Ash's Pikachu: Difference between revisions

'''Ash's Pikachu''' (Japanese: '''サトシのピカチュウ''' ''Satoshi's Pikachu'') is the signature {{OBP|Pokémon|species}} of the [[Pokémon anime]], and the [[starter Pokémon|first Pokémon]] that {{Ash}} obtained on his journey as a [[Pokémon Trainer]], given to him by {{an|Professor Oak}}.

[[File:Ash Pikachu EP001.png|thumb|left|220px|Pikachu's debut appearance]]

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'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 had arrived on time. Seeing Ash's disappointment, {{an|Professor Oak}} gave him Pikachu, who, at first, [[Obedience|did not care at all for his new Trainer]], constantly zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused to go into his {{i|Poké Ball}}, and when Ash failed to catch a {{p|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 {{p|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 {{an|Ho-Oh|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 ''[[EP081|Pallet Party Panic]]'', Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with some of his other Pokémon, to the [[Orange Archipelago]] with him.

In ''[[EP086|Pikachu Re-Volts]]'', [[Butch]] and [[Cassidy]] used a {{p|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 ''[[EP116|The Rivalry Revival]]'', Pikachu battled [[Gary's Eevee]] and was eventually defeated after Eevee used a powerful {{m|Skull Bash}}. Later on in the episode, Ash decided to take Pikachu, along with his other Pokémon, to [[Johto]] with him.

In ''[[EP118|The Double Trouble Header]]'', Ash used Pikachu in his second battle against {{an|Casey}}, where he faced her {{TP|Casey|Chikorita}}. Despite Casey having only recently obtained {{p|Chikorita}}, it quickly gained the upper hand. Just then, the battle was 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.

After saying farewell to Misty and Brock in ''[[EP273|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 [[EP274|the following episode]], while getting ready to depart for Hoenn by ship, Ash and Pikachu were attacked by Team Rocket, who used an electromagnet to stick Pikachu to it and drain his electricity. Eventually, thanks to some wild Pokémon and Officer Jenny, Pikachu was saved. The next day, Ash tried to wake Pikachu up, but he soon noticed that he was suffering from a severe illness caused by the electromagnet.

In ''[[AG001|Get the Show on the Road!]]'', Pikachu was treated by [[Professor Birch]], who strapped him to a machine to drain out the overload electricity he received. However, the machine exploded when the electricity levels became too high. Pikachu then ran off, with Ash and Professor Birch chasing after him. Eventually, Ash found Pikachu, but in his confused state, Pikachu attacked him and fled off a cliff. Ash jumped after him and caught him before grabbing onto a branch. Pikachu tried resisting, but Ash was able to get through to him and calm him down. When Ash and Pikachu were pulled up to safety, Team Rocket arrived and captured Pikachu. However, their [[Team Rocket's mechas|mecha]] accidentally cured Pikachu of his illness, and he was able to blast them off, destroying {{an|May}}'s bike in the process.

Pikachu was used many times by Ash in the [[Ever Grande Conference]]. In ''[[AG126|Saved by the Beldum]]'', he defeated {{OBP|Gilbert|AG126}}'s {{p|Hitmonlee}} after a hard-fought battle. In ''[[AG128|Shocks and Bonds]]'', Pikachu initially went up against {{ho|Katie}}'s {{p|Golduck}}. However, Katie immediately switched to her {{p|Dugtrio}}, who had a type advantage over Pikachu, and the Mole Pokémon defeated him easily. In ''[[AG130|Choose It or Lose It!]]'', Pikachu went up against Morrison's {{p|Steelix}} and was knocked out as well. In ''[[AG131|At the End of the Fray]]'', Pikachu defeated {{ho|Tyson}}'s {{p|Metagross}} before being defeated himself by [[Tyson's Meowth]] despite all of his efforts. His defeat caused Ash to end up in the Top 8 of the Ever Grande Conference.

In ''[[AG132|The Scheme Team]]'', Ash used Pikachu in his battle against [[Elite Four]] [[Agatha]] and her {{TP|Agatha|Gengar}} at the [[Viridian Gym]]. Eventually, when Pikachu was about to finish Gengar off with Thunder, Gengar used {{m|Hypnosis}}, putting him to sleep, then defeated him with {{m|Dream Eater}}. Afterwards, he helped defeat Team Rocket along with Agatha's {{p|Golbat}}. Later on, Ash decided to enter the [[Kanto]] {{Gdis|Battle Frontier|III}} along with Pikachu and his other Pokémon. He was later reunited with Misty when he and Ash returned to Pallet Town.

In ''[[AG192|Home is Where the Start Is!]]'', Ash used Pikachu in a friendly battle against {{Gary}}, who used his powerful {{TP|Gary|Electivire}}, a Pokémon from the [[Sinnoh]] region. After a hard-fought battle, Pikachu was eventually defeated. Later, Pikachu went with Ash to Sinnoh, and he was meant to be the only Pokémon to go with him, as he left his other Pokémon at Professor Oak's laboratory. However, {{AP|Aipom}} sneaked aboard their ship, and Ash eventually allowed her to accompany them to Sinnoh.

In ''[[DP001|Following a Maiden's Voyage!]]'', Pikachu was temporarily separated from Ash due to yet another plot by Team Rocket. Eventually, in ''[[DP002|Two Degrees of Separation!]]'', {{an|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 ''[[DP003|When Pokémon Worlds Collide!]]''. Later, he was used as Ash's final Pokémon in a battle against Ash's new rival [[Paul]] and his {{TP|Paul|Elekid}}. The heated battle proved to be a surprisingly even match, as both Pokémon were eventually left so exhausted that they collapsed, resulting in the battle being declared a tie.

In ''[[DP191|Memories are Made of Bliss!]]'', Pikachu helped search for {{TP|Dawn|Piplup}} when he ran away. Upon finding Piplup, both Pokémon broke down in tears since they had to say goodbye to each other soon. 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 a ship headed for [[Kanto]]. Upon arriving in Kanto, Pikachu and Ash bade farewell to Brock as well and the two continued on towards Pallet Town.

Ash decided to bring Pikachu to [[Unova]] with him, just as he did in Hoenn. In ''[[BW001|In The Shadow of Zekrom!]]'', upon arriving in Unova, Pikachu had an encounter with {{DL|Recurring wild Pokémon in the anime|Zekrom}}, which, unbeknownst to Ash, caused him to lose his ability to use Electric moves. Ash finally noticed this during his battle against [[Trip]] and his {{TP|Trip|Snivy}}, when Pikachu and Volt Tackle. Despite Ash realizing Pikachu can use other moves like Quick Attack and Iron Tail, Snivy defeated the exhausted Pikachu with {{m|Leaf Tornado}}. In [[BW002|the next episode]], Pikachu recovered his Electric moves.

In [[BW122|the next episode]], Pikachu tried to destroy Colress's machine to free Reshiram and all of 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 to help it escape from Ghetsis's control as well. Despite Colress increasing the machine's power, Pikachu kept resisting, and together with Reshiram, they destroyed the machine with Electro Ball and {{m|Fusion Flare}}, freeing all of the Pokémon from Team Plasma's control and defeating the [[Villainous teams|villainous team]].

[[File:Bulbasaur and Pikachu.png|thumb|250px|Pikachu reuniting with Bulbasaur]]

In ''[[BW125|Cilan and the Case of the Purrloin Witness!]]'', Pikachu participated in the [[Marine Cup Tournament]]. He managed to beat other Trainers and make it to the finals. He then battled [[Teaque]]'s {{p|Galvantula}} and was able to knock it out with Iron Tail, winning the tournament for Ash.

Pikachu was reunited with Bulbasaur and the entire Unova team at Professor Oak's Laboratory in ''[[BW142|The Dream Continues!]]''. He joined the others in a group attack on Team Rocket with his Thunderbolt to send them blasting off. Pikachu then continued to travel with Ash when he set off for the [[Kalos]] region.

In ''[[XY001|Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!]]'', Ash and Pikachu arrived at Kalos by plane along with Alexa. After being thrown out of the [[Lumiose Gym]] for not having enough Badges, Ash was saved by {{an|Clemont}} while Pikachu was saved by {{an|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. However, the battle was interrupted by Team Rocket, who once again attempted to steal Pikachu. Ash attempted to stop them, but Jessie had her Wobbuffet reflect Pikachu's attacks with {{m|Mirror Coat}}. Pikachu was saved by a {{AP|Froakie}}, who shielded him with its body at the cost of being injured. With Bunnelby and Froakie's help, Pikachu blasted the trio off. Froakie soon collapsed from its injuries, so Ash, Pikachu, and their new friends went to {{an|Professor Sycamore}} to heal Froakie.

In ''[[XY138|The First Day of the Rest of Your Life!]]'', Ash used Pikachu in a battle against Serena and her Braixen. Both Pokémon took substantial hits before the battle was called off by Ash. In ''[[XY140|Till We Compete Again!]]'', Pikachu bade farewell to Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and their Pokémon, since he and Ash had to return to Kanto. During this, {{TP|Clemont|Dedenne}} ran off since he didn't want the group to split apart. Using his electricity, Pikachu and the group was able to find Dedenne and calm it down. After Serena departed, Pikachu participated in one final battle between Ash and Clemont, in which he faced Clemont's Bunnelby, just like their first battle, but the outcome was left unknown. Ash and Pikachu then separated from Clemont and Bonnie and returned to Pallet Town.

Pikachu joined Ash, Delia, and Mimey on a vacation to the [[Alola]] region in ''[[SM001|Alola to New Adventure!]]''. On their way to the [[Pokémon School]] on [[Melemele Island]], Pikachu and Ash followed a wild {{p|Grubbin}} into a forest, where the two noticed {{an|Kiawe|a Trainer}} riding a {{p|Charizard}}. They followed him and arrived at the Pokémon School, where they met some of the school's students as well as {{an|Professor Kukui}} and Professor Oak's cousin, [[Samson Oak]]. Ash later used Pikachu to battle a trio of {{tc|Team Skull Grunt}}s, who were harassing Kiawe, and their trio of {{p|Zubat}}, {{p|Salandit}}, and {{p|Yungoos}}. After a while, Kiawe had his {{TP|Kiawe|Turtonator}} use the [[Z-Move]] {{m|Inferno Overdrive}}, which knocked [[Team Skull]]'s Pokémon out in one shot. That evening, Pikachu and Ash followed {{DL|Guardian deities (anime)|Tapu Koko}}, the [[Guardian deities|guardian deity]] of Melemele Island, who handed Ash a [[Z-Ring]] and an [[Electrium Z]]. Pikachu later remained in Alola with Ash when he decided to study at the Pokémon School.

[[File:Ash and Pikachu.png|thumb|250px|left|Pikachu and Ash]]

In ''[[SM030|The Ol' Raise and Switch!]]'', Professor Kukui tasked everyone with switching their partner Pokémon with somebody else. As a result, Pikachu was given to {{an|Lillie}}, whilst [[Snowy]] went to Ash. Because of her fear of Pokémon, Lillie decided to have a battle with [[Hobbes]] and his {{p|Oricorio}} to help conquer her fear. Despite her lack of battle experience, Lillie was able to defeat Oricorio and touch Pikachu. Ash then proposed a battle against Lillie and Pikachu, to show them how strong he and Snowy had gotten together.

[[File:Ash Pikachu Alola Cap.png|thumb|250px|Pikachu wearing [[Ash's hat]] before performing {{m|10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt}}]]

{{bulbanews|Personality & Development: Ash's Pikachu}}

After Ash gained Pikachu's loyalty in ''[[EP001|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 meditating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, such as in ''[[PK01|Pikachu's Vacation]]''. In ''[[M01|Mewtwo Strikes Back]]'', Pikachu, {{MTR}}, and Meowth's clone were the only Pokémon not to participate in the giant battle; Pikachu stood motionless as his [[Pikachutwo|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 ''[[AG132|The Scheme Team]]'' and ''[[SM042|Alola, Kanto!]]''.

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 ''[[AG013|All Things Bright and Beautifly!]]''. After training hard, Pikachu finally perfected it in ''[[AG016|The Winner by a Nosepass]]'', where he used it to defeat Roxanne's {{p|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 ''[[AG150|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 ''[[BW020|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 {{p|Ducklett}}. Not only that, Pikachu has used his Ability, {{a|Static}}, a few times in the anime.

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.

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Some of [[Pokémon language|Pikachu's speech]] is consistent enough that it seems that some phrases actually mean something. (In ''[[DP115|Stealing The Conversation!]]'', {{TRT}} 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: ''[[Dawn's Piplup|Pochama]]'' (Piplup)

* Pi-kaPika: "Sayōnara," or saying "Good-bye."

{{anmov/h|electric||Ash Pikachu {{#switch: {{#expr: {{#time: U}} mod 6}}|0=Thunderbolt|1=Volt Tackle|2=Quick Attack|3=Iron Tail|4=Electro Ball|5=Electroweb}}.png|Using {{#switch: {{#expr: {{#time: U}} mod 6}}|0=Thunderbolt|1=Volt Tackle|2=Quick Attack|3=Iron Tail|4=Electro Ball|5=Electroweb}}|image2=Ash Pikachu {{#switch: {{#expr: {{#time: U}} mod 6}}|0=ThunderShock|1=Thunder|2=Leer|3=Double-Edge|4=Agility|5=Tackle}}.png|caption2=Using {{#switch: {{#expr: {{#time: U}} mod 6}}|0=Thunder Shock|1=Thunder|2=Leer|3=Double-Edge|4=Agility|5=Tackle}}}}

{{anmov|electric|Thunder Shock|EP001|Pokémon - I Choose You!}}

{{anmov/f|electric|x=yes}}

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| colspan=6 style="{{roundy|15px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}; width:96px" | For more artwork, please see [[a:Category:Pikachu|Pikachu]] and [[a:Category:Ash's Pikachu|Ash's Pikachu images on the Bulbagarden Archives]].

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==In the games==