In Crystal, Raichu works as a pivot with 475 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. Thunder with Leftovers is the standard set.

What is Raichu weak to?

In Crystal, Raichu's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Raichu's base 100 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

What role does Raichu play in battle?

Raichu is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Speed tells the real story. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

What counters Raichu?

In Crystal, the best way to handle Raichu: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Ground-type attackers hit hardest.

How do you use Raichu in battle?

In Crystal, Raichu plays as a pivot. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move. Thunder is the primary attack.

Raichu - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Special

Pivot

CTier

100Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

Everything pushes toward mixed damage here. Raichu's Speed does the work, Defense pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Speed stat exp per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats

Above

HP60

Attack90

Defense55

Sp. Atk90

Sp. Def80

Speed100

Total475

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging75 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.8 m

Weight30.0 kg

Base XP243

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Static

Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.

Lightning RodHA

Redirects single-target electric moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Electric moves, raising Special Attack one stage.

Lightning Rod grants Electric immunity

EV Yield

HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+3

Strong Speed training target

Pokedex Entries

If its electric pouches run empty, it raises its tail to gather electricity from the atmosphere.

Crystal

Raichu Weakness

Type-wise, Raichu takes extra damage from Ground. Not many exploitable gaps in the Electric typing defensive chart. Raichu's special bulk (base 80 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Raichu Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Ground
0.5x (Resist)	Electric, Flying, Steel

Type ChartGood

1Weak

3Resist

0Immune

Score+1

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

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Ground

½xResist

Electric Flying Steel

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (2)

Water Flying

How to Beat Raichu in Crystal (Best Counters)

In Crystal, Golem can KO Raichu with Earthquake (156-184%).

Golem RockGround	A
Recommended Build ItemLeftovers Moves EarthquakeSTAB Explosion Rapid Spin RoarUtility Damage vs Raichu Earthquake 2x 156-184%KO Explosion 130-152%KO Rapid Spin 26-31% View Golem builds →

Crystal Evolution

Raichu evolved from Pichu's chain using an evolution item. It's a non-standard trigger, so check the details below. Breed this form to get Pichu eggs (quick to hatch). The evolution from Pichu pushed Raichu to 475 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +55. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms

#172Pichu

High Friendship

#025Pikachu

Thunder Stone

#026Raichu

Stat Comparison 3 Stages

Pichu

Electric

Pikachu

Electric

Raichu

Electric

35+15

60+25

ATK

55+15

90+35

DEF

40+25

55+15

SP.ATK

50+15

90+40

SP.DEF

50+15

80+30

SPE

90+30

110+20

BST

205D-Tier

320C-Tier+115

485C-Tier+165

ROLE

Balanced

Pivot

TYPE

Utility

Mixed

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed with Raichu to get Pichu eggs easily using 16 partners from the Fairy and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Double Slap, Encore and 2 more.

Egg Groups

FairyGround

Gender

♂50.0%♀50.0%

Hatch Time

10 cycles·2,570 steps

Fast~3 min with Flame Body

Egg Moves

5moves

Breed With (best first)

Crystal Raichu Best Moveset

Best Build

Experimental

Support

Ability

Not in Gen 2

Item

LeftoversSUSTAIN

Nature

Not in Gen 2

Support Moveset

ThunderSTAB
SurfCoverage
EncoreUtility
Thunder WaveSTAB

Recommended Teammates

UmbreonGood

ExeggutorDecent

VaporeonDecent

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Bide and Double Slap aren't available any other way for Raichu, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Zap Cannon and Thunder for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Quick Attack+1

D4010030Normal

Lv 1

Tail Whip

——10030Normal

Lv 1

Thunder Shock

—4010030Electric

Lv 1

Thunderbolt

B9510015Electric

TM Moves

TM45

Attract

D—10015Normal

TM03

Curse

C——10Ghost

TM40

Defense Curl

D——40Normal

TM43

Detect+4

D——5Fighting

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM01

Dynamic Punch

B100505Fighting

TM20

Endure+4

D——10Normal

HM05

Flash

D—7020Normal

TM21

Frustration

D—10020Normal

TM02

Headbutt

C7010015Normal

TM10

Hidden Power

—6010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

B150905Normal

TM23

Iron Tail

C1007515Steel

TM31

Mud-Slap

D2010010Ground

TM17

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TM18

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM27

Return

D—10020Normal

TM04

Rollout

D309020Rock

TM35

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM13

Snore

—4010015Normal

HM04

Strength

C8010015Normal

TM34

Swagger

C—8515Normal

TM39

Swift

D60—20Normal

TM46

Thief

D6010025Dark

TM25

Thunder

S1207010Electric

TM41

Thunder Punch

C7510015Electric

TM06

Toxic

C—8510Poison

TM07

Zap Cannon

C100505Electric

Egg Moves

Egg

Bide+1

———10Normal

Egg

Double Slap

—158510Normal

Egg

Encore

B—1005Normal

Egg

Present

D—9015Normal

Egg

Reversal

D—10015Fighting

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Thunderbolt

B9510015Electric

Reminder Moves

Rem

Agility

C——30Psychic

Rem

Charm

D—10020Normal

Rem

Double Team

———15Normal

Rem

Growl

D—10040Normal

Rem

Light Screen

C——30Psychic

Rem

Slam

—807520Normal

Rem

Sweet Kiss

——7510Normal

Rem

Thunder

S1207010Electric

Rem

Thunder Wave

B—10020Electric

How to Get Raichu in Crystal

Can't catch Raichu directly. Start with Pichu at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve through a special method. The 3-stage chain from Pichu to Raichu is where the leveling time goes.

How to Obtain Raichu in Crystal

To get Raichu, start by catching Pichu through gift and walking encounters at Lv. 4-25. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

Step 1Catch Pichu
Route 34
Gift from NPC Lv.5 Route
CommonEarly
Hatch Odd Egg (random)
Friendship
Step 2Catch or Evolve Pikachu
Route 2
Grass Lv.4 Route
5%Early
Celadon City - Game Corner
Gift from NPC Lv.25 City
LimitedMid
Purchase: 2,222 coins
or evolve from Pichu (Step 1)
Thunder Stone
Step 3Raichu ✓

Raichu Guide

In Crystal, Raichu works as a pivot with 475 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a niche pick in Crystal's meta. Thunder with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Crystal, Raichu's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Raichu's base 100 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
Raichu is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. Speed tells the real story. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.
In Crystal, the best way to handle Raichu: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Ground-type attackers hit hardest.
In Crystal, Raichu plays as a pivot. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move. Thunder is the primary attack.

Game Availability

Available since Red & Blue, Raichu appears in 23 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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