Pichu is a darling little thing, isn't it? Between its big round eyes and adorably too-large ears, Pichu is a perfect fit for being introduced in the second generation as an add-on to the Pikachu line. Pichu is what is known as a baby Pokemon- a smaller, cuter version of its next evolution that is unable to breed. Because it's a baby. Duh. As a kid I hated Pichu with a passion because of how useless it was outside of learning Sweet Kiss in Pearl, which was a nightmare for me to face as a nine-year-old. Now, though, I think Pichu is a reasonably cute Pokemon, and I can see why Nintendo wanted to cash in on Pikachu's popularity.



The cash cow darling of the Pokemon franchise, Pikachu is a favorite of mine because of Pokemon Trainer Lore- though outside of that, I'm not sure why Nintendo latched so hard onto it. Sure it's cute, but wouldn't the beloved Charmander have fared better as a mascot? Though, truly, I'm glad Pikachu is the option they went with- not too cute, not too burly-looking, just right to appeal to all people. It's honestly one of the more recognizable mascots in modern media, with many a parent calling every Pokemon a "Pikachu." All in all, a worthy mascot for Nintendo indeed- and whatever gamble they'd taken in making Pikachu their mascot paid off a million-fold.



I might sing the praises of Pikachu, but truly Raichu is my favorite of the line. The color change, earl curls, and whiplike tail were something I Adored as a kid, and still do today. What a shame that it takes a backseat to Pikachu's fame, though. Can you imagine how much it must suck to be better in every way and still be overshadowed? Smh. It doesn;t help that Raichu is, by all accounts, is relatively useless. But I'll talk about that in the battle portion.

So how does it hold up in battle?

In few words, like many other Generation 1 Pokemon... not very well. If it had more Special Attack instead of physical Attack, then perhaps it could fare well. But as it stands, it's too much of an all-arounder with no specific focus, and that hurts its standings in battle quite a bit. Its defenses leave something to be desired as well, far too squishy to sustain itself.

Final Thoughts

The Pikachu line is one of the most well-known and famous Pokemon to exist, to the point where most any random person off the street has at least heard of this "Pikachu" character. It's cute, it's made Nintendo a lot of money, and most importantly, it's gotten a lot of people to at least look at Pokemon as a franchise. It doesn;t hold up well in battle, but thats okay- it doesn't need to to find its way into the collective conscience.