Pichu
Pichu is a Electric-type Pokémon, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon, number 172 (#0172) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the Johto region. It is 0.3 m tall and weighs 2 kg.
Pichu is the Tiny Mouse Pokémon, a baby that cannot yet control its own electricity. A startled or amused Pichu can zap a grown adult, and the shock surprises Pichu itself just as much.
How to pronounce Pichu
Pichu is pronounced PEE-choo. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Pichu said out loud:
In Japanese it is ピチュー.
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Pichu is 0.3 m tall and weighs 2 kg. It has pale yellow fur, black angular ear tips, collar and tail, a dot-like nose and small pink cheek pouches that cannot hold much charge. It is a quadruped but walks easily on its hind legs.
Behaviour
Pichu is lively, and the more its cheeks are charged, the more energetically it plays. Young Pichu can short out and startle one another into tears, though Bulbapedia says they also touch tails on purpose to build courage. It charges faster in thunderclouds or dry air.
Habitat
The Pokédex habitat is Forest, and Bulbapedia says it has also been shown thriving in towns. In Scarlet and Violet it lives in South Province and across Kitakami in The Teal Mask, and in Legends: Z-A it is in the base game's Wild Zone 1 and the Mega Dimension DLC's Hyperspace Lumiose.
Powers
Its Ability is Static, with Lightning Rod hidden. It zaps with Thunder Shock, charms with Nuzzle, Charm and Sweet Kiss, and boosts itself with Nasty Plot, but with just 20 base HP its power is mostly potential. Spiky-eared Pichu, a HeartGold and SoulSilver exclusive, is a female whose ear has three spikes; Professor Elm says it travelled through time with Celebi, which is why it cannot evolve.
Name origin
Pichu may combine pikapika (ピカピカ, sparkling), chūchū (チューチュー, a mouse squeak) and possibly puchi (プチ, petite), and it is also a contraction of Pikachu. The Japanese name is ピチュー, romanised as Pichu in the game data.
Design inspiration
Ken Sugimori designed Pichu, and Junichi Masuda has said the idea came when the team was looking for a 'next' Pikachu. It seems drawn from squirrels and other rodents, and its Shiny colouring is Pikachu's usual colouring. Bulbapedia says the Spaceworld '97 demo shows an early Pichu resembling a smaller, rounder-eared Pikachu.
Evolution notes
Pichu is a baby Pokémon that evolves into Pikachu with high friendship.
In the games
Pichu, a Generation II baby Pokémon, headlines a charging contest mini-game in Stadium 2, and in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs your partner Pokémon is a ukulele-playing Pichu.
In the anime
'Enter Pikachu!' revealed that Ash's Pikachu began life as a Pichu. The Pichu Brothers, two mischievous Pichu, appeared in 'Pikachu & Pichu' and 'Pichu Bros. in Party Panic', and a Spiky-eared Pichu helped find jail keys in 'Arceus and the Jewel of Life'.
Fun facts
- The Pikachu-coloured Pichu was the first Pokémon distributed through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection outside Japan.
- Pichu hurts itself with its own electric moves such as Thunderbolt in Super Smash Bros. Melee and Ultimate.
- Game director Junichi Masuda has called Pichu his favourite Generation II Pokémon, according to a GamePro interview cited on Bulbapedia.
Base stats
- HP: 20
- Attack: 40
- Defense: 15
- Sp. Atk: 35
- Sp. Def: 35
- Speed: 60
Pichu’s base stat total is 205. Its highest stat is Speed.
Type matchups
What is Pichu weak to?
Pichu takes extra damage from Ground (2×) moves.
It resists Electric (½×), Flying (½×), Steel (½×).
Evolution
How does Pichu evolve?
Pichu evolves into Pikachu (Friendship).
The whole family: Pichu, Pikachu, Raichu.
Abilities
- Static: Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact.
- Lightning Rod (hidden ability): Redirects single-target Electric moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Electric moves, raising Special Attack one stage.
Moves
Moves Pichu learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Thunder Shock | Electric | Special | 40 |
| 4 | Play Nice | Normal | Status | — |
| 8 | Sweet Kiss | Fairy | Status | — |
| 12 | Nuzzle | Electric | Physical | 20 |
| 16 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — |
| 20 | Charm | Fairy | Status | — |
TM moves (34)
Pichu can learn 34 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Charm, Protect, Disarming Voice, Trailblaze, Facade, Swift, Fling, Endure, Volt Switch, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Thunder Punch, Sleep Talk, Electro Ball, Reflect, Light Screen, Grass Knot, Thunder Wave, Rest, Substitute, Encore, Surf, Thunderbolt, Play Rough, Helping Hand, Reversal, Electric Terrain, Nasty Plot, Wild Charge, Thunder, Tera Blast, Charge, Electroweb.
Egg moves (7):Charge, Disarming Voice, Fake Out, Flail, Present, Tickle, Wish.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Undiscovered.
- Egg cycles: 10 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 1,280).
- Catch rate: 190 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 1 Speed effort value.
- Base experience yield: 41.
Pokédex entries
Pichu stores electricity in the sacs on its cheeks but discharges it inadvertently when agitated or excited. Being yet immature, the Pokémon's handling of electricity is rather inept. (Legends: Arceus)
The electric sacs in its cheeks are small. If even a little electricity leaks, it becomes shocked. (Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2, Shield)
Despite its small size, it can zap even adult humans. However, if it does so, it also surprises itself. (Silver, FireRed, SoulSilver, Sword)
It has electric sacs in its cheeks. When they're fully charged, Pichu plays very energetically. (Ultra Moon)
It still can't use electricity well. When it's surprised or excited, it discharges electricity unintentionally. (Ultra Sun)
Despite this Pokémon's cute appearance, those who want to live with one should prepare to be on the receiving end of its electric jolts. (Moon)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ピチュー |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Pichu |
| French | Pichu |
| German | Pichu |
| Spanish | Pichu |
| Italian | Pichu |
| Korean | 피츄 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 皮丘 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 皮丘 |
Trivia
- Lowest base stat total among Electric types: 205.
- Lightest Electric type in Gen 2: 2 kg.
- Shortest Electric type in Gen 2: 0.3 m.
- Lowest base stat total among Electric types in Gen 2: 205.
- Taller than 4% of all Pokémon (0.3 m).
- Heavier than 7% of all Pokémon (2 kg).
- Base stat total 205, ranked #1007 of 1,025.
- One of 69 Electric-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 88 yellow Pokémon.
- Number 21 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 44 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 190: about 24.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 14 distinct Pokédex entries.
Sources and fact-checking
- Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
- Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Pichu (Pokémon), Serebii: Pichu (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (PEE-choo): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Electric-type Pokémon · Pichu vs Pikachu · Johto region guide · Static ability · Lightning Rod ability · Compare Pichu · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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