How to get Ho-Oh in Pokemon Go Johto Celebration

Brent Koepp
Screenshot of Ho-oh event in Pokemon Go.

The Johto Celebration has kicked off in Pokemon Go. For a limited time, players will be able to catch a rare version of Ho-Oh that has the Earthquake move. Here is everything you need to know.

After debuting over two decade ago, the Pokemon franchise hits its 25th anniversary in 2021. To celebrate, Pokemon Go is taking a look back at Gen II with the Johto celebration.

Fans of Gold and Silver will have the chance to encounter Ho-Oh in the mobile title. Here is what you need to do to find and catch the Legendary bird during the limited-time event.

Screenshot of Pokemon Go Johto celebration art.
Pokemon Go is celebrating the Gen II with the Johto Celebration.

Pokemon Go Ho-Oh Research date & start time

The Ho-Oh Research goes live on the same day that the Johto Challenge debuts on January 26. Thankfully, players will have until Sunday, February 27th at 8:00PM local time to finish the special quest.

While the mobile game has featured the Legendary bird in the past, Trainers will not want to miss out on this opportunity as the ‘mon will feature the incredibly powerful move, Earthquake.

Those that manage to beat the quest in the 13 days will also have a chance at encountering a Shiny version of the Gold and Silver Legendary. Although, it having the Ground-type move make its special even in its normal form.

Screenshot of Legendary Ho-Oh in Pokemon Go.
Trainers can encounter a special Ho-Oh that knows Earthquake with timed Research.

Pokemon Go Ho-Oh Research tasks

In order to get the encounter with Ho-Oh during the Johto Celebration, players will have two Research quests with a total of six tasks altogether. While some of them are easy, one requires you to defeat a Team Go Rocket leader three times!

Research tasks set 1

  • Catch 15 Dark-type Pokemon – 5x Great Ball
  • Catch 15 Shadow Pokemon – 5x Revive
  • Defeat a Team Go Rocket Leader three times – Larvitar (Max CP 445)

Rewards for Completion: 15x Pokeball, 1x Incense, 5,000 XP

Research tasks set 2

  • Defeat Team Rocket Leader Arlo – 2x Max Revive
  • Defeat Team Rocket Leader Cliff – 3x Hyper Potion
  • Defeat Team Rocket Leader Sierra – 2x Max Potion

Rewards for Completion: Ho-Oh with Earthquake (Max CP 1,655)

Screenshot of Shiny Ho-Oh in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
Players can even run into a Shiny version of the Legendary Bird after completing the timed Research.

Without a doubt, the hardest aspect of this timed Research is the Team Rocket battles. While defeating each leader is fairly easy, having to beat one of the villains three times will require a lot Rocket Radars and random luck.

Luckily, Niantic is giving Trainers a total of 13 days to finish the whole thing. So make sure to complete as many Team Rocket balloons and PokeStops you can as you will need a lot of encounters to wrack up those wins.

About The Author

Brent is a former writer at Dexerto based in the United States, who covered topics such as Pokemon, Gaming, and online Entertainment.