Speed and Attack carry most of Pichu's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
It is unskilled at storing electric power. Any kind of shock causes it to discharge energy spontaneously.
Despite this Pokémon’s cute appearance, those who want to live with one should prepare to be on the receiving end of its electric jolts.
Pichu is weak to Ground. 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 |
Excadrill can KO Pichu with Earthquake (444-522%). Hippowdon threatens a KO with Earthquake (314-370%).
 Excadrill GroundSteel | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityMold Breaker ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Pichu View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x444-522%KO Rapid Spin74-87% | ||
 Hippowdon Ground | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemRocky Helmet NatureImpish Moves
Damage vs Pichu View Hippowdon builds →Earthquake 2x314-370%KO | ||
This is the baby stage. Pichu grows into Pikachu by leveling up. Want more? Breed the adults. Baby Pokemon sit in the Undiscovered egg group. Evolving adds up to 280 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Lightningrod and Eviolite give Pichu staying power beyond its evolution stage. Modest nature boosts Sp. Atk, spread EVs set the spread, and the pre-evolution bulk actually works here.
Best Build
Pichu best EVs are Sp. Atk and Sp. Def
Special Tank Moveset
- Nuzzle
- Fake Out
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder
Recommended Teammates
Support Moveset
- Volt Tackle
- Nuzzle
- Encore
- Charge
Recommended Teammates
Winds & Waves has not been released yet. Build info will be available after launch.
Check back after the game launches for competitive build content.
Special Tank Moveset
- Nuzzle
- Fake Out
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder
Support Moveset
- Volt Tackle
- Nuzzle
- Encore
- Charge
Recommended Teammates
Legends: Arceus uses different battle mechanics.
Competitive build content is not applicable for this game. Select a main series game for builds.
Moves
TMs carry this one. Pichu learns Thunder and Thunderbolt naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Normal and Fairy and beyond give it real matchup play.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Move data for Pichu in Winds & Waves isn't available yet. The moveset will be updated once the game releases.
Leveling does the heavy lifting. Pichu picks up Thunderbolt and Thunder along the way, building toward a complete offensive set. TMs add coverage across 7 types, but the foundation's already strong by then.
A solid spread overall. Pichu gets Volt Tackle and Thunder for same-type damage alongside Normal and Steel coverage. It won't blow anyone away, but it doesn't leave you stuck either.
Finding Pichu at low spawn rates takes patience. 20 spots are available in early-game routes, but the rate difference between them matters. Lock in the top one from the sorted list below.
Best Locations to Catch Pichu in Scarlet & Violet
Pichu's encounter pool splits between Scarlet and Violet. You've got 20 walking spots at Lv. 5-10 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.
Location info for Pichu in Winds & Waves isn't available yet. It can be found in Crystal, Diamond, or Scarlet in other games.
No wild encounters for Pichu in Legends: Z-A. It's available in Crystal, Diamond, or Scarlet and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Pichu starts showing up in mid-game routes at decent spawn rates across 3 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Pichu in Legends: Arceus
Walking encounters at walking across 3 spots for Pichu. Sorted by progression so you can see what's reachable at your current point in the game.
Pichu evolves into Pikachu by leveling up, then the line branches. Pikachu can become Raichu using a Thunder Stone and Alolan Raichu using a Thunder Stone. Two final forms from the same mid-stage.
Pichu shows up in 20 games, making it one of the more widely available Pokemon in the series. First catchable in Winds & Waves, most recently in Gold & Silver and Crystal.
Pichu appears in 20 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.
You can run Pichu through the first few routes without issues. 205 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Pikachu as fast as you can.
Available in 20 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Pichu spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves