Is Raikou Good in Black 2 & White 2 Playthrough?
Transfer only. Electric with AbilityPressure. If imported, one of the fastest Electric-types in the game. Handles Skyla, Marlon, and Iris's Lapras. Most players won't have one.
Raikou resists most of Cheren's coverage and hits back hard.
Raikou resists most of Roxie's coverage and hits back hard.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Burgh's team.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Elesa's team.
Raikou trades roughly evenly with Clay's team.
Raikou resists most of Skyla's coverage and hits back hard.
Drayden's team hits Raikou's weaknesses hard.
Raikou resists most of Marlon's coverage and hits back hard.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Shauntal's team.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Grimsley's team.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Caitlin's team.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Marshal's team.
Raikou has the type edge here and should clean up Iris's team.
Raikou 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.
How to Get Raikou in Black 2 & White 2
No wild encounters for Raikou in Black 2 & White 2. It's available in Gold & Silver, Crystal, or Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Raikou is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
Raikou Weakness
Raikou's Electric typing leaves it vulnerable to Ground. Its Electric typing keeps the defensive matchups simple. Raikou's special bulk (base 100 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 Raikou Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Raikou
 Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
 Sandslash Ground | C | |
 Gliscor Ground | B | |
 Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
 Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Sandslash Ground | C | |
Gliscor Ground | B | |
Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Camerupt FireGround | C | |
Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
 Flygon GroundDragon | C | |
 Mamoswine IceGround | B | |
Gliscor Ground | B | |
In Black 2 & White 2, Garchomp can KO Raikou with Earthquake (130-153%).
 Garchomp DragonGround | S | |
Recommended Build AbilityRough Skin ItemFocus Sash NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Raikou View Garchomp builds →Earthquake 2x130-153%KO Outrage78-92% | ||
Raikou Evolutions
You can't breed Raikou or evolve it into anything else. This Electric legendary packs 580 stats and doesn't need a chain to be relevant. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
B2W2 Raikou Best Moveset
115 Sp. Atk at 115 Speed fires Electric TermStab before nearly everything responds, and AbilityPressure doubles PP consumption. The moveset answers Water and Flying types instantly while outrunning most threats. Opponents need a Ground type or specially defensive check ready because Raikou hits hard and fast.
Best Build
Raikou best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power Ice
- Aura Sphere
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Without TMs, Raikou's movepool is bare bones. With them, you get coverage across 8 types on top of Zap Cannon and Thunder for STAB. The natural kit handles basics, but TMs are doing the real work.
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
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Transfer Moves
Base Stats
It is said to have fallen with lightning. It can fire thunderbolts from the rain clouds on its back.
Raikou Black 2 & White 2 Guide
For the Black 2 & White 2 meta, At 580 BST, Raikou is built different. We rank it B-Tier. As a Legendary Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper. Calm Mind with Life Orb is the standard set.
In Black 2 & White 2, watch for Rhydon (Ground) when using Raikou. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Pressure increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one. That's the one you want on Raikou. Inner Focus is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.
In Black 2 & White 2, Raikou fills the sweeper role. It's a special attacker with base 115 Sp. Atk. Base 115 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. And it's enough bulk to take a hit or two.
In Black 2 & White 2, run Calm Mind, Thunderbolt, Hiddenpowerice, and Aura Sphere on Raikou. Calm Mind is the most common pick at 0% usage. Thunderbolt provides reliable STAB damage.
Game Availability
Raikou has appeared in 17 games since Gold & Silver, spanning 9 generations. As a Legendary, it's typically a one-per-save encounter tied to the story or post-game content.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GSDebut
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 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
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