Pokemon Go Gives Players Just One Week to Catch Adorable New Costumed Pokemon

It’s been all about Pikachu in Pokemon Go lately. Following the Mega Mewtwo extravaganza that was 2026 Go Fest Global, the 10th anniversary celebrations continue. Last week, that mostly meant the return of a ton of past costume Pikachu designs with a full week of Special Anniversary Pikachu celebrations. Now that that’s over with, Pokemon Go is giving us yet another reason to celebrate: it’s Professor Willow’s birthday.

Professor Willow is Pokemon Go‘s very own Pokemon Professor, guiding us through Special Research from the very beginning. It’s fitting, therefore, that his birthday falls during the same month that Pokemon Go first launched. This year, Scopely is celebrating the Pokemon Professor with a brand-new costumed Pikachu. And might I say it could be the cutest one yet? Professor Willow’s Assistant Pikachu has arrived as of July 21st, but we won’t have long to catch one.

Pokemon Go Debuts New Professor Willow Pikachu (Here’s How to Get It)

Are costumed Pokemon basically a way to sell more Pokemon Go storage? Yes. But does that stop players, myself included, from collecting them? Absolutely not. And this latest edition just might be one of the cutest ones yet. Professor Willow’s Assistant Pikachu debuted on July 21st, 2026. This adorable Pikachu is dressed in Professor Willow’s outfit, paying homage to the 10th anniversary of Pokemon Go and its Pokemon Professor’s birthday. And yes, it can be Shiny right from its release. But it won’t be around for long.

Unlike some new costumed variants, this Professor Willow Pikachu shouldn’t be too tricky to get. It will appear as a featured encounter in Field Research, Timed Research, and Raids during the Willow’s Birthday Research event. It will also show up in Snapshot Surprises. So, you should have quite a few opportunities to catch this newest costumed Pikachu variant. In fact, it’s looking like a pretty decent costumed Pikachu to Shiny hunt with all those catch opportunities.

The best way to guarantee you get a Professor Willow’s Assistant Pikachu is by completing the free event Timed Research. You can start this Timed Research by logging in to Pokemon Go starting on July 21st at 10 AM local time. The Willow’s Birthday Research path is available in the “Events” tab of the Research menu in Pokemon Go. It has 3 different stages and will only be available for one week, until July 27th at 8 PM local time. So, you’ll want to move through the tasks of catching Pokemon, completing Field Research, and landing Nice Throws quickly.

You may also get more costumed Pikachu encounters via those Field Research tasks, so that will let you double-dip on your way to Shiny hunt this adorable variant. It will also appear as a One-Star Raid boss throughout the event. This raid tier is typically pretty easy to solo, so my fellow rural Pokemon Go players should have a decent shot at beating them and snagging their very own Professor Willow Pikachu. So, while this Pokemon won’t be spawning for a very long time, there are plenty of opportunities to get one (or a few) while the Ultra Unlock event is live this week.

Will you be collecting this latest Pikachu variant in Pokemon Go? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!