Special
Balanced
205Low
60Moderate
DTier

Pichu is a baby Pokemon from Gen 2 — it can't hold its own in battle yet. The payoff is Raichu, which is where the real competitive value lives. Worth raising if you need one on your team. Only weak to Ground.

Speed and Attack carry most of Pichu's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Speed stat exp. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
205Below
HP20
F
Attack40
D
Defense15
F
Sp. Atk35
F
Sp. Def35
F
Speed60
C
Total205
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Pichu yields +1 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+1
Details
Catch190EasyMedium Fast1M XP0.3m / 1'00"2kg / 4.4 lbs41Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It is unskilled at storing electric power. Any kind of shock causes it to discharge energy spontaneously.

Crystal

Pichu Weakness

Good

Pichu is weak to Ground-type moves. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Just 1 weak spot to worry about, which keeps teambuilding straightforward.

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
None
STAB (2)i
1Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Scorei+1
SpikesGrounded — up to 25%
Toxic SpikesVulnerable
Abilities
StaticHas a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.
Lightning RodHARedirects single-target electric moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Electric moves, raising Special Attack one stage.
Lightning Rod grants Electric immunity

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.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Pichu
#172Pichu
High Friendship
Pikachu
#025Pikachu
Thunder Stone
Raichu
#026Raichu
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Pichu
Electric
Pikachu
Electric
Raichu
Electric
HP
20
35+15
60+25
ATK
40
55+15
90+35
DEF
15
40+25
55+15
SP.ATK
35
50+15
90+40
SP.DEF
35
50+15
80+30
SPE
60
90+30
110+20
BST
205D-Tier
320C-Tier+115
485C-Tier+165
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Mixed
Breeding
Unavailable
Undiscovered egg group

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Egg moves make a real difference. Pichu gets Bide and Double Slap exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Normal and Steel coverage and more rounds out the picture alongside Zap Cannon and Thunder.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Charm
10020Normal
Lv 1
Thunder Shock
4010030Electric
Lv 6
Tail Whip
10030Normal
Lv 8
Thunder Wave
10020Electric
Lv 11
Sweet Kiss
7510Normal

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
TM40
Defense Curl
40Normal
TM43
Detect+4
5Fighting
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM02
Headbutt
7010015Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM31
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM04
Rollout
309020Rock
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison
TM07
Zap Cannon
100505Electric

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bide+1
10Normal
Egg
Double Slap
158510Normal
Egg
Encore
1005Normal
Egg
Present
9015Normal
Egg
Reversal
10015Fighting

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric

No searching required for Pichu. You receive it at Route 34 from an NPC. No wild encounters exist in this game, so just head to the right spot when you're ready and it's yours.

Best Locations

Route 34
Gift from NPCLv.5CommonEarlyRouteHatch Odd Egg (random)
EFFORTLESS
  • Pichu is meant to evolve into Pikachu. At 205 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Pichu's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.

  • Pichu evolves into Pikachu by leveling up. Pichu is the base form in a 4-stage evolutionary line.

  • At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Pichu is a special attacker with base 35 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Pichu appears in 19 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Available in 19 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Pichu spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.