#37: Pikachu

Ah yes, that cute little mouse Pokémon: Pikachu. There is a lot to say about Pikachu and I don't even know where the hell I have to start. Well, first things first, I guess...

Pikachu is a Pokémon from the first generation and it is probably the most well-known Pokémon to date. That is not without a reason, though: it has been Ash Ketchum's main Pokémon since the very first episode of the Pokémon anime. Therefore, it is probably the only Pokémon that appears in almost every, if not actually every, episode or movie so far. In the first episode, Ash oversleeps and arrives too late at Professor Oak's lab in order to get his first Pokémon: either Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle. There is one Pokémon left, however, which is obviously Pikachu. He doesn't listen to Ash at first, even zapping him with Thundershocks regularly, but after Pikachu gets hurt by a horde of Spearow, Ash snitches Misty's bicycle and rushes to a nearby Pokémon Center. From that moment on, Pikachu and Ash have become inseparable. During the course of the anime, Pikachu has shown a lot of personality. He has a love for ketchup, is sometimes seen in a bad mood, once refused to evolve into Raichu by use of a Thunderstone, had temporarily lost its memories and sided with Team Rocket during the Hoenn saga, has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, and even served as a guardian and big brother to Misty's weak Togepi.

One more reason why Pikachu is still the most well-known Pokémon to date is that Pikachu has been the Pokémon mascot since the very beginning. Right now, there is a discussion going on among Pokémon fans about whether Pikachu will get the additional fairy-type in the sixth generation. Of course these fans are divided in either the 'yes' or 'no' group, and I'm no exception. I think Gamefreak doesn't dare change the Pokémon mascot. With the exception of Ash's Pikachu, Pikachu is not a very strong Pokémon, but it doesn't need to be strong. As the Pokémon mascot it has to be recognized by everyone. Not everyone can say they know Darmanitan, Kingdra or Sceptile, but almost everyone has heard of Pikachu. It isn't the mascot for nothing: it almost always shows op on banners or in commercials presenting a special Nintendo Pokémon event. The 10-year anniversary of Pokémon, for example, or TCG competitions all over the world, not to mention that it has been Ash's main Pokémon since the beginning of the series. Pikachu has 'improved' over the years, though, especially when it comes to its features: it has gradually become skinnier! In the image above (click on it to enlarge it, or drag it to another tab) you can see that Pikachu has changed drastically during the years. All pictures were drawn by Ken Sugimori, who creates the official Pokémon art, and apparently Pikachu has been on a strict diet ever since the picture on one of the first TCG cards ever. But does that mean that Gamefreak is going to give Pikachu, as well as its pre-evolution Pichu and its evolution Raichu, a second type? Yeah, I don't think so, but I could as well be terribly wrong about that, of course.

Aside from whether Pikachu will have a second type in Pokémon X and Y or not, I haven't talked about Pikachu in the video games much. First, did you notice the change in sprites in every video game? (See image on the left; click on it to enlarge it, or drag it to another tab.) That's right, even in the games Pikachu gets skinnier! Anyway, in the first generation, Pikachu was quite an average Pokémon to use: it wasn't all that strong, its defenses were (and are nowadays still) bad, and the only good stat was its speed. That changed with the introduction of the item Light Ball, which doubles its special attack stat in generations II and III and both its attack and special attack stat in generations IV and V, effectively making it even better than Raichu offensive-wise. A speedy Pikachu with a Light Ball attached to it, the ability Static and only a weakness to ground-type Pokémon makes for a good Pokémon to use in-game or in competitions nowadays. If only the Light Ball was introduced in the first generation immediately, it would also have been a good Pokémon to use in Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow. Especially in Yellow, where you get a Pikachu as your starter Pokémon that you can't have evolved, similar to Ash's Pikachu. And you can't get a Light Ball in the second generation either, unless you transfer your starter Pikachu from Yellow to either Gold, Silver or Crystal, which means Pikachu becomes actually more useful in the third generation. Before that, you're much better off with a Raichu.

But you know what? Pikachu has such a great history in the being of Pokémon that it is easily one of my favorites. The facts that it is the most well-known Pokémon ever, appears as Ash's sidekick in almost every episode and/or movie of the anime series, has been the Pokémon mascot since the very beginning and was even used as a starter Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow as a dedication to Ash's Pikachu, mean that Pikachu won't be forgotten that easily. In fact, I think Pikachu lasts forever and will always be remembered as that one cute little electric mouse Pokémon.