Raichu

Raichu in the games: the evolution Pikachu can refuse

Raichu is the Electric type Pokémon that Pikachu becomes with a Thunder Stone, the last step of a family that starts with Pichu. It stands 0.8 meters tall and weighs 30.0 kilograms, with Static as its normal ability and Lightning Rod, which draws in Electric-type moves, as its hidden ability. In Alola, Pikachu evolves instead into Alolan Raichu, an Electric and Psychic regional form.

The Mega Dimension expansion for Pokémon Legends: Z-A gave the original Raichu two Mega Evolutions, Mega Raichu X and Mega Raichu Y, both still Electric type. Alolan Raichu cannot Mega Evolve. Because Raichu only arrives when a player chooses to use a Thunder Stone, keeping Pikachu unevolved is always an option, a detail the anime leans on directly.

Raichu in the anime: the evolution Ash's Pikachu keeps turning down

The question of Pikachu evolving into Raichu is a running thread in the anime rather than a one-off. In "Electric Shock Showdown," Ash's Pikachu is badly beaten by Lt. Surge's Raichu at the Vermilion Gym, and Nurse Joy afterward gives Ash a Thunder Stone. Ash leaves the choice to Pikachu, who refuses it and wins the rematch on speed. In Sinnoh, a Trainer named Sho, who already owned a Pichu and a Raichu and wanted Pikachu to complete the line, beat Pikachu with a Raichu that was as fast as it was strong. Pikachu again passed on the Thunder Stone Ash had kept since Vermilion, trained harder, and won the rematch.

Raichu on cards: Base Set to Ascended Heroes

Raichu's first English card is Base Set #14 from January 1999, a holo Rare illustrated by Ken Sugimori. Our catalog lists 76 Raichu printings across 55 sets, spread from the WOTC era through Scarlet & Violet and into the Mega Evolution era. Mitsuhiro Arita and 5ban Graphics have each drawn Raichu nine times, with Ken Sugimori close behind.

Raichu has picked up its share of era-defining treatments along the way: Team Rocket's Dark Raichu (2000), numbered past the set total as a secret card; Neo Destiny's Shining Raichu (2002); a Raichu ex in Sandstorm (2003); a Secret Rare Raichu GX in Shining Legends (2017); and Unified Minds' Raichu & Alolan Raichu GX (2019), printed as both an Ultra Rare and a Secret Rare and pairing the original Raichu with its Alolan form on one card. More recently, Paldea Evolved gave it an Illustration Rare in 2023, Paldean Fates a shiny rare in 2024, and Ascended Heroes an Uncommon printing in 2026.

Why collectors care about Raichu

Raichu turns up in 55 different sets, and along the way it has carried a Dark Pokémon secret card, a Shining card, an EX-era ex, a Secret Rare GX, a Tag Team GX with its own Alolan form, an Illustration Rare and a shiny rare. For a Pokémon the anime famously keeps off Ash's team, that is a remarkably steady run, and the Base Set holo still anchors it.

Cards to know

• Raichu (Base Set #14)

  Raichu's first English card, a 1999 holo Rare illustrated by Ken Sugimori.

• Shining Raichu (Neo Destiny #111)

  One of Neo Destiny's alternate-colored Shining Pokémon, numbered beyond the set total, illustrated by Hironobu Yoshida.

• Raichu GX (Shining Legends #75)

  A 2017 Secret Rare illustrated by 5ban Graphics.

• Raichu & Alolan Raichu GX (Unified Minds #241)

  A 2019 Secret Rare Tag Team GX pairing Raichu with its Alolan form, illustrated by ConceptLab.

• Raichu (Paldea Evolved #211)

  A 2023 Illustration Rare illustrated by Toshinao Aoki.

• Raichu (Ascended Heroes #056)

  Raichu's most recent card, a 2026 Uncommon illustrated by Iori Suzuki.