Pikachu (Pokémon)


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Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ Pikachu) is an  introduced in Generation I.

It evolves from when leveled up with high friendship and evolves into  when exposed to a Thunder Stone. However, the starter Pikachu in will refuse to evolve into Raichu unless it is traded and evolved on another save file.

In Alola, Pikachu will evolve into Alolan Raichu when exposed to a Thunder Stone.

Pikachu is popularly known as the mascot of the Pokémon franchise and a major representative of Nintendo's collective mascots.

It is also the game mascot and starter Pokémon of and Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!. It has made numerous appearances on the boxes of spin-off titles.

Pikachu is also the starter Pokémon in Pokémon Rumble Blast and Pokémon Rumble World.

Biology
Pikachu is a short, chubby rodent Pokémon. It is covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. It has a small mouth, long, pointed ears with black tips, brown eyes, and the two red circles on its cheeks contain pouches for electricity storage. It has short forearms with five fingers on each paw, and its feet each have three toes. At the base of its lightning bolt-shaped tail is a patch of brown fur. A female will have a V-shaped notch at the end of its tail, which looks like the top of a heart. It is classified as a quadruped, but it has been known to stand and walk on its hind legs.

The anime has shown that wild Pikachu live in groups in. Pikachu communicate amongst themselves using squeaks and tail-shaking as friendly gestures. Electricity can be used to receive and send messages with each other, as well as other Electric Pokémon species. It raises its tail to check its surroundings, and is occasionally struck by lightning in this position. When groups grow, they can inadvertently cause lightning storms. Pikachu is found foraging for berries it roasts with electricity to make them tender enough to eat. A sure sign that Pikachu inhabits a location is patches of burnt grass. It has been observed eating and sometimes destroying telephone poles, wires, and other electronic equipment.

Pikachu charges itself while sleeping overnight, though stress and a lack of sleep can affect this. It is able to release electric discharges of varying intensity. Pikachu has been known to build up energy in its glands, and will need to discharge to avoid complications. It is also able to release energy through its tail, which acts as a grounding rod, as well as recharging fellow Pikachu with electric shocks. Pikachu can also electrify itself to use its signature move.

Pikachu has three alternate forms: one, the Cosplay Pikachu, appeared in. It is always female, has a black heart-shaped spot at the end of its tail, and can be dressed in any of five outfits corresponding to the five Contest conditions. The second form is, which debuted as an event-exclusive Pokémon in Generation VII. It is always male and has seven variants, each wearing one of 's hats from the anime. In addition to these two forms, many other Pikachu variants have appeared in various media. The last, Pikachu, is the Pokémon the player starts with in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!. This Pikachu can be either gender, has higher base stats, and has access to moves that normal Pikachu do not.

Pikachu is the only known Pokémon capable of using the Z-Move, while Pikachu in a cap has its own exclusive Z-Move,. Partner Pikachu is the only Pokémon capable of using, , , and the Partner Power,.

Ash's Pikachu
Ash Ketchum has a Pikachu that he obtained from in Pokémon - I Choose You!, the first episode of the Pokémon anime. He is the signature Pokémon of the anime series and has appeared in every non-special episode and every Pokémon movie since. Ash's Pikachu remains outside of his Poké Ball.

Pikachutwo
In Mewtwo Strikes Back, cloned Ash's Pikachu. This Pikachu can be distinguished from Ash's due to the spikes in the black marks found on the tips of its ears. It is also comparatively more aggressive than Ash's Pikachu and slurs its speech, defects possibly caused by Ash tampering with Mewtwo's cloning machine during the cloning process.

Puka
Another Pikachu nicknamed Puka was owned by a man named on Seafoam Island in The Pi-Kahuna. This blue-eyed Pikachu saved Ash from drowning by having the ability to sense tidal waves approaching.

Sparky
Ritchie also has a Pikachu nicknamed Sparky, who debuted in A Friend In Deed. Sparky, unlike most Pikachu, has a tuft of fur on the top of its head, and, unlike Ash's Pikachu, has no problem with living inside a Poké Ball.

Ashachu
Ash gets turned into a Pikachu in Hocus Pokémon by a Pokémon magician named. He reverts to his human form at the beginning of the next episode.

Cosplay Pikachu
All of the Cosplay Pikachu appeared in Lights! Camera! Pika!, under the ownership of Frank. They reappeared in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, where they were all summoned by as part of a prank on Ash and his Pikachu.

Ash's Pikachu (M20)
The Ash Ketchum of the alternate continuity introduced in I Choose You! has a Pikachu of his own. Like the Pikachu of the main series, this Pikachu was his first Pokémon and his main partner, remaining outside of his Poké Ball.

Other
James used a Pikachu in the Pokémon League Entrance Exam in The Ultimate Test, but it was defeated by the instructor's. James, after interfering with a battle was having with the instructor, later tried to steal this Pikachu, only for that Pikachu to zap James instead, as instructed by its instructor.

A Pikachu had a part in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters out of the Gate!. He was kidnapped by a and Team Go-Getters set out to rescue him as their first mission. Pikachu provided them with some items in the battle.

Pikachu's female form debuted in SS027, under the ownership of Ayumi. She was on how to properly use  through the help of  and.

A Mirror World Pikachu appeared in The Cave of Mirrors!, under the ownership of Mirror Ash. Unlike his regular world counterpart, Mirror Pikachu is a mischievous roughneck.

Multiple Pikachu appeared in Lights! Camera! Pika!, under the ownership of Frank. They would all participate in his filmmaking endeavors.

Multiple Pikachu appeared in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. They were all summoned by as part of a prank on Ash and his Pikachu, though the prank failed. They were then returned to their original locations with the help of Ash's Pikachu, who coordinated them into Hoopa's portals.

A Pikachu nicknamed Spike appeared in Battling at Full Volume!, under the ownership of. Spike was used in a battle against Ash's Pikachu, but as Ash was ill, took his place. However, the match was interrupted by Team Rocket, who captured Spike, but Spike was promptly saved.

A Trainer's Pikachu appeared in Securing the Future!.

Multiple Pikachu appeared in A Plethora of Pikachu!, all under the ownership of Pikarla. One of them was nicknamed Curly, while another that is was nicknamed the Boss.

Minor appearances
Numerous other Pikachu appeared in Pokémon Emergency!, under the ownership of Nurse Joy. They helped Ash's Pikachu defeat Team Rocket's Jessie, James, and to send them blasting off for the first time. They reappeared in a flashback in Pikachu's Goodbye.

Wild Pikachu were prominent in Pikachu's Goodbye, where Ash considered releasing his own Pikachu so he could be with his own kind.

Multiple Pikachu appeared in Battle Aboard the St. Anne.

A Pikachu appeared in a flashback in Pokémon Double Trouble, under the ownership of Luana's son, Travis. Luana mistook Ash for Travis when she saw Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, but eventually realized her mistake and explained why she made it.

A Pikachu appeared in Brock's demonstration in A Bite to Remember, where it evolved into a.

In Lights, Camerupt, Action!, a Pikachu appeared in two of Elijah's movies. was featured in a film that Ash and Gary were watching when they were younger. In a different movie that Ash and were watching at the time the episode was taking place, another Pikachu helped  and  on their mission to rescue Princess  from the evil.

A Pikachu appeared in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew as a of.

A Pikachu nicknamed Sugar appeared in Cooking up a Sweet Story!, under the ownership of Abigail, one of the owners of a restaurant. When it went missing prior to the events of the episode, Ash's Pikachu had to fill in for it so that its owner would have the confidence to win a cooking competition. At the end of the episode, Sugar returned, but it had evolved into a.

A Pikachu appeared in a flashback in The Keystone Pops!, under the ownership of an Aura Guardian.

A Pikachu appeared in a flashback in Flint Sparks the Fire!, under the ownership of Volkner. In the present day, it is a Raichu.

A Pikachu appeared in Clemont's demonstration in To Catch a Pokémon Smuggler!, where it evolved into a Raichu using a Thunder Stone.

A Pikachu appeared in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, under the ownership of Uschi.

A Pikachu appeared in a fantasy in Now You See Them, Now You Don't!.

A Pikachu appeared in a fantasy in Showering the World with Love!.

A Trainer's Pikachu appeared in Securing the Future!, where it joined the rest of Alola in showering with light so it could return to its.

a Pikachu in File 4: Charizard.

caught a Pikachu in Viridian Forest in The Adventure. He then proceeded to travel though multiple regions with it, facing many strong opponents along the way.

In the Ash & Pikachu manga
Ash's Pikachu is a starring character in Ash & Pikachu, a manga adaptation of the Pokémon anime which is based on 's adventures in Johto, Hoenn, and.



In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
Ash's Pikachu is a main character in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu, an adaptation of the Pokémon anime.

In the manga, Ash discovered Pikachu under the floorboards at his home, where he was chewing on wires to eat the electricity.

Sparky, Ritchie's Pikachu, appears in The Electric Tale of Pikachu as well, however, it is nicknamed "Chuchino" instead.

In the How I Became a Pokémon Card manga
A story called Akari and Pikachu's Birthday is featured in the final volume of How I Became a Pokémon Card.

In the Magical Pokémon Journey and Pokémon Chamo-Chamo ☆ Pretty ♪ manga
Pikachu is a main character in the Magical Pokémon Journey manga series. He is the first Pokémon befriended by Hazel, appearing for the first time in How Do You Do, Pikachu?. Pikachu is one of the few Pokémon in Magical Pokémon Journey that cannot speak human language, although the others seem to understand him. He is described as rather scatterbrained at times. Pikachu returns as a main character in Pokémon Chamo-Chamo ☆ Pretty ♪, the sequel to the Magical Pokémon Journey series.

Ash's Pikachu also makes a cameo appearance in bonus chapters at the end of every volume of the Magical Pokémon Journey manga.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga


Pikachu debuted in its own round in the, Wanted: Pikachu!. Here, a Pikachu was stealing all the crops in a town. The townsfolk kept chasing him around, but end up getting shocked by him. arrives and captures him, ending the chaos. Although extremely disobedient at first, even prone to regularly electrocuting his owner, the two eventually got over this enmity, and this Pikachu, nicknamed "Pika", became one of his most loyal and trusted fighters, being used in almost every major battle Red has had. He also served on Yellow's team while Red was held captive by the Elite Four during the before being returned to him, during which Yellow discovered that he can.

A Pikachu appeared as a silhouette when talks about  in The Jynx Jinx.

In Just a Spearow Carrier, a Pikachu appeared with its Trainer at Indigo Plateau. It noticeably has a flower by its ear.

A Pikachu is seen in The Kindest Tentacruel, where it was one of the Pokémon that Yellow was fantasizing about that was able to evolve via stone.

A Pikachu appeared in Can You Diglett? as a silhouette when Agatha and Lorelei explains to Red about how Pokémon and people can't coexist with each other.

A Pikachu appeared in a fantasy of Professor Elm's explanation of Pokémon eggs in Teddiursa's Picnic.

A Pikachu appeared in Ursaring Major, where it appeared in a fantasy of Silver when he explains about the vital points of Pokémon.

In Tyranitar War, is seen to have a new addition to her team: a Pikachu of her own nicknamed "Chuchu", which she had found injured in Viridian Forest and nursed back to health. When Pika is left behind by Red on his trip to Mt. Silver, Pika joined Yellow and Chuchu on their adventure to Johto.

Pika and Chuchu share a loving relationship, one that is so strong that even Jasmine noticed, prompting her to hand Yellow a slip with the Pokémon Daycare's address on it. Later on, after Yellow and Wilton were brought to the Day Care after being shipwrecked, Yellow finds that Pika and Chuchu now have an Egg shortly after they were "put together." The Egg eventually hatches into 's Pibu.

Wild Pikachu appeared in Suffering Psyduck.

Multiple Pikachu were among the Pokémon that charged the Prism Tower during a blackout in Pangoro Poses a Problem.

Five Pikachu appeared in Omega Alpha Adventure 3, being Cosplay Pikachu they each wear the five costumes available; being Pikachu Rock Star, Pikachu Belle, Pikachu Pop Star, Pikachu Ph. D. and Pikachu Libre. Lisia reveals to that Ruby created the concept of Pokémon wearing costumes for Contests. Noticeably there are several males, and at least Pikachu Pop Star has the black marking on the tip of her tail.

A Trainer's Pikachu appeared in The Decision and the Tournament of Six.

In the Pokémon Battle Frontier manga
A Pikachu makes a cameo in Pokémon Battle Frontier during one of the battles. Also, a photo album owned by has a Pikachu on the cover.

In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga, Shu's first Pokémon was a Pikachu that he found abandoned in the forest.

In the Pokémon Gold and Silver: The Golden Boys manga
In Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys, Eusine was in possession of a Pikachu, which ended up being 🇬🇼's.



In the Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon manga
A Pikachu appeared in Pocket Monsters HeartGold & SoulSilver Go! Go! Pokéathlon.

In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
appeared at the end of Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Pikachu is one of the main characters in the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga series and its sequels. It was the second Pokémon that captured on his own, but the first he kept.

Pikachu is one of the few Pokémon in the manga that cannot speak human language. He is the cousin of and is considered the smarter of the two.

Pikachu evolved into in Clefairy finally evolves?!, but he has since devolved back to the Pikachu stage.

has a Pikachu of his own.

In Pokémon Newspaper Strip
Ash's Pikachu was the main character in the short-lived Pokémon Newspaper Strip.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga
has a Pikachu as one of the members of his team in Pokémon Zensho. It later evolves into a.

In the TCG


Pikachu somehow manages to find its way into many of the expansions, causing there to be known non-reprint Pokémon cards featuring Pikachu. There are also various Trainer cards with Pikachu in the card's artwork too, including the very sought-after tournament promos such as.

The first Pikachu that appeared in the TCG was in the TCG Base Set (which was reprinted in TCG Base Set 2 and in TCG POP Series 2 with different artwork). It was followed in TCG Jungle (the next set) by another (which was also reprinted in the TCG Legendary Collection). The third Pikachu card released was the first-ever English TCG Wizards Black Star Promos (promo card),. The original Base Set Pikachu was also released as a special promotional card at.

In the early days of the TCG, several notable errors were made regarding the Pikachu cards. The Base Set Pikachu was released with altered artwork at first, depicting it with red cheeks, instead of the original yellow. While this matched Ken Sugimori's artwork, the yellow color on its cheeks was intentional by the artist, who depicted Pikachu using. This error appeared in both the E3 promotional version and the normal Base Set release. A second error was made in the production of Jungle set booster packs, which, instead of the Jungle set's Pikachu, sometimes contained first edition versions of the Pikachu that was released as a promo card.

Pikachu has also been featured on a number of TCG TCG coins, with one being included with the English and European languages-only TCG Base Set 2. This coin was also featured in the PC game. A Pikachu coin is also featured in the Game Boy game, and is one of the coins that can be obtained in , where it is given by Club Master Isaac to winners of the Lightning Club.

In the TFG
Two Pikachu figures have been released.

Pokkén Tournament
Pikachu is a playable character for the arcade fighting game. Its moveset includes electrical attacks it uses in the main games, like, , and. In Burst form, it can use the Burst Attack Volt Shock Fist. Several of its attacks and victory poses are directly taken from and 's movesets from the  series.

Pikachu overwhelms opponents with powerful electric shocks and quick movements.

Pikachu Libre was first announced alongside the Wii U port of the game. She was later released as an additional fighter on the original arcade version.

Pikachu Libre, a wrestling idol, is a small masked fighter overflowing with fighting spirit.

Detective Pikachu stars a that is capable of speaking the human language, but only the player character Tim Goodman is capable of hearing him. Much like from the anime, he is incapable of using moves that most Pikachu are capable of using. This Pikachu also really loves to drink coffee. Early on in the game, a regular Pikachu also briefly appears.

As the player
Pikachu appears as the player character in both PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure and its sequel, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond. He falls down a mysterious tunnel one day with his friends, , and and ends up in the. There he goes on an quest to save the PokéPark from certain destruction. He later travels to a new PokéPark which is being threatened by the ever expanding Wish Park. At the new PokéPark he meets, , and , and they help to save the PokéPark from danger.

NPC appearances

 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿: Pikachu stars in the mini-game "Thundering Dynamo" alongside . This mini-game involves charging up electric power.
 * Hey You, Pikachu!: Pikachu stars alongside an unnamed child (who bears a striking resemblance to ) who was recently taught how to interact with wild Pokémon by Professor Oak. The boy and Pikachu form a bond and go on many adventures together, and one day the Pikachu decides to live with the boy.
 * : Pikachu can be used in "Pichu's Power Plant" if one is detected in a Transferred Pokémon game.
 * : Pikachu serves as a Ball-Saver, but it will only work if the Lightning Meter is full.
 * : Pikachu has the same role as in Pokémon Pinball but is sometimes helped by . Pikachu also appears on the Catch 'Em Mode banner.
 * : Much like Hey You, Pikachu!, Pokémon Channel focuses on a boy and a Pikachu bonding through social interactions, such as going outside and talking to other Pokémon, and watching TV together.

Pokédex entries

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Cap Pikachu

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Game locations

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In side games



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In events

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In-game events

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Pokémon Global Link promotions

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Pikachu

 * Due to how stats are calculated differently in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! compared to the other core series games, maximum stats are not reflected on the table above.

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Trivia

 * Pikachu was designed by Atsuko Nishida, a core designer at Game Freak.
 * The nation of released a one-dollar coin with its coat of arms on one side and Pikachu on the other to promote the Pokémon franchise.
 * Pikachu and its share their, the Mouse Pokémon, with , , , and.
 * All but Pikachu also have regional variants in Alola.
 * Veronica Taylor has said Pikachu is her favorite . Sarah Natochenny has as well, shared with.
 * In 2008, Japanese researchers discovered a new protein that helps carry electrical impulses from the eyes to the brain and named it . According to them, it was so named for sharing Pikachu's "lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects".
 * has included three Pikachu balloons. "Flying Pikachu" was the first, flown from 2001 to 2005, and was used in a morning rush hour test of wind conditions in after an accident involving an  balloon in the 2005 parade. It was last used in the August 2006 Party of the Decade in New York City's . The second balloon debuted in the 2006 parade, features glowing cheeks, and chases a Poké Ball balloon. The third, introduced in the 2014 parade, wears a green scarf and holds a small, Pikachu-shaped snowman.
 * Pikachu is the only core series starter Pokémon with a pre-evolved form, though predates.
 * According to A Sneak Peek at Pokémon, Pikachu can deliver a constant current of 1000 s.
 * Pikachu has the most event-exclusive moves available to it.
 * In the Japanese, Pikachu is the only usable Pokémon that is not fully evolved.
 * In and from Generation VI onward, Pikachu uses its cry from the  (voiced by Ikue Ohtani), the only Pokémon to do so in core series games.
 * Its battle cry differs from status or Pokédex screens.
 * The in Yellow has unique voice clips in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and.
 * are the only core series games in which Pikachu cannot be obtained without transporting.
 * Pikachu was the focus of a collection in June 2014.
 * Pikachu is the only not fully evolved Pokémon whose base stats increased in Generation VI, and also the only to receive more than one: Defense and Special Defense.
 * Pikachu is the only Pokémon that can be caught in all three pinball titles: Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Pinball mini, and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire.
 * Pikachu is number 025 in both the National Pokédex and Alola Pokédex in.
 * Pikachu originally had a second stage evolution named "Gorochu", which would have had two horns and fangs. It was omitted due to the developers wanting more game balance.

Origin
Pikachu is based on a after its name. Its cheek pouches were also inspired by s, which store food in their cheeks. The stripes on its back and its lightning bolt-shaped tail were given for aesthetic reasons.

Pikachu's designer, Atsuko Nishida, revealed in an interview that Pikachu was originally a -like creature with ears. Pikachu's black ear tips are remnants from this original concept.

Name origin
Pikachu is a combination of ピカピカ pikapika (onomatopoeia for sparkle) and チューチュー chūchū (the sound of a mouse squeaking).