Greninja returns to Pokémon after five-year absence in Scarlet & Violet Tera Raid

The ninja frog Pokémon is finally making a comeback.

Screenshot by Gamepur

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The next Tera Raid Battle in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will bring back a fan favorite Pokémon, as Greninja is finally returning to the mainline Pokémon series. Greninja won Google’s most popular Pokémon poll in 2020 and has consistently placed high in similar rankings, yet it has been absent from the mainline games since 2017’s Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon on the Nintendo 3DS.

Greninja will be making its comeback in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as part of an upcoming seven Star Tera Raid Battle. According to Serebii, there will be two Greninja events, with the first running from January 27 to 29 and the second from February 10 to 12. This Greninja will have the Poison Tera Type, which fits with its frog/ninja theme, as well as giving its Protean Ability some additional utility.

Serebii Update: The next 7 Star Tera Raid Battle has been fully revealed. Battle against Poison Tera Type Greninja.

Runs from January 27th through January 29th and February 10th through February 12th

Details @ https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/L0Nc0ZMnRe
— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) January 16, 2023

It’s surprising that it has taken this long for Greninja to return to the mainline games, considering its popularity among fans and its strength in the competitive battling scene. Greninja never appeared in any of the Pokémon remakes on the Nintendo Switch, which is understandable, but it was also cut during the ‘Dexit’ shift in Pokémon Sword and Shield and wasn’t present in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, despite its ninja theme being a perfect fit for the game’s setting. Greninja has appeared in Pokémon spin-off games and is one of the playable fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, so it never completely vanished from the minds of fans.

The return of Greninja has been a long time coming and fans are already expressing happiness at the comeback on social media. Greninja’s capacity to change Types with its Protean Ability makes it a perfect fit for the Tera Type system in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet and it will be interesting to see what combos the competitive scene comes up with for this beloved Pokémon.