Is Raichu Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
Thunder Stone on a Safari Zone Pikachu or a traded one. AbilityStatic carries over. Raichu hits harder than Pikachu but Manectric is available earlier in Hoenn and doesn't need a stone. The Electric slot in RS has strong local competition.
Roxanne's typing presses Pikachu's defenses.
Pikachu has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Pikachu trades roughly evenly with Wattson's team.
Pikachu has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Pikachu trades roughly evenly with Norman's team.
Pikachu has the type edge here and should clean up Winona's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Tate & Liza's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Phoebe's team.
Raichu resists most of Glacia's coverage and hits back hard.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Drake's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Steven's team.
Catch Pikachu
Catch Pikachu in the Safari Zone (walking, Lv 25-27, rare).
Recommended Moves
- After Wattson
- TM34ElectricShock WavePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- LV 26ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Norman
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 115
- TM42NormalFacadePower 70Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Norman
- LV 41ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10
- After Tate & Liza
- TM31FightingBrick BreakPower 75Accuracy 100%PP 15Sootopolis City
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
Evolve Pikachu to Raichu
Pikachu evolves into Raichu with a Thunder Stone. You can usually obtain this item before you reach Tate & Liza.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 33)
- LV 33ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15
- After Wattson
- TM34ElectricShock WavePower 90Accuracy 100%PP 20Prize for defeating Wattson
- HM04NormalStrengthPower 80Accuracy 100%PP 15Rusturf Tunnel
- After Norman
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Lilycove Department Store
- TM01FightingFocus PunchPower 150Accuracy 100%PP 20Route 115
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Lilycove Department Store
- After Tate & Liza
- TM31FightingBrick BreakPower 75Accuracy 100%PP 15Sootopolis City
- After Wallace
- TM23SteelIron TailPower 100Accuracy 75%PP 15Meteor Falls
How to Get Raichu in Ruby & Sapphire
Raichu has no wild form in Hoenn. Catch a Safari Zone Pikachu first, then use a Thunder Stone to evolve it. Stones are limited, so spend it once you are happy with the Pikachu.
Wild Raichu may be holding when caught:
Oran Berry (5% chance) A hold item that restores 10 HP in battle.Catch Pikachu at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Raichu.
Encountered via tall grass encounters
Badge 6How to Obtain Raichu in RS
- Step 2Catch or Evolve Pikachuor evolve from Pichu (Step 1)
- Step 3Raichu ✓
How to Get Shiny Raichu in Ruby & Sapphire
Raichu never appears wild in Ruby & Sapphire, so catch a shiny Pikachu, raise it, and use a Thunder Stone to evolve it. Compare Shiny Raichu odds across every game
Shiny Raichu Evolution
3 Forms
Ruby & Sapphire Shiny Raichu Calculator
2 MethodsBoth methods here share the same odds, about 1 in 8,192 on each try. Pick whichever fits how you play.
Full Odds: Walk through grass, surf, or fish. Every encounter is its own independent shiny roll.
Breeding: Hatch eggs of this line; each egg rolls at the base shiny rate (no Masuda before Gen IV).
How many you have done, or plan to do.
| Chance | Encounters | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10%lucky few | 864-- | -- |
| 25%one in four | 2,357-- | -- |
| 50%coin flip | 5,678-- | -- |
| 90%very likely | 18,862-- | -- |
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 Ruby & Sapphire 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 |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Raichu Weak Against
Good
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 27 partners from the Fairy and Field egg groups. Notable egg moves include Bide, Charge, Double Slap and 4 more.
RS Raichu Best Moveset
90 Sp. Atk fires MoveThunderbolt solidly and 100 Speed goes first against most threats. AbilityStatic paralyzes physical attackers on contact for defensive utility. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Consistent Electric attacker with contact punishment.
Best Build
Raichu best EVs are Speed and Sp. Atk
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
- Thunder
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 Thunder and Thunderbolt 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
All 24 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
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.
This POKéMON exudes a weak electrical charge from all over its body that makes it take on a slight glow in darkness. RAICHU searches for electricity by planting its tail in the ground.
Raichu Ruby & Sapphire Guide
Raichu is obtained in Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire by evolving Pikachu using a Thunder Stone.
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 · Ruby & SapphireRuby & Sapphire Tier ListThe best Pokemon ranked tier by tierSee Ruby & Sapphire Tier List