Radar comes from the Special Research quest. All players should have access to it when the Special Research goes live at the beginning of the event. It should follow the same pattern as previous Team Rocket tickets, where you’ll have to track down Team Rocket grunts, challenge all Team Rocket leaders, and then you’ll get the Super Rocket Radar to find Giovanni. Thankfully, Giovanni should have his new Legendary Shadow Pokémon for several months, until the next Taken Over event.
However, the Special Research is only available during the event’s Fashion Week 2025 Taken Over portion. You’ll want to log in at least once between Jan. 15 and Jan. 19 to get it, even if you don’t have time to complete it. The Special Research will continue to be available in your quest journal unless you already have an active Team Rocket Special Research available. You’ll need to finish that one before getting another in Pokémon Go.
Here’s a full breakdown of all the new Shadow Pokémon you can encounter during Fashion Week 2025 Taken Over. These Shadow Pokémon should continue to be available following the conclusion of the event, but the spawn rate for Team Rocket grunts does go down, making them harder to track down.
- Shadow Bunnelby
- Shadow Oshawott
- Shadow Dewott
- Shadow Samurott
- Shadow Snivy
- Shadow Servine
- Shadow Serperior
- Shadow Taillow
- Shadow Tepig
- Shadow Pignite
- Shadow Emboar
- Shadow Trubbish
Expect to see these Shadow Pokémon after the major event, and we’ll break down who has what Pokémon. Not every Team Rocket grunt has the same roster. We have a page sharing those rosters and how you can identify them, ensuring you go after the Shadow Pokémon you want to save and add to your roster for Pokémon Go.
