Which rare Aniimo can be traded, and which cannot

Several words get used for rare Aniimo and they do not behave the same way in a trade. Most of them cannot be traded at all, which is worth knowing before you spend days raising affinity for a swap the game will refuse.

The short version

Exactly three kinds of variant can change hands, and all three need Best Friend affinity:

Aniimo hatched from Bond Pact sealed eggs are bound to the account and cannot be traded either. That one is from the official event FAQ.

Sparkling

The shiny. A Sparkling is a colour variant of an ordinary form, and it is the one most people ask about. It cannot be traded. The option was removed from the in-game trading board, so there is no way to offer one even between Best Friends.

This is worth saying plainly because a Sparkling is the single most desirable thing a player can own, and arranging a swap for one is wasted effort on both sides. If you want to show one off, post it as a showcase rather than as a trade.

Prismana

An elemental form with its own type and often its own skill. Also untradable. The developers have described Sparkling, Prismana and Perfect as the game's three special rare attributes, and two of those three are locked out of trading entirely.

Umbrabow belongs here rather than with Umbral. The developers have confirmed that the Umbrabow form counts as a Prismana form, so it inherits the same exclusion. The names are close enough to cause real confusion, and they land on opposite sides of the line.

Umbral

This one can be traded, at Best Friend. Umbral Aniimo carry their own colouring and always roll Perfect potential, which makes them the most valuable thing that legitimately moves between players.

Potential: the game allows all four, players trade two

In the game, Common, Good, Elite and Perfect can all change hands. Perfect is reported to cost more at the exchange, a few gold coins plus Voxel Coins, but it is a price rather than a wall. The proof is Umbral itself: it always has Perfect potential and it is explicitly tradable.

What players actually trade is narrower. Common and Good copies are released for EXP, and nobody grinds affinity with a stranger for one. So Aniimo Trade lists Elite and Perfect copies only, each with its grade and gender, and a trade between two Perfect copies is labelled as one.

Illusory

The one that comes from trading rather than catching. An Illusory is cosmetic, with no effect on stats or potential. Players can enter an Illusory Friends state with each other, and while it holds, an exchange is reported to give both sides an Illusory Aniimo rather than merely improving the odds.

What to check before a rare swap

• That it can move at all. Sparkling, Prismana, Umbrabow and Alpha cannot. Check before you grind affinity for them.
• The form, explicitly. "Thornblade" is not "Thunderstorm Thornblade". Name it in chat and again in the exchange window.
• Potential and gender. Two copies of the same form can differ in grade and gender, and the grade changes what the exchange charges. On this site the copy is named on the trade itself; check the exchange window shows the same.
• The lock. Anything you just received is locked for 30 days, and the lock travels with the creature rather than the account.
• The record. For anything you would hate to lose, check the partner's completed trades on their ticket.

On a trade here, every spare is a copy with its grade, gender and form, and it can carry its four personality bonuses read from a screenshot of the in-game panel, with the screenshot kept as proof. What is actually on offer is on the card before anyone proposes.