Where to catch Zorua in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Zorua has been a fan favorite Pokemon since its inception over a decade ago - and it's no different when it comes to Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. What has changed, however, are some of the intricacies required in capturing one for your own team. Much like how a Ditto might alter its appearance to blend in with other Pokemon in an environment, Zorua can do the same - so in many cases, you won't actually know you've encountered a Zorua until you've initiated the battle for yourself. Thankfully, there's a trick that can help save you time, and let you know if a Pokemon in the field might just be a Zorua in disguise.

Where to find Zorua in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet

Zorua's possible habitats.

Zorua can be found at any of the locations marked above - but if I were to be so bold, I would suggest starting your search within the Tagtree Thicket, and there's a good reason for that recommendation. You see, while Zorua can disguise itself as another Pokemon, it can only go so far when it comes to mimicking that Pokemon's behavior. Not only are Zorua much more skittish, and liable to start running away the mere moment you start to approach them - which might differ wildly from the expected behavior of the Pokemon they're mimicking - there's also the matter of Pokemon that stick to trees, like Pineco or Applin.

Zorua mimicking a Pineco, versus an actual Pineco

As you can see in the gallery above - Zorua will never perch itself to a tree, so if you see either an Applin or a Pineco on the ground in the Tagtree Thicket, and you hadn't rammed into a tree to knock them down, chances are they are actually a Zorua. Locking onto a Zorua once you've already got its Pokedex entry will let you in on the ruse, and conversely, if you already have Pokedex information on the Pokemon its mimicking but still lack its own information the ruse can similarly be foiled.

Once you've discovered a hiding Zorua, it's as simple as engaging it and going in for the capture. The fact that players can intuit that a Pokemon like Zorua is around merely by examining its own actions is fascinating, and definitely one of the newest games' coolest environmental interactions. Good luck with your Zorua search, and have fun!