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 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 Weakness
GoodPichu is weak to Ground-type moves. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
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
Lightningrod and Eviolite give Pichu staying power beyond its evolution stage. Modest nature boosts Sp. Atk, a spread EV build EVs set the spread, and the pre-evolution bulk actually works here.
Best Build
Best Pichu Moveset
- Nuzzle
- Fake Out
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder
Recommended Teammates
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
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.
Egg moves make a real difference. Pichu gets Charge and Disarming Voice exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 7 types rounds out the picture alongside Thunder and Thunderbolt.
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
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.
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
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 is available from mid-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 4 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.
Best Locations
Pichu's encounter pool splits between Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. You've got 4 walking spots at Lv. 16+ total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.
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.
Lightning Rod is what you want on Pichu. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Static) work on paper but Lightning Rod is what makes Pichu worth using.
At base 60 Speed, it won't be moving first often. On offense, Pichu is a physical attacker with base 40 Attack. 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.
- Gen IY
Yellow - Gen IRB
Red & Blue - Gen IIGSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen IIC
Crystal - Gen IIIRS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen IIIFRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen IIIE
Emerald - Gen IVPt
Platinum - Gen IVHGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen IVDP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen VBW
Black & White - Gen VB2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen VIXY
X & Y - Gen VIORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen VIIUSUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen VIISM
Sun & Moon - Gen VIILGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen VIIISwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen VIIIPLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen VIIIBDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen IXSV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen IXLZA
Legends: Z-A