Ash's Pikachu: Difference between revisions

'''Ash's Pikachu''' (Japanese: '''サトシのピカチュウ''' ''Satoshi's Pikachu'') was the first [[Pokémon]] obtained by [[Ash Ketchum|Ash]] on his journey as a [[Pokémon trainer]]. Its universal voice actress is 大谷育江 ''[[Ikue Ohtani]]''. However, in some episodes during the first season of the English dub, [[Rachael Lillis]] provided its voice when the original Japanese track couldn't be saved.

In the first episode of the Pokémon [[anime]], ''[[EP001|Pokémon, I Choose You!]]'', Ash woke up late the day he was supposed to go to [[Professor Oak|Professor Oak's]] laboratory to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon, {{p|Bulbasaur}}, {{p|Charmander}}, and {{p|Squirtle}} had already been taken by other trainers who arrived earlier. Seeing that Ash was disappointed, Professor Oak gave him Pikachu, which did not take a liking to its new trainer. It refused to go into a [[Poké Ball]], and when Ash failed to catch a wild Pokémon, it laughed at him. However, by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's trust by protecting it from an attack by a flock of {{p|Spearow}} and rushing it to the [[Pokémon Center]]. Pikachu and Ash soon became inseparable. In ''[[EP039|Pikachu's Goodbye]]'', Ash gave Pikachu his consent to remain in a forest filled with Pikachu, but Pikachu returned to Ash's side.

In general, Pikachu as a species are not particularly powerful, but Ash's Pikachu is an anomaly, overcoming odds in battle numerous times. In ''[[EP005|Showdown in Pewter City]]'', it defeated [[Brock's Onix]] with an [[Electric (type)|Electric]] attack when Onix was drenched in water, despite Onix being naturally resistant to electricity. In ''[[EP014|Electric Shock Showdown]]'', Pikachu fought [[Lt. Surge|Lt. Surge's]] {{p|Raichu}} and lost. During a resulting hospital stay, it refused to become Raichu's equal by evolving via a [[Thunderstone]], and in the second battle, Pikachu overcame Raichu by using its superior speed. In ''[[EP002|Pokémon Emergency!]]'', [[Meowth (Team Rocket)|Meowth]] remarked that Pikachu's power "far exceeds its evolutionary level." Ash's Pikachu has also defeated very high level Pokémon that Ash's other Pokémon were unable to, such as {{p|Dragonite}} and {{p|Metagross}}. It has helped Ash win innumerable battles and [[Gym]] and [[Pokémon League|League]] matches.

Pikachu is extremely loyal to Ash, and while it is not always immediately trusting of strangers, it is generally friendly to humans and Pokémon alike. It acted as a guardian and big sibling to [[Misty's Togetic|Misty's Togepi]], and it has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, such as in ''[[Pikachu's Vacation]]''. In ''[[Mewtwo Strikes Back]]'', it, [[Meowth (Team Rocket)|Meowth]], and Meowth's clone were the only Pokémon not to participate in the giant battle; it stood motionless as its clone repeatedly slapped its face.

Since its first encounter with [[Team Rocket]] in ''[[EP002|Pokémon Emergency!]]'', Pikachu has been pursued by the trio of [[Jessie]], [[James]], and [[Meowth (Team Rocket)|Meowth]]. It has been Jessie, James and Meowth's ambition at stealing this Pokémon from Ash and wanting to present it to [[Giovanni|their boss]]. To do this, they devised many attempts and devised many evil plans and came up with many scams and many other terrible schemes to fulfill that task. Jessie, James and Meowth try, try, and try some more, but despite trying hard at pulling the evil deed, every last one of their fiendish and conniving efforts and evil plans failed each time. Either their plans were stopped by Ash and his friends and/or every other trainer Ash and his friends assisted throughout the series, including the [[Officer Jenny|Officer Jennies]] in general.

As shown in a handful of episodes, the first being ''[[EP042|Showdown at Dark City]]'', Pikachu has a special fondness for ketchup, but it will eat and enjoy almost any other human or Pokémon food. A running joke in the anime also seems to be the destruction of a female character's [[bike]] with one of Pikachu's {{m|Thunderbolt}}s at the beginning of each series, which then causes her to [[Ash's friends|follow Ash]] for the remainder of the series. This has happened to [[Misty]], [[May (anime)|May]], and [[Dawn (anime)|Dawn]] so far.