NATIONAL DEX NO. 025
PIKACHU
THE MOUSE POKÉMON
A sprightly field mouse that stores electricity in the pouches of its cheeks. When it releases that charge in a burst, the air crackles with static. Friendly, quick to bolt, and quicker to thunder — the face of a whole generation of trainers.
Dossier
Standard registry fields from the Pokédex entry card.
- Species
- Mouse Pokémon
- Type
- Electric
- Height
- 1' 04" (0.4 m)
- Weight
- 13.2 lb (6.0 kg)
- Ability
- Static — hidden: Lightning Rod
- Weakness
- Ground
- Resistances
- Electric, Flying, Steel
- Category
- The face of the franchise
- Habitat
- Forests, plains, cities — anywhere there is good lightning
- Distinguishing feature
- Red cheek pouches that crackle when charged
Base Stats
Measured at level 50 by the league's own instruments.
Signature Moves
Techniques recorded across generations.
- Thunderbolt Electric Its go-to discharge. 90 power, 15% chance to paralyze the target.
- Quick Attack Normal Always moves first. The reliable opener.
- Iron Tail Steel A tail hardened to metal. Covers the Ground-type weakness.
- Volt Tackle Electric Its signature high-risk slam. Rough terrain: recoil damage.
- Nuzzle Electric Cheek-to-cheek contact that always paralyzes. Cute and effective.
- Thunder Electric The storm ender. 110 power but unreliable in bad weather.
Evolution Line
Pichu → Pikachu (happiness) → Raichu (Thunder Stone).
-
PICHU
Baby form. Charged by play — the happier it is, the brighter it sparkles.
Evolves at high friendship -
PIKACHU
Fully comfortable in its own skin — and in almost every trainer's lineup.
Happiness, then a Thunder Stone -
RAICHU
The evolved form. Longer tail, bigger sparks, and a cooler head in battle.
Third stage — still Electric
Field Notes
From the regional Pokédex entries.
“When it is angered, it immediately discharges the energy stored in the pouches in its cheeks.” — a standard read, but trainers know the other half of the entry: those same pouches crackle whenever it is happy, scared, or showing off. The two states look almost identical, which is the whole point of being a Pikachu.
- First seen in Pokémon Red & Blue (1996) as a grass-dwelling electric mouse that early testers rejected for being too cute. The market disagreed.
- The face of the anime Pikachu belongs to Ash’s partner — the one who refuses to evolve. Ash used it all alongside its own type chart: normally weak to Ground, never down.
- Evolves via Thunder Stone or friendship, depending on the form read. In the TCG it appears in nearly every set. In games it appears in nearly every route.
- Shiny variant: a slightly deeper yellow. No stat difference — bragging rights only.