How to get Nincada, Shedinja & Ninjask in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

David Purcell

You can get Nincada, Shedinja & Ninjask in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl if you know where to look. Here, we’re going to run through the locations and evolution methods to get all three crossed off your Pokedex. 

Unlike many other Pokemon that are readily available to find and battle in the wild, Nincada (the first Pokemon in this evolution chain) is only unlocked in the post-game, and its evolutions have specific requirements.

That means that it’s much more challenging to get all three of these Pokemon when compared to other species in the Sinnoh region. However, this doesn’t make it impossible, and our guide will help you get all of them.

So, let’s take a look at everything you need to know to find a Nincada – and evolve it.

Where to find Nincada in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl

Nincada in pokemon brilliant diamond
Nincada has a very specific spawn location in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Before you can encounter a Nincada in Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl, you’ll need to unlock the National Pokedex, which gives you the ability to catch over 300 additional species of Pokemon.

Once you have done this – defeated the Elite Four to become the Champion and registered all 150 Pokemon in the Sinnoh region – follow these instructions:

  1. Load up your copy of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond or Shining Pearl.
  2. Make sure you have the National Pokedex from Professor Rowan in Sandgem Town.
  3. Visit Ramanas Park and speak to Professor Oak, who will give you the Poke Radar.
  4. Go to Eterna Forest, use the Poke Radar, and walk into one of the moving bushes.

You’ll need the Poke Radar to encounter a Nincada, so make sure you have it before searching. You can open the Poke Radar from your Key Items pocket, and assign it to the ‘+’ button if you wish.

How to evolve Nincada to get Shedinja and Ninjask

pokemon ninjask
You can get both Ninjask and Shedinja in one evolution.

Nincada will evolve into Ninjask when it reaches Level 20, so keep it on your party until it meets this requirement. You don’t even need to battle with it, as EXP Share will take care of that for you.

If you want to get Shedinja, you’ll need to make sure you have a slot free on your team and a spare Poke Ball in your inventory when Nincada evolves. This way, you’ll get both Ninjask and Shedinja in one.

By following this guide you will have secured all three – Nincada, Shedinja, and Ninjask – and be a few steps closer to completing your National Dex.


For more Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl guides, check these out:

How to get Jirachi | How to get Mew | Version exclusives | All Legendary Pokemon | How to get the Poketch | Best starter to pick | All Styles | How to beat all Gym Leaders | How to walk with your Pokemon |How to get Leafeon | How to get Glaceon | How to get Umbreon & Espeon | Where to catch Spiritomb | How to get Riolu & Lucario | Where to find Gible & Garchomp | How to unlock the Bike | All trade evolutions | How to customize outfits and Styles | Manaphy Egg guide