Special
Pivot
485Average
110Fast
CTier

Raichu's stats are solid on their own, but Lightning Rod is what pushes it over the line. It redirects Electric moves and boosts its Sp. Atk. Only weak to Ground. A longtime staple going back to Gen 1.

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

Base Stats
485Above
HP60
C
Attack90
B
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk90
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed110
B
Total485
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Raichu yields +3 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+3
Details
Catch75Challenging•Medium Fast1M XP•0.8m / 2'07"•30kg / 66.1 lbs•243Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It turns aggressive if it has too much electricity in its body. It discharges power through its tail.

Diamond

It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.

Pearl

Raichu Weakness

Good

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

Gen IV Type Chart
  • Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
  • Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
4xCriticali
None
2xWeaki
Ground
½xResisti
ElectricFlyingSteel
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
Electric
STAB (2)i
WaterFlying
1Weak
3Resist
1Immune
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

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 485 total stats. Sp.Atk saw the largest single gain at +55.

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
Very Easy

Breed with Raichu to get Pichu eggs easily using 35 partners from the Fairy and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Charge, Double Slap and 7 more.

Egg Groups
FairyGround
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
10 cycles·2,570 steps
Fast~3 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
10moves
Breed With (best first)
togekissmanaphyraichuazumarilltogeticpachirisupikachuroseradenidokinggolduckampharosglalie
12 of 35·

double STAB is what separates a good sweep from a wasted boost. After Nasty Plot, Raichu threatens a wide range with max HP and Sp. Atk EVs and Wiseglasses backing every hit.

Best Build

Special Tank
Ability
Static
Item
Wiseglasses
Nature
Modest+SPA
EVs

Best Raichu Moveset

  • Nasty Plot
  • ThunderboltSTAB
  • ThunderSTAB
  • Grass Knot

Recommended Teammates

Weavile
WeavileDecent
Vaporeon
VaporeonDecent
Tyranitar
TyranitarDecent

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

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 1
Tail Whip
—10030Normal
Lv 1
Thunder Shock
4010030Electric
Lv 1
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
—10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
7510015Fighting
TM78
Captivate
—10020Normal
TM57
Charge Beam
509010Electric
TM28
Dig
8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
——15Normal
TM58
Endure+4
——10Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM70
Flash
—10020Normal
TM56
Fling
—10010Dark
TM52
Focus Blast
120705Fighting
TM01
Focus Punch-3
15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
—10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM86
Grass Knot
—10020Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
1007515Steel
TM16
Light Screen
——30Psychic
TM83
Natural Gift
—10015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
——5Water
TM44
Rest
——10Psychic
TM27
Return
—10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
4010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
7010020Normal
TM34
Shock Wave
60—20Electric
TM82
Sleep Talk
——10Normal
HM04
Strength
8010015Normal
TM90
Substitute
——10Normal
TM87
Swagger
—9015Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
1207010Electric
TM73
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Bide+1
——10Normal
Egg
Charge
——20Electric
Egg
Double Slap
158510Normal
Egg
Encore
—1005Normal
Egg
Fake Out+3
4010010Normal
Egg
Present
—9015Normal
Egg
Reversal
—10015Fighting
Egg
Thunder Punch
7510015Electric
Egg
Tickle
—10020Normal
Egg
Wish
——10Normal

Tutor Moves

Raichu can't learn any Tutor moves

Reminder Moves

Src
Rem
Agility
——30Psychic
Rem
Charm
—10020Normal
Rem
Discharge
8010015Electric
Rem
Double Team
——15Normal
Rem
Feint+2
5010010Normal
Rem
Growl
—10040Normal
Rem
Light Screen
——30Psychic
Rem
Nasty Plot
——20Dark
Rem
Slam
807520Normal
Rem
Surf
9510015Water
Rem
Sweet Kiss
—7510Normal
Rem
Thunder
1207010Electric
Rem
Thunder Wave
—10020Electric
Rem
Volt Tackle
12010015Electric

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 3
Body Slam
8510015Normal
Gen 3
Counter-5
—10020Fighting
Gen 3
Defense Curl
——40Normal
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 3
Dynamic Punch
100505Fighting
Gen 3
Mega Kick
120755Normal
Gen 3
Mega Punch
808520Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
——10Normal
Gen 3
Seismic Toss
—10020Fighting

No wild encounters for Raichu. The 3-stage chain runs through Pichu, which you can catch at solid rates from the locations below. Evolve through a special method once you've got the levels.

How to Obtain Raichu in Diamond & Pearl

To get Raichu, start by catching Pichu through walking encounters at Lv. 16-18. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Pichu
    Step 1Catch Pichu
    Trophy Garden
    DiamondGrassLv.16CommonMidForestMorning
    EFFORTLESS
    Trophy Garden
    PearlGrassLv.16CommonMidForestMorning
    EFFORTLESS
    Trophy Garden
    DiamondGrassLv.16UncommonMidForest
    EASY
    Trophy Garden
    PearlGrassLv.16UncommonMidForest
    EASY
  2. Pikachu
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Pikachu
    Trophy Garden
    PearlGrassLv.18UncommonMidForest
    EASY
    Trophy Garden
    DiamondGrassLv.18UncommonMidForest
    EASY
    or evolve from Pichu (Step 1)
  3. Raichu
    Step 3Raichu ✓

  • Raichu looks average on paper at 485 BST. But Lightning Rod is why it sees play — build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier pivot on our tier list.

  • 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 110 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Pikachu evolves into Raichu using a Thunder Stone. Raichu is the final evolution in a 4-stage line starting from Pichu. At 485 BST, it's got solid stats to work with.

  • Raichu gets Lightning Rod and Static. But Lightning Rod is the one that matters — it's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.

  • Raichu is a special attacker with base 90 Sp. Atk. But the speed tells the real story — base 110 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • Raichu appears in 22 games, including Yellow, Red & Blue, and Gold & Silver.

Available since Red & Blue, Raichu appears in 22 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.