Is Raichu Good in Yellow Playthrough?
Your starter Pikachu refuses to evolve, so getting Raichu means catching a second Pikachu in Viridian Forest and using a Thunder Stone on that one. If you make the effort, Raichu hits harder and survives more hits than your starter ever will. Worth having alongside the Pikachu that won't change.
Brock's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Raichu resists most of Misty's coverage and hits back hard.
Lt. Surge's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Erika's typing presses Raichu's defenses.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Blaine's team.
Giovanni's team hits Raichu's weaknesses hard.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Bruno's team.
Raichu has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Raichu trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
How to Get Raichu in Yellow
Can't catch Raichu directly. Start with Pikachu at solid rates from the locations below, then evolve through a special method. The 2-stage line from Pikachu to Raichu is where the leveling time goes.
How to Obtain Raichu in Y
Step 1Catch PikachuPallet TownLv.5Gift from NPCRate 100%Starter choice
Step 2Raichu ✓
Raichu Weakness
Type-wise, Raichu takes extra damage from Ground. Not many exploitable gaps in the Electric typing defensive chart. Raichu's special bulk (base 80 Special) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Electric, Flying |
- Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
- Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
- Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
What is Raichu Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Raichu
In Yellow, Rhydon's Earthquake also KOs at 112-132%.
S | ||
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Raichu View Starmie builds →Blizzard33-39% Psychic27-32% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Raichu View Chansey builds →Ice Beam13-15% Thunderbolt6-7% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Raichu View Rhydon builds →Earthquake 2x112-132%KO Rock Slide42-49% Body Slam48-56% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Raichu View Snorlax builds →Body Slam41-49% Self Destruct96-113%KO Earthquake 2x97-114%KO | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Raichu View Tauros builds →Body Slam38-45% Hyper Beam67-79% Earthquake 2x89-105%KO Blizzard16-20% | ||
Raichu Evolutions
Pikachu's chain ends at Raichu (using a Thunder Stone). Despite 475 base stats, this Electric type doesn't breed. The evolution from Pikachu pushed Raichu to 475 total stats. Special saw the largest single gain at +40. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Y Raichu Best Moveset
90 Special fires MoveThunderbolt hard enough to threaten the mid-tier, and 100 Speed means going first against everything below Jolteon and Alakazam. MoveBody Slam on the physical side adds paralysis to the list of problems. Controls matchups through speed and type coverage.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Thunderbolt
- Surf
- Thunder Wave
- Body Slam
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Most of Raichu's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Thunder and Thunderbolt, but Normal and Fighting and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Base Stats
When electricity builds up inside its body, it becomes feisty. It also glows in the dark.
Raichu Yellow Guide
In Yellow, Raichu works as a pivot with 475 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a niche pick in Yellow's meta. Thunderbolt anchors the moveset.
In Yellow, Raichu's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. Raichu's base 100 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.
Raichu is a special attacker with base 90 Special. Speed tells the real story. Base 100 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the pivot role.
For Yellow, the core moveset is Thunderbolt, Surf, Thunder Wave, and Body Slam. Thunderbolt leads at 0% usage. Thunderbolt provides reliable STAB damage.
In Yellow, the best way to handle Raichu: Super-effective STAB from faster Pokemon is the simplest answer. Ground-type attackers hit hardest.
Game Availability
Available since Red & Blue, Raichu appears in 23 games spanning 10 generations. Beyond its original form, it gained an Alolan form in Generation 7.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SMAlolan
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves