#0243 · Johto · Generation 2 · legendary

Raikou

Thunder Pokémon · Electric-type

Raikou is a Electric-type Pokémon, the Thunder Pokémon, number 243 (#0243) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the Johto region. It is 1.9 m tall and weighs 178 kg.

Raikou is the Thunder Pokémon, a tiger-like Electric type that legend says fell to earth with a bolt of lightning. It is one of Johto's three legendary beasts, and the Pokédex says its roars shake the ground like lightning strikes.

How to pronounce Raikou

Raikou is pronounced RY-koo. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Raikou said out loud:

In Japanese it is ライコウ.

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Raikou is a yellow, black-striped quadruped with a white underside, 1.9 m tall and 178 kg. Long upper fangs give it the look of a sabre-toothed cat, its claws never retract, and a thin blue tail ends in a spark shape. A dull purple mane of storm cloud runs along its back, and the Pokédex says the storm it carries on its back lets it hurl lightning at will.

Behaviour

Raikou is wary of people and, in the anime, warms only to those who help it; it tends to turn up in thunderstorms. The Pokédex says it races across the land barking cries like crashing thunder. In Pokémon Sleep its breath rumbles like distant thunder while it dozes. Johto legend says three Pokémon died when lightning set the Brass Tower alight 150 years ago, and Ho-Oh revived them as Raikou, Entei and Suicune, with Raikou standing for the lightning.

Habitat

The Pokédex habitat list puts it in grasslands. In Scarlet and Violet it arrives by Pokémon HOME transfer or trade, or in The Indigo Disk by luring it to West Province Area One with a snack from Snacksworth.

Powers

Raikou has the Ability Pressure, which makes opponents use extra PP on moves aimed at it, and the hidden Ability Inner Focus, which stops flinching. It starts with Extreme Speed and Thunder Shock, later learning Thunder Fang, Discharge and Thunder, and it can boost itself with Calm Mind. With base Speed 115 and Special Attack 115 it is a fast, hard-hitting special attacker.

Name origin

Raikou may combine 雷 rai ('thunder') or 雷光 raikō ('lightning') with 公 kō ('lord') or 皇 kō ('emperor'), echoing Léigōng, the Thunder Duke of Chinese myth. The Japanese name is Raikou (ライコウ).

Design inspiration

Muneo Saitō designed Raikou, Entei and Suicune. He has said that once Entei came out lion-like he gave Raikou tiger-like traits, and that its design took many twists, with one early version blue and carrying a drum on its back. The drum may point to Raijin, the Japanese thunder god, and the cloud mane may recall the nue, a chimera shrouded in black clouds; these are fan readings.

In the games

Raikou roams Johto in Gold and Silver, where it debuted and only one can be found. Salon Maiden Anabel uses it in Emerald's Battle Frontier, and in Colosseum Ein uses a Shadow Raikou that can be snagged. It is not available in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

In 'The Legend of Thunder!' the Team Rocket members Attila and Hun try to capture a Raikou and fail. A Shiny Raikou also appears alongside Entei and Suicune in the film Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

Fun facts

• Bulbapedia reports that the Pokécology book rates its top speed at 720,000 km/h (Mach 583), tying it with Zeraora for the title of fastest known Pokémon.
• In the Spaceworld '97 demo the trio appears to have been Pokémon with the short names Rai, En and Sui, taken from the Japanese words for thunder, fire and water.
• Bulbapedia says Raikou is the only Pokémon in the anime whose Pokédex image was stylised art rather than the series character designer's usual art.
• Paradox Pokémon Raging Bolt resembles Raikou and is touted as its ancestor; Gouging Fire and Walking Wake play the same role for Entei and Suicune.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Raikou (Pokémon) · Serebii: Raikou (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 90
• Attack: 85
• Defense: 75
• Sp. Atk: 115
• Sp. Def: 100
• Speed: 115

Raikou’s base stat total is 580. Its highest stat is Sp. Atk and Speed.

Type matchups

What is Raikou weak to?

Raikou takes extra damage from Ground (2×) moves.

It resists Electric (½×), Flying (½×), Steel (½×).

Evolution

Raikou does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.

Abilities

• Pressure: Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
• Inner Focus (hidden ability): Prevents flinching.

Moves

Moves Raikou learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (46)

Raikou can learn 46 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Agility, Mud-Slap, Scary Face, Protect, Thunder Fang, Trailblaze, Charge Beam, Facade, Snarl, Swift, Endure, Volt Switch, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Electro Ball, Reflect, Light Screen, Thunder Wave, Rest, Eerie Impulse, Iron Head, Substitute, Crunch, Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind, Helping Hand, Electric Terrain, Wild Charge, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Thunder, Tera Blast, Roar, Charge, Scald, Weather Ball, Double-Edge, Supercell Slam, Electroweb, Throat Chop.

Breeding & training

• Gender: genderless.
• Egg groups: Undiscovered.
• Egg cycles: 80 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 10,240).
• Catch rate: 3 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 35.
• Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 Sp. Atk and 2 Speed effort values.
• Base experience yield: 261.

Pokédex entries

Raikou embodies the speed of lightning. The roars of this Pokémon send shock waves shuddering through the air and shake the ground as if lightning bolts had come crashing down. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)

This rough Pokémon stores energy inside its body, then sweeps across the land, shooting off electricity. (Crystal, Y)

The rain clouds it carries let it fire thunderbolts at will. They say that it descended with lightning. (Gold, LeafGreen, HeartGold, X)

It is said to have fallen with lightning. It can fire thunderbolts from the rain clouds on its back. (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2)

A Pokémon that races across the land while barking a cry that sounds like crashing thunder. (Silver, SoulSilver)

This Pokémon races across the land while barking a cry that sounds like crashing thunder. (FireRed)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Heaviest Electric type in Gen 2: 178 kg.
• Tallest Electric type in Gen 2: 1.9 m.
• Fastest Electric type in Gen 2: 115 Speed.
• Highest Attack among Electric types in Gen 2: 85.
• Highest Sp. Atk among Electric types in Gen 2: 115, shared with 1 other.
• Highest Sp. Def among Electric types in Gen 2: 100.
• Highest base stat total among Electric types in Gen 2: 580.
• Taller than 86% of all Pokémon (1.9 m).
• Heavier than 90% of all Pokémon (178 kg).
• Base stat total 580, ranked #69 of 1,025.
• Its best stat is Speed, ranked #52 of 1,025.
• One of 69 Electric-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
• One of 88 yellow Pokémon.
• Number 92 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto).
• Can learn 56 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 3: about 0.4% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 7 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: Raikou (Pokémon), Serebii: Raikou (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (RY-koo): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Electric-type Pokémon · Raikou vs Entei · Raikou vs Suicune · Raikou vs Raging Bolt · Johto region guide · Pressure ability · Inner Focus ability · Compare Raikou · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

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