Pokemon Sword & Shield rumor claims rare Dada Zarude form is coming soon

Brent Koepp
Screenshot of Legendary Zarude Pokemon Sword & Shield.

A rumor claims Pokemon Sword & Shield players in the West will be receiving Dada Zarude in an upcoming promotion. The new “leak” states that the Galar Legendary’s second form and the Secrets of the Jungle movie release date are coming sooner than first thought.

While Gen 8 Legendary Pokemon Zarude technically made its North American debut in December 2020, players outside of Japan have been left wondering when they would be able to get their hands on its rarer secondary Dada form.

A new rumor claims that not only will the alternate variant of the Sword & Shield ‘mon be released worldwide soon, but that the Secrets of the Jungle movie will be releasing in the West sooner than some may have expected.

Screenshot of Legendary Pokemon Zarude in Pokemon Sword & Shield.
The rare alternate form of Zarude features the Legendary wearing a cape.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Dada Zarude to release soon in the West?

In December 2020, Japanese Pokemon fans who attended the series’ latest film, Coco, (called Secrets of the Jungle in the West) were given a code to redeem in Sword & Shield to add a special version of Legendary Zarude to their game.

According to popular leaks account ‘CentroLeaks’, fans in the West will also get the promotion soon. “According to Pokekalos, Zarude’s Dada form will finally be available in the West in June via an event for Pokemon Sword & Shield,” the accounted tweeted on March 19.

The site also added that there has been speculation that Secrets of the Jungle film, which the ‘mon stars in, could also see a release date around the same time. Interestingly, it’s unclear what exactly an “event” means. Could it be something like a special Dynamax raid featuring the Legendary? Or will it just be a Mystery Gift?

What is Dada Zarude in Pokemon Sword & Shield?

Dada Zarude is an alternate form of the Gen 8 Legendary which features the ‘mon wearing a pink scarf around its neck with #251 branded on it. This is a reference to Celebi’s National Pokedex number. The classic Psychic / Grass-type Mythical stars alongside the Galar creature in the Secrets of the Jungle film.

In terms of what makes it special, it’s purely just a cosmetic change. Hardcore Trainers will no doubt want to add the new version of the Dark-type to the collection, especially because it mirrors the version of creature in the movie.