
Is Pikachu Good in FireRed & LeafGreen Playthrough?
Not your starter in FRLG. Pikachu shows up in Viridian Forest with AbilityStatic paralyzing anything that makes contact. Handles Misty and provides Electric coverage against Lorelei and Lance's Gyarados. The paralysis from Static makes Pikachu more disruptive than its stats suggest. Raichu is available whenever you want it. Unlike Yellow, this Pikachu takes the Thunder Stone.
Brock's Pokemon outpace and outclass Pichu here.
Pikachu has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Pikachu's defenses.
Erika's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Sabrina's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Giovanni's team.
Raichu resists most of Lorelei's coverage and hits back hard.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Terry's team.
Catch Pikachu on Viridian Forest (walking, Lv 3-5, rare).
- After Brock
- TUTORNormalMega Kick12075%5
- After Lt. Surge
- TM34ElectricShock Wave90100%20
- TM28GroundDig80100%10
- LV 26ElectricThunderbolt135100%15
- LV 41ElectricThunder16570%10
- After Koga
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- Post-Game
- TUTORNormalBody Slam85100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
You can usually obtain this item before you reach Erika.
- STARTING (Lv 24)
- LV 24ElectricThunderbolt135100%15
- After Brock
- TUTORNormalMega Kick12075%5
- After Lt. Surge
- TM34ElectricShock Wave90100%20
- After Erika
- TM25ElectricThunder16570%10
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- After Koga
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Giovanni
- TUTORNormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- Post-Game
- TUTORNormalBody Slam85100%15
- TM42NormalFacade70100%20
How to Get Pikachu in FireRed & LeafGreen
Just four grass encounters in both versions, and the map shows a huge gap. Two in the very first forest, two at a late-game facility, nothing in between.
2 locations to catch Pikachu
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Where To Catch Pikachu in FRLG
Pichu is your first catch on the way to Pikachu. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 3-26 across 4 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Breed Pichu from PikachuBREEDINGAvailableLeave Pikachu with a compatible partner at the Four Island Pokemon Day Care to receive a Pichu egg. Requires the Rainbow Pass to access Four Island.HOME TRANSFERNot TradeablePokemon HOME on Switch FireRed & LeafGreen is permanently deposit-only — once it launches, Pichu can be sent from this game into HOME, but never transferred in.
Step 2Pikachu ✓or evolve from Pichu (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Raichu
Pikachu Weakness
Ground moves hit Pikachu for super-effective damage. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying, Steel |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Pikachu Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Pikachu
In FireRed & LeafGreen, Gengar can KO Pikachu with Explosion (131-154%). Metagross threatens a KO with Explosion (355-418%). Swampert's Earthquake also KOs at 181-213%.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Pikachu View Gengar builds →Thunderbolt40-47% Explosion131-154%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityClearbody ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Pikachu View Metagross builds →Explosion355-418%KO Earthquake 2x285-336%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityTorrent ItemLeftovers NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Pikachu View Swampert builds →Earthquake 2x181-213%KO Ice Beam46-55% Hydro Pump56-67% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityKeeneye ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityPressure ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Pikachu View Zapdos builds →Thunderbolt39-46% | ||
Pikachu Evolutions
Sitting between Pichu and Raichu, Pikachu is part of a chain that requires an evolution item. Not your typical level-up setup. So far, Speed got the biggest boost (+30 from Pichu). The final form adds another 175 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed with Pikachu to get Pichu eggs easily using 27 partners from the Fairy and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Charge, Double Slap and 4 more.
FRLG Pikachu Best Moveset
Doubled Sp. Atk through Held ItemLight Ball turns a weak 50 into an effective 100 for special Electric attacks. AbilityStatic paralyzes on contact. The moveset relies entirely on that item, with MoveThunderbolt as the primary damage and 35 HP demanding careful entry timing.
Best Build
Pikachu best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Tackle
- Surf
- Hidden Power Grass
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Don't skip the egg moves. Pikachu picks up Bide and Charge only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Thunder and Thunderbolt while Normal and Fighting coverage and more adds range.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Base Stats
It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks. If threatened, it looses electric charges from the sacs.
When several of these POKéMON gather, their electricity can build and cause lightning storms.
Pikachu FireRed & LeafGreen Guide
- When should I use the Thunder Stone on Pikachu?
Wait until Pikachu reaches Lv. 33 before using the Thunder Stone. Evolving earlier permanently locks Pikachu out of Slam and Agility, moves Raichu cannot relearn.

- Lv. 20learns Slam
- Lv. 33learns Agility
- Lv. 33+Use the Thunder Stone
- Where do I get the Thunder Stone in FireRed & LeafGreen?
Game Availability
Since debuting in Red & Blue, Pikachu has appeared in 23 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut

Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS

Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS

Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG

FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP

Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS

HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW

Black & White - Gen 5B2W2

Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY

X & Y - Gen 6ORAS

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM

Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM

Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE

Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwShGigantamax

Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP

Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV

Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW

Winds & Waves