Is Raichu Good in Diamond & Pearl Playthrough?
Thunder Stone evolution from Pikachu. Faster than Luxray with mixed offense on both sides. Handles Crasher Wake and contributes against Aaron. Luxray hits harder overall, but Raichu works if Speed matters more to your team.
Pikachu has the type edge here and should clean up Roark's team.
Pikachu trades roughly evenly with Gardenia's team.
Pikachu trades roughly evenly with Maylene's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Crasher Wake's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Fantina's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Byron's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Candice's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Volkner's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Aaron's team.
Bertha's team hits Raichu's weaknesses hard.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Flint's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Lucian's team.
Raichu resists most of Mars's coverage and hits back hard.
Raichu resists most of Jupiter's coverage and hits back hard.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Saturn's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Cynthia's team.
Catch Pikachu
Catch Pikachu in Trophy Garden (walking, Lv 18, uncommon).
Recommended Moves
- After Gardenia
- TM34ElectricShock WavePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 215
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Lost Tower
- LV 26ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Fantina
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Iron Island
- LV 37ElectricDischargePower 120Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- LV 45ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
Evolve Pikachu to Raichu
Pikachu evolves into Raichu with a Thunder Stone. You can usually obtain this item before you reach Crasher Wake.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 30)
- LV 30ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Gardenia
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Lake Valor
- TM34ElectricShock WavePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 215
- TM68NormalGiga ImpactPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Game Corner
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM52FightingFocus BlastPower 120Accuracy 70%PP 5Veilstone Department Store
- TM28GroundDigPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 10Maniac Tunnel
- After Byron
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Oreburgh Gate
- Post-Game
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Survival Area
How to Get Raichu in Diamond & Pearl
Catch a Trophy Garden Pikachu and hit it with a Thunder Stone whenever you want the upgrade, since Raichu never appears in the Sinnoh wild on its own.
Wild Raichu may be holding when caught:
Oran Berry (5% chance) Held: Consumed at 1/2 max HP to recover 10 HP.Catch Pichu or Pikachu at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Raichu.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 3How to Obtain Raichu in DP
To get Raichu, start by catching Pichu through walking encounters at Lv. 16. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.
- Step 3Raichu ✓BREEDINGAvailableLeave a compatible parent at the Pokemon Day Care to receive a Pichu egg.
How to Get Shiny Raichu in Diamond & Pearl
Raichu skips the wild entirely, so chain a shiny Pichu in the Trophy Garden for the 1 in 200 rate, then raise and evolve it up the line. Compare Shiny Raichu odds across every game
Shiny Raichu Evolution
3 Forms
Diamond & Pearl Shiny Raichu Calculator
3 MethodsThe best route is PokeRadar Chain at full boosts, about 1 in 200 on each try. Tune it below.
PokeRadar Chain: Chain shaking-grass patches without breaking the combo. The rate peaks at a chain of 40.
Masuda Method: Breed with a parent from a different-language game. Works on any breedable line.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 22-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 58-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 139-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 460-- | -- |
Time assumes -- at your pace and does not change your shiny odds.
How is this calculated?
Every encounter has the same shiny chance, the Shiny Odds Per Try shown above. Each one is a separate roll that does not care how many you have already done, so the more you hunt, the higher your overall chance of at least one shiny. The formula below turns your odds and your number of tries into that combined chance.
chance after N tries = 1 − (1 − p)^N, where p = 1 / odds per try
Example at 1 in 8,192 (classic full odds): about 864 encounters for a 10 percent chance, 5,678 for 50 percent, and 18,862 for 90 percent.
The table above flips that around: it shows how many encounters it takes to reach a 10, 25, 50, and 90 percent chance at your current odds. Turning on boosts like the Shiny Charm, sandwiches, or chains improves your odds, so the encounter numbers drop.
These are estimates, not promises. Most games have no pity counter, meaning no guaranteed shiny no matter how many you hunt, so even Very Likely is not guaranteed: some hunters find one early, others go well past that point.
Planning a longer hunt? Set up Raichu in the Diamond & Pearl Shiny Odds Calculator to compare every method side by side.
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying, Steel |
- Fairy type does not exist — Dragon has fewer checks
- Physical / Special split now per-move (introduced Gen IV)
What is Raichu Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Raichu
Raichu Evolutions
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
Breeding
Breed with Raichu to get Pichu eggs easily using 35 partners from the Fairy and Field egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Charge, Double Slap and 7 more.
DP Raichu Best Moveset
The physical/special split means 90 Attack and 90 Sp. Atk both work now, so the moveset can run physical MoveVolt Tackle or special MoveThunderbolt depending on the matchup. 100 Speed outpaces most of the mid-tier field, though Held ItemLight Ball Pikachu sometimes outdamages its own evolution.
Best Build
Raichu best EVs are HP and Sp. Atk
Special Tank Moveset
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Thunder
- Grass Knot
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
34 of 36 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Reminder Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It turns aggressive if it has too much electricity in its body. It discharges power through its tail.
It can loose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size.
Raichu Diamond & Pearl Guide
In Diamond & Pearl, Raichu plays as a pivot. It outspeeds most threats, so it can pressure opponents before they move. Thunderbolt is the primary attack.
Yes. Alolan Raichu is a regional variant with different typing and a reworked stat spread. Introduced in Gen 7. Plays completely differently from the original.
In Diamond & Pearl, Modest is the go-to nature for Raichu. That's +Sp. Atk / -Attack. Pair it with 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD EVs. Fits the pivot role.
Game Availability
Available since Red & Blue, Raichu appears in 22 games spanning 9 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SMAlolan
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7Let's Go
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves
Explore
Where to go next after Raichu.
Keep playing · Diamond & PearlDiamond & Pearl Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Diamond & Pearl Tier List