They're counted as separate! If you'll notice in the RNG, some people got things like "Alolan Meowth," and so on.

One per character for this one. (So if you play three characters, you can comment three times and hopefully we won't run out of spots. If we do I'll make another grid.)

Shinies are a thing and it's possible to RNG one or receive them through bounties. You can't pick a shiny for your starter.