The world of Pokémon has been a growing phenomenon since 1996, when the first pair of video games came out in stores. There are almost 900 individual Pokémon identified by the PokéDex and in this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about one of them – Raichu. Raichu is a pure Electric-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I of the core game series. It evolves from Pikachu when exposed to a Thunder Stone. In Alola, Raichu has a dual-type Electric/Psychic regional form. It evolves from Pikachu when exposed to a Thunder Stone.
In this article, we are going to tell you all the information you’ll need if you want to breed a Raichu in any of the games. We’re going to focus on both the core games, as well as other popular video games based on the Pokémon franchise.
Best moveset
In the Pokémon GO videogame, the best moves for your Raichu are Volt Switch and Wild Charge if you’re battling Pokémon in Gyms. Namely, this moveset gives you the highest total DPS and is, likewise, the best moveset for PVP battles. The official description for Volt Switch reveals the following: “After making its attack, the user rushes back to switch places with a party Pokémon in waiting”; as for Wild Charge, the attack is described as follows: “The user shrouds itself in electricity and smashes into its target. This also damages the user a little.”
Other moves that Raichu can learn across other games are:
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Raichu
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Raichu
- × indicates a move that cannot be used in Generation VIII
By leveling up
| Level | Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP |
| 1 | Thunder Punch | Electric | Physical | 75 | 100% | 15 |
| 1 | Play Nice | Normal | Status | — | —% | 20 |
| 1 | Sweet Kiss | Fairy | Status | — | 75% | 10 |
| 1 | Nuzzle | Electric | Physical | 20 | 100% | 20 |
| 1 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — | —% | 20 |
| 1 | Charm | Fairy | Status | — | 100% | 20 |
| 1 | Thunder Wave | Electric | Status | — | 90% | 20 |
| 1 | Double Team | Normal | Status | — | —% | 15 |
| 1 | Electro Ball | Electric | Special | — | 100% | 10 |
| 1 | Feint | Normal | Physical | 30 | 100% | 10 |
| 1 | Spark | Electric | Physical | 65 | 100% | 20 |
| 1 | Agility | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 30 |
| 1 | Slam | Normal | Physical | 80 | 75% | 20 |
| 1 | Discharge | Electric | Special | 80 | 100% | 15 |
| 1 | Thunderbolt | Electric | Special | 90 | 100% | 15 |
| 1 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 30 |
| 1 | Thunder | Electric | Special | 110 | 70% | 10 |
| 1 | Thunder Shock | Electric | Special | 40 | 100% | 30 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — | 100% | 30 |
| 1 | Growl | Normal | Status | — | 100% | 40 |
| 1 | Quick Attack | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100% | 30 |
| Evo. | Thunder Punch | Electric | Physical | 75 | 100% | 15 |
By TM
| Move | Type | Cat. | Pwr. | Acc. | PP | |
| TM00 | Mega Punch | Normal | Physical | 80 | 85% | 20 |
| TM01 | Mega Kick | Normal | Physical | 120 | 75% | 5 |
| TM02 | Pay Day | Normal | Physical | 40 | 100% | 20 |
| TM05 | Thunder Punch | Electric | Physical | 75 | 100% | 15 |
| TM08 | Hyper Beam | Normal | Special | 150 | 90% | 5 |
| TM09 | Giga Impact | Normal | Physical | 150 | 90% | 5 |
| TM14 | Thunder Wave | Electric | Status | — | 90% | 20 |
| TM15 | Dig | Ground | Physical | 80 | 100% | 10 |
| TM17 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 30 |
| TM18 | Reflect | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 20 |
| TM19 | Safeguard | Normal | Status | — | —% | 25 |
| TM21 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TM23 | Thief | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100% | 25 |
| TM24 | Snore | Normal | Special | 50 | 100% | 15 |
| TM25 | Protect | Normal | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TM29 | Charm | Fairy | Status | — | 100% | 20 |
| TM31 | Attract | Normal | Status | — | 100% | 15 |
| TM33 | Rain Dance | Water | Status | — | —% | 5 |
| TM39 | Facade | Normal | Physical | 70 | 100% | 20 |
| TM40 | Swift | Normal | Special | 60 | —% | 20 |
| TM41 | Helping Hand | Normal | Status | — | —% | 20 |
| TM43 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 | 100% | 15 |
| TM59 | Fling | Dark | Physical | — | 100% | 10 |
| TM62 | Speed Swap | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TM76 | Round | Normal | Special | 60 | 100% | 15 |
| TM80 | Volt Switch | Electric | Special | 70 | 100% | 20 |
| TM82 | Electroweb | Electric | Special | 55 | 95% | 15 |
| TM87 | Draining Kiss | Fairy | Special | 50 | 100% | 10 |
| TM90 | Electric Terrain | Electric | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TM93 | Eerie Impulse | Electric | Status | — | 100% | 15 |
| TM97 | Brutal Swing | Dark | Physical | 60 | 100% | 20 |
| TR01 | Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 | 100% | 15 |
| TR04 | Surf | Water | Special | 90 | 100% | 15 |
| TR08 | Thunderbolt | Electric | Special | 90 | 100% | 15 |
| TR09 | Thunder | Electric | Special | 110 | 70% | 10 |
| TR12 | Agility | Psychic | Status | — | —% | 30 |
| TR20 | Substitute | Normal | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TR21 | Reversal | Fighting | Physical | — | 100% | 15 |
| TR26 | Endure | Normal | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TR27 | Sleep Talk | Normal | Status | — | —% | 10 |
| TR30 | Encore | Normal | Status | — | 100% | 5 |
| TR31 | Iron Tail | Steel | Physical | 100 | 75% | 15 |
| TR35 | Uproar | Normal | Special | 90 | 100% | 10 |
| TR64 | Focus Blast | Fighting | Special | 120 | 70% | 5 |
| TR68 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — | —% | 20 |
| TR77 | Grass Knot | Grass | Special | — | 100% | 20 |
| TR80 | Electro Ball | Electric | Special | — | 100% | 10 |
| TR86 | Wild Charge | Electric | Physical | 90 | 100% | 15 |
| TR90 | Play Rough | Fairy | Physical | 90 | 90% | 10 |
Raichu PVP Guide
In this section of our article, we are going to give you a detailed PVP guide for Raichu, which can be applied to all known Pokémon video games. The guide is going to include several categories which are going to help you prepare a strategy involving Raichu for your games.
Weaknesses and Counters
As an Electric-type Pokémon, Raichu is weak only against Ground-type moves, and is super effective against Flying- and Water-type Pokémon. It is immune to Ground-, and Electric-type moves. It receives normal damage from Normal-, Fighting-, Poison-, Rock-, Bug-, Ghost-, Fire-, Water-, Grass-, Psychic-, Ice-, Dragon-, Dark-, Fairy-type moves.
The Alolan variant, a dual Electric- and Psychic-type, is – in addition to the above-listed ones – weak to Bug-, Ghost- and Dark-type moves, and is damaged normally by Normal-, Poison-, Rock-, Bug-, Ghost-, Fire-, Water-, Grass-, Ice-, Dragon-, Fairy-type moves. On the other hand, it is supper effective against Fighting-, Flying-, and Steel-type Pokémon.
Stats and Abilities
Raichu’s Stats, based on the most recent available data, are:
| Stats | Base Stats | Min- | Min | Max | Max+ | Min- | Min | Max | Max+ |
| HP | 60 | 135 | 167 | 261 | 324 | ||||
| Attack | 90 | 99 | 110 | 142 | 156 | 194 | 216 | 279 | 306 |
| Defense | 55 | 67 | 75 | 107 | 117 | 131 | 146 | 209 | 229 |
| Special Attack | 90 | 99 | 110 | 142 | 156 | 194 | 216 | 279 | 306 |
| Special Defense | 80 | 90 | 100 | 132 | 145 | 176 | 196 | 259 | 284 |
| Speed | 110 | 117 | 130 | 162 | 178 | 230 | 256 | 319 | 350 |
In Pokémon GO, Raichu has a Base Stamina of 155, a Base Attack of 201, and a Base Defense of 154.
As for its abilities, they are:
- Static: The Pokémon is charged with static electricity, so contact with it may cause paralysis.
- Lightning Rod: The Pokémon draws in all Electric-type moves. Instead of being hit by Electric-type moves, it boosts its Sp. Atk. (Hidden Ability)
- Surge Surfer: Doubles the Pokémon’s Speed stat on Electric Terrain. (Alolan Raichu)
Raichu item guide
The best item you can give to your Raichu in the more recent games is the Life Orb (An item to be held by a Pokémon. It boosts the power of moves but at the cost of some HP on each hit.), which will significantly boost its attack power. Another good item you can give it is Focus Sash (An item to be held by a Pokémon. If the holder has full HP, it will endure a potential KO attack with 1 HP. The item then disappears.).