Which Electric-type Pokmon Is Really Best -

Pikachu often overshadows the Pokémon that it evolves into, but Raichu has much better stats making it hard to decide which is the best.

Since the early days of Pokémon, Pikachu has been the series’ main mascot, often overshadowing its own evolution. With a plethora of unique forms and items to its name, it’s no wonder why some consider it to be better than Raichu. This is a long-running debate among fans, and there are plausible arguments for both sides.

Even with Pikachu's perfect design, the Pokémon and Raichu were often contrasted against each other in the Pokémon anime, with Raichu having brute strength at the cost of Pikachu’s agility. This is untrue in the games, however, where Pikachu is weaker than Raichu by at least 15 points in every stat. The sole exception is the Partner Pikachu from Let’s Go, which does have 10 more points than Raichu in Speed, but fewer points for everything else.

Alolan Raichu Could Outclass Both Raichu And Pikachu

The Pikachu Vs Raichu debate was further complicated in Gen 7, with the introduction of regional variants for Gen 1 Pokémon. When in Alola, an evolved Pikachu becomes Alolan Raichu, as opposed to their Kantonian counterpart. The Alolan variant’s stats are almost identical to regular Raichu, with the Attack, Defence going down by 5 points each, with those points being added to its Special Attack and Special Defence. The main differences this form brings are its secondary Psychic typing and its Surge Surfer ability, which increases its Speed in Electric Terrain.

Pikachu's Powerful Items May Give It The Edge Over Raichu

Although Raichu may seem like the clearly stronger choice, Pikachu is not without its own advantages. As a Pokémon that can still evolve, it's able to use the Eviolite item, which multiplies its defensive stats by 1.5. Given its low Defence and Special Defence, the Eviolite makes up for one of its weaknesses but doesn’t make Pikachu outclass Raichu by any means. Something that works better for Pikachu in the Pokémon games is the Light Ball held item, This is actually Pikachu's signature item, meaning it is the only Pokémon that can use it. The Light Ball doubles Pikachu’s attacking stats, making it more offensively viable than Raichu, though its other stats are still markedly lower.

Although Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced Pichu, a baby form of Pikachu, leaked betas for Red and Green show that instead of a lower evolutionary form, Raichu was meant to evolve one more time. Fans have come to refer to this scrapped evolution as Gorochu. But as Pichu completed this evolutionary line as its third member, Raichu will likely never receive a permanent evolution. If Pichu hadn’t killed off Gen 1’s Pikachu evolution, Pikachu and Raichu’s rivalry may have been less prominent in favor of focusing on Gorochu.

Ultimately, both Pikachu and Raichu are pretty mediocre in battle, being outclassed by other Electric-types such as fellow Gen 1 Pokémon Jolteon. When looking at Raichu’s superior stats in almost every circumstance and Alolan Raichu’s secondary typing and usefulness in Electric Terrain it would be reasonable to say that Raichu reigns supreme. However, there will only ever be one Pokémon mascot, so Pikachu has a purpose all its own.

More: Unused Pokémon Designs That Could Appear In Future Games

Source: The Official Pokémon YouTube Channel/YouTube

Alolan Raichu Could Outclass Both Raichu And Pikachu

Pikachu's Powerful Items May Give It The Edge Over Raichu

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