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 EVs per KO. Moderately hard to find, on a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Above
HP60
C
Attack90
B
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk90
B
Sp. Def80
C
Speed100
B
Total475
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging75 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.8 m
2'07"Small
Weight30.0 kg
66.1 lbsLight
Base XP243
High Yield
Abilities
StaticTop Pick
Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.
Lightning RodHANot in game
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 the electrical sacks become excessively charged, RAICHU plants its tail in the ground and discharges. Scorched patches of ground will be found near this POKéMON’s nest.

Raichu Weakness

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.

Raichu Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ground
0.5x (Resist)Electric, Flying, Steel
Type ChartGood
1Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Score+1
Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
Ground
½xResist
ElectricFlyingSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Electric
STAB (2)
WaterFlying
How to Beat Raichu in Ruby & Sapphire (Best Counters)

In Ruby & Sapphire, Claydol can KO Raichu with Earthquake (142-167%).

Claydol
Claydol
GroundPsychic
A
Recommended Build
AbilityLevitate
ItemLeftovers
NatureAdamant
Moves
  • Rapid Spin
  • EarthquakeSTAB
  • Explosion
  • PsychicSTAB
Damage vs Raichu
Rapid Spin
23-28%
Earthquake 2x
142-167%KO
Explosion
117-138%KO
Psychic
31-37%
View Claydol builds →

Ruby & Sapphire 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
Pichu
#172Pichu
High Friendship
Pikachu
#025Pikachu
Thunder Stone
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 27 partners from the Fairy and Ground egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Charge, Double Slap and 4 more.

Egg Groups
FairyGround
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
10 cycles·2,570 steps
Fast~3 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
7moves
Breed With (best first)
azumarilltogeticpikachunidokinggolduckampharosglalierhydonjumpluffbreloomdewgongmarill
12 of 27·

Ruby & Sapphire Raichu Best Moveset

This build takes hits and hits back. Leftovers provides passive recovery each turn, Static supports the gameplan, and flexible EVs mean Raichu doesn't crumble to chip damage. Plus Water coverage backing it up.

Best Build

Experimental
Special Sweeper
Ability
Static
Item
LeftoversSUSTAIN
Best Nature for Raichu
Timid+SPE

Raichu best EVs are Speed and Sp. Atk

EVs

Special Sweeper Moveset

  • SurfCoverage
  • ThunderboltSTAB
  • SubstituteUtility
  • ThunderSTAB

Recommended Teammates

Gyarados
GyaradosDecent
Tyranitar
TyranitarDecent
Shedinja
ShedinjaDecent

Moves

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 Thunder and Thunderbolt 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
A9510015Electric

TM Moves

TM
TM45
Attract
——10015Normal
TM31
Brick Break
C7510015Fighting
TM28
Dig
—6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM42
Facade
C7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
——7020Normal
TM01
Focus Punch-3
B15010020Fighting
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM23
Iron Tail
C1007515Steel
TM16
Light Screen
C——30Psychic
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
B——5Water
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
HM06
Rock Smash
—2010015Fighting
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM34
Shock Wave
—60—20Electric
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM46
Thief
D6010025Dark
TM25
Thunder
A1207010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
A9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Bide+1
———10Normal
Egg
Charge
———20Electric
Egg
Double Slap
—158510Normal
Egg
Encore
C—1005Normal
Egg
Present
D—9015Normal
Egg
Reversal
D—10015Fighting
Egg
Wish
C——10Normal

Tutor Moves

Raichu can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Raichu in Ruby & Sapphire

Pichu doesn't appear in the wild, so the 3-stage path to Raichu starts at the nursery. Catch Pikachu first, breed for Pichu, then evolve through the chain.

How to Obtain Raichu in Ruby & Sapphire

The path to Raichu starts with Pichu at Lv. 25-27 via walking encounters. 1 catchable stage total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Pichu
    Step 1Breed Pichu from Pikachu

    Breed from Pikachu at the Day Care.

  2. Pikachu
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Pikachu
    Safari Zone - Southeast
    RubyGrass Lv.25-27 Facility
    5%Mid
    Safari Zone - Southeast
    SapphireGrass Lv.25-27 Facility
    5%Mid
    Safari Zone - Southwest
    RubyGrass Lv.25-27 Facility
    5%Mid
    Safari Zone - Southwest
    SapphireGrass Lv.25-27 Facility
    5%Mid
    or evolve from Pichu (Step 1)
  3. Raichu
    Step 3Raichu ✓

Raichu Guide

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, Raichu looks average on paper at 475 BST. But Lightning Rod is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. C-Tier pivot on our tier list. Surf with Leftovers is the standard set.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, 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 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. Speed tells the real story. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.

  • In Ruby & Sapphire, Lightning Rod is the hidden ability. It redirects single-target electric moves to this Pokémon where possible. Worth hunting for if you want Raichu to compete at a higher level.

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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