Stats & Training
Speed and Attack carry most of Pichu's stat budget. Defense's the obvious dump stat. Common in the wild and yields 1 Speed EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.
Despite its small size, it can zap even adult humans. However, if it does so, it also surprises itself.
The electric sacs in its cheeks are small. If even a little electricity leaks, it becomes shocked.
Pichu Weakness
Pichu is weak to Ground. Few weaknesses and 3 resistances make the typing clean. Lightning Rod grants an additional Electric immunity, reshaping the matchup chart.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying, Steel |
In Sword & Shield, Excadrill can KO Pichu with Earthquake (664-781%). Krookodile threatens a KO with Earthquake (565-665%).
 Excadrill GroundSteel | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityMold Breaker ItemLeftovers NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Pichu View Excadrill builds →Earthquake 2x664-781%KO Rapid Spin110-130%KO | ||
 Krookodile GroundDark | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemChoice Scarf NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Pichu View Krookodile builds →Earthquake 2x565-665%KO Knock Off183-216%KO | ||
Sword & Shield Evolution
This is the baby stage. Pichu grows into Pikachu by leveling up. Want more? Breed the adults. Baby Pokemon sit in the Undiscovered egg group. Evolving adds up to 280 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Sword & Shield Pichu Best Moveset
Focus Sash guarantees Pichu survives one hit from full HP. That's enough to deal early damage and fire off Nuzzle before going down. Lightningrod and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs maximize first-turn impact.
Best Build
Pichu best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Sweeper Moveset
- Endeavor
- Fake Out
- Nuzzle
- Thunderbolt
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Egg moves make a real difference. Pichu gets Charge and Disarming Voice exclusively through breeding, filling gaps that TMs and level-up can't touch. Coverage across 7 types rounds out the picture alongside Thunder and Thunderbolt.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
How to Get Pichu in Sword & Shield
Pichu doesn't appear in Sword & Shield. Transfer it from Crystal, Diamond, or Scarlet to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.
Pichu is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Catch in the wild in:
Then trade to Sword & Shield.
Also found in:
Pichu Guide
Pichu evolves into Pikachu by leveling up, then the line branches. Pikachu can become Raichu using a Thunder Stone and Alolan Raichu using a Thunder Stone. Two final forms from the same mid-stage.
Pichu is catchable in Sword & Shield. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 19 other games across the series.
Pichu is available in Sword & Shield. Across the full series, it appears in 20 games total.
For Sword & Shield, you can run Pichu through the first few routes without issues. 205 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Pikachu as fast as you can.
Game Availability
Available in 20 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Pichu spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GSDebut
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves