NianticGiovanni is Team Rocket’s nefarious boss in Pokemon Go, and as one of the toughest fights in the game, he’s a real menace to beat, so you’ll need to work really hard if you want a chance to defeat him and save his Shadow Pokemon.
After valiantly fighting through Arlo, Cliff, Sierra, and plenty of Grunts, you’ll finally get the chance to take on Giovanni. The Team Go Rocket Boss is tough competition, though, so it’s important to take the time to plan ahead if you want to walk away a winner.
After battling with the Kanto region’s Legendary Mewtwo, Kyogre, and many others, the villain currently features Shadow Palkia in his team. Here, we’ll break down everything you need to know about his lineup and the best counters to help you defeat him and storm to victory on the battlefield.
Giovanni Pokemon Go lineup (April 2025)
As mentioned, the star of Giovanni’s current team is Shadow Palkia, which you’ll be able to catch if you manage to beat him. Here’s his full lineup in Pokemon Go:
- Phase 1: Shadow Persian
- Phase 2: Shadow Rhyperior / Shadow Nidoking / Shadow Kingdra
- Phase 3: Shadow Palkia
Giovanni’s lineup typically changes each time a new Team Go Rocket Takeover rolls around, which most recently happened as part of the Fashion Week Taken Over event in January 2025.
The current season, Might and Mastery kicked off on March 4, 2025, but no future Takeovers have been revealed as of yet — meaning Giovanni’s lineup remains the same as of April 1, 2025.
How to beat Giovanni in Pokemon Go
The Pokemon CompanyGiovanni is an incredibly strong opponent in Pokemon Go, so if you want to defeat him, you’ll need to come prepared with some powerful counters that can target his team’s weaknesses.
At the start of every battle, Giovanni always throws out his signature Pokemon, Persian. The second Pokemon he chooses is at random from the pool of three mentioned above. Finally, you’ll face Shadow Palkia.
Giovanni counters phase 1
NIANTIC/DEXERTOPersian counters
As a Normal-type Pokemon, Persian is weak against Fighting-type attacks and resistant to Ghost-type attacks, making it much easier to know exactly which Pokemon to utilize.
Use these counters against Shadow Persian in Pokemon Go to stand the best chance of winning:
| Shadow Persian Counters | ||
 | Mega Lucario | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Aura Sphere (Charged Move) |
 | Keldeo | Low Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) |
 | Terrakion | Double Kick (Fast Move) & Sacred Sword (Charged Move) |
 | Conkeldurr | Counter (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Blaziken | Counter (Fast Move) & Focus Blast (Charged Move) |
 | Hariyama | Force Palm (Fast Move) & Dynamic Punch (Charged Move) |
Giovanni counters phase 2
NIANTIC/DEXERTORhyperior counters
The fearsome Rhyperior is a dual Ground/Rock-type Pokemon, making it weak against Grass, Water, Fighting, Ground, Ice, and Steel-type moves, and resistant to Electric, Poison, Fire, Flying, Normal, and Rock-type attacks.
Here are some of the best counters to defeat Shadow Rhyperior:
| Shadow Rhyperior Counters | ||
 | Primal Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Sceptile | Bullet Seed (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Swampert | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move) |
 | Kingler | Bubble (Fast Move) & Crabhammer (Charged Move) |
 | Venusaur | Vine Whip (Fast Move) & Frenzy Plant (Charged Move) |
 | Empoleon | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move) |
Nidoking counters
Nidoking is a dual Poison/Ground-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak to Ground, Ice, Psychic, and Water-type moves. On the other hand, it is resistant to Electric, Poison, Bug, Fairy, Fighting, and Rock-type attacks, so avoid those wherever possible.
Here are some of the best counters to help you defeat Shadow Nidoking:
| Shadow Nidoking Counters | ||
| Primal Kyogre | Waterfall (Fast Move) & Origin Pulse (Charged Move) |
 | Primal Groudon | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Precipice Blades (Charged Move) |
 | Mewtwo | Psycho Cut (Fast Move) & Psystrike (Charged Move) |
| Mega Swampert | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Hydro Cannon (Charged Move) |
 | Garchomp | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Earth Power (Charged Move) |
 | Excadrill | Mud Shot (Fast Move) & Scorching Sands (Charged Move) |
Kingdra counters
Kingdra is a dual Water/Dragon-type Pokemon, which means its weaknesses are Dragon and Fairy-type attacks, while it is resistant to Fire, Steel, and Water-type moves.
Here are some of the best Shadow Kingdra counters to use:
| Shadow Kingdra Counters | ||
 | Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Garchomp | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) |
 | Palkia Origin Forme | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Spacial Rend (Charged Move) |
 | Salamence | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Gardevoir | Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) |
 | Electivire | Spark (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) |
Giovanni counters phase 3
NIANTIC/DEXERTOPalkia counters
Giovanni’s final Pokemon, Palkia, is a dual Water/Dragon-type Pokemon, which means it’s weak against Dragon and Fairy-type Pokemon. On the other hand, it resists Fire, Steel, and Water-type moves.
These are some of the top counters to defeat Shadow Palkia in battle:
| Shadow Palkia Counters | ||
 | Mega Rayquaza | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Breaking Swipe (Charged Move) |
 | Mega Garchomp | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Outrage (Charged Move) |
 | Gardevoir | Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) |
| Salamence | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Draco Meteor (Charged Move) |
 | Dragonite | Dragon Tail (Fast Move) & Dragon Claw (Charged Move) |
 | Togekiss | Charm (Fast Move) & Dazzling Gleam (Charged Move) |
Giovanni packs a punch and will be much harder to defeat than the other Team Go Rocket Leaders. It’s not enough to have the right counters with the best moves – you also need to make sure they’re powered up enough to take on the challenge.
If you don’t see any Pokemon that you own in the tables above, simply choose your strongest Pokemon that can target each of Giovanni’s weaknesses. You can also take a look at our weaknesses chart and match it accordingly to what you have.
Pokemon Go boss guides
For more guides like this, check out our other boss guides (and bookmark them) because we update them each time their lineup changes in the game:.
- How to beat Giovanni
- How to beat Leader Sierra
- How to beat Leader Arlo
- How to beat Leader Cliff
- How to beat all Rocket Grunts
Best Pokemon against Giovanni in Pokemon Go
DEXERTOThe best team you can use to defeat Giovanni in Pokemon Go right now is Mega Lucario, Salamence, and Mega Swampert. There are plenty of other Pokemon that are equally effective, but this particular team should do well against all of your opponents.
- With Persian as the first pick, a strong Fighting-type Pokemon is a must. This can be Mega Lucario (or its regular form), Terrakion, or even something like Conkeldurr. This Fighting-type Pokemon can also help against Rhyperior.
- For Kingdra and Palkia, the only way to go is with a strong Dragon or Fairy-type Pokemon such as Salamence.
- If you have access to more powerful creatures like Mega Rayquaza or Palkia Origin Forme, go for it.
- Finally, a strong Ground, Ice, or Water-type can deal with Nidoking while also helping with Rhyperior in case your Mega Lucario faints. Go with Mega Swampert.
- If you don’t have the required Mega Energy, use its regular form or switch it for Primal Groudon or Kyogre, Blastoise, or Gyarados.
Every Giovanni Shadow Boss ranked by difficulty
Ever since Giovanni and Team Go Rocket joined Pokemon Go in 2019, the nefarious boss has had a wide range of party members and Shadow Boss ‘mon. Starting with Articuno and other Legendary Pokemon like Mewtwo, Lugia, and Groudon eventually joining the ranks, there are a large number of Pocket Monsters that players have faced at the hands of Giovanni over the years.
So, considering stats, bulk, moveset, and other factors, we’ve made a handy graph explaining just how tough the latest boss is when stacked up against those from past lineups — and it’s looking like Shadow Palkia is one of the easier ones in comparison:
DexertoHow to find Giovanni in Pokemon Go
The only way to track down Giovanni is to work your way through a Team Go Rocket-related Special Research quest, like Shadowy Skirmishes. You’ll be able to claim these quests after you reach Level 8.
These Special Research quests require you to defeat multiple Grunts as well as the individual Leaders Cliff, Sierra, and Arlo. Once you’ve done all of these, you’ll eventually be given a Super Rocket Radar, which you’ll need to equip in order to track down Giovanni’s hideout and battle him!
How to get a Team Rocket Special Research quest
Fighting Giovanni is already tough, but even getting to the Team Rocket boss can be something of a challenge in and of itself. Yes, you have to complete a series of Team Go Rocket Special Research quests to get there, but you also have to have those quests in the first place.
If you’re a new player, look out for the next Pokemon Go Team Go Rocket event. These allow players to start the most recent Special Research quests that reward Trainers with a Giovanni encounter.
If you are an existing or returning Pokemon Go player hoping to encounter Giovanni, check your Special Research quests for any of the following quest paths:
- Looming in the Shadows
- A Challenging Development
- The Take-Over Continues
- A Professor’s Work is Never Done
- The Shadowy Threat Grows
- An Inter-egg-sting Development
- The Higher They Fly
- A Seven-Colored Shadow
- Silent Schemes
- Field Notes: Team GO Rocket
- Ultra Beast Protection Efforts
- Shadowy Skirmishes
- From the Shadows
- A Shadowy Disturbance
- Showdown in the Shadows
- It’s a Rocket World
- Adventure Week: Taken Over
It’s important to note that while players can theoretically bank a number of these Special Research quests to eventually pull off multiple Giovanni encounters in a short span of time, the final Raid Pokemon players earn will always be the current one, not the one when the quest was first launched.
So, if you do not want to earn yourself the current Shadow Raid boss – currently Shadow Palkia – it may be best to save the final Special Research reward for a time in the future when the final boss is a Pokemon you want to earn multiple copies of.
How to defeat Team Leaders in Pokemon Go
If you’re looking to take on the other Team Go Rocket Leaders, check out our guide to taking down Arlo, our guide to defeating Cliff, and finally, our guide to beating Sierra.
That’s everything you need to defeat Giovanni in April 2025. For more on all things Pokemon Go, check out our regularly updated Spotlight Hour, events schedule, and current Raid bosses guides. And if you’re brand new to the game, our how to play Pokemon Go guide will get you up to speed.