Pikachu

The Mouse Pokémon
#025 - Pikachu
Pre-Evolve	Pichu
Evolve	Raichu
Debut	Pokémon: Red Version Pokémon: Green Version
Species Info
Type	+
Height	0.4 m (1'04")
Weight	6.0 kg (13.2 lbs.)
Color	Yellow
Gender Ratio	1♂ : 1♀
Ability	Static
Hidden Ability
Egg Group	Fairy / Ground
Icon		Sprite
		File:025sprite.png
Footprint
30px
Base Statistics
Hit Points	35	Speed	90
Attack	55	Sp. Attack	50
Defense	30	Sp. Defense	40
Training Info
Catch Rate	190	Hatch Steps	2,560
Base Exp.	082	Effort Points	Spe
Happiness	70		Spe
To Lv.100	Normal

Kanto #	Johto #	Hoenn #	Sinnoh #
< 025 >	< 022 >	< 156 >	< 104 >
Unova #	Johto (IV) #

Pikachu is a popular electric Pokémon. Available since the first game and the most prominent Pokémon in the anime series which leads to it being featured as the mascot Pokémon of Pokémon: Yellow Version, Pikachu has become the mascot for the franchise.

Information

Pikachu looks like a small yellow mouse with brown stripes. The tips of their ears are black and they have red spots on their checks. Their tails are shaped like a lightning bolt. Female Pikachu have an indentation in their tail. The red spots are special sacs which Pikachu use to generate electricity.

Pikachu feed on berries. Instead of climbing the tree to get them, they zap the berries off the tree, which cooks them. The electricity stored in their checks can be discharged as sparks, bolts, or in other forms. The inability to discharge electricity, sometimes due to a strong magnetic field, results in flu-like symptoms. Pikachu like to gather near places with lots of electric activity.

A Pikachu will evolve into a Raichu when exposed to a Thunder Stone.

Gen		Game	Pokédex entry
I		Red	When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.
		Blue
		Yellow	It keeps its tail raised to monitor its surroundings. If you yank its tail, it will try to bite you.
		Stadium	Lives in forests away from people. It stores electricity in its cheeks for zapping an enemy if it is attacked.
II		Gold	This intelligent Pokémon roasts hard berries with electricity to make them tender enough to eat.
		Silver	It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose.
		Crystal	When it is angered, it immediately discharges the energy stored in the pouches in its cheeks.
III		Ruby	Whenever Pikachu comes across something new, it blasts it with a jolt of electricity. If you come across a blackened berry, it's evidence that this Pokémon mistook the intensity of its charge.
		Sapphire	This Pokémon has electricity-storing pouches on its cheeks. These appear to become electrically charged during the night while Pikachu sleeps. It occasionally discharges electricity when it is dozy after waking up.
		Emerald	It stores electricity in the electric sacs on its cheeks. When it releases pent-up energy in a burst, the electric power is equal to a lightning bolt.
		FireRed	It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs.
		LeafGreen	When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.
IV		Diamond	It lives in forests with others. It stores electricity in the pouches on its cheeks.
		Pearl	It lives in forests with others. It stores electricity in the pouches on its cheeks.
		Platinum

Surfing Pikachu

A special variation on Pikachu is Surfing Pikachu. Normally, Pikachu can't learn to surf, but there are two ways to get a Surfing Pikachu: Via Pokémon Stadium and Nintendo Contests. A Pikachu knowing both Surf and Volt Tackle can also be unlocked in Pokémon Battle Revolution.

Other variant Pikachu that are given away during special events include a Pikachu that knows Fly (which actually flies with the aid of balloons as seen in the Pokémon Yellow intro) and one that knows Yawn.

Appearances

Mainstream Games

Pikachu can be found in the Viridian Forest and Power Plant in Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, Pokémon FireRed, and Pokémon LeafGreen. In Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu is the player's starting Pokémon. This Pikachu was just recently caught by Professor Oak and due to its rebellious nature, will follow Red around instead of staying in its Pokéball. It will also refuse to evolve into a Raichu if offered a Thunder Stone. If the player has a Surfing Pikachu, it could be used in a special minigame at the beach near Fuschia City.

In Pokémon Silver, Pokémon Gold, and Pokémon Crystal, Pikachu is located at Route 2. In the Crystal Version, Pikachu is also available as a prize in the Celadon City Game Corner for 2222 coins. In Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire, and Pokémon Emerald, Pikachu can only be found in the Safari Zone. In Pokémon: Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, Pikachu can be captured in Mt. Coronet Mansion's Trophy Garden.

Other Games

Outside of the main games, Pikachu's popularity has garnered it two games of it's own. Hey You, Pikachu! and Pokémon Pikachu both feature it.

In Pokémon Pinball, Pikachu can be found in the Viridian Forst while in Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Pikachu can be caught at the Safari Zone. Pikachu also acts as the ball server in both games. In Pokémon Stadium, aside from being available as a Rental Pokémon, Pikachu was featured with other electric-type Pokémon in the Thundering Dynamo minigame. Additionally, a Surfing Pikachu could be unlocked by beating the R2 Prime Cup Master Ball while using a Pikachu from Yellow Version in every battle. Pikachu appears in Pokémon Puzzle League as one of Ash's main Pokémon. Additionally, in Pokémon Snap, Pikachu are found in the Beach, Cave, Tunnel and River areas and a variety of pictures, such as a "Surfing Pikachu" snapshot of one on a surfboard, can be taken of them.

In Pokémon Channel, a Pikachu acts as the player's companion as in Hey You, Pikachu!. In Pokémon Trozei!, Pikachu can be caught in Secret Storage 4, Secret Storage 20, Mr. Who's Den and Endless Level 1. In both of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, Pikachu is one of the optional starter Pokémon whom the player is transformed into depending on their personality. In the first game, Pikachu are also found in the sixth through tenth floors of the Lightning Field, while in the second game, Pikachu is found in the ninth and tenth floors of the Amp Plains as well as the first four floors of the Far Amp Plains. In Pokémon Ranger, Pikachu can be found in Lyra Forest, Panula Cave and Sekra Mountain Range. In Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, Pikachu are found in the Vien Forest, Crysta Cave, Volcano Cave, Chroma Road, Chroma Highlands and Chroma Ruins.

Pikachu also appears in Pokémon Stadium 2l, Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, Pokémon Battle Revolution and Pokémon Dash.

Other Appearances

Video Games

• Pikachu is a playable character in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. In Melee, Pikachu has three unlockable trophies. In Brawl, it has two trophies - one normal one and one of its Final Smash - as well as a sticker.
  • Within Brawl's "The Subspace Emissary", Pikachu had been captured and kept in a Subspace Army Research Facility, where its electricity was being drained as a power source. However, the Pikachu was rescued by Samus Aran during her exploration of the facility, and the Pikachu proceeded to tag along with Samus and help her to find her missing power suit. Pikachu particularly helped in freeing Samus from Ridley's grasp during his surprise attack and then helped her to defeat Ridley. After a mission in the Subspace Bomb Factory, Samus and Pikachu joined up with the game's main party for the final battles in Subspace.

Other Media

• Pikachu is featured in the Pokémon anime series as the main Pokémon of Ash Ketchum. Ash had been too late to get one of the normal starter Pokémon from Professor Oak, so Oak simply gave Ash the Pikachu he had found in the wild. Originally Pikachu's rebellious nature was emphasized, with it refusing to enter a Pokéball. But Ash and Pikachu's bond soon grew to the point where they were like best friends, although Pikachu never entered a Pokéball and always traveled at Ash's side. Ash continues to primarily use the same Pikachu throughout the series and throughout all his adventures in various lands. Other Pikachu occasionally appear, perhaps the most notable being Sparky, a Pikachu belonging to Ash's friendly rival Ritchie.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Red catches his troublemaking Pikachu early on and builds a strong bond with him in the Red/Green/Blue arc as well as with Yellow in the following Yellow arc when he teams up with Yellow to find the missing Red. Yellow later obtains her own female Pikachu by the Gold/Silver/Crystal arc, and the two have an egg together which is hatched by Gold.

Trivia

• The name Pikachu is a combination of the Japanese words "pika", an onomatopoeia for electric sparking, and "chu", an onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak.