Lt. Surge's Raichu

Lt. Surge's Raichu マチスのライチュウ Matis's Raichu

Lt. Surge's Raichu

Debuts in Electric Shock Showdown Caught at Unknown Evolves in Prior to Electric Shock Showdown Gender Male* Ability Static* Current location With Lt. Surge

→ This Pokémon spent an unknown number of episodes as Pikachu.

Voice actor Japanese English As Pikachu Not shown As Raichu Urara Takano

Lt. Surge's Raichu (Japanese: マチスのライチュウ Matis's Raichu) is Lt. Surge's main Pokémon in the anime and games.

In the anime

History

Lt. Surge and Raichu

Raichu made its appearance in Electric Shock Showdown where it was responsible for brutally defeating many opponents, as the Pokémon Center started to get crowded. This happened before Ash entered the Vermilion City Gym. Later during Ash's arrival, Lt. Surge sends it out to him and his friends. Lt. Surge laughed at Ash for not evolving Pikachu, thinking evolved Pokémon are always better. This infuriated him and made Pikachu, also infuriated, want to battle Raichu.

In the battle, both sides start of with ThunderShock but Raichu's turns out to be powerful, which weakened Pikachu drastically. Raichu easily defeated Pikachu with a combination of Mega Punch and Mega Kick. 

Ash returned to the gym for a rematch after Pikachu was healed. He ignored Lt. Surge's advice on evolving Pikachu into a Raichu. In the rematch, Raichu was able to hit Pikachu with Body Slam but Pikachu was able to use two new attacks, Agility and Quick Attack, which were both learned before the rematch, before being finished off. As Raichu evolved too fast, it never learned any speed attacks. Pikachu took advantage of this by using his speed attacks to confuse Raichu. Lt. Surge decided to cancel them by having Raichu Thunderbolt the field. However, Pikachu dodged it by using his tail. When Raichu was about to use Thunderbolt again, it ran out of electricity which gave Pikachu the upper hand. Pikachu finished off Raichu with his tail attack before Raichu made full contact with Take Down. As Ash eventually defeated Lt. Surge in a rematch, it proved to him that evolved Pokémon are not always better. 

Raichu was seen again in a flashback in Pikachu's Goodbye when Ash was recalling the fun times he had with Pikachu, and in another one in Bad to the Bone, where Raichu was defeated in a Gym battle by Otoshi's Marowak.

Both Raichu and Lt. Surge reappeared in Pika and Goliath! in a flashback.

Personality and characteristics

Raichu's attitude towards Ash's Pikachu almost completely mirrors Lt. Surge's attitude toward Ash. When they first meet Raichu, it doesn't have a high opinion of Pikachu. However, after being defeated, Raichu grows to respect Pikachu.

Moves used

Using ThunderShock	Move First Used In ThunderShock Electric Shock Showdown ThunderPunch Electric Shock Showdown* Mega Punch Electric Shock Showdown Mega Kick Electric Shock Showdown Body Slam Electric Shock Showdown Thunderbolt Electric Shock Showdown Take Down Electric Shock Showdown
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

In the games

Raichu appears as Lt. Surge's Pokémon in the player's Gym battle against him in all games he appears in. In Pokémon Yellow, it is his only Pokémon, much as in the anime. In other games it is not his only Pokémon, but it is always present. Lt. Surge's Pikachu that he has in the games is also shown below, since Surge said in the anime that he obtained his Raichu as a Pikachu.

Pokémon Red, Green and Blue

Type: Electric Unknown Pikachu Lv.18 ThunderShock Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Growl Normal   --       Quick Attack Normal   --

Type: Electric Unknown Raichu Lv.24 Thunderbolt Electric   --       ThunderShock Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Growl Normal   --

Pokémon Yellow

	Type: Electric Unknown
Raichu Lv.28
Thunderbolt Electric   --       Growl Normal   --       Mega Punch Normal   --       Mega Kick Normal   --

Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal

	Type: Electric Unknown Held item: None
Raichu♂ Lv.44
Thunderbolt Electric   --       Thunder Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Quick Attack Normal   --

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: None Pikachu♂ Lv.18 Shock Wave Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Quick Attack Normal   --       Double Team Normal   --

Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: None Raichu♂ Lv.24 Shock Wave Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Quick Attack Normal   --       Double Team Normal   --

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

First match

	Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: None
Raichu♂ Lv.51
Thunder Wave Electric Status   --       Shock Wave Electric Special   --       Quick Attack Normal Physical   --       Double Team Normal Status   --

Second match

	Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: None
Raichu♂ Lv.60
Thunderbolt Electric Special   --       Grass Knot Grass Special   --       Quick Attack Normal Physical   --       Thunder Wave Electric Status   --

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2

Kanto Leaders Tournament

	Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: Electric Gem
Raichu♂/♀ Lv.50
Thunderbolt Electric Special   --       Focus Blast Fighting Special   --       Signal Beam Bug Special   --       Thunder Wave Electric Status   --

Type Expert/World Leaders Tournament

	Type: Electric Unknown Ability: Static Held item: Life Orb
Raichu♂/♀ Lv.50
Volt Tackle Electric Physical   --       Fake Out Normal Physical   --       Focus Punch Fighting Physical   --       Thunder Wave Electric Status   --

Pokémon Stadium

Round 1

Type: Electric Unknown Raichu Lv.50 Thunder Electric   --       Surf Water   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --

Type: Electric Unknown Pikachu Lv.50 Seismic Toss Fighting   --       Agility Psychic   --       Double Team Normal   --       Surf Water   --

Round 2

	Type: Electric Unknown
Raichu Lv.50
Thunderbolt Electric   --       Surf Water   --       Body Slam Normal   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --

Pokémon Stadium 2

Round 1

	Type: Electric Unknown Held item: MiracleBerry
Raichu♂ Lv.50
Thunderbolt Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --       Reflect Psychic   --       Surf Water   --

Round 2

	Type: Electric Unknown Held item: Focus Band
Raichu♂ Lv.50
Surf Water   --       Reversal Fighting   --       Thunderbolt Electric   --       Thunder Wave Electric   --

In the manga

Raichu in Pokémon Adventures

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

Lt. Surge's Raichu debuted in the Pokémon Adventures manga during the round Go for the Golbat during Surge's battle with Red. However, it wasn't seen battling until the Gold, Silver & Crystal chapter, where Surge used it to battle against the Masked Man and briefly also the Red Gyarados.

Moves used

File:Lt Surge Raichu Thunderbolt Adventures.png Using Thunderbolt	Move First Used In Thunderbolt Raising Raichu
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

Lt. Surge's Raichu has been depicted in in the TCG. The following is a list of cards involving either his Pikachu or Raichu.

Name	Type	Level	Rarity	Set	Set no.
Lt. Surge's Raichu		32		Gym Heroes	28/132
Lt. Surge's Raichu		38	H	Gym Challenge	11/130
Lt. Surge's Pikachu		15		Gym Heroes	81/130
Lt. Surge's Pikachu		10		Gym Challenge	84/130
Lt. Surge's Raichu		-		Pokémon VS (no English release)	53/141

Trivia

• All of Lt. Surge's Pikachu and Raichu from Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 have the exclusive move Surf.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu and Raichu.

Lt. Surge's Pokémon
On hand:	Raichu
Adventures only:	Electabuzz	Magnemite	Magneton	Voltorb	Electrode	Zapdos
	Raikou
Pocket Monsters only:	Kingler	Poliwhirl	Horsea	Seel

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.