
Is Raichu Good in Yellow Playthrough?
Your starter Pikachu refuses to evolve, so getting Raichu means catching a second Pikachu in Viridian Forest and using a Thunder Stone on that one. If you make the effort, Raichu hits harder and survives more hits than your starter ever will. Worth having alongside the Pikachu that won't change.
Brock's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Misty's team.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Erika's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Giovanni's team hits Raichu's weaknesses hard.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Trade
Raichu cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
Recommended Moves
- STARTING (Lv 5)
- LV 5ElectricThunder WavePower —Accuracy 100%PP 20
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody SlamPower 85Accuracy 100%PP 15S.S. Anne
- After Lt. Surge
- TM24ElectricThunderboltPower 143Accuracy 100%PP 15Prize for defeating Vermilion Gym Leader Lt. Surge
- TM15NormalHyper BeamPower 150Accuracy 90%PP 5Rocket Game Corner
- TM05NormalMega KickPower 120Accuracy 75%PP 5Celadon Department Store
- TM10NormalDouble-EdgePower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Rocket Hideout
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull BashPower 100Accuracy 100%PP 15Safari Zone
- After Koga
- TM25ElectricThunderPower 180Accuracy 70%PP 10Kanto Power Plant
How to Get Raichu in Yellow
Pikachu is your starter in Yellow and won't evolve with a Thunder Stone, so there's no homegrown Raichu. The only way to one is trading from Red or Blue.
Catch Pikachu at any of these 1 spot to eventually evolve into Raichu.
- 1Catch Pikachu
- 2Evolve RaichuUse Thunder Stone
How to Obtain Raichu in Y
Step 2Raichu ✓
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 90 Special) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying |
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
What is Raichu Weak Against
AvgRaichu Evolutions
Pikachu's chain ends at Raichu (using a Thunder Stone). Despite 485 base stats, this Electric type doesn't breed. The evolution from Pikachu pushed Raichu to 485 total stats. Special saw the largest single gain at +40. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Y Raichu Best Moveset
90 Special fires MoveThunderbolt hard enough to threaten the mid-tier, and 100 Speed means going first against everything below Jolteon and Alakazam. MoveBody Slam on the physical side adds paralysis to the list of problems. Controls matchups through speed and type coverage.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Thunder Wave
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Most of Raichu's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Thunder and Thunderbolt, but Normal and Fighting and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- 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.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM 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 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 23 TMs are obtainable before the Elite Four
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
When electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes feisty. It also glows in the dark.
Raichu Yellow Guide
In Yellow, 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.
No. Raichu isn't catchable in Yellow. Catch one in Red or Blue, then trade it over.
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.