How to evolve Finizen into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

You can evolve Finizen into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, but doing so requires the work of a hero — or at least a friend who has the game.

Finizen is one of the new Special Evolutions found in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and makes use of a brand new evolution method found only in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. You can’t just level it up — you need to do so while in someone else’s game.

Here’s where to find a Finizen if you haven't caught one already, and then how to evolve it into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and then unlock its heroic transformation, Hero Form Palafin.

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If you'd like to learn more about your Paldea adventure, visit our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough.

Where to find Finizen in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Finizen, the Dolphon Pokémon, lives in the sea. Pick a sea, any sea (as long as it’s around Paldea), and you'll find your everyday citizen Finizen just kicking about. They really are impossible to miss, but just in case, you can check out its habitat in the image below:

Our The Teal Mask walkthrough will help you complete the first part of The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC, but make sure you know how to start it first. When visiting Kitakami it's a good idea to know how to get Sinistcha, Dipplin, Bloodmoon Ursaluna and The Loyal Three so you can complete the Kitakami Pokédex. Our Pokémon Scarlet and Violet walkthrough can take you through the main campaign - including The First Day of School, Victory Road, Starfall Street, Path of Legends, The Way Home and the final boss. Elsewhere, we can help with the Normal Gym test Secret Item menu,EXP farming and shiny Pokémon. When it comes to individual Pokémon, we can help with Gimmighoul, Pawmot, Brambleghast, Annihilape, Farigiraf, Dudunsparce, Armarouge and Ceruledge.

How to evolve Finizen into Palafin

To evolve Finizen into Palafin in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet you need to fultil two tasks: get it to at least Level 37 and then jump into someone else’s game before levelling it up again. To be specific, Finizen evolves into Palafin in Union Circle starting at Level 38! This can be through battling in the nearby grass or simply by using XP items or a Rare Candy.

Pro tip: Once Finizen evolves, it will try to learn the move Aqua Tail. It's a good move and you absolutely want to have it (it's a Water-type Volt Switch/U-turn), if for no other reason that it will make these hero references make sense — Palafin has a superhero form that you need Aqua Tail to unlock.

To get the Palafin you see on the front of its Pokédex, you need to use Aqua Tail in battle and have it switch out, as the Pokédex entry suggests, it can only change when nobody is looking (it's in its Pokéball). From there, switch back out to Palafin and you'll that a heroic transformation has taken place!

Finizen and Palafin Pokédex entries

If you're keen for a preview of what the Pokédex entries for the two Dolphin Pokémon look like, we’ve included them for you below:

For more help in Paldea, we've got a walkthrough, including help with the Starfall Street, Victory Road, and Path of Legends stories.