Ash's Pikachu
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- If you were looking for the the alternate Pikachu who appeared in I Choose You!, see Ash's Pikachu (M20).
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Ash's Pikachu (Japanese: サトシのピカチュウ Satoshi's Pikachu) is the signature Pokémon of the Pokémon anime, and the first Pokémon that Ash obtained on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer, given to him by Professor Oak.
History
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Original series
Kanto
In the first episode of the Pokémon anime, Pokémon - I Choose You!, Ash woke up late the day he was supposed to go to Professor Oak's Laboratory to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, had already been taken by other Trainers who had arrived on time. Seeing Ash's disappointment, Professor Oak gave him Pikachu, who, at first, did not care at all for his new Trainer, constantly zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused to go into his Poké Ball, and when Ash failed to catch a Pidgey, he laughed at him. However, by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's trust by protecting him from an attack by a flock of angry Spearow. Seeing this act of selflessness, Pikachu defended Ash from the Spearow as well, and the two of them became inseparable friends, a moment that was capitalized on by catching a glimpse of an unknown Pokémon flying by. Ash then rushed to Viridian City in order to get Pikachu hospitalized quickly, as he had been badly injured during the fight.
In Pokémon Emergency!, Ash managed to get to the Viridian City Pokémon Center just in time with the help of Officer Jenny, who scolded Ash for "mistreating" Pikachu. Nurse Joy agreed to heal Pikachu, and thanks to her, Pikachu managed to regain his health. At the end of the episode, Pikachu had regained enough of his strength to send Team Rocket blasting off for the very first time.
Pikachu participated in Ash's first Gym battle with Brock in Showdown in Pewter City. He faced Onix, but his Electric-type attacks were ineffective. Onix then started binding Pikachu. Seeing no other option, Ash forfeited. Ash and Pikachu later trained with Flint in order to increase the strength of Pikachu's Electric-type moves. Ash later challenged Brock to a rematch, where Pikachu managed to defeat Brock's Geodude thanks to his training. Pikachu then faced Onix again, who was able to Bind Pikachu once again, but this time Pikachu's Electric-type attacks dealt quite some damage. However, despite their training, Pikachu was still unable to defeat Onix, who was tightening its grip on Pikachu. As Ash was about to forfeit again, Pikachu's Thunderbolt managed to turn on the Gym's sprinkler system, severely harming Onix. As Ash was about let Pikachu finish Onix off, he was stopped by Brock's siblings and he decided to forfeit again. Despite Ash forfeiting the match, Brock still gave him the Boulder Badge.
Pikachu's next major battle was in Ash's Vermilion Gym battle against Lt. Surge's Raichu in Electric Shock Showdown. Lt. Surge laughed at Ash for attempting to defeat his Raichu with its pre-evolved form, angering Ash and Pikachu. Pikachu started off using Thunder Shock which seemed to do nothing to Raichu. Raichu then used its own Thunder Shock, which was much more powerful than Pikachu's attack, and dealt much more damage. Following advice from Brock, Ash tried recalling Pikachu in order to forfeit. However, Pikachu was determined to defeat Raichu, and therefore, kept fighting. While trying to attack, Pikachu got overwhelmed by Raichu's Mega Punch and Mega Kick and was finally defeated by a powerful Thunderbolt. Due to all the damage he had taken during the battle, Pikachu had to be hospitalized. Later in the episode, Ash offered to let Pikachu evolve into a Raichu with a Thunder Stone that Nurse Joy had given him. However, Pikachu refused, wanting to defeat Raichu on his own terms.
Later, Ash challenged Lt. Surge to a rematch, where Pikachu once again faced Raichu. Trying to get close, Pikachu got hammered to the ground by Raichu's tail, followed up by repeating hits from its tail. Raichu then hit him hard with Body Slam. As Raichu was about to finish him off with another Body Slam, Pikachu managed to get up and dodge it. Ash soon found out from Brock that since Raichu was evolved so early, it did not learn any of the moves that it could only learn as a Pikachu, such as Agility and Quick Attack. Through his use of these moves, Pikachu managed to gain the upper hand and dodge Raichu's attacks. Raichu responded with an extremely powerful Thunderbolt attack that Lt. Surge was sure could defeat Pikachu. Pikachu, however, used his tail as an anchor to absorb the shock. Raichu tried using Thunderbolt again but due to its previous attack it had run out of electricity. It then tried to hit Pikachu with a Take Down, but was outsped by Pikachu's Quick Attack. Pikachu then used his tail to slam Raichu and defeat it, earning Ash the Thunder Badge.
In Abra and the Psychic Showdown, Pikachu was sent out to battle against Sabrina's Abra during Ash's Saffron Gym battle. It proved to be a tough foe, using Teleport to avoid Pikachu's Thunder Shock. Abra then suddenly evolved into Kadabra, making it much stronger. Pikachu tried filling the battlefield with lightning to prevent Kadabra from using Teleport, but Kadabra countered with Confusion to send the attack back to Pikachu. Kadabra then used Psychic to control Pikachu's body and started to repeatedly smash him into the ceiling and back down. Unwilling to see his friend suffer even more, Ash forfeited the match. In Ash's rematch with Sabrina in Haunter versus Kadabra, Pikachu selflessly fought Kadabra, since Haunter didn't show up and his other Pokémon were too terrified. Pikachu used Thunder Shock, which Kadabra avoided using Teleport. After taking a hit from Kadabra's Psybeam, Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt which dealt major damage to Kadabra. Kadabra, however, quickly used Recover, negating the damage it had taken. At that moment, Haunter appeared, and made Sabrina and Kadabra laugh. As both Sabrina and Kadabra were unable to continue the battle, Ash was declared the winner by Sabrina's father which earned him the Marsh Badge.
In The Flame Pokémon-athon!, Pikachu entered the Big P Pokémon Race with Squirtle. The two were at a significant disadvantage due to Squirtle's short legs, and Pikachu's comparative weight, but in a way, this helped as they managed to escape an Electrode self-destructing. They made ground when they reached the water stage, putting them in the top four with Ash, Misty and Dario. However, intervention from Team Rocket forced a battle, and the two were put out of the running by a Glare attack from Arbok.
In Pikachu's Goodbye, Ash and his friends ran into a group of wild Pikachu, which was a very rare encounter. Pikachu tried to make friends with the other Pikachu but received a lukewarm response. After saving a baby Pikachu from falling down a waterfall, Ash's Pikachu was accepted by the group. Ash was overjoyed by this at first, but soon began to feel sad, because he thought that Pikachu would be better off with the rest of his kind. After stopping Team Rocket from poaching his Pikachu and the wild Pikachu, Ash decided it was best to leave Pikachu behind with the others. However, Pikachu refused to leave Ash, and quickly ran to catch up with him, followed by the wild Pikachu, who supported Ash and Pikachu being together.
In Princess vs. Princess, Pikachu was borrowed by Misty, so she could use him in the Queen of the Princess Festival contest, where he was seen defeating a Fearow. In the finals, Pikachu was Misty's first Pokémon used against Jessie. Pikachu easily managed to defeat Arbok, Weezing and Meowth in succession with a single Thunder Shock. Pikachu then faced Jessie's Lickitung. He tried attacking with Thunderbolt, but was then licked by Lickitung and knocking him out.
In Riddle Me This, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in his seventh Gym battle at the Cinnabar Gym, where he faced off against Blaine's Rhydon. Pikachu used his quickness to dodge Rhydon's Fury Attack and then used Thunderbolt, which was ineffective. Despite being immune to Electric moves, Rhydon was defeated when Pikachu aimed his Thunderbolt attack at the horn on Rhydon's head. Pikachu then faced Blaine's Magmar. Pikachu tried dodging Magmar's Fire Punch the same way he had dodged Rhydon's Fury Attack, but got hit. Pikachu then tried hitting Magmar with an Electric-type attack, but it proved to be ineffective due to Magmar's Air Lens ability, which heated the air surrounding Magmar, making Electric-type attacks ineffective. Magmar then attacked with a series of Fire Punches, driving Pikachu to the edge of the battlefield. Magmar then unleashed its Fire Blast, which managed to push Pikachu further back, and almost caused him to fall off the battlefield in the lava. Seeing that, Ash then decided to forfeit the match.
In The Battle of the Badge, Ash had Pikachu attack Team Rocket and their Pokémon after they sent out Arbok and Weezing to attack during their Gym battle. Using Thunderbolt, Pikachu hit all the opposing Pokémon at once, causing Machamp, Rhydon and Kingler to run away in fear, and defeating Arbok and Weezing. After Team Rocket got blasted off, Ash got his eighth Gym Badge, the Earth Badge.
Pikachu made friends with another Pikachu, named Puka in The Pi-Kahuna" This particular Pikachu had blue eyes, and was an excellent surfer. Ash and his friends had to save both Pikachu when Team Rocket tried to steal them both using their submarine.
Ash used Pikachu many times during the Indigo Plateau Conference. In Fire and Ice, Pikachu fought against Pete Pebbleman's powerful Arcanine. Pikachu started off using Agility to confuse Arcanine, but this strategy was countered by Arcanine, who melted the ice field using its Fire Blast, causing to whole battlefield to become one big pool of water. Pikachu, however, used this to his advantage by using the water to conduct his electricity and managed to defeat Arcanine with a powerful Thunderbolt.
In The Fourth Round Rumble, he fought against Jeanette Fisher's Bellsprout, who already had defeated Ash's Bulbasaur. Pikachu tried using Thunder Shock, but Bellsprout dodged and used Razor Leaf. Managing to avoid Razor Leaf, Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but it was ineffective since Bellsprout used its roots to conduct the electricity to the ground. Pikachu then engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Bellsprout, but despite trying his best, he was easily defeated by the skilled Pokémon's Slam.
Pikachu later faced off against Happy, Ritchie's Butterfree, in Friend and Foe Alike. Despite being exhausted from battling Team Rocket earlier, he still wanted to participate in the battle. Pikachu started off with Double-Edge, knocking Happy to the ground. As Happy tried flying up, he held on to it, and defeated the Butterfly Pokémon with a Thunderbolt. He then faced off against Zippo, Ritchie's Charmander, but due to being exhausted by all his battles, Pikachu was quickly overwhelmed by Zippo's Flamethrower and was knocked out by its Tackle.
In Pallet Party Panic, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with some of his other Pokémon, to the Orange Archipelago with him.
Orange Archipelago
In Pikachu Re-Volts, Butch and Cassidy used a Drowzee to take over the minds of many Pokémon on Mandarin Island North, including Pikachu. In order to rescue the Pokémon, Ash taunted Pikachu into using Thunderbolt on him, which also hit the machine that Drowzee was wired to, freeing all of the Pokémon from its control.
In Navel Maneuvers, Ash called Pikachu to help mold a block of ice into a sled, as part of his competition against Danny. He later rode in the sled along with his Bulbasaur and Squirtle in a race against Danny and his team. In the end, Ash managed to win the coveted Sea Ruby Badge.
In The Mandarin Island Miss Match, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Lorelei* of the Elite Four, where he faced her Cloyster. Pikachu started off with Thunderbolt, but Cloyster used Withdraw to protect itself from the attack. Pikachu then used Agility, but got pushed back by Cloyster's Reflect. He then managed to hit Cloyster with a super-effective Thunder, but Cloyster was still standing. After using Rage to increase its Attack, Cloyster stopped Pikachu's Quick Attack with Aurora Beam, and knocked him out with Take Down.
In Misty Meets Her Match, Pikachu participated in the first part of Ash's battle with Rudy, using his Thunderbolt to blast targets. He then faced off against Rudy's Electabuzz. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Electabuzz absorbed the attack. He and Electabuzz then both used Quick Attack, but Electabuzz was able to overpower him. Pikachu then got defeated by a powerful Thunder Punch.
In the following episode, Team Rocket had a plan to capture Pikachu that involved tying him up with Meowth. This succeeded at first, but Meowth and Pikachu got separated from Jessie and James. Being lost on the island, the two Pokémon had to work together to defeat powerful Pokémon, and get to safety. In the end, Ash, Misty and Tracey managed to find the duo first, and separated them from each other.
In Pokémon Double Trouble, Pikachu was used in Ash's Gym battle against Luana, where he had to fight alongside Charizard. Despite both Pokémon being eager to battle, they started getting angry at each other, right before the battle affecting their teamwork negatively. Charizard tried hitting Alakazam and Marowak with Flamethrower, while Pikachu dashed forward. Alakazam and Marowak managed to dodge the Flamethrower, causing it to hit Pikachu. As Charizard went for Tackle, Alakazam stopped him using Psychic. Seeing how Charizard got continuously attacked by Alakazam and Marowak, Pikachu decided to help his partner and attacked Alakazam, freeing Charizard from Psychic's grasp. Pikachu then got hit by Marowak's Body Slam, but got caught by Charizard's wing. Now finally being able to work together, Pikachu jumped on Charizard's back and used Thunderbolt to stop Marowak after dodging its Bonemerang. As Alakazam was about to unleash its Hyper Beam at Charizard, it got hit by Marowak's Bonemerang, causing Hyper Beam to be launched at Marowak, knocking both Pokémon out. This gave Ash the victory, winning him the Jade Star Badge and allowing him to enter the Orange League.
In Hello, Pummelo!, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his battle against Drake, where he faced off against Drake's Ditto. Despite Ditto being able to copy Pikachu's attacks, it wasn't in good shape as Pikachu was. After continuously exchanging attacks, Pikachu managed to defeat it. Pikachu was then recalled when Drake sent out his Onix. Later, Pikachu faced off against Drake's powerful Dragonite, who had already defeated three of Ash's Pokémon. Pikachu headed towards Dragonite using Agility, but got knocked back by Dragonite's tail. Dragonite then attacked with Hyper Beam, but Pikachu managed to jump on Dragonite's head by using his tail as a spring board to dodge the attack, and finally defeat it with a powerful Thunder, earning Ash the Winner's Trophy and a spot in the Orange League Hall of Fame.
In The Rivalry Revival, Pikachu battled against Gary's Eevee. Pikachu started off with Quick Attack, but Eevee used Reflect to block the attack. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, but Eevee dodged the attack using Double Team. Eevee then switched to offense and dashed forward using Take Down. Pikachu, however, dodged this using Agility, and prepared to use Thunder. Before he was able to launch his attack, however, Eevee managed to hit him with a powerful Skull Bash, knocking him out. Later in the episode, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with his other Pokémon, to Johto with him.
Johto
In The Double Trouble Header, Ash used Pikachu in his second battle against Casey, where he faced her Chikorita. Despite Casey having only recently obtained Chikorita, it quickly gained the upper hand. Chikorita first used its Sweet Scent to tranquilize Pikachu, and followed up with a Tackle. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was then deflected by Chikorita's leaf, and afterwards was hit by Tackle again. The battle was then interrupted by Team Rocket, who tried to steal their Pokémon. Their plan failed however, when Pikachu and Chikorita were reunited with their Trainers, and teamed up to defeat Team Rocket.
In Fighting Flyer with Fire, Pikachu was used in Ash's Violet Gym battle against Falkner, where he battled Falkner's Hoothoot. Pikachu used Agility to avoid getting hit by Hoothoot's Tackle. Hoothoot tried flying up to get out Pikachu's range, but Pikachu was still able to hit it with a super-effective Thunderbolt, and then finished Hoothoot off with a Quick Attack. He then faced Falkner's Dodrio. Both Pokémon started off using Agility, matching each other's speed. Pikachu then went for Thunderbolt, but Dodrio used its great jumping ability to dodge the attack. It then hit Pikachu hard with Fury Attack, followed up by Drill Peck. When Dodrio was about to finish him off with Tri Attack, Pikachu jumped high in the air, and unleashed a super-effective Thunder, defeating Dodrio. Pikachu then briefly faced Falkner's Pidgeot, but as he was already tired from his previous matches, he was quickly defeated by a Whirlwind.
In Gettin' The Bugs Out, Ash used Pikachu as his third Pokémon in his Azalea Gym battle, where he went up against Bugsy's Metapod. Metapod used its jumping abilities to jump high and use Tackle. Although Pikachu dodged it, it created a dust cloud and used the leaves of a nearby tree to make it unable to spot. Pikachu, however, managed to spot Metapod by using his hearing, and after dodging a series of Tackles with Agility, Pikachu managed to jump on Metapod's back and defeat it with Thunderbolt. He then went up against Bugsy's last, and most powerful Pokémon, Scyther. Despite Pikachu having the type-advantage, his Thunderbolt attacks constantly missed, because of Scyther using Double Team. The real Scyther appeared behind Pikachu, and hit him with Fury Cutter. With each Fury Cutter doubling in power, Pikachu was knocked out.
In The Totodile Duel, Pikachu was used to battle Misty for the ownership of Totodile. He went up against Togepi. Pikachu, however, did not want to hurt his friend, therefore forfeited the match by running away.
In A Goldenrod Opportunity, Pikachu faced off against Whitney's powerful Miltank, who had already easily defeated Ash's Cyndaquil and Totodile using Rollout. Ash had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Miltank since she got wet by Totodile's Water Gun. However, due to Miltank spinning at great speed, she had already dried up, making Thunderbolt useless. Pikachu then tried attacking with Agility, but he got overpowered by Miltank's Rollout, and was then defeated by another one, causing Ash to lose the battle.
In the following episode, Pikachu battled Miltank again in Ash's rematch against Whitney. First Ash had Cyndaquil tire out Miltank, and then had Totodile create ditches in the ground to slow her down. Thanks to this strategy, Miltank lost her balance, giving Pikachu the opportunity to throw Miltank in the air by hiding in one of the ditches, and then finish her off with a Thunderbolt, earning Ash the Plain Badge.
In The Bug Stops Here, Pikachu and Ash entered the Bug-Catching Contest. The two encountered a Weedle, but before Pikachu could attack it, Casey's Chikorita intervened, and Casey caught the Hairy Bug Pokémon. Later, Ash and Pikachu chased after a Scyther, but accidentally disturbed a swarm of Beedrill in the process. Pikachu managed to shock one of the Beedrill with Thunderbolt, giving Ash the chance to catch it. With this capture, Ash managed to win the contest, winning him a Sun Stone.
In Hook, Line, and Stinker, Ash chose Pikachu as his Pokémon to assist him in the Seaking Catching Day. After Ash managed to reel in a Seaking, Pikachu weakened it with Thunderbolt so Ash could catch it.
Pikachu befriended a bunch of Pichu in The Apple Corp!. At first they framed Pikachu into eating apples, while they were the ones who actually ate them. When the Pichu were attacked by a Fearow, Pikachu sent a Thunderbolt warning shot to Fearow, which scared him off. Later Pikachu's electricity was sucked away by Team Rocket, and got kidnapped. The Pichu eventually managed to restore Pikachu's electricity, and together they blasted Team Rocket off.
In From Ghost to Ghost, Pikachu was used in Ash's Gym battle against Morty, where he faced off against Morty's Gastly. Pikachu managed to hit Gastly with a Quick Attack after Ash had Noctowl use Foresight earlier in the match. Despite this, Gastly used its great speed to dodge Pikachu's Thunderbolt, and defeated him with a single Night Shade.
In Machoke, Machoke Man!, Ash chose Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Gym battle against Chuck. Pikachu battled Chuck's Poliwrath, and managed to hit it with a super-effective Thunderbolt. Despite this, Poliwrath was still standing, and after absorbing a Quick Attack with its muscled body, it hit Pikachu with a series of powerful Double Slap attacks, knocking him out.
In Nerves of Steelix!, Ash sent out Pikachu to battle Jasmine's Magnemite. Both Pokémon proved to be equal in speed by constantly dodging each other's attacks. Finally, Ash decided to let Pikachu take a Thunder Wave from Magnemite, so Magnemite could get hit by a Thunderbolt, causing a lot of damage. After dodging another attack from Magnemite, Pikachu finished it off with a Quick Attack, crashing it into a wall. Next, Pikachu faced off against Jasmine's strongest Pokémon, Steelix. Due to his previous battle against Magnemite, Pikachu was tired and was quickly defeated by a powerful Iron Tail.
In As Cold as Pryce, Pikachu was seen aiding Cyndaquil in reviving Pryce's Piloswine. In the following episode, Nice Pryce, Baby!, Pikachu was sent out to battle Piloswine, who already had defeated Ash's Cyndaquil. Due to the icy field, Pikachu constantly slipped, which caused his Agility to be ineffective, and almost unable to avoid Piloswine's attacks. Ash then got the idea to use the ice pillars to change Pikachu's direction while sliding on the ice. Using this tactic, Pikachu gained a big amount of speed, and slid under Piloswine, giving him the opportunity to hit Piloswine hard with Thunder. Piloswine then started to use Rest in order to return back to full health. Pikachu tried to finish it off with a Quick Attack, but was too late and got hit hard by a Take Down. Pikachu was still able to battle, and countered Piloswine's next Take Down with a Quick Attack, and hit it with Thunder. This caused the ice under Piloswine to break, which caused Piloswine to fall into the water. Then, Pikachu hit Piloswine with Thunderbolt, which caused massive damage due to Piloswine's wet fur. Despite this, Piloswine was still standing and constantly hit Pikachu with Fury Attack. Seeing no other option to escape, Pikachu used a close-range Thunder causing a massive explosion. Pikachu got knocked down while Piloswine still seemed to be able to battle. Refusing to give up, Pikachu still managed to stand up, and as he was about to attack again, Pryce threw in the towel resulting into a T.K.O., giving Ash the win and earning him the Glacier Badge.
In Fangs for Nothin', Ash chose Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Gym battle against Clair, sending him out against her Kingdra. Unaware of Kingdra's secondary type, Ash had Pikachu go for Thunderbolt. To Ash's surprise, Kingdra easily took the attack. Pikachu then tried dodging Kingdra's Twister, but as Kingdra was able to control the direction of the attack, Pikachu was caught in the tornado. Pikachu then went for Thunder, but also this Electric-type move left Kingdra unscathed. After a collision between, Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt, Pikachu managed to dodge several blasts of Hydro Pump, before hitting Kingdra with Quick Attack. However, after seeing that physical moves didn't work either, Ash followed Misty and Brock's advice to recall Pikachu. Their battle was later stopped due to Team Rocket's theft of the Dragon Fang. In the following episode, Pikachu helped stop the rampage of a Dragonite that belonged to the old Blackthorn Gym Leader.
In the next episode, Pikachu was used in Ash's last Johto Gym battle against Clair, where he faced her Gyarados. Despite the double type-advantage, Gyarados proved to be quite a match for Pikachu, using its Dragon Breath to block Pikachu's Electric-type attacks. After getting hit by a Hydro Pump, Pikachu got wrapped by Gyarados. This, however, allowed Pikachu to hit Gyarados hard with a Thunderbolt. Gyarados quickly managed to recover the attack, and launched a barrage of Bite attacks, causing Pikachu to get cornered. As Clair was ready to finish the battle with a close-range Hydro Pump, Ash had Pikachu use Agility to get onto Gyarados's Hydro Pump, and defeated the Atrocious Pokémon with a powerful Thunderbolt. Clair then sent out her Dragonair to battle Pikachu, who managed to dodge Pikachu's attacks and knocked him out with a point-blank Hyper Beam.
In A Claim to Flame!, Pikachu was used by Ash in the Athlete's Round of the Silver Conference against Salvador and his Furret. Furret proved to be a tough opponent by repeatedly using Dig to confuse, and attack Pikachu. Eventually, Pikachu managed to grab onto Furret's back, and as it dove back into one of its holes, Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, and finally finished the match with a Quick Attack.
Pikachu was used again in Tie One On!, where he faced off against Jackson's Azumarill. Azumarill started off using Water Gun, but Pikachu evaded this attack using Quick Attack, and reversed it to hit Azumarill, which it nearly dodged. After a collision of Thunderbolt and Bubble Beam, Pikachu got hit by Icy Wind. Azumarill then hit Pikachu with Iron Tail, but Pikachu managed to hold on his tail, and launched a super-effective Thunder, knocking out Azumarill. Next, Pikachu went up against Jackson's Shiny Magneton. After exchanging hits from each other's Thunderbolt, Magneton dodged Pikachu's Quick Attack, and stunned Pikachu with Thunder Wave, before defeating him with Tri Attack.
In Playing with Fire!, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his battle against Harrison. Pikachu battled Harrison's Kecleon, which used its Color Change Ability to hide itself in the tall grass while hitting Pikachu with its tongue. Eventually, Pikachu managed to grab Kecleon's tongue, and defeated it with Thunderbolt. Harrison then sent out his Sneasel. Sneasel managed to avoid Pikachu's Thunderbolt using its speed, and defeated him with a single Metal Claw.
After saying farewell to Misty and Brock in Gotta Catch Ya Later!, Ash decided to only take Pikachu with him to Hoenn, and left Pallet Town with him at the end of the episode. In the following episode, while getting ready to depart for Hoenn by ship, Ash and Pikachu got attacked by Team Rocket, who used an electromagnet to stick Pikachu to it, and drain his electricity. Eventually, thanks to some wild Pokemon, and Officer Jenny, Pikachu was saved. The next day, Ash tried to wake Pikachu up, but soon noticed that he was suffering from a severe illness caused by the electromagnet that Team Rocket used to capture him.
Advanced Generation series
Hoenn
In Get the Show on the Road!, Ash was willing to get Pikachu some help regarding taking care of the illness. He met up with Professor Birch, who took Pikachu to his lab. Even though they were able to strap him to the machine to drain out the overload electricity he received, the machine exploded as the electricity levels were too high. Pikachu then ran off, with Ash and Professor Birch chasing after him. Eventually, Ash managed to find Pikachu, but in his confused state, Pikachu attacked him, and fled towards the end of a cliff. As Pikachu fell off the cliff, Ash fearlessly jumped after him, and managed to catch him, and grab a branch. Pikachu tried resisting, but Ash was able to get through, and calm him down. When Ash and Pikachu were pulled up to safety, Team Rocket arrived. Their mecha accidentally cured Pikachu of his illness, and he was able to blast them off, destroying May's bike in the process.
In There's no Place like Hoenn, Ash used Pikachu in an unofficial 1-on-1 battle against Norman, since Ash only had one Pokémon at the time instead of the three required. Norman's Vigoroth proved to be a tough opponent, dodging Pikachu's attacks with ease, and hitting him hard with multiple Scratch attacks. Pikachu managed to successfully hit Vigoroth with Quick Attack, but Vigoroth hit him again, and defeated him with one final Scratch. After their match, Team Rocket tried to steal Pikachu and Vigoroth, but accidentally stole Torchic. Later Pikachu was used alongside Norman's Vigoroth to battle Team Rocket, and blasted them off in addition to rescuing Torchic.
In All Things Bright and Beautifly!, Ash began teaching Pikachu Iron Tail in preparation for his Rustboro Gym battle, a Rock-type Gym, and got help from a Coordinator named Chaz and his Sentret. Despite their effort and training, Pikachu was still unable to fully master Iron Tail.
In The Winner by a Nosepass, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in his Gym battle against Roxanne, where he was sent out against her Geodude. Pikachu started off using Thunder to flatten the rocky battlefield. Geodude countered with Rock Throw, which Pikachu managed to dodge using Quick Attack, only to end up right in front of Geodude. This gave Geodude the chance to hit him hard with a Mega Punch. As Geodude used Rollout to finish Pikachu off, it got stuck and couldn’t execute its attack because of the flattened battlefield. Pikachu used this opportunity to get close using Quick Attack, and hit Geodude with a powerful Thunder, defeating it. Pikachu then faced Roxanne's Nosepass. Pikachu started off using Iron Tail, which managed to successfully hit Nosepass. After dodging Nosepass’s attack, Pikachu went for a second Iron Tail, but failed this time. Nosepass then used Rock Tomb to trap Pikachu, but he managed to break free using Thunder. Nosepass then countered with Sandstorm, deteriorating Pikachu’s sight. However, Nosepass was able to sense Pikachu using its electromagnetic nose, and managed to slam its body into him. Nosepass then tried to stomp on Pikachu, but he managed to avoid it by using Quick Attack. After using Quick Attack again to dodge Nosepass’s Rock Tomb, Pikachu used Quick Attack to run around Nosepass in order to confuse it. He was able to get behind Nosepass, and used Iron Tail, only to fail once again. Nosepass then went for Thunder Wave, which Pikachu barely avoided. Ash then had Pikachu charge towards Nosepass and let him take its Zap Cannon, causing Pikachu to absorb the electricity. Pikachu then tackled Nosepass, releasing the electricity at Nosepass, causing it to become paralyzed. Pikachu defeated Nosepass with one final Iron Tail, finally mastering the move in the process, as well as earning Ash the Stone Badge.
In Watt's with Wattson?, Ash and his friends arrived at Mauville City and immediately proceeded to the Mauville Gym. Inside the group encountered a robot Raikou. Thinking it would attack, Ash ordered Pikachu to attack the robot with Iron Tail, causing an explosion. This destroyed the robot, but also overcharged Pikachu with electricity, unbeknownst to the rest, however. Later, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his Gym Battle against Wattson. Pikachu first faced Wattson's Magnemite. Due to being overcharged, Pikachu defeated Magnemite with a single Thunderbolt after dodging a Swift attack. Next, Pikachu battled Wattson's Voltorb and also managed to easily defeat it with another Thunderbolt. Getting agitated, Wattson sent out his Magneton and ordered it to use Zap Cannon. Pikachu easily managed to overpower this attack with Thunder, which also knocked Magneton out, earning Ash the Dynamo Badge.
In Going, Going, Yawn, Ash used Pikachu as his third Pokémon in his Lavaridge Gym battle. He was sent out against Flannery's Slugma, after it had burned Treecko, and put Corphish to Sleep. After using Quick Attack to dodge Flamethrower, he finally broke Magcargo's Reflect that was affecting previous battles. Then, Slugma used Smog to cover itself. Pikachu, however, was able to sense it, and used Iron Tail. Slugma managed to dodge, and hit him with a Flamethrower. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt and although it looked like it initially missed, it electrified the Smog, harming Slugma. Flannery called for Yawn, but Ash unwilling for that to happen, had Pikachu use Quick Attack, hitting it before Yawn could be executed, and then finished Slugma off with Thunder. Ash kept Pikachu in when Flannery used her last Pokémon, Torkoal. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but it was blocked by Iron Defense. Then, Pikachu dodged a Flamethrower and used Iron Tail, but it was blocked by Iron Defense as well. Torkoal then used Sludge Bomb, which hit Pikachu. Pikachu tried attacking with Thunder, but his attack was blocked by Iron Defense once again. Torkoal then used Overheat to defeat Pikachu.
In Balance of Power, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Petalburg Gym battle against Norman. He went up against Slakoth. Pikachu used Quick Attack on Slakoth, which was avoided. After dodging a Shadow Ball, Pikachu used Iron Tail, only to be dodged as well, dazing Pikachu. Slakoth then used Hidden Power, which Pikachu tried to destroy the attack with Thunderbolt, but failed and was hit by the circling Hidden Power. Pikachu tried hitting Slakoth with Thunder, but this was dodged as well. Slakoth then countered with Blizzard, disabling Pikachu to move. Being unable to move, Pikachu was recalled. Later, Pikachu was sent out against Norman's Vigoroth. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Vigoroth swiftly dodged the attack, and launched a Scratch attack. However, Pikachu successfully blocked the attack with Iron Tail, but Vigoroth quickly recovered, and launched a Flamethrower, dealing much damage. Pikachu's electricity gave Ash an idea. He got Pikachu to use Quick Attack to dodge Vigoroth's Flamethrower. When Vigoroth launched another Scratch, Ash told Pikachu to stop where he was, and let him get hit. This activated Pikachu's Ability Static, paralyzing Vigoroth. This allowed Pikachu to defeat Vigoroth with Iron Tail. However, all this battling took its toll, as Pikachu fainted as well, ending the battle in a draw.
In Sky High Gym Battle!, Pikachu was Ash's second Pokémon used in his Fortree Gym battle against Winona. Pikachu battled against Winona's Pelipper, and despite the major type-advantage, Pelipper proved to be a formidable opponent, being able to use Steel Wing as a lightning rod to conduct Pikachu's Electric-type attacks to the ground, thus preventing damage. After Pikachu got hit by a Quick Attack, Ash decided Pikachu should fight at close-range, and told him to use Quick Attack to get closer. However, this gave Pelipper the opportunity to hit Pikachu hard with a Hydro Pump. However, Pikachu stood his ground, and when Pelipper lifted its wing from the ground for a moment, Ash had Pikachu use Thunder on Pelipper. With both Pokémon being hit by powerful attacks, Pikachu and Pelipper both fainted.
In A Scare to Remember!, Pikachu developed amnesia after an attack by Team Rocket and their machine. Team Rocket took advantage of this, and tricked Pikachu into joining them. He was then ordered to attack the group. Trying to get Pikachu back, Ash fearlessly jumped on their balloon. Team Rocket ordered Pikachu to hit Ash with Thunderbolt, causing them to get blasted off and causing Ash and Pikachu to fall down in a river. With Ash protecting Pikachu, Pikachu managed to regain his memory, and got rid of Team Rocket once again.
In Gaining Groudon, Ash and the group got on a submarine owned by Team Magma, where they met Team Magma's leader, Maxie. An explosion caused by Kyogre, caused the Blue Orb to fly off Maxie's desk. Pikachu managed to catch the orb before Team Magma could regain it. However, the orb soon started to glow, and melted into Pikachu's body, greatly increasing his power, but also making him lose control over himself. In the next episode, Pikachu awakened Groudon, and aided it in its battle with Kyogre. Due to everyone's teamwork, Groudon was able to defeat Kyogre, causing the Blue Orb to emerge from Pikachu's body. Pikachu was then saved from drowning by Kyogre, and later bade it and Groudon farewell.
In Solid as a Solrock, Ash used Pikachu and Swellow in the Double Battle against Tate and Liza with their respective Solrock and Lunatone. Solrock and Lunatone both started off using Tackle which both scored a direct hit on Pikachu and Swellow. Pikachu and Swellow then tried hitting their opponents with Quick Attack and Peck, but their attack was dodged, causing them to crash into planets hanging from the ceiling, and caused them to fall on top of each as they hit the ground. This gave Solrock and Lunatone the opportunity to launch a Solar Beam and Ice Beam. As the attacks were about to hit their marks, the two beams accidentally collided, canceling each other out, causing the twins to quarrel. Ash used this chance to recover, and had Pikachu and Swellow strike the opposing Pokémon with a respective Iron Tail and Aerial Ace. Both Meteorite Pokémon then charged towards Pikachu using Tackle, but Swellow was able to save him in time, causing Solrock and Lunatone to crash into each other. The battle then got interrupted by Team Rocket, who destroyed the gym using their machine, and stole Solrock and Lunatone.
After Team Rocket was defeated, they all agreed to resume their battle outdoors. This time, however, the twins managed to put their differences aside and worked together as a team. Ash first had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on Solrock, but his attack was sent back by Lunatone's Light Screen, sending Pikachu flying into a wall. As Swellow tried to attack with Aerial Ace, Solrock used Sandstorm, sending Swellow flying as well. Pikachu then jumped on Swellow's back, and used Thunderbolt again, only to be deflected back by Light Screen again, hitting Pikachu and Swellow hard. Swellow then used Double Team, but Solrock and Lunatone countered using Solar Beam and Ice Beam to wipe out the copies. However, to Tate and Liza's surprise, Pikachu and Swellow got away unscathed. Swellow then dove down from the sky along with Pikachu to attack, but Solrock and Lunatone quickly responded, and hit them with Solar Beam and Ice Beam. Ash thought about how to negate the dual attacks, and then had Pikachu use Thunder on the clouds. Lightning then struck Pikachu and Swellow, which the two managed to endure. Once clear, Pikachu and Swellow were coated in a "Thunder Armor". Using this technique, Pikachu and Swellow managed to pierce through Solrock's Solar Beam and Lunatone's Light Screen, and managed to defeat them using Iron Tail and Aerial Ace, earning Ash the Mind Badge.
In Vanity Affair, Ash used Pikachu against Hoenn Elite Four member Drake. Pikachu battled against his Shelgon. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and scored a direct hit. As Pikachu went for a second Thunderbolt, Shelgon used Double-Edge and managed to dodge the attack. Due to Shelgon's low Speed, Pikachu easily dodged the attack with Quick Attack. When Pikachu was about to finish Shelgon off with Iron Tail, Shelgon had Pikachu come close, and then hit him hard with Dragon Breath. Shelgon then followed up with Dragon Claw, knocking Pikachu out.
In The Great Eight Fate!, Ash chose Pikachu, along with his Snorunt as his first two Pokémon in a Double Battle in the first round of his Sootopolis Gym battle. They went up against Juan's Sealeo and Seaking. Pikachu used his Thunderbolt on Sealeo, but Seaking used Horn Drill to reflect it to Snorunt. Pikachu used Thunder, but Seaking once again used Horn Drill to reflect the attack to Snorunt again. However, this time, Pikachu protected Snorunt, taking most of the damage. Sealeo used Blizzard on the two, dealing much damage to Pikachu. Then, Ash had Snorunt use its Icy Wind to freeze the Blizzard, creating an ice pillar, which blocked Juan's view. Sealeo and Seaking destroyed the pillar with their Aurora Beam and Hyper Beam respectively. This created ice shards, which Ash had Snorunt and Pikachu jump on. Snorunt then used Headbutt, while Pikachu used Iron Tail. Seaking and Sealeo responded using Hyper Beam and Aurora Beam. While Pikachu was able to dodge Aurora Beam, Snorunt wasn't able to avoid the Hyper Beam and was knocked out.
Ash then sent out his Corphish. After dodging Corphish's Bubble Beam, both of Juan's Pokémon attacked from below with Sealeo using Aurora Beam on Pikachu's platform, which he was able to dodge. Seaking attacked Corphish with Horn Attack, but Corphish was able to grab its horn. However, Seaking used Horn Drill, sending Corphish flying. Ash then had Pikachu use Iron Tail on Seaking. Despite Sealeo trying to stop Pikachu using Aurora Beam, Pikachu was able to defeat Seaking, as well as avoid the attack in time. Pikachu then rode on Corphish's back, heading towards Sealeo. Sealeo tried stopping them using Ice Ball, which got stronger with each attack. While Pikachu and Corphish managed to destroy the first three Ice Balls, the fourth one managed to hit them both. Sealeo then launched a fifth Ice Ball at them both. Pikachu launched a Thunder at the Ice Ball, and after increasing its power, he was able to break it. While the falling ice shards were hurting Sealeo, Corphish was able to defeat it with its Crabhammer, knocking it out, and ending the first round of the Sootopolis Gym battle in Ash's favor. Both Pokémon were then recalled.
In the next episode, Pikachu was used as Ash's last Pokémon in the second round of the Sootopolis Gym battle, going up against Juan's last and strongest Pokémon, his Milotic. Ash had Pikachu use Thunder, and although it dealt a lot of damage, Milotic nullified the damage by using Recover. Both Pokémon then used Iron Tail, in which Milotic's overpowered Pikachu's. Milotic quickly followed up with Twister, which was powered up by the water. Much to Juan's surprise, Pikachu was able to break through with Thunder, and followed up with a powerful Quick Attack. Milotic then used Hydro Pump, which Pikachu dodged, and used a super-effective Thunderbolt. However, Milotic shook the attack off, and used Recover, healing itself once again. Milotic then went underwater, making both Ash and Pikachu unable to see it. Milotic then tried hitting Pikachu with Iron Tail, but he dodged it and climbed onto Milotic's body. Milotic tried stopping him using Hydro Pump, but he dodged the attack. Pikachu then grabbed onto its eyebrows and flipped the Tender Pokémon into the water. While underwater, Pikachu used Thunder, dealing major damage to Milotic, as water was an excellent conductor of electricity. This knocked out Milotic, winning Ash the battle and earning him the Rain Badge.
In Less is Morrison, Ash used Pikachu in a 1-on-1 battle against his new rival Morrison. He faced Morrison's Beldum. At first, Pikachu had the upper hand as the only move Beldum knew was Take Down, which he easily dodged before retaliating with Quick Attack and Thunderbolt. Pikachu then dodged another Take Down, but this time Beldum reversed, and finally managed to hit Pikachu with its attack. After getting hit by a second Take Down, Pikachu used Iron Tail to counter another one, causing a big explosion which knocked both Pokémon out.
In Saved by the Beldum, Ash used Pikachu for the first round in the Ever Grande Conference, he went up against Gilbert and his Hitmonlee. Hitmonlee used Rolling Kick, but Pikachu managed to avoid the attack, and hit Hitmonlee with Iron Tail. Hitmonlee then went for High Jump Kick, which Pikachu managed to dodge as well using Quick Attack, causing Hitmonlee to crash, and take major damage. As Pikachu charged in for one final attack, Hitmonlee hit him with Mega Kick. While heading towards the ground, Pikachu managed to escape Hitmonlee's kick, and hit him with Iron Tail, knocking it out, and causing Ash to advance to the next round of the tournament.
In Shocks and Bonds, Ash used Pikachu as his second Pokémon in his Full Battle against Katie in the Victory Tournament, part of the Ever Grande Conference. He went up against Katie's Golduck, and was sent out due to the type advantage he had. However, Katie immediately switched to her Dugtrio, who had a type-advantage of its own. Pikachu used Quick Attack, but Dugtrio used Dig to dodge the attack. Then, Dugtrio used Sand Tomb, creating a huge patch of quicksand. Pikachu tried to escape, but couldn't and got pulled by the sand. Ash had Pikachu use Thunderbolt, which had no effect on Dugtrio since it was a Ground-type Pokémon. Dugtrio used Double-Edge, and Pikachu attempted to block it with Iron Tail, but when both moves collided, Pikachu was knocked out, while Dugtrio emerged unharmed.
In Choose It or Lose It!, Ash used Pikachu as his second Pokémon in his Full Battle against Morrison in the Ever Grande Conference. He went up against his Steelix. Steelix used Dragon Breath, but Pikachu dodged it, and used Quick Attack. Steelix countered with Iron Tail, hitting Pikachu hard. Steelix then used Dig, hitting Pikachu from underneath the ground. Pikachu tried using Iron Tail, but Steelix quickly dodged that with another Dig. Pikachu managed to dodge Dig, and hit Steelix with Quick Attack. Then, both Pokémon used Iron Tail, but Steelix's managed to overpower Pikachu's, knocking him out.
In At the End of the Fray, Ash used Pikachu as his sixth and last Pokémon in his Full Battle against Tyson. He went up against Tyson's Metagross, who had already defeated Swellow and Grovyle, but had a crack in its armor as a result. Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the crack, but it didn't do much to Metagross. Metagross then used Psychic on Pikachu, but he was able to dodge it, and hit Metagross with Iron Tail. Pikachu then climbed onto Metagross, and as Metagross was unable to shake him off, Pikachu finally defeated the Iron Leg Pokémon with Thunder. After, Pikachu went up against Tyson's last Pokémon, his Meowth. Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Thunder attacks soon proved to be useless, as Meowth each time defended itself against Pikachu's Electric-type attacks with its Thunderbolt. After realizing this, Ash had Pikachu fight close-range, and ordered him to use Quick Attack. However, Meowth dodged this with Double Team, and followed up with Iron Tail. Pikachu countered with his own Iron Tail, causing the moves to collide. Pikachu and Meowth started attacking unceasing, with each time their attacks colliding. Both Pokémon then used Iron Tail, with both Pokémon taking the hit, knocking them both down. Though initially both of them got up, Pikachu fainted from exhaustion, causing Ash to end up in the Top 8 of the Ever Grande Conference.
Kanto Battle Frontier
In The Scheme Team, Ash used Pikachu in his battle against Elite Four Agatha, and her Gengar at the Viridian Gym. Pikachu started off using Quick Attack, but failed since Gengar was a Ghost-type Pokémon. It was too fast for Pikachu's Thunderbolt, but after dodging a Shadow Ball, Pikachu was able to hit Gengar with an Iron Tail. Gengar then countered, and hit Pikachu with Shadow Ball, but Pikachu was able to climb on the Shadow Ball and went for Iron Tail. However, Gengar was able to prevent Pikachu from using Iron Tail with Double Team. Pikachu was able to destroy all the copies with Thunderbolt, as well as hit Gengar with it. Then, he dodged a Shadow Ball, and hit Gengar with Iron Tail. When Pikachu was about to finish Gengar off with Thunder, Gengar used Hypnosis, putting him to sleep. Gengar then proceeded to defeat him with Dream Eater. Afterwards, he helped to defeat Team Rocket along with Agatha's {{p|Golbat}. Later on, Ash decided to enter the Kanto Battle Frontier along with Pikachu, and his other Pokémon. He was later reunited with Misty, when he and Ash returned to Pallet Town.
In May's Egg-Cellent Adventure, while battling Team Rocket's mecha, he used Quick Attack, which morphed into Volt Tackle, easily destroying the mecha and blasting Team Rocket off. Despite this, Pikachu couldn't master the move. After lots of training, Pikachu was finally able to master Volt Tackle in The Green Guardian, using the move to blast Team Rocket off, and saving a wild Celebi.
In Queen of the Serpentine!, when going to the Battle Pike, Pikachu was captured by Team Rocket using their fake Battle Pike until rescued by Lucy, and her Seviper from the real Battle Pike. Later, Ash used Pikachu as his second and last Pokémon in his Battle Pike challenge against Lucy and her Milotic. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Lucy had Milotic take the attack, and countered with Hydro Pump. Both Pokémon then used Iron Tail, but Milotic managed to overpower Pikachu. Pikachu's Quick Attack was then countered by Twister, and he was then hit by Hydro Pump. Milotic used Iron Tail, but Pikachu countered with Volt Tackle, blocking Iron Tail, and paralyzing Milotic. Then, Pikachu used Quick Attack, but Milotic countered with a Facade, and since Milotic was paralyzed, its power was doubled, dealing major damage to Pikachu. Ash then had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on himself. As Milotic was about to end the match with Twister, Ash had Pikachu, who was boosted by Thunderbolt, jump into the Twister. Inside the Twister, Pikachu began spinning and used Volt Tackle, increasing his power, and proceeded to knock Milotic out, winning Ash the battle and earning him the Luck Symbol.
In Off the Unbeaten Path, Pikachu was chosen as Ash's partner in the Pokémon Orienteering. In the end, however, the competition was won by James and his Mime Jr..
In Talking a Good Game!, Pikachu was the third Pokémon to battle against Anabel. He went up against her Alakazam, who had already defeated Ash's previous two Pokémon. Pikachu managed to hit Alakazam with Thunderbolt, but Alakazam nullified the damage using Recover. Then, both Pokémon started exchanging Iron Tail and Focus Punch attacks, and then hit each other with Thunderbolt and Psybeam. Ash then ordered Pikachu to use Volt Tackle, but Pikachu ran straight towards the wall due to Psybeam's confusion effect. However, Pikachu managed to snap out of the confusion, after Ash had saved it, and managed to overpower Alakazam's Psybeam with Thunderbolt, defeating it. He went up against Metagross next. Metagross managed to sent Pikachu's Thunderbolt back at him using Psychic, dealing major damage. As Pikachu went for Quick Attack, Metagross used Iron Defense to deflect the attack, and hit Pikachu hard with Meteor Mash. Pikachu then used Volt Tackle, but Metagross fired a Hyper Beam, which defeated Pikachu, losing Ash the battle.
In the next episode, Pikachu was used in Ash's rematch against Anabel, this time facing her Espeon. Espeon proved to have great speed and power, dodging Pikachu's attacks, and afterwards, immediately hit Pikachu with its own attacks. After getting hit by Espeon's Quick Attack and Iron Tail, Ash had Pikachu use Thunderbolt. Espeon's Zap Cannon managed to overpower Pikachu's attack, and hit him hard. Pikachu tried Thunderbolt once again, but it was avaoided. Espeon countered with Psychic, smashing Pikachu to the ceiling, causing Pikachu to fall down hard. However, Pikachu managed to land on his feet, and used Quick Attack. Espeon used Psychic again to stop Pikachu, and lifted him in the air. Pikachu managed to bounce off the ceiling, and landed on one of the stadium's lights. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, causing the lights to turn off, blocking Espeon's vision. Unable to see anything, Espeon was hit by Pikachu's next Thunderbolt. Pikachu then managed to avoid several Zap Cannon attacks, and hit Espeon again with Thunderbolt. Just as the lights turned on again, Pikachu jumped down and hit Espeon hard with his Iron Tail. He then rushed towards Espeon using Volt Tackle. Despite trying to stop Pikachu using Zap Cannon, the attack missed and Espeon got knocked out by the powerful attack. This gave Ash the win, and earned him the Ability Symbol.
In Gathering the Gang of Four!, in preparation for Ash's rematch against Brandon for his final frontier symbol, Pikachu reunited with Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charizard. Using Quick Attack to round up leaves created by Squirtle's Rapid Spin and Bulbasaur's Vine Whip, they were able to make a den to sleep. Although he got in a fight with the other Pokémon, they later calmed down. The next day, they all continued to train. Pikachu was later captured by Team Rocket, but was rescued thanks to the efforts of Ash and the other Pokémon. They then combined their attacks to send Team Rocket blasting off. Afterwards, they met up with Brandon again, and he agreed to have a four-on-four rematch with Pikachu and the other Pokémon at the Battle Pyramid.
Pikachu was the fourth and final Pokémon used in Ash's Battle Pyramid challenge against Pyramid King Brandon in Pace - The Final Frontier!. After Charizard, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Brandon's first three Pokémon were eliminated from the match, Pikachu was pitted against Brandon's Regice. Ash first had Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Regice seemed unfazed by the attack. Then, Regice countered with Blizzard. Pikachu quickly recovered, and used Iron Tail, but was unable to land since he had to dodge the Iceberg Pokémon's Ice Beam. Regice used Ice Beam again to counter Pikachu's Quick Attack, and despite Pikachu managing to dodge the attack again, the whole battle field got frozen in the process. This made Regice to move even quicker, while making it harder for Pikachu to move. As Regice was about to hit Pikachu with a Focus Punch, Pikachu was able to hit Regice with Thunderbolt, stunning it. This allowed Pikachu to hit Regice with a super-effective Iron Tail. However, Regice quickly recovered and used Ice Beam, creating ice pillars, which trapped Pikachu. With Pikachu being unable to do anything, Regice used Rest to heal itself completely. Despite Pikachu managing to escape using Iron Tail, Regice was able to wake up before Pikachu could attack it and hit him with an Ice Beam, freezing him. While Ash was yelling words of encouragement, the referee began to declare Pikachu unable to battle. However, Pikachu managed to thaw out using Thunderbolt, while also hitting Regice in the process. Regice then hit Pikachu with Focus Punch, sending Pikachu bouncing across the ice field. However, Pikachu used this to his advantage and bounced back to Regice to hit it with two consecutive Iron Tails. However, Regice was still standing, and managed to trap Pikachu again between ice pillars using Ice Beam, and started to rest up again. Pikachu escaped again using Iron Tail, and charged towards Regice using Volt Tackle. Regice managed to awake in time again, and started using Ice Beam to stop Pikachu. However, Pikachu was alert, and dodged the attack, hitting Regice with a powerful Volt Tackle, finally knocking the Iceberg Pokémon out. This gave Ash the win, and finally earned him his last Symbol, Brave Symbol.
In Once More With Reeling, Ash used Pikachu in the Performance Stage of the unofficial Terracotta Town Pokémon Contest. He used Quick Attack and Thunderbolt at the same time to create electrical rings, and then sent them off with Iron Tail. When they collided, it created a firework-like effect. This performance allowed Ash to proceed to the Battle Stage.
In Home is Where the Start Is!, Ash used Pikachu in a friendly battle against Gary, who used his powerful Electivire, a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region. Both Pokémon used Thunderbolt and were evenly matched.Then, Pikachu used Quick Attack, but it was avoided by Electivire. Both Pokémon then used Iron Tail, but they were evenly matched. Pikachu used a close range Thunderbolt, which Electivire dodged by jumping. However, this was what Ash wanted, and had Pikachu use Volt Tackle since it was now defenseless. Suddenly, Electivire blocked the attack with Protect, damaging Pikachu due to recoil. Electivire then launched its powerful Thunder Punch, defeating Pikachu. Later, Pikachu went with Ash to Sinnoh, intending for him to be the only Pokémon to go with him, as he left his other Pokémon at Professor Oak's laboratory. However, Aipom snuck on their ship, and Ash surprised at first, allowed her to accompany them to Sinnoh.
Diamond & Pearl series
In Following a Maiden's Voyage!, Pikachu was temporarily separated from Ash thanks to yet another plot by Team Rocket. Eventually, in Two Degrees of Separation!, Dawn found Pikachu and tried to catch him, but failed since he already had a Trainer. She also protected him from Team Rocket and managed to blast Team Rocket off alongside with him. Pikachu was eventually reunited with Ash in When Pokémon Worlds Collide!. Later, he was used as Ash's final Pokémon in a battle against Ash's new rival, Paul, and his Elekid. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Elekid simply absorbed the attack and then launched a powerful Thunder at him. Pikachu then used Volt Tackle, but Elekid blocked the attack using Protect, causing him to take recoil damage. Pikachu, however, managed to get up and used Iron Tail, which was countered by Elekid's Brick Break. As the two moves were colliding, Paul mentioned Elekid still had one free arm and ordered it to hit Pikachu with Thunder Punch. Pikachu, however, managed to block Thunder Punch with Iron Tail and then hit Elekid hard. Elekid then managed to hit Pikachu with one more Brick Break, but as both Pokémon were exhausted they both fell down, resulting the battle in a tie.
In Dawn of a New Era!, Ash used Pikachu to battle Nando's Budew. Pikachu started off using Quick Attack. Budew tried countering with Bullet Seed, but Pikachu avoided the attack and hit Budew hard. Pikachu then got hit by Budew's Mega Drain, restoring some of Budew's health. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, dealing much damage to Budew. Budew then surprised everyone by evolving into Roselia. Roselia used Sunny Day and followed up with Solar Beam. Pikachu, however, managed to dodge Solar Beam and defeated Roselia with a powerful Iron Tail.
In A Gruff Act to Follow, Ash used Pikachu as his second Pokémon in his first Sinnoh Gym battle against Roark and his Cranidos. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but Cranidos dodged it and used Zen Headbutt. Pikachu stopped the attack with Iron Tail. However, Cranidos was able to withstand the attack and used Headbutt. Although Pikachu managed to dodge and attempted to use Thunderbolt, Cranidos still managed to score a direct hit on him. Pikachu then tried to use Thunderbolt again, but Cranidos used Zen Headbutt to stop him and then used another Headbutt to knock him to the ground. When Paul got up to leave, believing Ash had already lost, Pikachu suddenly showed his strength by letting off a powerful electric attack in the air, causing Paul to stay. As the battle continued, Pikachu used Quick Attack, while Cranidos used Flamethrower. Pikachu dodged the attack and hit Cranidos with Iron Tail. Cranidos then used Head Smash, while Pikachu countered with Volt Tackle. The collision of these attacks caused much damage to both Pokémon. Not wanting Pikachu to take any more damage, Ash recalled him. Later, Pikachu was sent out again to battle Roark's Onix. Pikachu used Iron Tail, which was countered by Onix's Slam. Ash then came up with an idea and had Pikachu use Thunderbolt on the battlefield, causing rocks to be launched in the air. Onix tried heading forwards using Double-Edge, but couldn't due to the rocks. Pikachu then headed towards Onix using Quick Attack, but Onix quickly recovered and countered with Screech. Despite trying to still move forwards, Pikachu was overwhelmed by the attack and was blasted away, knocking him out and making Ash lose the battle.
In O'er the Rampardos We Watched!, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon used in his rematch against Roark, where he faced Roark's Onix again. Pikachu used Quick Attack to climb onto Onix's body, after dodging a Slam. Onix tried to stop Pikachu using Screech, but failed and Pikachu managed to reach Onix's head. Despite trying to shake Pikachu off, Onix got hit by a super-effective Iron Tail. Onix then went for Double-Edge with Pikachu heading straight towards Onix. At the last moment, however, Pikachu used his newly learned spin technique to dodge the attack and went for another Iron Tail. Onix, however, managed to dodge and hit Pikachu hard with Slam. Onix then used Stealth Rock, but the move was countered by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, preventing it from being executed as well as damaging Onix. Pikachu then used Iron Tail and while Onix tried countering with Screech, he managed to outspeed the Rock Snake Pokémon and defeated it. Pikachu was recalled when Roark sent out his Geodude. Pikachu was later sent out to battle Roark's Rampardos. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Rampardos dodged and went for Zen Headbutt. Pikachu tried dodging the attack using his spin technique again, but still got hurt in the process. He then used Quick Attack, while Rampardos countered with Headbutt. Pikachu managed to avoid Headbutt by spinning head over heels, but got thrown in the air by Rampardos's tail. Pikachu then headed down using Iron Tail with Rampardos countering with Zen Headbutt. This caused Pikachu's Static to activate, but it was cancelled out by Rampardos's Mold Breaker. Rampardos then hit Pikachu hard with Zen Headbutt, knocking him out.
In Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Kenny and his Prinplup. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt, but the attack was blocked by Prinplup's Metal Claw. Prinplup then used Drill Peck, but Pikachu managed to dodge the attack by spinning and hit Prinplup with Iron Tail, sending it to the ground. Prinplup, however, used Bubble Beam to create a cushion to land safely. Pikachu and Prinplup then clashed with Iron Tail and Metal Claw. The battle was then interrupted by Team Rocket.
In All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!, Ash entered Pikachu in the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest. Pikachu was able to imitate several Pokémon and, as a result, advanced to the finals. However, he ended up losing to Brock's Croagunk.
In Tag! We're It...!, Pikachu was used in the first round of the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, where he battled alongside Paul's Chimchar. Pikachu and Chimchar faced a Rhydon and a Magmar. Pikachu started off using Thunderbolt on Magmar, but the attack got redirected to Rhydon due to its Lightning Rod Ability. Unharmed by the Electric-type attack, Rhydon proceeded to hit Pikachu hard with Megahorn. Magmar then used Lava Plume, dealing minor damage Rhydon. While Pikachu managed to dodge the attack, Paul had Chimchar jump right in to power up its Fire-type moves. Despite this, Chimchar's Flamethrower did little damage to Rhydon and Chimchar got hit by a powerful Hammer Arm. Pikachu then managed to hit Rhydon with a super-effective Iron Tail, dealing much damage. Rhydon then used Surf, while Magmar protected itself with Protect. Pikachu, however, managed to break through the Surf and defeat Rhydon using Iron Tail. Pikachu then used Volt Tackle, while Magmar countered with Fire Punch. This gave Chimchar the opportunity to hit Magmar with a super-effective Dig, knocking it out and causing Ash and Paul to proceed to the next round of the tournament.
In The Keystone Pops!, Ash and Pikachu tried stopping a wild Spiritomb from rampaging, after the gang accidentally destroyed the Hallowed Tower, thus freeing Spiritomb from the Odd Keystone. Eventually, Pikachu managed to defeat Spiritomb with Volt Tackle and Thunderbolt after a hard fought battle and the group managed to seal Spiritomb in the Keystone again.
In Lost Leader Strategy!, Pikachu encountered Paul's Electabuzz again at Reggie's home, where the two started fighting. The Pokémon got separated by Maylene's Lucario. Later, Pikachu was Ash's last Pokémon used in a battle against Reggie. Pikachu faced Reggie's Staraptor. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, but Staraptor managed to dodge and used Brave Bird. Pikachu tried dodging using his spin technique, but failed to do so and got hit hard. Pikachu then managed to dodge Staraptor's Steel Wing, by using Iron Tail on the ground to jump high in the air. He then used Volt Tackle, which was countered by Staraptor's Wing Attack, causing both Pokémon to fall down. In the end however, only Pikachu remained standing, giving Ash the win.
In Pika and Goliath!, an arrogant Electric-type trainer named Sho wished Ash to trade Pikachu to him, as he already had a Pichu and Raichu and wanted to have the full evolution line in his team. Ash obviously refused, so Sho challenged him to a battle against his powerful Raichu. Unlike Lt. Surge's Raichu, this particular Raichu was fast as well as knew powerful attacks. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was easily taken by Raichu, who then proceeded to launch Thunder at Pikachu. Pikachu unwilling to dodge, took the attack and charged in using Volt Tackle. Raichu countered with its own Volt Tackle, sending both Pokémon flying back. Raichu managed to land back on its feet, while Pikachu crashed into a rock. Both Pokémon then clashed with Iron Tail. Raichu then managed to take Pikachu's Quick Attack and started using Hyper Beam. As Pikachu was trying to get away, Raichu used its tail to trap Pikachu and proceeded to hit him with a close-range Hyper Beam, defeating him as well as seriously injuring him. During his recovery, Pikachu began to reconsider his earlier decision not to evolve since there would always be attacks and abilities that he simply couldn't learn otherwise. When Ash went to check on Pikachu he found both Pikachu and his Thunder Stone missing, causing him to think Pikachu may had evolved into Raichu. However, he soon found Pikachu training in the forest, trying to get stronger without evolving.
After some hard training, Ash and Pikachu re-challenged Sho and Raichu. Raichu started off using Iron Tail, but Pikachu managed to constantly dodge its attacks by circling around. However, Raichu eventually managed to hit Pikachu and threw him in the air. While he was heading down Pikachu used Iron Tail to counter Raichu's Volt Tackle. Raichu then went for another Volt Tackle, but Pikachu dodged it by spinning. Pikachu then circled around again to avoid Raichu's Iron Tail attacks, causing Raichu to lose its footing. This gave Pikachu the opportunity to hit it hard with a Quick Attack. Pikachu then proceeded to dodge Raichu's attacks and immediately after hit it with its own moves, dealing much damage. Raichu, however, was still standing and managed to trap Pikachu with its tail again, while charging Hyper Beam. As Hyper Beam was launched, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to block Hyper Beam, decreasing its power. As Raichu had to recharge, Pikachu proceeded to hit Raichu with a Volt Tackle-Iron Tail combination, dealing major damage. Pikachu and Raichu then clashed with Volt Tackle, proving to be equal in power. Pikachu then avoided Raichu's Iron Tail and flung it into a tree using Iron Tail. Raichu then tried trapping Pikachu again while using Hyper Beam, but Pikachu dodged its tail and used Hyper Beam's power to jump high in the air. Pikachu then headed down using a spinning Iron Tail and finally knocked Raichu out, proving he had once again made the right decision not to evolve.
In A Crasher Course in Power!, Pikachu and Buizel got into a fight after Buizel got accidentally hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt while training. Later, Pikachu was the first Pokémon used in Ash's Pastoria Gym battle. He went up against Crasher Wake's Gyarados. Pikachu used Thunderbolt and scored a direct hit on Gyarados, but despite the super-effective attack, Gyarados was unharmed. Gyarados used Dragon Rage, but Pikachu blocked it with Iron Tail and used the strike to jump above Gyarados. Gyarados charged in with Bite, but Pikachu, while still in mid-air, used Volt Tackle, hitting Gyarados to the face and knocking it out. He was recalled after Crasher Wake sent out Quagsire. Later, after Buizel was recalled, Pikachu went up again against Floatzel. He used Thunderbolt, but Floatzel countered with Whirlpool. The collision caused electrified water droplets to fall on Buizel, curing his confusion. Pikachu used Volt Tackle, but Floatzel overpowered it and damaged him with Razor Wind. Pikachu then got hit by Ice Fang, causing a part of his back to get frozen. Pikachu was then recalled after Buizel wanted to fight again. As they passed each other they exchanged high-fives and Buizel broke the ice on Pikachu's back with Water Gun, settling their quarrel.
In Arriving in Style!, Pikachu was used in the Hearthome Collection, a fashion show for Stylists and their Pokémon whose winner would get the chance to work on a photo shoot for the Poké Chic magazine. At first, Pikachu was shy to go on stage wearing the outfit Ash had designed for him, but after hearing some encouraging words from Ash, he overcame his moment of shyness and went on stage to perform. He used his Thunderbolt attack to light up the hall, captivating the judges' attention. Hermione commented that, although Ash didn't quite get it what it means to be a Pokémon Stylist, he was at least making an effort to show off his Pokémon, instead of focusing solely on the clothing aspect. For this reason, Pikachu was among the three finalists, along with Dawn's Buneary and Cocoa's Mismagius. When the results were announced, it was revealed that Ash and Pikachu ended up in third place, receiving the Unique Award for their original costumes and performance.
In Playing The Leveling Field!, Pikachu was used in an unofficial battle against the Hearthome City Gym Leader Fantina. Pikachu faced her Drifloon, who had already defeated Buizel and put Chimchar to sleep. After getting hit by Will-O-Wisp, Pikachu hit Drifloon with a super-effective Thunderbolt. He then used Volt Tackle, but Drifloon countered with Ominous Wind, stopping Pikachu and blowing him back. He then managed to hit Drifloon with another Thunderbolt, but this triggered Drifloon to evolve into Drifblim. Drifblim managed to dodge Pikachu's Thunderbolt and followed up with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep. With two of his Pokémon sleeping Ash decided to forfeit the match.
In Barry's Busting Out All Over!, Ash used Pikachu as his final Pokémon in a three-on-three battle against Barry, where he faced Barry's Empoleon. Ash ordered Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but Pikachu was forced to dodge Empoleon's Hydro Cannon. Empoleon then used Steel Wing, which clashed with Pikachu's Iron Tail. While continuously exchanging Steel Wings and Iron Tails, Pikachu eventually got hit, knocking him back. While struggling to get back up, Empoleon fired a Hyper Beam at Pikachu, launching him in the air. When it seemed to be over, Ash's words of encouragement managed to get through and Pikachu was able to hit Empoleon with a super-effective Thunderbolt. He then hit Empoleon with a powerful Volt Tackle, knocking it out.
In Shield with a Twist!, Pikachu was Ash's third Pokémon in his Hearthome Gym battle. He went up against Fantina's Drifblim. Pikachu used a Thunderbolt Counter Shield, hurting Drifblim as well as paralyzing it. Drifblim, however, immediately blew the electricity away with Psychic. Drifblim then used a combination of Will-O-Wisp and Psychic to create a Counter Shield of its own. Pikachu used Counter Shield again, but it was overwhelmed as Drifblim's lasted longer due to it being supported by Psychic. Drifblim's Counter Shield then surrounded Pikachu, causing him to be unable to use Thunderbolt. Drifblim then proceeded to hit Pikachu with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep, and finished him off with Ominous Wind.
In To Thine Own Pokémon Be True!, Pikachu was Ash's partner in a Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament. In the first round they faced Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd. Despite putting up a good match, Ash and Pikachu got eliminated.
In Evolving Strategies!, Pikachu was Ash's fifth Pokémon used in his Full Battle against Paul. First, he went up against Magmortar. Pikachu managed to hit Magmortar with Quick Attack. However, upon making contact, he was burned by Magmortar's Flame Body. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, which was countered by Magmortar's Flamethrower. He then went for Volt Tackle, which was countered by Magmortar's Rock Tomb. Despite managing to push through and destroy multiple rocks, Pikachu was eventually thrown back after crashing in one of the rocks and got immediately after damaged by his burn. Magmortar then used Smog, but Pikachu blocked it using his Thunderbolt Counter Shield. After taking more burn damage, Pikachu dodged Magmortar's Flamethrower and struck Magmortar with an Iron Tail, only to take burn damage again after. He was then recalled.
Later, he went up against Paul's very powerful Ursaring. Pikachu hit Ursaring with Quick Attack, but the Hibernator Pokémon managed to take it and hit Pikachu hard with Hammer Arm. The physical contact activated Pikachu's Static, paralyzing Ursaring, giving Pikachu the opportunity to hit it with Iron Tail. The paralysis, however, activated Ursaring's Guts Ability, greatly increasing Ursaring's Attack. Pikachu tried stopping Ursaring with Thunderbolt, but it managed to push through and slammed him into Lake Acuity with an extremely powerful Hammer Arm, taking him out of the match as well as injuring him. This defeat meant that Ash had to defeat Paul's remaining five Pokémon with only Chimchar.
In Historical Mystery Tour!, Pikachu was used in a battle against Barry's Heracross. Pikachu started off using Quick Attack, but Heracross endured the hit and hit him with Horn Attack. Their battle was stopped, when Barry saw a Xatu flying and decided to follow it.
In the following episode, Pikachu was used in the Festival Battle Challenge, a tournament marking the end of the Twinleaf Festival whose winner gets the opportunity to battle Tower Tycoon Palmer. Pikachu was seen defeating a Feraligatr with Thunderbolt before facing Barry's Empoleon in the final round. He managed to win the battle, making Ash the winner of the tournament and earning him a battle against the Frontier Brain.
In A Marathon Rivalry!, Ash used Pikachu in the Hurdle Dash event of a Pokéathlon held in Camellia Town. Pikachu and Daniel's Snorlax quickly managed to take the lead and after racing neck-to-neck with Snorlax, Snorlax's large belly passed the finish line first. This meant Daniel had won the Pokéathlon with Ash ending up in second place.
Later, in Flint Sparks the Fire!, Pikachu was used in a battle against Sinnoh Elite Four member Flint. He faced Flint's Infernape, who had already defeated Ash's Buizel and his Infernape. Pikachu first used Quick Attack, but Infernape simply took the attack and used Flare Blitz. Pikachu countered with Volt Tackle, causing an explosion. Infernape and Pikachu then clashed with Mach Punch and Iron Tail, but Infernape overpowered Pikachu sending him flying into a wall. Infernape then hit Pikachu hard with Close Combat and slammed him down to the ground. Before hitting the ground, Pikachu still managed to hit Infernape with Thunderbolt. Infernape then headed downwards using Flare Blitz, being unable to dodge Pikachu was hit hard by the Fire-type move. Pikachu, however, still didn't give up and used Quick Attack. Infernape took the attack again and used this chance to knock him back with Close Combat. Pikachu then used Thunderbolt, but Infernape countered with Flare Blitz, breaking through the attack and hitting him hard. Pikachu and Infernape then clashed with Volt Tackle and Mach Punch, causing an explosion, knocking Pikachu to the ground. As Pikachu went for one more Volt Tackle, Infernape countered with Thunder Punch, causing another explosion. As the smoke cleared both Pokémon were still standing, but eventually Pikachu fell down, giving Flint the win.
In The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!, Pikachu battled against Volkner's Electivire. Pikachu first launched a Quick Attack, which Electivire dodged. Electivire then launched a Fire Punch and Ice Punch, both of which were dodged. After dodging these attacks Pikachu had hit Electivire with two Thunderbolts, which Electivire absorbed due to its Ability Motor Drive, increasing its Speed. Due to its increased Speed, it dodged Iron Tail with ease and managed to hit Pikachu with Fire Punch. Electivire then hit Pikachu with Ice Punch, which activated Pikachu's Static, paralyzing Electivire as well as slowing it down. Due to Electivire's paralysis, Pikachu was able to dodge an Ice Punch and countered another one with Iron Tail. As Electivire went for another Ice Punch, Pikachu managed to outspeed the Thunderbolt Pokémon and defeat it with Iron Tail. Pikachu was then recalled. He later went up against Volkern's Luxray. His Quick Attack was stopped by Shock Wave, knocking him back. Pikachu then launched three successful Iron Tails but the fourth was countered by Thunder Fang, which overpowered Pikachu. He was then knocked out by Luxray's Shock Wave.
In the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his battle against Paul in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!. He was used against Paul's Aggron. First he and Aggron clashed with Iron Tail and Metal Claw, proving to be equal in power. Aggron then countered with Metal Sound, hurting Pikachu's ears. Pikachu managed to stop Aggron with Thunderbolt and headed forwards using Volt Tackle. This attack, however, was stopped by Aggron's Flash Cannon, dealing much damage. Pikachu was then recalled in place of Infernape. Later Pikachu was used again in Ash's battle against Paul, this time facing Paul's Froslass. Froslass started off using Hail, activating her Snow Cloak Ability, making it hard to keep track of Froslass's movements. As Pikachu kept getting attacked by his opponent, he tried countering with Thunderbolt. The falling hail, however, protected Froslass from Thunderbolt, giving Froslass the chance to hit Pikachu hard with an Ice Shard. Pikachu then tried attacking with Volt Tackle, only to be easily dodged by the Snow Land Pokémon. As Froslass went for another Ice Shard to finish Pikachu off, Pikachu managed to avoid it by jumping and hit Froslass with a super-effective Iron Tail. Due to the large amount of damage Froslass had taken, the hail disappeared. Froslass then went for an Ice Beam, freezing Pikachu. As Froslass was about to finish Pikachu off with Ice Shard, Pikachu managed to thaw out with Volt Tackle and knocked the Snow Land Pokémon out. This gave Pikachu his first win against one of Paul's Pokémon and also gave Ash the lead in the battle. He was then once again recalled. During the continuation of their battle, Ash sent Pikachu out to battle Paul's Electivire. Electivire started off by using Thunder on the battle field, launching rocks at Pikachu. Pikachu, however, managed to maneuver through the rocks with Quick Attack and strike Electivire with a direct hit on the head. Electivire, however, quickly recovered and grabbed Pikachu with its tails. As Pikachu tried using Iron Tail, Electivire smacked him to the ground. Using these movements however, Pikachu managed to escape from Electivire's grip. Pikachu and Electivire then clashed with Quick Attack and Brick Break, pushing both Pokémon back. Pikachu then went for Volt Tackle. Electivire blocked the attack, activating its Motor Drive Ability. It then went for a speedy Thunder Punch, but this was countered by Pikachu's Iron Tail. Both attacks, however, proved to be equal in power making Pikachu unable to move. This gave Electivire the opportunity to use Brick Break with its other arm, knocking Pikachu out.
In The Semi-Final Frontier!, Pikachu was the last Pokémon chosen by Ash to battle Tobias in the semi-finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference. Despite Ash losing five of his Pokémon, Pikachu tried his best to defeat Tobias's Latios. In the beginning almost none of his attacks hit or did any damage to Latios and his attacks got easily overwhelmed by Latios's powerful attacks. However, Pikachu finally managed to jump on top of Latios and used Thunderbolt to severely damage Latios. Latios then used Light Screen, reducing the damage caused by Thunderbolt. Despite this Pikachu kept using Thunderbolt until he was shaken off. As Pikachu was about to land, Latios used Luster Purge. Pikachu used Volt Tackle and Iron Tail, taking against the force of the Luster Purge, causing a massive explosion. In the end, however, both he and Latios fainted. As Ash's last Pokémon had fainted, Tobias was crowned the winner of their battle, placing Ash in the Top 4 of the Lily of the Valley Conference.
In Memories are Made of Bliss!, Pikachu helped search for Piplup, when he had run away. Upon finding Piplup, both Pokémon broke down in tears, since they soon had to say goodbye to each other. Then Team Rocket appeared, but Pikachu and Piplup managed to blast them off with a Volt Tackle and Hydro Pump combination. Later, Pikachu said goodbye to Dawn and Piplup, before he, Ash and Brock boarded the ship heading to Kanto. Upon arriving in Kanto, Pikachu and Ash finally bade farewell to Brock too and the two continued on towards Pallet Town.
Best Wishes series
Unova
Ash decided to just bring Pikachu to Unova with him, just as he did in Hoenn. In In The Shadow of Zekrom!, Pikachu joined Ash, Delia and Professor Oak on a trip to the Unova region. Upon arriving in Unova, Pikachu had an encounter with Zekrom, which unaware by Ash, caused him to lose his ability to use Electric-type moves. Ash finally noticed this during his battle against Trip and his Snivy. After scoring a direct hit with Quick Attack and avoiding Snivy's Tackle, Pikachu tried to use Thunderbolt, but was unable to and got hit by a Tackle. Unable to use Thunderbolt again, he went for Volt Tackle, but failed to use this move as well, wearing Pikachu out greatly. Noticing Pikachu's inability of using Electric-type moves, Ash ordered Pikachu to use Iron Tail. This attack, however, was dodged by Snivy, who then proceeded to defeat the exhausted Pikachu with Leaf Tornado. In the next episode, Pikachu recovered his Electric-type moves.
In Triple Leaders, Team Threats!, Ash used Pikachu in his second battle at the Striaton Gym, where he faced Cress and his Panpour. Pikachu's Quick Attack was countered with Double Team, he was then hit by Scratch. After dodging Water Gun, Pikachu tried to use Thunderbolt, but Panpour aimed Water Gun at his feet, causing him to slip. He was then attacked by multiple Water Gun and Scratch attacks. Pikachu got up and attempted to use Volt Tackle, but this was stopped with Mud Sport. Panpour then finished him off with a Water Gun.
In A Rival Battle for Club Champ!, he battled Trip's Tranquill, who had already taken out Ash's Oshawott and Tepig. After his Thunderbolt was dodged, Pikachu took a beating from multiple Work Up-boosted Aerial Aces. As Pikachu was about to be finished off, he managed to grab Tranquill's foot. He then threw Tranquill in the air and defeated it with Volt Tackle. He then battled Snivy again, who had evolved into Servine. Pikachu first used Iron Tail, which collided with Servine's Cut, but was then hit by Servine's Leaf Tornado. Pikachu stood up and went for Volt Tackle. Servine, however, managed to strike the running Pikachu with Cut, knocking him out.
In Minccino—Neat and Tidy!, Pikachu was used in a battle against Bianca and her Pignite. As Pikachu headed forwards he got hit by Pignite's Take Down, followed up by a powerful Heat Crash. Pikachu managed to get up and countered Pignite's Flame Charge with Volt Tackle. After both Pokémon got blown back by the collision, only Pikachu remained standing, giving Ash the win.
In Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!, a trio of troublemaking Ducklett stole Ash's hat and Sandile's sunglasses. Pikachu assisted Sandile in defeating them. After unintentionally shocking himself with Thunderbolt, because he was stuck in a beach umbrella, Pikachu couldn't use Electric-type attacks. Eventually his anger caused him to learn Electro Ball and blasted the Ducklett off with his new move as well as recovering his ability to use Electric-type moves. Later on, he battled against the Sunglasses Sandile. Pikachu got hit by Stone Edge, but immediately countered with Quick Attack. As Pikachu used Iron Tail, Sandile used Dig to avoid getting hit and hit Pikachu hard. Sandile then used another Dig, hitting Pikachu again. As Pikachu had trouble getting up, Sandile suddenly evolved into Krokorok. Krokorok then went for Stone Edge, but Pikachu used Electro Ball to deflect Stone Edge back at Krokorok, defeating it and blasting it off.
In Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!, Ash used Pikachu as his last Pokémon in his Castelia Gym battle, where he went up against Burgh's Leavanny. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, which was dodged. He then used Iron Tail, but this was blocked by Leavanny's Protect. Leavanny's Leaf Storm was countered by Pikachu's Thunderbolt, but it then used String Shot on Pikachu, binding him, making him unable to dodge Leaf Storm and causing him to lose his balance. Unable to break free from the strings he was hit by Leaf Storm again. He then tried a Thunderbolt but missed due to his loss of balance. He was then hit by a powerful Hyper Beam, but refused to give up. When Leavanny used Leaf Storm, Pikachu spun and charged into the Leaf Storm, cutting the threads. Pikachu then dodged Leavanny's String Shot's with Quick Attack. After countering another String Shot with Thunderbolt, he hit Leavanny with Iron Tail and finished the Nurturing Pokémon off with Electro Ball, earning Ash the Insect Badge.
In Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome!, Ash used Pikachu in the final round of the Club Battle against Iris. Pikachu went up against Iris's Excadrill. Ash had Pikachu start off with an ineffective Thunderbolt to show they were getting serious. Pikachu and Excadrill then collided with Quick Attack and Drill Run, but Excadrill immediately turned and grabbed Pikachu's tail. He then threw Pikachu in the air and hit him hard with Metal Claw. Pikachu then went for Iron Tail. Excadrill tried countering with Metal Claw, but Pikachu managed to dodge it and hit him hard. After a collision between Pikachu's Electro Ball and Excadrill's Focus Blast, Excadrill used Dig to hit Pikachu from beneath, launching him in the air spinning. Pikachu, however, kept spinning and used this to hit Excadrill with an extra powerful Iron Tail. Pikachu then went for Iron Tail, but got overpowered by Drill Run. He then barely dodged a Dig, but was then unable to dodge Excadrill's Focus Blast, knocking him out, making Iris the winner of the tournament.
In Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym!, when Ash was in doubt for what Pokémon he should use after his two Pokémon were defeated in his Gym battle against Elesa, Pikachu shocked Ash to convince him to use him. He went up against Elesa's powerful Emolga. After both Pokémon's Electro Balls collided, Pikachu defeated the Sky Squirrel Pokémon with a single Quick Attack. Pikachu then faced Elesa's Tynamo. Despite her not looking very strong, Tynamo proved to be a tough opponent, using speedy and strong Tackles to hit Pikachu hard. Tynamo managed to slam Pikachu into the ground. While stuck in the ground he was unable to defend himself against Tynamo's countless Tackles. Pikachu eventually managed to break free and started using Thunderbolt on the battle field. The now rocky field forced Tynamo to face Pikachu head on only. Tynamo then dashed forwards using Tackle. Pikachu had Tynamo come close and then launched a powerful Iron Tail, defeating her thus winning Ash the Bolt Badge.
In Ash Versus the Champion!, Pikachu was used in a battle against the Unova League Champion Alder, where he faced his Bouffalant. Pikachu hit Bouffalant with all his attacks, but it absorbed the hits with its afro. Alder, however, didn't give any orders, causing Bouffalant to get angry. It was then revealed Alder was sleeping. After he was woken up, Alder ordered Bouffalant to use Head Charge, but Bouffalant still angry at him used the attack on him instead. The battle was then called off.
In Stopping the Rage of Legends! Part 1, Pikachu teamed up with Cilan's Stunfisk to battle Tornadus and Thundurus. Stunfisk used its amazing jumping ability to get them both into the air so that they could launch a Thunderbolt—Thunder Shock combination at the two legendary Pokémon. Later, in Stopping the Rage of Legends! Part 2, Pikachu helped rescue the Forces of Nature from Team Rocket.
In An Amazing Aerial Battle!, Ash used Pikachu against Skyla's Unfezant in his Mistralton Gym battle. After dodging Pikachu's Electro Ball, Unfezant used Air Slash, which managed to hit Pikachu. As Unfezant then headed towards Pikachu using Aerial Ace, Pikachu lured him in to hit him hard with Iron Tail. Unfezant was then finished off by Electro Ball. Pikachu stayed in the battle to fight Skyla's last Pokémon, Swanna. Despite Swanna major Electric weakness, Pikachu's Electric-type moves proved to be useless, as Swanna used Aqua Ring to protect itself against them. Pikachu then used Iron Tail, but Swanna ascended and dodged the attack. Ash then had the idea to have Pikachu jump on the rings above the battle field, while using Quick Attack, to get close to Swanna and managed to hit the White Bird Pokémon hard. Swanna, however, quickly recovered and hit Pikachu with Bubble Beam, knocking him to the ground. Pikachu was then hit by a powerful Hurricane and got finished off by a brutal Brave Bird.
In Climbing the Tower of Success!, Ash and Pikachu entered the Wishing Bell Festival. By working together they managed to reach the final round, where they had to climb Mistralton Tower while protecting the flame of their Litwick candle. Despite Pikachu doing his best to protect the candle from a bunch of Pidove's attacks, Stephan's Litwick 'candle' blew out Ash's candle, causing Ash to end up in second place.
In Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 2, Ash chose Pikachu as his final Pokémon in his Gym battle with Roxie. He faced Roxie's strongest Pokémon, Garbodor, who had already beaten Ash's Pignite and Palpitoad. Garbodor started off using Double Slap, but Pikachu used his swift movements to dodge Garbodor's long arms, causing them to tangle up. Pikachu used this opportunity to hit Garbodor hard with Quick Attack. Garbodor then attacked by swinging its arms at Pikachu, but he managed to dodge again and shocked the Trash Heap Pokémon with a powerful Thunderbolt. As Pikachu went for an Iron Tail, Garbodor knocked him back with its arms and followed up with several Gunk Shots. Cornered by these attacks, Pikachu got caught by Garbodor's arms and was then hit by a series of Double Slaps. He was then hit by Gunk Shot, poisoning him. Roxie then ordered Garbodor to finish Pikachu off with Venoshock, but due to all the physical contact Pikachu had made with Garbodor, Pikachu's Static Ability had activated, paralyzing Garbodor. Pikachu used this opportunity to hit Garbodor with Thunderbolt, but it was able to withstand it and used Venoshock. Pikachu, however, overpowered the attack with Electro Ball and hit Garbodor, knocking it out, making Ash victorious and earning him his eighth and final Unova Badge, the Toxic Badge, thus allowing him to enter the Unova League.
In Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure!, Pikachu was used in one final battle against Dawn, before she headed to Johto. He faced her Quilava. Pikachu used Quick Attack, taking hits from Quilava's Swift, before his attack was dodged. Quilava then used Flame Wheel, which he dodged in time. Pikachu fired off an Electro Ball, which collided with Quilava's Flamethrower. Quilava then used Smokescreen, but Pikachu's Thunderbolt pierced through the smoke and he then attacked with Iron Tail. Quilava, however, countered with Flamethrower, overpowering Pikachu. Both Pokémon kept exchanging attacks, with Quilava's Swift being deflected by Pikachu's Iron Tail and a collision between Thunderbolt and Flamethrower. Pikachu and Quilava collided once more, with Quick Attack and Flame Wheel, knocking both Pokémon back. The battle was then called off by Cynthia.
In Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!, Ash and Pikachu battled Giovanni and his Persian, trying to protect Meloetta. Pikachu outsped Persian's Shadow Claw and scored a hit with Iron Tail. Persian, however, immediately followed up with Power Gem, defeating Pikachu. Giovanni then successfully captured Meloetta, and took it, along with the imprisoned Ash and Pikachu, to the Abyssal Ruins. In the next episode, Pikachu managed to break Team Rocket's force field prison by striking it repeatedly with Iron Tail, freeing both Ash and himself. Later, during the battle against the mind-controlled Therian Forme Forces of Nature, as Thundurus aimed a Thunder attack at Iris's Dragonite and Iris stepped in its way to protect her Pokémon, Pikachu jumped in, and absorbed the massive blast of electricity himself. This gave Pikachu a tremendous power boost, as seen later, when Ash told Pikachu to use Electro Ball on Team Rocket. The supercharged attack grew into amazingly massive proportions, inflicting notable damage on the Abyssal Ruins, sending Team Rocket flying, and freeing Meloetta.
In Curtain Up, Unova League!, Ash used Pikachu in the preliminary round of the Vertress Conference against Trip's Serperior. Pikachu's attacks were easily dodged by Serperior, while the Regal Pokémon scored a direct on Pikachu with Dragon Tail. In Mission: Defeat Your Rival!, Pikachu continued his battle with Serperior. Pikachu managed to stand up, but got immediately hit by an Energy Ball. Pikachu then managed to dodge a Dragon Tail, but got hit by another one. Serperior then proceeded to grab Pikachu with Wrap. While in Serperior's grasp, Pikachu hit him with Thunderbolt, but Trip quickly had Serperior anchor his tail in the ground, conducting the electricity to the ground, preventing damage. Serperior then tightened his grip, causing Pikachu to lose consciousness. When Serperior was about to finish Pikachu off by slamming him to the ground, Pikachu was awoken by Ash's voice and managed to escape from Serperior's grip by using Iron Tail on the ground. Pikachu's Iron Tail was then countered and overpowered by Serperior's Dragon Tail. Pikachu, however, still didn't give in and used an Electro Ball-Iron Tail combination, which clashed with Dragon Tail, causing a huge explosion. After the smoke cleared only Pikachu remained standing, giving Ash the win as well as his first win against Trip.
In Cameron's Secret Weapon!, Ash used Pikachu against Cameron's Samurott. Samurott blocked Pikachu's Thunderbolt with Razor Shell. Pikachu then went for Quick Attack, but he was overwhelmed by Samurott's Razor Shell and was then hit by a powerful Hydro Cannon. Pikachu then dodged a Megahorn and used Quick Attack. He managed to dodge Razor Shell and hit Samurott hard with Quick Attack, followed up by a powerful Iron Tail. Samurott then blocked an Electro Ball with Razor Shell, but Pikachu immediately followed up with Iron Tail, defeating the Formidable Pokémon. Pikachu stayed in to battle Cameron's Swanna. Swanna started off using a series of Pluck attacks, which were all dodged by Pikachu. Pikachu then used Quick Attack, but Swanna avoided the attack and struck him with Wing Attack. Swanna then went for Bubble Beam, but this was dodged by Pikachu. Swanna then dove towards Pikachu using Wing Attack, but he dodged again and launched a super-effective Electro Ball at the White Bird Pokémon, knocking it out. Pikachu was then recalled. Later during the battle, Ash sent Pikachu out to face Cameron's newly evolved Lucario, which had just defeated Snivy, leaving him as Ash's last Pokémon. Pikachu started off by repeatedly using Quick attack, each time scoring a direct hit. He then tried to finish Lucario off with Iron Tail, but Lucario quickly dodged. Lucario then jumped towards Pikachu and hit him hard with Force Palm. Pikachu's Electro Ball then collided with Lucario's Aura Sphere, blowing both Pokémon back. Pikachu then managed to avoid Force Palm, but Lucario chased after him and threw him in the air using Circle Throw. Pikachu, however, managed to land on his feet and struck Lucario with a powerful Thunderbolt, followed up by a Quick Attack. He then went for Iron Tail, but Lucario used Copycat to counter his attack, causing a big explosion. Despite the large amount of damage both Pokémon had taken, they still managed to stand up. At the end of the climactic fight, Pikachu and Lucario fired blasts of Electro Ball and Aura Sphere. Aura Sphere, however, overpowered Electro Ball, knocking Pikachu out, and thus eliminating Ash from the Vertress Conference, placing him in Top 8.
In Team Plasma's Pokémon Power Plot, Pikachu battled wild Pokémon, controlled by Colress, trying to free them and stop Team Plasma. Impressed by Pikachu's power, Colress managed to gain control over Pikachu by attaching a receiver to his head and ordered him to attack Ash and the group. As Colress was increasing the power of the EM waves, Ash begged Pikachu to fight the control. Fighting against the control, the receiver overloaded and got destroyed, freeing Pikachu from Team Plasma's control.
In Team Plasma and the Awakening Ceremony!, Pikachu along with Ash's other Pokémon fought against Team Plasma's Pokémon in order to prevent them from awakening Reshiram. Colress, however, then activated his improved mind-control machine and managed to hit Pikachu with the machine's laser, controlling him again. This time however, Ash's voice didn't get through to Pikachu's control and he was knocked unconscious by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. N then offered to give Team Plasma the Light Stone in exchange for them freeing Pikachu from their control, to which they agreed. In the next episode, Pikachu tried to destroy Colress's machine to free Reshiram and all the other Pokémon from Ghetsis's control. However, he was ultimately hit by the laser, which put him under control once again. To everyone's surprise, Pikachu managed to resist the machine's influence, using his own electricity to fight off Ghetsis's control, and used Thunderbolt on Reshiram in an attempt to help it escape from Ghetsis's control as well. Despite Colress increasing the machine's power, Pikachu kept resisting and together with Reshiram destroyed the machine with Electro Ball and Fusion Flare, freeing all Pokémon from Team Plasma's control, thus defeating the team.
Decolore Islands
In Cilan and the Case of the Purrloin Witness!, Pikachu participated in the Marine Cup Tournament. He managed to beat other Trainers with a Gurdurr and an Eelektrik and make it to the finals. He battled against Teaque's Galvantula. After a tough battle, Pikachu was able to knock out Galvantula with Iron Tail, winning the tournament for Ash.
In Best Wishes Until We Meet Again!, Pikachu, along with Axew was captured by Team Rocket, while Ash, Iris and Cilan were trapped inside the ship's cargo space. He was eventually freed out of the net and together with Axew using Dragon Rage, Charizard using Flamethrower and Pansage using Solar Beam, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to blast Team Rocket off. Later, Pikachu said farewell to Axew, Iris and Cilan as he, Ash and Alexa continued on to Pallet Town.
Pikachu was reunited with Bulbasaur and the entire Unova team at Professor Oak's Laboratory in The Dream Continues!. He joined the others in a group attack on Team Rocket with his Thunderbolt to send them blasting off for the last time in the Best Wishes series. Pikachu then continued to travel with Ash when he set off for the Kalos region.
XY series
In Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!, Ash and Pikachu arrived in Kalos by plane along with Alexa. After being thrown out of the Lumiose Gym for not having enough Gym Badges, Ash was saved by Clemont while Pikachu was saved by Bonnie. Bonnie was excited to be holding Pikachu, leading to him shocking her because she was holding him too tightly. After becoming acquainted with their rescuers, Ash challenged Clemont to a battle, which Clemont reluctantly agreed to.
In the battle, Pikachu faced Clemont's Bunnelby. Despite Clemont admitting that he only recently caught Bunnelby, he proved to be quite a challenge for Pikachu. Pikachu's Thunderbolt was blocked by Bunnelby, who used his ears to create a mud shield. Bunnelby then used Dig. Pikachu tried to confuse Bunnelby with his speedy movements, but the Digging Pokémon was able to hit him. Pikachu then scored a direct hit with Quick Attack, which Bunnelby quickly recovered from. Bunnelby then used Double Slap, hitting him several times before knocking him back. Pikachu then used Iron Tail which Bunnelby easily caught with his ears. Now, however, Bunnelby was unable to use his ears, giving Pikachu the opportunity to hit the Digging Pokémon with Electro Ball. The battle was then interrupted by Team Rocket, who once again attempted to steal Pikachu for their plans. Ash attempted to stop them, but Jessie had her Wobbuffet reflect Pikachu's attacks with Mirror Coat. Pikachu was saved by a Froakie, who shielded Pikachu with its body at the cost of being injured. With Bunnelby and Froakie's help, Pikachu was used to blast off the villains. Froakie soon collapsed from its injuries, so Ash, Pikachu, and their new friends went to Professor Sycamore to heal Froakie back to health.
In Lumiose City Pursuit!, Ash and Pikachu managed to get Froakie to Professor Sycamore so that he could be healed. When Professor Sycamore's Garchomp went crazy from one of Team Rocket's devices, Pikachu and Ash pursued her to get the device off and free her. After chasing her to the top of Prism Tower, Pikachu removed the device from Garchomp's neck with Iron Tail. However, due to the fight damaging the tower, the ground Pikachu was standing on broke off, causing him to fall off with Ash immediately leaping in to save his best friend, to the shock of many including Serena. They were both saved by a Mega Blaziken, who intercepted them in the air and put the two safely back onto the ground.
In A Blustery Santalune Gym Battle!, Pikachu was the first Pokémon Ash used during his Santalune Gym battle with Viola, sending him out to face her Surskit. Despite the type-advantage, Surskit proved to be a tough opponent, using its speedy movements to dodge Pikachu's attacks. Pikachu's Quick Attack was blocked by Protect and his Iron Tail was dodged. After blocking Pikachu's Electro Ball with Ice Beam, it used Ice Beam on the field, freezing it. While Pikachu slipped on the ice, Surskit was able to skate on it. Although Pikachu did get a successful hit with Iron Tail, his Thunderbolt was overpowered by Ice Beam and he was then knocked out by Signal Beam. After he was healed at the Pokémon Center, he trained with Fletchling for their rematch by using Alexa's Noivern's Gust to help them withstand Vivillon's Gust, who beat Fletchling in the first battle.
In Battling on Thin Ice!, continuing his training along with Fletchling, they were able to withstand Noivern's Gust well. Later, using one of Clemont's inventions, they practiced to avoid Surskit's Sticky Web. After it broke, they used Froakie and its Frubbles instead to practice. The next day, Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon for his Gym Battle rematch against Viola, where he again went up against her Surskit. Using his training he was able to dodge Sticky Web, and after having his Thunderbolt blocked by Surskit's Protect and dodging its Signal Beam, he was able to hit Surskit with Iron Tail. Afterwards, Pikachu tried to stop Surskit from using Ice Beam on the field by climbing on it and using Thunderbolt, but Surskit was able to shake him off and managed to create the ice field as well as freezing the area. This time, however, using his tail, Pikachu was able to stabilize himself on the ice field. His Thunderbolt then overpowered Surskit's Signal Beam, defeating the Pond Skater Pokémon. Ash recalled Pikachu and substituted him for Fletchling. He was later called out again to battle Vivillon, who had beaten Fletchling. Vivillon attacked with Gust, but as Pikachu was still damaged from battling Surskit, he wasn't able to withstand attack. As Vivillon went for another Gust, Ash had Pikachu use Iron Tail to anchor himself to the ice field to withstand the attack. Vivillon then used Solar Beam, which was countered with Thunderbolt. In his current position, however, Pikachu was left vulnerable to Vivillon's Sleep Powder and got hit. While he was struggling to stay awake, Vivillon charged its Solar Beam. Thinking back to their training, Ash had Pikachu use Electro Ball on himself to repel Sleep Powder, thus keeping him awake. Vivillon then launched the Solar Beam, but Pikachu was able to overpower it with Electro Ball, causing Vivillon to crash into the lamps which were frozen by Surskit's Ice Beam misfire, freezing its wing. This allowed Pikachu to defeat the Scale Pokémon with Thunderbolt, earning Ash the Bug Badge.
In A Conspiracy to Conquer!, after overhearing one of Team Rocket's conversations, Madame X and her Malamar captured Pikachu. After Clemont attempted to use his "Automatic Pikachu Retrieving Device" to find Pikachu, it was revealed that Malamar had hypnotized Pikachu, making him one of Madame X's subordinates. While searching for Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, and Serena were also hypnotized by Malamar. Once Ash and Meowth finally found Pikachu, Team Rocket, and Madame X, Madame X forced Pikachu to attack Ash. Ash attempted to get through to Pikachu, which works and Pikachu starts to fight Malamar control. Pikachu electricity did get the Automatic Pikachu Retrieving Device to bursted in and rammed into Malamar, causing it to lose its control over everyone. After Malamar revealed his plans through Meowth, Pikachu attempted to attack it, but Malamar managed to escape.
In Climbing the Walls!, Ash used Pikachu as his third and final Pokémon in his Cyllage Gym battle against Grant. He went up against his Tyrunt. Pikachu was at a type-disadvantage since Tyrunt was part Dragon-type. Pikachu used Quick Attack and jumped to attack from above to avoid Crunch and hit Tyrunt. Tyrunt then used its signature Draco Meteor, but Pikachu dodged and struck it with a super-effective Iron Tail. As the meteor shower from Draco Meteor rained down, Pikachu used Iron Tail to jump on the meteors and perform the Draco Meteor Climb, which was based on the Rock Tomb Climb Froakie previously used. Tyrunt then used its jumping abilities to jump high and use Dragon Tail and clashed with Pikachu's Iron Tail. Grant then had Tyrunt use his favorite move, Rock Tomb, but Pikachu deflected the projectiles with Iron Tail, knocking one into Tyrunt's mouth. While Tyrunt was now unable to use Crunch, Pikachu had the opportunity to move close and finish with Ash's favorite move, Thunderbolt, defeating Tyrunt, winning the battle and earning Ash the Cliff Badge.
In The Bonds of Evolution!, Pikachu was used in the Ash's battle against Diantha, the Kalos League Champion, where he faced her Gardevoir. Gardevoir managed to dodge all of Pikachu's attacks and hit him hard with a Shadow Ball. The battle was then interrupted by Team Rocket.
In Mega Revelations!, Pikachu battled against Korrina's Lucario. Pikachu's Quick Attack was easily taken by Lucario and his Iron Tail was blocked. Lucario used its great speed to dodge an Iron Tail and then raised its Attack using Swords Dance. Pikachu was then unable to dodge Lucario's speedy attacks and got hit by several Bone Rushes and was then finished off by a powerful Power-Up Punch.
Pikachu battled Lucario again in The Aura Storm!, but this time against Lucario's Mega Evolved form. Mega Lucario used Bone Rush, but Pikachu managed to knock the bone away with Iron Tail. Pikachu then went for Quick Attack and managed to dodge a Power-Up Punch. Lucario, however, started to go out of control and chased after him before kicking him into a rock. Pikachu then went for Electro Ball, but it dodged it and now started to attack Pikachu aggressively, forcing Ash to protect Pikachu. As Lucario went to attack Ash and Pikachu, Gurkinn sent out his Lucario to block the attack. Lucario then lost its conscious and the battle was called off.
In Battling Into the Hall of Fame!, Pikachu was used in a Team Battle alongside with Serena's Fennekin and Clemont's Chespin against Tierno's Squirtle, Shauna's Bulbasaur, and Trevor's Charmander. Pikachu and the others were having a hard time due to their opponents great teamwork, which led to Fennekin being defeated by Squirtle. When Pikachu used Quick Attack, Squirtle used Rapid Spin to block and send Pikachu flying. He also took some damage from the embers from Charmander's Flame Burst and he and the others were then hit by Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf. Pikachu then jumped to dodge a Flamethrower, but was then targeted by Bulbasaur's Solar Beam. Much to Shauna and her friends's surprise, Chespin used Vine Whip to pull Pikachu up, giving Pikachu the perfect opportunity to defeat Charmander with Thunderbolt. When Squirtle used Rapid Spin, Chespin used Vine Whip to stop it, while Pikachu managed to defeat Bulbasaur with Electro Ball. After avoiding Squirtle's Aqua Tail, Pikachu also defeated it with Thunderbolt giving Ash, Serena and Clemont the win and the spot on the Hall of Fame.
In Showdown at the Shalour Gym!, Pikachu was the last Pokémon Ash used during his Shalour Gym battle with Korrina, sending him out to face Korrina's Mega Lucario. Ash was convinced that Korrina wasn't the only one who trained, both Pokémon stared off as this was going to be the final battle. Pikachu used Quick Attack and combined it with Electro Ball, launching a fast Electro Ball, but this was deflected by Bone Rush. Pikachu's Iron Tail was blocked and Lucario kicked him into the air. While in mid-air, Pikachu hit Lucario with Thunderbolt, but it immediately countered with Aura Sphere, knocking him to the ground. Pikachu was able to get to up and showed his strength by unleashing his electricity. Lucario then used Metal Sound, which Pikachu drowned out using his Thunderbolt hitting Lucario as well. Then Lucario used Aura Sphere, but Pikachu used Iron Tail to bounce off it and jump, similar to the Draco Meteor Climb. Lucario jumped towards Pikachu and used Bone Rush, but Pikachu countered with Iron Tail. While both Pokémon were clashing with their attacks, they both crashed down on the ground. Both Pokémon, however, were still standing. Lucario's Power-Up Punch was then countered with Iron Tail, and its Aura Sphere then collided with Pikachu's Electro Ball. Pikachu was able to recover first from the collision and struck Lucario with Thunderbolt, finally defeating the Aura Pokémon, thus giving Ash the victory and earning him the Rumble Badge. As the group prepared to depart for Coumarine City, Pikachu and Lucario bumped fists as a promise to battle again someday.
In A Slippery Encounter!, Pikachu helped out a Goomy, after they were stolen by Team Rocket. Knowing that his Thunderbolt wouldn't break their cage, Pikachu kept ramming it and managed to bend the bars. While Goomy managed to escape, Pikachu couldn't fit through until Goomy used its slime on its body to make him slip right through the bars. After getting out, they both ran off until they were noticed by Team Rocket, who gave chase. When Pikachu and Goomy were about to be hit by Jessie's Pumpkaboo's Shadow Ball, Ash arrived with Fletchinder to protect them. When Team Rocket were about to capture Pikachu again, Ash told him to use Iron Tail, destroying the cage. While battling their foes, Pikachu used Electro Ball, countering Pumpkaboo's Shadow Ball. Then Inkay used Psybeam, which managed to confuse Pikachu and Fletchinder, causing them to attack each other instead. As they were about to be finished off by Pumpkaboo and Inkay's Dark Pulse and Psybeam, Goomy shielded them with its body and used Bide to attack Team Rocket's Pokémon. As the confusion wore off, Ash had Pikachu finish Team Rocket off with Thunderbolt. Later, Pikachu informed to Ash that Goomy wanted to go with them, allowing him to capture it.
In Good Friends, Great Training!, Pikachu alongside Sliggoo was used in a Double Battle against Tierno's Wartortle and Raichu. Before the battle could start, he was grabbed by a mecha created by Team Rocket, but Sliggoo was able to save Pikachu with Dragon Breath. After the mecha took Sliggoo, along with Wartortle and Raichu, Pikachu split up with Ash and Serena to look for them. After Sliggoo evolved into Goodra to save Ash and Pikachu, they restarted their battle. Pikachu hit Wartortle with Quick Attack and then quickly backed off to avoid a Rapid Spin. While Goodra was charging its Bide, Raichu fired a Focus Blast at it. Pikachu tried blocking the attack with Electro Ball, but got hit by Wartortle's Rapid Spin. Goodra, however, withstood the attack and fired off its Bide. Wartortle tried countering with Hydro Pump, but Pikachu blocked the attack with Iron Tail, causing Bide to hit its mark. Pikachu then countered Raichu's Focus Blast with Electro Ball to protect Goodra and after Goodra managed to daze both Pokémon by throwing Wartortle into Raichu, Pikachu and Goodra defeated them with a Thunderbolt and Dragon Pulse combo.
In The Moment of Lumiose Truth!, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his Lumiose Gym Battle against Clemont and went up against his Bunnelby. Pikachu used Thunderbolt, which was blocked by Bunnelby, who used his ears to create a mud shield. Bunnelby then used Dig, which was too fast for Pikachu to evade. Pikachu hit Bunnelby with Quick Attack, which Bunnelby quickly recovered from and managed to hit Pikachu several times with Double Slap. Pikachu then used Iron Tail which the Digging Pokémon caught with his ears. This reminded Bonnie of their first battle. Instead of letting Pikachu counter with Electro Ball, Bunnelby used his new move, Wild Charge, dealing major damage to Pikachu. Bunnelby then hit Pikachu with another Dig. He then responded with Quick Attack, but Bunnelby used Dig again. However, Ash had Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground, forcing Bunnelby to emerge and dealing major damage. Pikachu then used another Iron Tail, defeating Bunnelby. When Clemont sent out Heliolisk, Ash recalled Pikachu. He was later sent out to battle Clemont's last Pokémon, Luxray. Pikachu could take advantage of Luxray's Electric Terrain, which increased the power of Electric-type moves. Pikachu first used Thunderbolt, which was blocked by Luxray's Thunder Fang. He then used Wild Charge on Pikachu, dealing a lot of damage. Luxray followed up with Swift, but Pikachu was able to deflect it back to Luxray with Iron Tail. However, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon countered with Wild Charge, defeating Pikachu.
In Rivals: Today and Tomorrow!, Ash used Pikachu as his first Pokémon in his three-round battle against Sawyer. He went up against Bagon, although he had a type-disadvantage. Pikachu's speedy Quick Attack was able to outmaneuver Bagon's Headbutt. After Thunderbolt and Dragon Breath collided in a draw, Pikachu jumped into the air and prepared to use Iron Tail. Sawyer had Bagon use Dragon Claw, but it was overpowered by Iron Tail and Pikachu knocked the Rock Head Pokémon out.
In A Frenzied Factory Fiasco!, Pikachu, along with Ash and his friends, visited the Poké Ball Factory. There, they were tricked by Team Rocket, who separated the group from their Poké Balls, with only Pikachu managing to escape. During a battle against his enemies, Pikachu avoided being recalled into his Poké Ball and hid in one of the vent shafts without them knowing. He then first tried to free Ash and his friends with Iron Tail, but when that failed and Team Rocket discovered him, Pikachu attempted to get the briefcase that held the group's Poké Balls. Meowth then chased after Pikachu, being the only one small enough to squeeze through the factory equipment and ventilation shafts that Pikachu escaped through, and continuously attempted to recall Pikachu into his Poké Ball. In the end, the Team Rocket trio attempted to escape with all the Poké Balls they stole, though in the process of doing so, they saw Ash and Pikachu were after them. Pikachu managed to stop their van with his Thunderbolt and Meowth challenged Pikachu to a one-on-one battle, which he accepted. Pikachu managed to defeat his foe despite the Scratch Cat Pokémon attempting to use Pikachu's Poké Ball on him. After Team Rocket got blasted off again, the group was invited by the grateful factory staff to a genuine tour of the factory.
In Tag Team Battle Inspiration!, Pikachu was used in a Tag Battle against Serena's Eevee and Shauna's Ivysaur with Tierno's Blastoise as his partner. Pikachu started the battle by firing an Electro Ball, which was countered by Ivysaur's Energy Ball. Then Pikachu used Thunderbolt on Eevee, but Ivysaur protected Eevee by using Razor Leaf. While Blastoise was struggling with Eevee, Pikachu scored a hit on Ivysaur with Iron Tail. Ivysaur retaliated with Vine Whip, but Pikachu dodged it. The battle was later called off by Serena. Ash and Tierno then decided to battle against each other and Pikachu faced Blastoise. A collision between Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump took place, but the outcome of the battle remains unknown.
In All Eyes on the Future!, while he wasn't chosen for Ash's Double Battle with Olympia, Pikachu did help Ash keep track of when the Future Sight from Olympia's two Meowstic would strike by using his tail as a makeshift timer. This eventually allowed Frogadier and Talonflame to turn the attack against them, and ultimately win the battle.
In Dream a Little Dream from Me!, after the gang viewed the Litleonid meteor shower, Pikachu got pulled into Squishy's dream by a Darkrai. In the dream, the group's Pokémon were either in their evolved or pre-evolved form and could speak human language, while humans spoke like Pokémon. Freaked out by this, Pikachu fled and ran into Meowth, who had also been pulled into the dream. Pikachu and Meowth then encountered a talking Squishy. Suddenly a flaming ghost appeared, who attacked them. They eventually managed to escape from it and Squishy then revealed a glimpse of its true strength to Pikachu and Meowth. Pikachu and Meowth tried to help Squishy getting to its home so it could gain this strength. On their way they got attacked by the flaming ghost again and Pikachu decided to battle it. Pikachu's attacks, however, couldn't land, but he was soon aided by the group's Pokémon and together managed to defeat the creature. In the end, Pikachu, Meowth and Squishy were woken by Clemont's invention.
In Party Dancecapades!, Pikachu partnered up with Miette's Slurpuff in a dance party hosted by Monsieur Pierre. Later, Pikachu was used in a Tag Battle along with Serena's Eevee, where he faced James's Inkay and Miette's Slurpuff. Pikachu scored a direct hit on Slurpuff with Quick Attack, who then quickly recovered and fired off an Energy Ball. Pikachu, however, got saved by Eevee's Swift and after dodging a Psybeam from Inkay, he hit the Revolving Pokémon with Iron Tail. Pikachu and Eevee were then forced to jump in order to avoid another Psybeam, but got trapped after landing in Slurpuff's Cotton Spore. Unable to escape, Pikachu and Eevee were vulnerable to Inkay's Psybeam and got hit hard. Pikachu then stepped in and got hit by Inkay's Tackle meant for Eevee. Later, while Eevee struggled to get up, Pikachu continued to battle using Electro Ball and then blocked Slurpuff's Energy Ball with Thunderbolt. After Eevee's Evolution into Sylveon, Sylveon managed to defeat both Inkay and Slurpuff with Fairy Wind, giving Ash and Serena the win.
In A Meeting of Two Journeys!, Pikachu was Ash's second Pokémon used in another three round battle against Sawyer, where he faced Sawyer's Honedge. Pikachu used Iron Tail to counter Honedge's Fury Cutter and then defeated it with a Thunderbolt.
In Seeing the Forest for the Trees!, Pikachu was very worried as Ash had left into the Winding Woods alone, and spent most of the episode trying to find Ash. Eventually, Team Rocket tried to catch Pikachu but when Pikachu tried to fend them off, they were actually underwhelmed by his power, implying that without Ash's friendship motivating him Pikachu was not able to perform as strong as usual. After Ash returned at the end of the episode, an overjoyed Pikachu was able to quickly send Team Rocket blasting off.
In the next episode, he participated in Ash's rematch against Wulfric and faced his Bergmite. Bergmite was able to move at a high speed by skating on the icy battlefield, allowing it to dodge an incoming Electro Ball. After jumping in the air to avoid Bergmite, Pikachu was hit by its Icy Wind, numbing his legs, slowing him down. As a result, Bergmite was able to easily dodge his Quick Attack, but was then hit from behind by a Thunderbolt. Bergmite then used Sharpen, encasing it in a diamond-shaped block of ice. It then rushed forwards using Rapid Spin, hurling Pikachu into an ice stalactite. Ash then had Pikachu run around to get rid of the numbness in his legs. Now having regained his Speed, Pikachu was able to knock Bergmite over with Quick Attack and hit it with Iron Tail, breaking through the block of ice and defeating it. Next, Pikachu faced Wulfric's Avalugg. He immediately scored a hit with Thunderbolt, but Avalugg withstood the attack and retaliated with an extra powerful Avalanche. Avalugg then went after Pikachu using Gyro Ball, but Pikachu created a hole in the battlefield with Iron Tail, causing Avalugg to get caught in it, stopping its movements. Avalugg, however, was able to use Stone Edge while spinning and despite Pikachu's attempt to destroy the rocks with Thunderbolt, he was hit hard and got knocked out.
Pikachu was used in the semi-finals of the Lumiose Conference in Analysis Versus Passion!, where Ash chose him as his third Pokémon in his battle against Sawyer. He was sent out against Sawyer's powerful Clawitzer. Pikachu used the forest battle field to his advantage by climbing into the trees and jump from branch to branch in order to confuse Clawitzer. Despite this, Clawitzer was still able to dodge his Thunderbolt and Quick Attack by launching itself in the air. After dodging an Ice Beam, Pikachu launched an Electro Ball which collided with Clawitzer's Dragon Pulse. Clawitzer then chased after him with Aqua Jet, but Pikachu was able lose it in the forest, allowing him to attack with a surprise Iron Tail. Clawitzer, however, reacted in time and was able to grab Pikachu's tail with its pincer and prepared to launch a Water Pulse. Ash then had Pikachu use Electro Ball to break free from Clawitzer's grip and finish the Howitzer Pokémon off with Thunderbolt. Pikachu then faced Sawyer's next Pokémon, his Aegislash. Pikachu tried to use the forest again, but Aegislash prevented him from doing so by chopping down the trees using Sacred Sword. Continuing their battle, Pikachu attacked with Iron Tail, but Aegislash protected itself from the attack with King's Shield, which also lowered Pikachu's Attack. He was then unable to keep up with Aegislash's fast moves and was hit twice by powerful Sacred Sword attacks. Pikachu then tried attacking with Thunderbolt, but Aegislash once again used King's Shield to protect itself. Ash then noticed that Aegislash had to attach itself to its shield in order to use King's Shield. Using this knowledge, he had Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground, which caused the chopped down logs to fly up in the air. Pikachu then used its great speed to jump on the logs, confusing Aegislash and avoiding its attacks. As Aegislash tried going for King's Shield again, Pikachu knocked one of the wooden chunks between Aegislash's shield, making it unable to defend itself properly. With his opponent left vulnerable, Pikachu used Thunderbolt to defeat Aegislash. As Sawyer had lost three of his Pokémon the battlefield was changed and Ash decided to recall Pikachu. He was later used again to face Sawyer's Sceptile. Pikachu started off with a Quick Attack, but Sceptile countered with Leaf Storm, throwing him in the air. He, however, was able to break through the leaves and strike Sceptile with Thunderbolt. After a clash between Iron Tail and Leaf Blade, Pikachu was unable to dodge Sceptile's Frenzy Plant and was knocked out.
In Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted!, Pikachu was used as Ash's first Pokémon in the finals of the Conference against Alain. He went up against Alain's Tyranitar, who summoned a sandstorm upon entering the battlefield due to its Sand Stream Ability which deteriorated Pikachu's sight. Despite this, Pikachu was able to avoid a Dark Pulse. Ash then had Pikachu slam its tail into the field's water stream with Iron Tail to splash the water in the air which cancelled out the sandstorm as well as wetted Tyranitar. This allowed Pikachu to strike Tyranitar with Thunderbolt, dealing major damage due to Tyranitar's wet body. Pikachu then went for Electro Ball, but Tyranitar blocked the attack with Stone Edge and then proceeded to slam the stone pillars with its tail to send multiple stone shards flying at Pikachu. Pikachu, however, deflected all of the shards with Iron Tail and then used the attack once again to counter Tyranitar's Crunch. Tyranitar, however, threw Pikachu in the air, but he was able to launch an Electro Ball in mid-air which defeated Tyranitar. Pikachu was then recalled. He was later used again to face Alain's Metagross. Pikachu started off with Thunderbolt, but Metagross used Agility to dodge the attack and corner Pikachu. Due to this, Pikachu was hit hard by powerful Metal Claw, Rock Slide and Meteor Mash attacks. As Metagross charged another Meteor Mash to finish him off, Pikachu was able to obstruct it with Electro Ball, allowing him to jump on top Metagross. Now he was able to continuously use Thunderbolt, dealing serious damage to the Iron Leg Pokémon. Metagross was eventually able to shake Pikachu off, throwing him in the air, but Pikachu headed downwards and dealt a decisive hit with Iron Tail, knocking Metagross out. Pikachu then faced Alain's strongest Pokémon, Charizard. Pikachu managed to hit Charizard with a speedy Quick Attack, followed up by a super effective Thunderbolt. The battle continued in Down to the Fiery Finish!, where Pikachu once again hit Charizard with Thunderbolt. Afterwards Ash ordered him to use Quick Attack, but he was too exhausted to use the attack and ended up getting hit by Charizard's Flamethrower. When Charizard repeated its attack, Pikachu used Iron Tail on the ground to create a shield of dirt to block it. He then used Iron Tail again to intercept Charizard's Dragon Claw, but was overpowered and got knocked out.
In A Towering Takeover!, he and Ash went with Alain to go look for Mairin, but once they found her they were obstructed by the giant roots. They were then ambushed by Celosia before her Drapion's Confuse Ray hit them and knocked Ash unconscious. Pikachu attempted to protect his Trainer but eventually fell to the Confuse Ray's effects as well and passed out. Pikachu, along with Ash and his other Pokémon, was then taken captive by Lysandre on the top of Prism Tower. He could only watch in horror while Ash and Greninja were hit by Team Flare's miniature version of the Mega Evolution energy weapon, until Ash and Greninja freed themselves using Bond Phenomenon, in the following episode. Alain's Charizard broke him and the other Pokémon free with Dragon Claw, leaving everyone to battle Lysandre's Pyroar and Shiny Mega Gyarados together. During the battle, Pikachu and Goodra combined their Thunderbolt and Dragon Pulse to defend against Pyroar and Gyarados's Incinerate. After Hawlucha was able to hit Pyroar with a super-effective Karate Chop, Pikachu manages to defeat the Royal Pokémon with Thunderbolt. Continuing the battle, Pikachu and Noivern fired off their Thunderbolt and Boomburst which were countered by Gyarados's Hyper Beam. Pikachu was then targeted by a Dragon Tail, but Noivern pushed him aside, taking the attack in his place which knocked Noivern out. In the end, Pikachu, Greninja and Charizard were the only ones left facing Lysandre's Gyarados, although now aided by Malva's Mega Houndoom. The battle finally concluded in Rocking Kalos Defenses!, where Pikachu hit Gyarados with Quick Attack after avoiding its Hyper Beam and then finished it off with a Thunderbolt.
Pikachu later helped Serena's Braixen, Steven's Metagross and Professor Sycamore's Garchomp fight against the Giant Rock. He, along with the other Pokémon, was eventually subdued by the creature's roots, but was freed by a combined attack from the Pokémon of all the Gym Leaders of Kalos and Diantha. After strategizing, in Forming a More Perfect Union!, everyone combined their powers to fend off the Giant Rock's roots, allowing Ash and Alain to reach its center and save Chespie, bringing the creature down. After the resurrection of the Giant Rock, who was now controlled by Lysandre, Pikachu, Greninja and Alain's Charizard managed to destroy Lysandre's control device, allowing Squishy and Z2 to destroy the Giant Rock. In the next episode, Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokémon received medals from Professor Sycamore for their heroic efforts against Team Flare.
In The First Day of the Rest of Your Life!, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Serena and her Braixen. At first, Pikachu had the upper hand as he was able to hit Braixen with a speedy Quick Attack and break through her defenses with Iron Tail before hitting her with a second one. After dodging a Flamethrower, he clashed with Braixen's Scratch using his Iron Tail, knocking both Pokémon back. Braixen was then able to use Fire Blast, successfully hitting Pikachu. The battle was then called off by Ash.
In Till We Compete Again!, Pikachu had to say goodbye to Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and their Pokémon, since he and Ash would soon return to Kanto. While everyone said their goodbyes, Dedenne ran off since he didn't want the group to split apart. Using his electricity, Pikachu and the group were able to find Dedenne and calm it down. After Serena had departed, Pikachu participated in one final battle between Ash and Clemont, in which he faced Clemont's Bunnelby, just like in their first batttle. During the battle, both Pokémon's moves proved to be equal in power, but the end result of the battle was left unknown. Ash and Pikachu then separated from Clemont and Bonnie, and finally arrived in Pallet Town.
Sun & Moon series
Pikachu joined Ash and Delia on a vacation to the Alola region in Alola to New Adventure!. On their way to the Pokémon School on Melemele Island, Pikachu and Ash followed a wild Grubbin into a forest, where the two noticed a Trainer riding a Charizard. They followed him and arrived at the Pokémon School, where they met some of the school's students as well as Professor Kukui and Professor Oak's cousin, Samson Oak. Ash later used Pikachu to battle a trio of Team Skull Grunts, who were harassing Kiawe, and their trio of Zubat, Salandit, and Yungoos. Pikachu was able to dodge their Salandit's attacks with ease and seriously damage them with Quick Attack and Thunderbolt. Kiawe then had his Turtonator use the Z-Move Inferno Overdrive which knocked Team Skull's Pokémon out in one shot. That evening, Pikachu and Ash followed Tapu Koko, the guardian deity of Melemele Island, who handed Ash a Z-Ring and an Electrium Z. Pikachu remained in Alola with Ash, when he decided to study at the Pokémon School.
In the next episode, Ash's classmates had a surprise welcome party for him, where he and Pikachu participated in several challenges. During their lunch break, Tapu Koko appeared again and stole Ash's hat, prompting Ash and his classmates to follow it. Arriving in a forest, Tapu Koko challenged Ash to a Pokémon battle. Pikachu was overwhelmed by Tapu Koko's fast moves and despite Electric Terrain being created by Tapu Koko's Ability Electric Surge, Pikachu's Thunderbolt didn't faze it. Tapu Koko then tapped Ash's Z-Ring, activating it and allowing Pikachu to perform Gigavolt Havoc, which destroyed a large part of the area but also caused Ash's Electrium Z to shatter. Afterwards, Tapu Koko flew off again.
In To Top a Totem!, Pikachu was used in Ash's first island challenge trial in Verdant Cavern. Alongside Rowlet, he first fought a Yungoos and Gumshoos. The two Normal-types showed to be tough opponents, as they were able to use Sand Attack to obstruct Pikachu and Rowlet's sight and movements before hitting them with their attacks. Ash then came up a similar tactic using Rowlet's Leafage, allowing Pikachu to knock Gumshoos out with Iron Tail, while Rowlet defeated Yungoos. Afterwards, Pikachu and Rowlet had to face a Totem Gumshoos. This Gumshoos proved to be extremely powerful, being able to endure Pikachu's Thunderbolt and knock him to the ground, after which it defeated Rowlet. After his Electro Ball got redirected by Sand Attack, Pikachu was hit hard once again. Pikachu then used Gumshoos's Sand Attack against it by hiding in the sand while using Quick Attack, allowing him confuse and repeatedly attack Gumshoos before finishing it off with a Thunderbolt. This win earned Ash a Normalium Z.
Pikachu was used as Ash's final Pokémon in his battle against Hala during the Melemele Island grand trial in Trial and Tribulation!. He faced Hala's Hariyama, who was able to block his attacks using its big hands and hit him afterwards. While repeatedly getting hit by Hariyama's Arm Thrust, Pikachu eventually managed to slip past Hariyama and strike it with Thunderbolt. Hariyama, however, was not fazed by this attack and proceeded to use Belly Drum, maximizing its Attack but also halving its health. Pikachu then used Quick Attack in an attempt to dodge Hariyama's Z-Move All-Out Pummeling, but was ultimately hit by the attack. After getting up, Pikachu circled around Hariyama using Quick Attack and managed to knock it off its feet using Iron Tail. Ash used this opportunity to have Pikachu perform Breakneck Blitz, which sent Hariyama flying and knocked it out. Having cleared the Melemele Island grand trial, Ash was rewarded a new Electrium Z.
In A Guardian Rematch!, Ash and Pikachu trained for a rematch against Tapu Koko. The next day, the two were greeted by Tapu Koko again and were challenged to another battle. Unlike their last battle, Pikachu managed get a few hits on the guardian deity, but was eventually struck by its powerful attacks. Ash and Pikachu showed their improvements by performing Gigavolt Havoc, which was this time powerful enough to sent Tapu Koko flying. A clash between Pikachu and Tapu Koko, however, blasted the former off a cliff, prompting Ash to jump after him. The two were saved in time by Tapu Koko, who flew off afterwards.
In The Ol' Raise and Switch!, Professor Kukui tasked everyone with switching their partner Pokémon with somebody else. As a result, Pikachu was given to Lillie, whilst Snowy went to Ash. Because of her fear of Pokémon, Lillie decided to have a battle with Hobbes and his Oricorio to help conquer her fear where despite her lack of battle experience, Lillie was able to defeat Oricorio and was able to touch Pikachu. Ash then proposed a battle against Lillie and Pikachu, to show them how strong he and Snowy had gotten together.
In When Regions Collide!, Ash used Pikachu in his battle against Misty in which he battled her Gyarados. The two started with a collision of Hydro Pump and Thunderbolt. Pikachu then rushed towards Gyarados and scored a direct hit with Quick Attack, sending Gyarados flying. Pikachu then started charging up Electro Ball as Gyarados used Rain Dance, confusing everyone. Ash told Pikachu to ignore the rain and attack. Gyarados, however, countered with a Rain Dance powered Hurricane, which destroyed the Electro Ball and sent Pikachu flying. Deciding it was time to get serious, Misty revealed her Key Stone and Mega Evolved Gyarados into Mega Gyarados. Gyarados launched a Hydro Pump that destroyed the rock Pikachu was standing on and sent him flying into the water. Not letting up, Gyarados tried to attack Pikachu with Crunch, but was struck by Iron Tail after Pikachu managed to climb onto its body. Gyarados then dove underwater and used Hurricane, creating a cyclone of water around Pikachu. Ash told Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to break it, but failed. Ash soon came up with the idea to have Pikachu run on Thunderbolt's electricity with Quick Attack, allowing Pikachu to escape from the cyclone. The two then preformed their Z-Move, Gigavolt Havoc, which hit Gyarados head on, defeating it and giving Ash the win.
During Ash and his classmates' travels in Ultra Deep Sea to rescue Lusamine in 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight!, Pikachu fought Lusamine, who had been fused with a Nihilego. Eventually, Pikachu and Ash prepared to perform Gigavolt Havoc, until Ash's Electrium Z mysteriously turned into a Pikashunium Z. This allowed the two to perform 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt for the first time; the Z-Move defeated Nihilego, weakening it enough for Lillie and Gladion to pull Lusamine free from its hold.
In A Battle Hand-Off!, Ash used Pikachu in his trial battle at the Thrifty Megamart, where he battled Team Rocket and Mimikyu. Pikachu was quickly overwhelmed by Mimikyu's barrage of attacks, eventually leaving him open for Mimikyu's Z-Move, Let's Snuggle Forever. However, Pikachu was able to survive the attack by protecting itself with his newly learned Electroweb. Using his new move, Pikachu was also able to trap Mimikyu, which allowed him and Ash to perform a Z-Move of their own. Ash's Electrium Z then turned into a Pikashunium Z again, allowing Pikachu to use 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt once more and defeat Mimikyu. This allowed Ash to qualify for a chance to challenge Nanu's grand trial.
Personality and characteristics
After Ash gained Pikachu's loyalty in Pokémon - I Choose You!, Pikachu became extremely loyal to Ash and has maintained this loyalty, and while he is not always immediately trusting of strangers, he is generally friendly to humans and Pokémon alike. He acted as a guardian and big brother to Misty's Togepi, and has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, such as in Pikachu's Vacation. In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pikachu, Meowth, and Meowth's clone were the only Pokémon not to participate in the giant battle; Pikachu stood motionless as his clone repeatedly slapped his face. Contrary to his distrusting nature, Pikachu took a liking to Misty very early in the series, and he has retained this liking of Misty throughout the series, such as when he was very happy to see her in The Scheme Team and Alola, Kanto!.
It was revealed that Pikachu also loves drinking orange juice, most likely because of its sourness in The Fires Of A Red-Hot Reunion.
During the Hoenn saga, Pikachu temporarily developed amnesia and sided with Team Rocket for a while. On several occasions, Pikachu has developed an "electric flu" causing him to become overcharged and extremely powerful. During these instances, Pikachu will sometimes accidentally let off electric outbursts which can be set off on anyone, including Ash. In all of these cases, Pikachu did not mean harm upon anyone.
As shown in a handful of episodes, the first being Showdown at Dark City, Pikachu has a special fondness for ketchup, but he will eat and enjoy almost any other human or Pokémon food. A running joke in the anime also seems to be Pikachu using Thunderbolt at the beginning of each series to destroy a female companion's bike or shock the companion herself. This has happened to Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, and Bonnie.
Pikachu, like his Trainer, is always happy to battle. He often tries his very best, but when he loses, he doesn't complain or feel bad about himself, especially when Ash reassures him. Ash and Pikachu are almost identical personality-wise, and thus are the perfect match for one another. Most others agree, with the exception of Burgundy, who in A Connoisseur's Revenge! said that Ash had a terrible relationship with all of his Pokémon, though this is more due to her inexperience in determining such relationships.
In general, Pikachu as a species is not particularly powerful, but Ash's Pikachu is an anomaly, overcoming odds in battle numerous times. In Pokémon Emergency!, Meowth remarked that Pikachu's power "far exceeds its evolutionary level". In Showdown in Pewter City, he defeated Brock's Onix with an Electric-type attack that triggered the sprinkler system causing Onix to be drenched in water, one of its weaknesses. Ash's Pikachu has also defeated very powerful Pokémon that Ash's other Pokémon were unable to, such as Dragonite, Metagross and Mega Lucario. He was also the second of Ash's Pokémon to defeat a legendary Pokémon in battle, defeating Brandon's Regice to win the Brave Symbol. He later fought Tobias's Latios to a draw in the semi-finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference. He has helped Ash win countless battles and Gym and League matches.
The possibility of evolving into Raichu was first raised in the episode Electric Shock Showdown. After suffering a crushing defeat by Lt. Surge's Raichu, Nurse Joy presented Ash with a Thunder Stone. Ash allowed Pikachu to decide, but it smacked the stone away with his tail, choosing to become stronger as it is, and defeated Raichu using its superior speed. In the Sinnoh region, Pikachu battled a Raichu belonging to a trainer named Sho. The two were evenly matched, until Raichu used Hyper Beam to secure victory, a move Pikachu could not learn. At a Pokémon Center, Ash revealed that he kept the Thunder Stone he acquired in Vermilion City in case Pikachu changed his mind about evolving. Once again, Pikachu chose not to evolve, and defeated Sho's Raichu in a rematch with a combination of speed and spinning techniques learned from Dawn. In the interim, Team Rocket stole the Thunder Stone, as they also liked Pikachu to stay as he is.
However, at times, Pikachu has lived up to his species' frail and brittle strengths, particularly in Gym battles where he was defeated with relative ease by his opponent; for example, he was overpowered very easily by Lt. Surge's Raichu, Sabrina's Kadabra, Blaine's Magmar, Bugsy's Scyther, Whitney's Miltank, Chuck's Poliwrath, Roark's Rampardos, Fantina's Drifblim, Cress's Panpour, and Viola's Surskit, despite having a type advantage with Scyther, Poliwrath, Drifblim, Panpour, and Surskit. He also drew against Winona's Pelipper and Norman's Vigoroth, and struggled against Crasher Wake's Floatzel. Furthermore, he has lost twice to Trip's Serperior, as a Snivy in In the Shadow of Zekrom! and a Servine in A Rival Battle for Club Champ!, despite Trip being a starting Trainer and recently having obtained Serperior. In addition, Pikachu tends to struggle when his mobility is hindered, such as when the aforementioned Panpour weakened Volt Tackle with Mud Sport, or when his legs were numbed by Wulfric's Bergmite and its Icy Wind, preventing him from using Quick Attack.
Pikachu became the second non-legendary Pokémon to defeat a legendary Pokémon in the anime after Charizard, beating Brandon's Regice in Pace - The Final Frontier!, giving Ash his final Frontier Symbol.
Pikachu is also the only one of Ash's Pokémon to accompany him to the Hoenn, Unova, Kalos, and Alola regions, and was intended to be the only Pokémon to accompany him to Sinnoh before Aipom was discovered to have stowed away on the ship Ash was taking. Up until the capture of Dawn's Pachirisu, Pikachu was the only Electric-type Pokémon in the anime owned by a main character.
Pikachu is always becoming a constant target whenever he gets captured by Team Rocket. Sometimes, they succeed with nets, cages, capsules or different devices, but most of the time their plans always failed by Ash and his friends or something else. Whenever Pikachu gets released from their trap and reunites with Ash, he sends Team Rocket blasting off with his Electric attacks. Most of time in this case, his Thunderbolt. Sometimes, Pikachu sends them away even when he didn't get stolen. On other occasions, he battles them with Ash.
Even with his high level of electrical power, Pikachu has not stopped learning new attacks. Upon learning that Roxanne, the Rustboro Gym Leader used Rock types, Ash had Pikachu begin learning Iron Tail in All Things Bright and Beautifly!. After training hard, Pikachu finally perfected it in The Winner by a Nosepass, where he used it to defeat Roxanne's Nosepass and earn Ash his first Hoenn Badge. In addition to giving Pikachu an advantage over Rock types, Iron Tail has allowed Pikachu to defeat many powerful opponents. In May's Egg-Cellent Adventure, during a battle with Team Rocket, Ash ordered Pikachu to do a Quick Attack. Much to the surprise of Ash and his friends, the Quick Attack morphed into Volt Tackle which sent Team Rocket blasting off. Until Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!, it has been one of Pikachu's signature moves, in which Pikachu replaced it with Electro Ball, which it learned while battling a trio of annoying Ducklett. Not only that, Pikachu has used his Ability, Static, a few times in the anime.
Pikachu's imitations
Pikachu has demonstrated a great talent for mimicking Pokémon, altering the look of his physical features to match another Pokémon's appearance. He will occasionally use this talent to specify what Pokémon or person he is talking about. These imitation skills were notably put to use during the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest, where Pikachu was able to thrill the audience without the need for a costume or make-up.
Brock imitation from Snow Way Out!
Squirtle imitation from Kanga Games
Bulbasaur imitation from Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden
Ash imitation from The Stun Spore Detour
Psyduck imitation from Stantler's Little Helpers
Lickitung imitation from Stantler's Little Helpers
Noctowl imitation from The Screen Actor's Guilt
Cyndaquil imitation from The Screen Actor's Guilt
Totodile imitation from The Screen Actor's Guilt
Seviper imitation from Gotta Dance!
Cacnea imitation from Gotta Dance!
Meowth imitation from Gotta Dance!
Torchic imitation from Gotta Dance!
Mudkip imitation from Gotta Dance!
Treecko imitation from Gotta Dance!
Lotad imitation from Gotta Dance!
Corphish imitation from It's Still Rocket Roll to Me!
Grovyle imitation from It's Still Rocket Roll to Me!
Torkoal imitation from It's Still Rocket Roll to Me!
Wobbuffet imitation from All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!
Loudred imitation from All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!
Budew imitation from All Dressed Up With Somewhere To Go!
Turtwig imitation from Mass Hip-Po-Sis!
Heat Rotom imitation from Get Your Rotom Running!
Staraptor imitation from Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!
Buneary imitation from Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!
Scolipede imitation from The Bloom Is on Axew!
Azumarill imitation from The Pirates of Decolore!
Axew imitation from Team Rocket's Shocking Recruit!
Sharpedo imitation from Alola to New Adventure!
Blacephalon imitation from Twirling with a Bang!
Pikachu's language
Some of Pikachu's speech is consistent enough that it seems that some phrases actually mean something. (In Stealing The Conversation!, Team Rocket refers to this language as "PikaSpeak," but this most likely isn't official.) For instance, Pikachu always uses "Pikapi" when referring to Ash (notice that it sounds somewhat similar to "Satoshi"). Other speech includes:
- Pi-Kachu: Pochama (Piplup)
- Pikachu-Pi: Kasumi (Misty)
- Pika-Chu: Takeshi (Brock), Kibago (Axew)
- Pikaka: Hikari (Dawn)
- PiPiPi: Togepy (Togepi)
- PikakaPika: Fushigidane (Bulbasaur)
- PikaPika: Zenigame (Squirtle), Mukuhawk (Staraptor), Goukazaru (Infernape) Gamagaru (Palpitoad) or Marilli (Azumarill)
- PiPi-kachu: Rocket-dan (Team Rocket)
- Pi-Pikachu: Get da ze! (He says this after Ash wins a Badge, catches a new Pokémon or anything similar.)
- Pika-Pikachu: When referring to or introducing himself.
- Chaa: Anything he says happily or excitedly, or when yawning.
- Pika!: "Matte!", or saying "Wait!"
- Pi-kaPika: "Sayōnara," or saying "Good-bye."
Moves used
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| An × shows that the move cannot be legitimately known by this Pokémon in the games. | |||||||
| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||
Z-Moves used
| Picture | Z-Move | First Used in | Base Move |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gigavolt Havoc | The Guardian's Challenge! | Thunderbolt, Electro Ball, or Electroweb |
| Description: Pikachu strikes a series of synchronized poses with his Trainer to build Z-Power. He then gathers a large ball of electricity and launches it towards the target with a punch. | |||
|
Breakneck Blitz | Trial and Tribulation! | Quick Attack |
| Description: Pikachu strikes a series of synchronized poses with its Trainer to build Z-Power. He then charges at the target with a full-speed tackle. | |||
|
10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt | 10,000,000 Reasons to Fight! | Thunderbolt |
| Description: Pikachu strikes a series of synchronized poses with its Trainer to build Z-Power. He then fires seven rainbow-colored lightning bolts at the target. | |||
Moves improvised
| Picture | First Used In | Moves Involved | Partnered With |
|---|---|---|---|
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The School of Hard Knocks | Leer | None |
| Description: When Giselle called for Cubone to use Leer, Ash told Pikachu to "Leer right back" by making funny faces. He later used Leer in Hour of the Houndour; however, this was the actual move, albeit, an anime move error still. | |||
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Electric Shock Showdown | None | None |
| Description: An attack where Pikachu stored electricity in his tail similar to Slam was used to defeat Lt. Surge's Raichu in Electric Shock Showdown. A similar move, referred to as "Shocking Tail" by the MC, was used to defeat Drake's Ditto in Hello, Pummelo!. | |||
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The Punchy Pokémon | None | None |
| Description: "Rocket Punch" was a move that Pikachu used while "boxing" Anthony's Hitmonchan in The Punchy Pokémon. Pikachu glowed red and shot off his boxing gloves, leaving off a trail of smoke. Once the smoke disappears, Pikachu still has his boxing gloves on and flies towards Hitmonchan at high speed. | |||
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Solid as a Solrock | Thunder | Ash's Swellow |
| Description: Pikachu is seen using Thunder on himself while riding on Swellow. This increased their attack power greatly and they easily overpowered Tate and Liza's Solrock and Lunatone. | |||
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Once More With Reeling! | Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, and Iron Tail | None |
| Description: Pikachu uses Quick Attack and combines it with Thunderbolt, creating a large ring of electricity. Then Pikachu uses Iron Tail to divide the ring into three rings. | |||
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A Stand-Up Sit-Down! | Quick Attack and Swift | Ash's Aipom |
| Description: Aipom uses a twirling Swift that spins in the air and then Pikachu uses Quick Attack to jump in the Swift and as he runs, the Swift stars would be surrounding the white light from the Quick Attack. | |||
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Enter Galactic! | Thunder and Volt Tackle | Paul's Electabuzz |
| Description: A move combination Pikachu used with Electabuzz. Pikachu starts by using Volt Tackle towards Paul's Electabuzz, who grabs him and uses Thunder on him to supercharge the Volt Tackle. This was used in to sever the cables with which Team Galactic's helicopters were carrying Veilstone City's meteorites. | |||
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Pika and Goliath! | Volt Tackle and Iron Tail | None |
| Description: This move combination was used against Sho's Raichu and once again in The Semi-Final Frontier! against Tobias's Latios. | |||
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Shield with a Twist! | Thunderbolt | None |
| Description: Counter Shield was used in Shield With a Twist! and Evolving Strategies! Pikachu uses Thunderbolt while spinning, releasing yellow sparks everywhere, disallowing movement for the opponent. It is a means of defending and attacking at the same time. | |||
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Arceus and the Jewel of Life | Thunderbolt and Whirlpool | Dawn's Piplup |
| Description: This move combination was used during a battle against Kiko and Kato and later to battle against the evil Marcus. When using the move, Piplup uses Whirlpool while Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt, creating an electric whirlpool. | |||
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Memories are Made of Bliss! | Volt Tackle and Hydro Pump | Dawn's Piplup |
| Description: This move combination was used as a finishing blow against Team Rocket. It is a combination of Pikachu's Volt Tackle and Dawn's Piplup's Hydro Pump to create a massive Electric-Water shot that sent Team Rocket blasting off. | |||
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Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"! | Electro Ball and Thunderbolt | None |
| Description: Ash has Pikachu use Electro Ball, then tells him to use Thunderbolt on it to significantly increase the size and power of Electro Ball. | |||
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Unova's Survival Crisis! | Electro Ball | None |
| Description: A stronger variation of Electro Ball. While blocking Thundurus's Thunder attack to protect Iris, Pikachu absorbed some of its opponent's electricity. Later, when Ash told Pikachu to use Electro Ball, it transferred Thundurus's excess energy into its attack, causing the Electro Ball to crackle with blue lightning and swell to incredibly massive proportions. This supercharged Electro Ball dealt great damage to the Abyssal Ruins after it was launched. | |||
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Mission: Defeat Your Rival! | Iron Tail and Electro Ball | None |
| Description: A move combination Pikachu used to defeat Trip's Serperior. First, Pikachu forms an Electro Ball on his tail, and then uses Iron Tail, slamming both the Electro Ball and Iron Tail into the opponent at the same time, dealing a notable amount of damage. | |||
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Good Friends, Great Training! | Thunderbolt and Dragon Pulse | Ash's Goodra |
| Description: When Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, Goodra uses Dragon Pulse and fuses with it, creating a purple dragon-shaped energy blast surrounded by electricity. Then the attack hits the opponent, causing serious damage. | |||
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Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel | Thunderbolt and Iron Tail | None |
| Description: While using Iron Tail, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to surround himself in electricity. This was used in a battle against Clemont's Luxray in the nineteenth movie. | |||
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Twirling with a Bang! | Electroweb, Zing Zap, Discharge, Bubble Beam, Magical Leaf, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, and Powder Snow | The Ultra Guardians' Pokémon |
| Description: Super Pokémon Fireworks (Japanese: 超特大ポケモン花火 Super Special Pokémon Fireworks) A combination move used by the Ultra Guardians' partner Pokémon and their Ride Pokémon. Pikachu launches Electroweb into the air, followed by Togedemaru and Charjabug adding to it by creating a makeshift Electroweb with Zing Zap and Discharge, respectively. Popplio, Steenee, Turtonator, and Charizard add to the combination with Bubble Beam, Magical Leaf, and a double Flamethrower, respectively. Flygon, Garchomp, and Altaria then use a triple Fire Blast, followed by Snowy's Powder Snow and Poipole's poison. Together, the moves make a giant spinning ferris wheel-shaped construction. | |||
Voice actors
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In the games
- Main article: Red's Pikachu (game)
In the main series, Red's Pikachu is noticeably based on Ash's Pikachu: not only does Red receive it from Professor Oak after his rival, Oak's grandson, takes the last starter Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow, but it follows Red around rather than being kept in a Poké Ball. In Generation II and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Pikachu is the highest-leveled member of Red's team when he is encountered at Mt. Silver, and the highest leveled Pokémon owned by a Trainer in the entire series excluding battle arenas. His moves, notably in HeartGold and SoulSilver, are the four moves most used by Ash's Pikachu at the time of the games' release. Pikachu was one of Ash's three Pokémon in Pokémon Puzzle League. The Pikachu in the Super Smash Bros. series may be based on Ash's Pikachu.
Event distributions
Diamond & Pearl Ash's Pikachu
A Japanese event distributed an in-game representation of Ash's Pikachu via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and at participating Japanese McDonald's locations which was held from July 15 through August 10, 2010. This Pikachu was distributed at participating American Toys 'R' Us locations from January 30 to February 13, 2011, and Canadian Toys 'R' Us locations from February 9 to February 20, 2011. This Pikachu's moveset was based on that of Ash's Pikachu during the Diamond & Pearl series.
| Pokémon Info | Trainer Memo | Battle Moves | Ribbons | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PIKACHU
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♂ | Dex No. | 0025 | Naughty nature. | Electric | Volt Tackle | 
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| Lv. 50 | Type | Steel | Iron Tail | ||||||||||||
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Electric | Pokémon Event | Normal | Quick Attack | |||||||||||
| OT | Ash | Apparently had a | Electric | Thunderbolt | |||||||||||
| ID No. | 01301 | fateful encounter at | This Pokémon was available in the United States and Canada in 2011. | ||||||||||||
| Item | Ability | Lv. 50. | |||||||||||||
 Light Ball
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Static | ||||||||||||||
| The date this Pokémon was received is determined by the date on the DS when it was obtained from the Poké Mart. | |||||||||||||||
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Pokémon Center Best Wishes Ash's Pikachu
From August 10 to September 6, 2013, Japanese Pokémon Centers distributed an in-game representation of Ash's Pikachu with its moveset based on the one known by Pikachu during the Best Wishes series. The distribution was split into four one-week periods; each week, players could receive one of four Best Wishes-themed Pokémon at random. The other three Pokémon distributed alongside Ash's Pikachu were Iris's Axew, Cilan's Pansage, and Professor Oak's Rotom.
| Pokémon Info | Trainer Memo | Battle Moves | Ribbons | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ピカチュウ
|
♂ | Dex No. | 0025 | Brave nature. | Electric | Thunderbolt | 
| ||||||
| Lv. 50 | Type | Normal | Quick Attack | ||||||||||
|
Electric | Pokémon Cartoon | Steel | Iron Tail | |||||||||
| OT | サトシ | Apparently had a | Electric | Electro Ball | |||||||||
| ID No. | 08103 | fateful encounter at | This Pokémon was available in Japan from August 10 to September 6, 2013. | ||||||||||
| Item | Ability | Lv. 50. | |||||||||||
 None
|
Static | ||||||||||||
| The date this Pokémon was received is determined by the date on the DS when the Wonder Card is received. | |||||||||||||
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7-Eleven Ash's Pikachu
From July 18 to 31, 2015, Japanese 7-Elevens distributed an in-game representation of Ash's Pikachu with its moveset based on the one known by Pikachu during the XY series. It, along with Serena's Pancham, were distributed as prizes in 7-Eleven's "Pokémon DS Rally". Once participants bring their Japanese-region Nintendo 3DS to one of the stores' 7Spots, and got their 3DS "stamped" through the Nintendo Zone feature, they can redeem the stamp for a serial code that would give the player one of the two anime Pokémon.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the receiving system's date when the Wonder Card is received. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pokémon Center Ash's Pikachu
Ash's Pikachu were distributed via the Nintendo Network at Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Stores across Japan from August 24 to 30, 2015.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the receiving system's date when the Wonder Card is received. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pikachu in a cap
These cap-wearing Pikachu are event-exclusive Pokémon that debuted in Pokémon Sun and Moon, and were distributed in celebration of the Pokémon anime's 20th movie, I Choose You!, and by extension, the anime's 20th anniversary. Like Ash's Pikachu, these Pikachu are always male and cannot evolve. They also have access to the exclusive Z-Crystal, Pikashunium Z, and its Z-Move, 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt.
In Japan, the Pikachu were distributed via single-use serial code to those who pre-ordered tickets to the 20th movie, with one code per ticket. The Pikachu received depended on the date the player redeemed the code. The codes only worked on Japanese region games. The first time the player uses one of these serial codes, they also received a complimentary Pikashunium Z.
In American, PAL, and Taiwanese region games, the Pikachu were distributed through a single-use public serial code released via the Pokémon website and in a similar vein to the Japanese event—the Pikachu received depended on the date the player redeems the code. The first time the player uses one of these serial codes, they also received a complimentary Pikashunium Z.
A seventh Cap Pikachu, wearing the hat Ash wears in the twentieth movie, debuted in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. In Japan, it was distributed via QR Code on a special Pokémon Ga-Olé disc. In the Americas, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, it was distributed via a QR Code that was given to those who attend screenings of the 20th movie.
| Original Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Hoenn Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Sinnoh Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Unova Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Kalos Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Alola Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Partner Cap Pikachu  Electric |
Original Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the original series. The level of Pikachu corresponds to both the original series debuting in the first year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the original series being the first Pokémon movie overall. The Trainer ID number in Japan is based on the original air date in that country of the first episode in the original series, April 1, 1997, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the episode in the United States, September 8, 1998.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hoenn Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the Advanced Generation series. The level of Pikachu corresponds to both the debut of the Advanced Generation series being during the sixth year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the Advanced Generation series being the sixth Pokémon movie overall. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of the first episode in the Advanced Generation series, November 21, 2002, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the first episode of the sixth season of the anime in the United States, September 13, 2003.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sinnoh Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the Diamond & Pearl series. In Japan, the level of Pikachu corresponds to both the debut of the Diamond & Pearl series being during the tenth year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the Diamond & Pearl series being the tenth Pokémon movie overall, whereas in Western games, the level of Pikachu corresponds to the debut of the Diamond & Pearl series being during the ninth year of the Pokémon anime in the United States. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of the first episode in the Diamond & Pearl series, September 28, 2006, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the episode in the United States, June 4, 2007.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unova Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the Best Wishes series. In Japan, level of Pikachu corresponds to both the debut of the Best Wishes series being during the 14th year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the Best Wishes series being the 14th Pokémon movie overall, whereas in Western games, the level of Pikachu corresponds to the debut of the Best Wishes series being during the 13th year of the Pokémon anime in the United States. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of the first episode in the Best Wishes series, September 23, 2010, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the episode in the United States, February 12, 2011.
Due to an error, PAL region copies of Pokémon Moon set to Spanish could receive Alola Cap Pikachu in place of this gift. It was fixed after 11 hours on October 10, 2017, but the erroneous gift could still be received due to a caching issue until October 12, 2017.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kalos Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the XY series. The level of Pikachu corresponds to both the debut of the XY series being during the 17th year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the XY series being the 17th Pokémon movie overall. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of the first episode in the XY series, October 17, 2013, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the episode in the United States, January 18, 2014.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alola Cap
This special Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu during the Sun & Moon series. In Japan, the level of Pikachu corresponds to both the debut of the Sun & Moon series being during the 20th year of the Pokémon anime and the first movie in the Sun & Moon series being the 20th Pokémon movie overall, whereas in Western games, the level of Pikachu corresponds to the debut of the Sun & Moon series being during the 19th year of the Pokémon anime in the United States. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of the first episode in the Sun & Moon series, November 17, 2016, whereas the Western number is based on the air date of the episode in the United States, December 5, 2016.
Due to an error, PAL region copies of Pokémon Moon set to Spanish could receive this gift early in place of the Unova Cap Pikachu. It was fixed after 11 hours on October 10, 2017, but the erroneous gift could still be received due to a caching issue until October 12, 2017.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Partner Cap Pikachu
This Pikachu was distributed exclusively for Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to players who scanned a QR Code.
The Japanese region QR Code was on a special Pokémon Ga-Olé disk, which was given away to players who attended I Choose You!.
The American and PAL region QR Code was given away to players who attended I Choose You!. The same QR Code can be used in both American and PAL region games.
The Taiwanese region QR Code was available on Pokémon.com.tw in conjunction with the airings of I Choose You! in Taiwan.
The Korean region QR Code was given away to players who attended I Choose You!.
This Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu as it appears in I Choose You!. Pikachu's level corresponds to the debut of I Choose You! being during the twenty-first anniversary of the Pokémon anime's debut. The Trainer ID number is based on the original air date of I Choose You!, July 15, 2017. Due to a bug, this Pikachu can be Shiny. Instead of checking its personality value against the Trainer ID and secret ID number of Pikachu's Original Trainer to prevent its personality value from making it Shiny, the game uses the player's data instead.
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| Moves in bold can be taught again at the Move Reminder as a special move if forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is picked up from the deliveryman. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is set to the same language as the game that received it. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QR Code
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| Japanese region QR Code | American and PAL region QR Code | Taiwanese region QR Code | Korean region QR Code |
In the manga
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
Ash's Pikachu is a starring character in the Ash & Pikachu manga series, which is based on the Johto and Hoenn seasons of the Pokémon anime. Like in the anime, Pikachu and Ash share a strong friendship.
Moves used
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| An × shows that the move cannot be legitimately known by this Pokémon in the games. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
- Main article: Ash's Pikachu (EToP)
Ash's Pikachu is a starring character in the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu, which is loosely based on the Pokémon anime. Pikachu was Ash's first Pokémon. However, Ash did not receive Pikachu from Professor Oak - instead, he finds Pikachu under the floorboards of his home, chewing on wires to eat the electricity.
In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga
Ash's Pikachu, along with Ash, Misty and Brock, makes a cameo appearance in the bonus chapters at the end of every volume of the Magical Pokémon Journey manga series. In the bonus chapters, Ash and friends have mistakenly wandered into the Magical Pokémon Journey world and are trying to return to the world of the anime, encountering many unusual situations along the way, including encounters of aspects of the Magical Pokémon Journey canon which are different in anime canon.
Ash's Pikachu shows a video to Pikachu of him bouncing a Poké Ball on his head in One Hundred Fifty-One.
In the Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl manga
Ash's Pikachu appears as a main character in the Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl manga, which is based on the Diamond & Pearl series of the anime.
Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||||||||
In the movie adaptations
As Ash and Pikachu have appeared in every Pokémon movie to date, Pikachu is a main character in every Pokémon movie manga adaptation.
Moves used
Manga versions
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Z-Moves used
| Picture | Z-Move | First Used in | Base Move |
|---|---|---|---|
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10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt | ICYR1 | Unknown |
| Description: Pikachu strikes a series of synchronized poses with his Trainer to build Z-Power. He then releases several beams of electricity at the opponent. | |||
Ani-Manga versions
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | ||||||||||
In the TCG
Ash's Pikachu is featured in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The following is a list of related cards.
| Ash's Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Pichu and Pikachu (CoroCoro promo) | 
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Unnumbered Promotional cards | |||||
Pikachu 
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Movie Commemoration Random Pack | 012/022 | ||||
| Pikachu LV.X
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DPt-P Promotional cards | 043/DPt-P | ||||
Ash's Pikachu 
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Ash vs Team Rocket Deck Kit | 005/026 | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 071/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 072/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 073/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 074/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 075/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM-P Promotional cards | 076/SM-P | ||||
| Ash's Pikachu |
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SM Black Star Promos | SM108 | SM-P Promotional cards | 086/SM-P | ||
- Pikachu also appears on the card Togedemaru (Ash vs Team Rocket Deck 6) and Tauros (Ash vs Team Rocket Deck 14).
In Tretta
- Main article: Pikachu (05-01)
In Pokémon Tretta, Ash and his Pikachu appear as a Master-class Tretta in the Invasion! Mega Rayquaza expansion. When Pikachu is in play, he appears wearing Ash's hat from the XY series.
Trivia
- Pikachu is Ash's only Electric-type Pokémon and was the only Electric-type owned by a main character in the anime until the capture of Pachirisu by Dawn.
- For DP013, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about Ash's Pikachu. He writes this Pokémon senryū about him: パートナー サトシとピカチュウ いいかんじ Partners Satoshi and Pikachu: a pleasant feeling.
- Pikachu was the first of Ash's Pokémon to habitually disobey him. Other Pokémon that would do so, and are better remembered for their disobedience than Pikachu, are Primeape and Charizard.
- Pikachu is the second Pokémon in the entire anime series to have managed to defeat a Legendary Pokémon, which he did by defeating Brandon's Regice in Pace - The Final Frontier!.
- Pikachu is also the only Pokémon in the entire series that has been able to defeat two Legendary Pokémon, being able to take out Brandon's Regice in Pace - The Final Frontier! and Tobias's Latios in The Semi-Final Frontier!, although in the latter case, it was a draw, as Pikachu knocked himself out in the process.
- In Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!, it was officially confirmed that Pikachu is male, as a female Togepi's Attract affected him. His physical appearance could not be used as proof, since gender differences were not implemented until after he had debuted in the anime.
- Pikachu's gender had already been assumed male in the dub, where male pronouns such as "he" were used to refer to Pikachu. To a lesser extent, his gender was also previously implied in the Japanese versions, specifically in Island of the Giant Pokémon (where he used masculine pronouns), Princess vs. Princess (Pikachu was shown when the narrator said that males had to carry packages), and in The Battle of the Badge, where Brock referred to Ash and Pikachu as being "those guys" when touched by their loyalty.
- The first time Pikachu's gender difference was pointed out was in Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!, where Pikachu was disguised as a female by sticking a heart-shaped piece of paper on his tail.
- Pikachu is the only Pokémon of Ash's to be used in every Gym battle in a region.
- In Latin America, Cartoon Network has a "Biografía Toon" (Toon Biography) segment, which consists of biographies and histories of cartoon characters. This segment has done a two-part feature on Ash's Pikachu. According to the segment, Pikachu is the result of an experiment conducted by Professor Oak and allegedly destroyed the lab where he was created in a momentary loss of control.
- An Elite Coverup! has been the only time when Ash does not use Pikachu against an Elite Four member.
- Pikachu is the first evolved Pokémon Ash obtained, although at the time Ash obtained Pikachu, he did not yet have a pre-evolved form.
- Pikachu is Ash's only Pokémon capable of evolving by use of an evolutionary stone, not counting Snorunt who could not evolve through use of an evolution stone at the time of its capture and normal evolution.
- Pikachu is the first Pokémon in the anime to defeat a Mega Evolved Pokémon without Mega Evolving, defeating Korrina's Mega Lucario in Showdown at the Shalour Gym!.
- As Pikachu hates being in his Poké Ball, it is rarely ever seen, with a known total of only five confirmed appearances throughout the whole series (flashbacks not included). These being in Pokémon - I Choose You!, Showdown in Pewter City, A Corphish Out of Water!, Breaking Titles at the Chateau!, and A Frenzied Factory Fiasco!.
Related articles
- For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.
- Episodes focusing on Pikachu
- Images on the Bulbagarden Archives
- Ash's Pikachu (M20)
References
- ↑ Confirmed in Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!.
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
