A beloved Unova Pokémon could be on the way to Pokémon Go

Niantic is consistently working on creating new events in Pokémon Go to bring players one step closer to completing their PokéDex, steadily catching up with the mainline Pokémon series. Not every Pokémon has arrived in Pokémon Go, but notable Dataminers Pokéminers group has potentially uncovered one of the next Pokémon that could appear soon in the mobile game.

The dataminers discovered it as they poured through 0.251.0 APK. They tweeted it alongside the latest changes they found, such as the upcoming High Horsepower attack.

The PokeMiners tweet reads, “Get to ready to hype: “metamonBackDrop, zoruaBackdrop.” It’s a direct mention of Zorua, the adorable fox-like Pokémon that first appeared in the Unova region in Pokémon Black and White. It’s the Tricky Fox Pokémon, and it could hint that we might see this beloved Pokémon make its official debut in Pokémon Go soon. There’s no official teaser from Niantic that Zorua will be on the way, but this could be the team setting things up.

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It would be appropriate if Zorua and its evolved form, Zoroark, could appear during Halloween. Still, there’s no date or other assets to suggest Niantic might release these two during an upcoming event. For October 2022, we know that Pokémon Go will be hosting the Festival of Lights from October 14 to 17, and the main Halloween Event will go from October 20 to November 1. Spiritomb or Yamask are typically the primary Pokémon for the Halloween event. Still, Zorua would make for an excellent Pokémon to feature during this time, given it is a Dark-type but not a Ghost-type.

Some fans might be eager to see Zorua’s Hisuian Form, which turns it into a Normal and Ghost-type Pokémon. While it would be great to see that regional form appears in the mobile game, it’s unlikely that Niantic would release the Pokémon and the regional form simultaneously. Instead, they typically spread those events out, like releasing a shiny version for a Pokémon on separate occasions.

Hopefully, we’ll learn more information as we get closer to the end of October. However, it’s doubtful Zorua would release sometime in November or December. It feels better for an Ice-type or a Holidays-based Pokémon to get a spotlight during that time, rather than Dark-type Pokémon that fits more with fall and Halloween.