Pokemon GO: Where’s Ditto? Easter Egg Rumors [UPDATE: He’s Here!]

[UPDATED: 11/22 – Pokemon GO players are reporting that Ditto now appears in all regions. There is a chance that low-level Pokemon like Pidgey or Caterpie will transform into a Ditto after being captured. Make sure you’ve downloaded the latest update patch to get a chance at a Ditto. The rest of the article is presented unchanged.]

At the Pokemon GO panel at SDCC, the developers at Niantic revealed that there are still Easter eggs to discover in their augmented reality app. Legendary Pokemon still haven’t made a proper appearance, but one mystery has left the internet (and Pokemon GO reddit threads in particular) completely baffled — where the heck is Ditto?

Ditto is the one Pokemon not yet found that isn’t a legendary. Remember that widely reported guy that got ’em all? They didn’t get Ditto. And unlike other Pokemon, Ditto is coded into Pokemon GO — the info and moves are all there for the illusive little blob.

Here’s the thing: nobody knows how to catch Ditto. But, some super-fans are attempting the impossible and breaking down all the reasons why Ditto might just exist, if we can solve the Easter egg related to his (totally confirmed) existence.

More Pokemon GO tips, tricks, and FAQs:

• Pokemon GO: 9 Essential Tips, Tricks & Answers To Your Questions
• Pokemon GO: Get Perfect Pokeball Throws With AssistiveTouch
• Pokemon GO: How to Fix Frozen Pokeballs – Bug Solution Guide
• Pokemon GO: 4 Tips to Save Battery Life & Capture Outside Longer
• Pokemon GO: How to Earn Coins (Fast) & What They’re Used For
• Pokemon GO: Where to Find (And Catch) Pokemon | Spawn Locations
• Pokemon GO: iOS & Android Compatibility – Which Versions Work
• Pokemon GO: How to Take In-Game Screenshots

Where’s Ditto? Easter Egg Rumors & Theories

What’s the deal with Ditto? If you’re not familiar with Generation 1 Pokemon, Ditto is kind of an anomaly. A strange blob-like Pokemon, it can take the shape of anything it sees. It’s also found in the same cave as Mewtwo, the powerful (and experimental) legendary Pokemon.

That makes Ditto a unique Pokemon that just might be hiding in plain sight — it can shapeshift, and most Pokemon GO theories revolve around the idea that Ditto is currently inhabiting the form of another, more mundane, Pokemon. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s break down the evidence for Ditto.

Why a Ditto Easter Egg?

Fans are desperately seeking an Easter egg related to Ditto, and there are a few good reasons why crazy theories might work. Chiefly, that one crazy Easter egg was proven correct — the Eeveelution.

• Eevee was another unique Pokemon that can evolve into one of three alternate forms; Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, depending on the evolution stones used and other factors. There is no evolution stone equivalent found in Pokemon GO, so players looked toward other solutions.

• As it turned out, renaming Eevee was the key. Naming Eevee one of three names based on Eevee-owning brothers from the Pokemon anime series dictated an evolutionary path. It’s all crazy, and totally true.

• Find more confirmed Eeveelution Easter egg details right here.

Recently, the developers at Niantic confirmed there are even more Easter eggs similar to the Eeveelution hidden in Pokemon GO. That opens lots of new avenues for exploration.

Fans have also explored Pokemon Go‘s assets, and code has been released that reveals Ditto’s description, base stats, and moves. His description is as follows:

• Ditto rearranges its cell structure to transform itself into other shapes. However, if it tries to transform itself into something by relying on its memory, this Pokémon manages to get details wrong.

Other details, including the Master Pokeball (which also has no yet been discovered) also appear in the code. That’s plenty of evidence. We know that (1) Ditto is in Pokemon GO code, partially or otherwise, and (2) Pokemon GO features more Easter eggs that have not yet been discovered.

Where Is Ditto? / When Does Ditto Unlock?

Not all the theories related to Ditto involve an Easter egg. Here are the most prevalent ideas:

1. Ditto is in Pokemon GO, and is an exclusive to South America.
2. Ditto might be related to future linking related to Pokemon Sun / Moon.
3. Ditto has not yet been added to Pokemon GO and will appear in a future update.
   • Ditto might appear at the same time Mew / Mewtwo are added, due to Ditto’s connection.
   • Ditto appeared in Cerulean Cave, the same location where Mewtwo spawns. Mew and Ditto are also the only shape-shifting Pokemon currently slated for Pokemon GO.
4. Pokemon GO is a “DLC Exclusive” related to the purchase of the not-yet-released Pokemon GO Plus.

Pokemon GO features several continent-specific Pokemon, and Pokemon GO has yet to be released in South America, leading to speculation that the South American exclusive might just be Ditto. The other continent exclusives are Farfetch’d, Tauros, Mr. Mime, and Kangashkan — also, in the Pokemon anime series, Ditto’s owner was named Duplica — Spanish for “Duplicate”.

Untested Ditto Easter Egg Theories

Even if Ditto is eventually released in an update, patch, or as DLC, there might just be an Easter egg related to this uncommon Pokemon. Here are just some of the theories making the rounds on the internet currently.

• Feed a Pokemon Egg “Butter”
  • A strange message appears (on occasion) when looking an Pokemon eggs in the incubator. It reads as follows:
    • Hatch this egg by feeding it butter. It likes all kinds of butter, every kind. The best kind.
  • This message appeared in the Pokemon GO beta, and might just be filler text. There is no “Butter” in the game, but some fans think there’s a method to make this happen.
  • One redditor thinks the “Butter” might actually be a Hyper Potion. After seeing the strange “Butter” message in-app, Ditto-hunters should instantly swap over to the item screen and attempt to use the potion.

• Take a picture of all wild Pokemon.
  • Ditto was a special, secret snap in the Nintendo 64 game Pokemon Snap. It isn’t too crazy to think Niantic might include a Snap Easter egg or two, especially if it takes advantage of the augmented-reality features of Pokemon GO.
  • Pester Balls are a big part of this theory. While Pester Balls don’t seem to exist in Pokemon GO, some players, including this reddit commentator, thinks there might be a way to unlock the precious balls.
    • The theory goes like this: Professor Oak rewards the player with Pester Balls in Pokemon Snap after obtaining 72,500 points. So — to get Pester Balls, players might need to take photos of Pokemon until their CP adds up to 72,500, then they’ll unlock the Pester Ball. We’re not quite convinced.
  • One dedicated Pokefan is documenting his Pokemon GO picture-taking voyage here. So far, no sign of Ditto yet.

• Ditto might be hiding in plain sight!
  • When Ditto takes the form of other Pokemon, it appears identical, except with a plain, Ditto-like blank expression. Some fans think this might be the key to finding Ditto.
  • More clues might also be in the descriptions of Pokemon or Medals.
  • Ditto is said to turn into a rock when it is sleeping. Geodude’s back kinda looks like a face… coincidence?
  • Ditto and Pikachu share the same baseCaptureRate (0.16) and Pikachu makes a unique noise when tapped. Catch and tap enough Pikachu, and one might have a different sound-clip, revealing that it’s a fake Pikachu.

• Ditto has something to do with the Starter Pokemon.
  • Ditto shares an identical baseCaptureRate (0.16) and baseFleeRate (0.1) with the other starter Pokemon; Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, and Pikachu. These are the only Pokemon in GO to share these stats.
  • To reveal Ditto in Pokemon Snap, a Pester Ball must be thrown at a Bulbasaur. Pester Balls were not found in the code, but still some players think they know what’s up (Check out the entry all about taking snapshots.) even if it seems unlikely.
  • As mentioned above, Ditto might be hiding in the form of a Pikachu. Its relation to Pikachu, and the sound clip identifier, means that some Pikachu might be distinguished by their unique noise.

• Pokeball Colors and Ingress Glyphs are involved.
  • This one is complicated. First of all, remember the Pester Ball mentioned all over these theories? There is an Easter egg allowing players to alter the color of a Pokeball icon — all you have to do is press and hold the main menu Pokeball icon until the colors change.
    • The colors can match the pattern of the Pester Ball, a special ball from Pokemon Snap required to reveal Ditto.
  • Here’s where things get interesting. Ingress, the app developed by Niantic that largely resembles Pokemon GO, featured locations similar to Gyms or Pokestops called a Portal.
    • When tapping a portal, you can hold down to enter a minigame.
    • When tapping the main menu Pokeball, you can hold down to change the colors.
  • When a Portal was activated, you could enter “Glyphs” or codes with a series of swipes. The answer might involve tapping / holding, then entering a Glyph code. Currently, no results have come out of these tests, but the theory is being documented heavily here.

That’s a lot of theories, and still we’re only scratching the surface of the full topic. There’s still more to discover in Pokemon GO, and we’ll update this article to reveal the latest finds related to our missing Ditto.

Got your own wild theories and ideas? Let us know in the comments!