Arbok (#24) - Pikachu - Raichu (#26) |
|
| General | |
|---|---|
| Name (japanese), Number | Pikachu (Pikachuu), 25 |
| Evolves from | Pichu |
| Evolves to | Raichu |
| Battle¹ | |
| Hit points | 35 |
| Attack | 55 |
| Defence | 30 |
| Speed | 90 |
| Special attack² | 50 |
| Special defense² | 40 |
| Special³ | 50 |
| Biological | |
| Species | Mouse Pokémon |
| Types | Electric |
| Height | 1'4" (0.41 m) |
| Weight | 13.0 lb (5.85 kg) |
| Gender distribution | 50.0% male, 50.0% female |
| ¹ Stats for trading card versions may vary. ² Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal ³ Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow |
|
Pikachu (Pikachuu in Japanese) is arguably the most popular Pokémon to date. It is obtainable in all 8 of the Pokémon RPGs and is the species of one of the cartoon's main characters.
Pikachu is a small electric-type rodent Pokémon. It's yellow, with a lightning bolt-shaped tail. It has brown stripes on its back, black-tipped ears, and red cheeks, where its "electric sacs" are. It will evolve with a Thunderstone into Raichu. It is numbered as #25 of the original 151 Pokémon. Also, in the metallics and gems, Pikachu has a predecessor, Pichu. Pichu will evolve into Pikachu through happiness.
In the cartoon, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon. Though Pikachu didn't like Ash at first, Ash demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice for Pikachu, and they became fast friends. They gave Pikachu an operation to increase the strength of the electric sacs in his cheeks.
Pikachu communicates only by saying syllables that are in its own name. Its most common sentence is "Pika-pika". When it wants to talk to Ash it says "Pika-pi". And it refers to Togepi as "Pipipi".
The sentence "Pika-pika" is funny by itself, but it has additional funny associations for Japanese speakers. A Japanese expression "pika-pika hikaru" means stroke of ligtning; it is also used to denote a smaller bald spot on the very top of the head still surrounded by hair.