Pikachu (Yellow)

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Pikachu
ピカチュウPikachu

Pikachu inPokémon Yellow
Debuts inPokémon Yellow
Caught atProfessor Oak's Laboratory
GenderMale or Female[1]
AbilityLightning Rod[2]
Current locationWith the player
This Pokémon has not evolved.
Voice actorJapaneseEnglish
As PikachuIkue Ootani

Pikachu is thefirst partner Pokémon given to theplayer byProfessor Oak at the start ofPokémon Yellow. It is based onAsh's Pikachu fromPokémon the Series: The Beginning, which this game is loosely based on.

This Pikachu, due to its unique characteristics and mechanics, is sometimes unofficially referred to as the "partner Pikachu" to distinguish it from regular Pikachu originating from a game other than Pokémon Yellow.

In the core series games

Pokémon Yellow

Pikachu first appearing as awild Pokémon

Pikachu first appears along the outskirts ofRoute 1, whereProfessor Oak will encounter andcatch it. When the player visitsProfessor Oak's Laboratory, Oak had intended to give anEevee to the player to start their Pokémon journey, but his impatient grandsonBlue takes it instead. So that the player still has a Pokémon, Oak gives the player the Pikachu he just caught instead. The Kantofirst partner Pokémon (Bulbasaur,Charmander, andSquirtle) are not received from Oak in Pokémon Yellow, but these three Pokémon can be received later in the game (which reflects howAsh Ketchum eventually obtains all three Kanto first partner Pokémon inPokémon the Series). After battling against Blue for the first time, the Pikachu chooses to stay out of itsPoké Ball andfollow the player as long as it is in the party and not fainted.

In battle, Pikachu arrives from the side of the screen, instead of being sent from aPoké Ball. At the start of the game, Pikachu is kept in its Poké Ball prior to the first battle against Blue, but it is still sent from the side of the screen in this battle.

This Pikachu is the only Pikachu found in Pokémon Yellow, although other Pikachu can betraded in from otherGeneration I andII games. In theVirtual Console release of Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu can participate in thePikachu's Beach minigame.

Starting moveset

Friendship

Main article:Friendship → Generation I

In Pokémon Yellow, the concept offriendship was first introduced as a game mechanic specific to Pikachu. There are several actions that increase or decrease Pikachu's friendship. Pikachu's friendship value remains even if Pikachu is traded to other Generation I or II games and then traded back to its original game.

Although the player's friendship with Pikachu does not have many uses in the game, it is vital if the player wishes to receive a Bulbasaur inCerulean City.

This game mechanic was later expanded inGeneration II, where each individual Pokémon has its own friendship value.

Interactions

Pikachu and the player traveling together

Should the player speak to Pikachu, a small animation of his current emotion will pop up; this image can also be an indication of Pikachu's friendship. The game also shows animations of several other events:

  • If the player has been idle for at least 8 seconds, Pikachu starts randomly turning to look at one of the four directions.
  • If the player has been idle for at least 8 seconds and the player and Pikachu are separated by a ledge, Pikachu starts jumping or spinning around.
  • If talked to right after the player loses to Blue in the Pokémon Lab, Pikachu will turn its back to the player.
  • If talked to right after the player wins against Blue in the Pokémon Lab, it will appear uninterested in the player.
  • If Pikachu is affected by astatus condition, it will appear weak or in pain. If it is asleep, it will appear asleep when talked to.
  • If Pikachu has just learnedThunder or Thunderbolt, it may shock the player if talked to.
  • When the player heals their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, Pikachu jumps over the counter to be healed. Once the healing process ends, Pikachu remains on the counter until the player walks away with it.
  • InPewter City's Pokémon Center, there is aJigglypuff that willSing a lullaby if talked to. After listening to the Jigglypuff, Pikachu will fall asleep and not move unless awakened by the player. The center's nurse will also comment on Pikachu's sleeping if talked to, instead of healing the party. The cable club will also be inaccessible. Until the player awakens Pikachu, it cannot be deposited into thePC, have items used on it (excluding thePoké Flute), or moved in the party.
  • When the player goes toBill's house and discovers that he has turned into a Pokémon, Pikachu will approach him and look confused. When Bill reappears in human form, Pikachu will appear to be shocked.
  • If the player walks into thePokémon Fan Club inVermilion City, Pikachu will approach aClefairy and fall in love with it.
  • If the player uses a fishing rod and then checks Pikachu, it will appear to have a bait bucket over its head.
  • If taken insidePokémon Tower, Pikachu will appear to be scared.
  • If talked to right after the player catches a Pokémon, it will make a V with its fingers to represent victory, similarly to how Ash's Pikachu posed after Ash caughtCaterpie.
  • If talked to after the player loses or runs away from a battle, or the battle ends by the use ofRoar orWhirlwind, Pikachu will appear disappointed in and unsure of its Trainer.
  • Reflecting theactions of Ash's Pikachu, this Pikachu will refuse aThunderstone given to it in Yellow, and, if talked to after the player tries to use the stone, will shake its head in refusal.
  • After the player stores Pikachu in Bill's computer, Pikachu complains and becomes less friendly toward the player.

Walking animation

In the game overworld, Pikachu's walking animation is faster if its friendship is equal to or higher than 80.

Location

This single Pikachu appears onRoute 1, at the start of Pokémon Yellow. In this game, no other wild Pikachu can be found on this route or anywhere else.

Entering battles

The player's partner Pikachu appears quickly moving from left to right when entering aPokémon battle, unlike other Pokémon who are sent from their Poké Balls.

This references the fact that Pikachu is not kept in a Poké Ball. However, in the first battle against the rivalBlue, Pikachu also appears moving from left to right like in all battles, despite the fact that, at this point, it was being kept in the Poké Ball instead.

A Pikachu traded from another game (with a differentOT orTrainer ID number) is also sent from a Poké Ball in battle like any regular Pokémon.

In link battles, the opponent’s Pikachu is always treated like a regular Pokémon, even if both players are playing Pokémon Yellow. When Pikachu is sent for battle, it is shown arriving from the side in its original game, but it is shown coming from a Poké Ball in the other player's game.

Cry

This Pikachu says its own name,voiced byIkue Otani, as opposed to the electronic noise uttered by other Pokémon. When Pikachu is in the process of being sent or received in atrade, it utters an electronic noise like other Pokémon, instead of saying its own name. Another player's Pikachu in a link battle is always treated like a regular Pikachu, so it utters the standard electronic cry.

Individual values and gender

As seen in the game data, this Pikachu'sindividual values (IVs) are randomly generated twice. They are first generated when it appears as a wild Pokémon onRoute 1, but these original values are ignored and discarded as Pikachu is immediately caught byProfessor Oak. Pikachu's IVs are randomly generated again when it is given to the player atProfessor Oak's Laboratory.

Pikachu has no identifiedgender in Pokémon Yellow, like all other Pokémon inGeneration I games except forNidoran♀ andNidoran♂. This Pikachu is shown to be male or female, based on its Attack IV (the value generated when given to the player), like any other Pikachu, if it istraded to aGeneration II game, used inPokémon Stadium 2, or transferred from aVirtual Console game toPokémon Bank through thePoké Transporter.

Catch rate and held item

As seen in the game data, when this Pikachu appears as a wild Pokémon onRoute 1 and is caught byProfessor Oak, it has a catch rate of 190 like any wild Pikachu. However, when it is given to the player, this Pikachu has a catch rate of 163, which is theGeneration II index number of theLight Ball.

If this Pikachu is traded from Pokémon Yellow into theGeneration II games using theTime Capsule or is used inPokémon Stadium 2, it is shown to beholding aLight Ball due to the fact that the Generation I catch rate value is interpreted as the Pokémon's held item in Generation II.

If a Pokémon in theVirtual Console version of a Generation I or II game is transferred toPokémon Bank via thePoké Transporter, it will not have any held item. The held item is lost in a Generation I game, or returns to the bag in a Generation II game.

Evolution

Pikachu is unable to evolve in its original game. If the player tries to use aThunderstone on it, Pikachu will shake its head in refusal and the game text will say "Pikachu is refusing!", but this does not affect their friendship. However, it can evolve intoRaichu in another game (including another copy of Pokémon Yellow). There is no way to obtain Raichu in Pokémon Yellow except by either trading one in or using a Thunderstone on anoutsider Pikachu. If Pikachu evolves into Raichu, it is treated like any other Pokémon, even if it returns to its original game: it is kept in the Poké Ball and doesn't follow the player, it doesn't have afriendship value, etc.

Releasing

Pikachu is unable to be released in its original game. If the player attempts to release Pikachu, it will complain and the game text will say "Pikachu looks unhappy about it!", but this does not affect their friendship. Pikachu can be traded away and released in another game, or released normally in thePokémon Stadium series, like any other Pokémon. If Pikachu evolves in another game and returns to its original game asRaichu, it can be released normally as well.

Multiple partner Pikachu

InPokémon Yellow, even though the player's partner Pikachu is a unique Pokémon and there is no other Pikachu available in-game, any other Pikachu that the player is theOriginal Trainer of (according to their Original Trainer name andTrainer ID number) is equally treated as the partner Pikachu. This includes any duplicates of the partner Pikachu with the use ofcloning glitches, or any wild Pikachu encountered in the current game by means such as theold man glitch or theTrainer-Fly glitch.

If a Pokémon Yellow player has the same name and ID as a player of any otherGeneration I orII game (including another copy of Pokémon Yellow), any Pikachu caught or originally hatched as aPichu in the other game is treated as the partner Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow.

If the player has multiple OT Pikachu in theparty, only the first of those Pikachu is able to follow the player. If the first OT Pikachu is affected by a non-volatilestatus condition, then it will react with the respective animation when the player interacts with it. If the first OT Pikachu isfainted, then no Pikachu follows the player. If the player swaps the order of fainted and non-fainted Pikachu in the party, this makes the Pikachu seen in the overworld appear or disappear based on the first OT Pikachu.

When Pikachu is affected by certain scripted events in the overworld, it will not be possible to see thesummary or change the order of any OT Pikachu in the party before the event ends. This includes Pikachu sleeping as a result of the player interacting withJigglypuff at thePewter CityPokémon Center, or Pikachu interacting withClefairy at theVermilion CityPokémon Fan Club.

All partner Pikachu are unable to evolve in the current game and speak by saying variations of their name "Pikachu" voiced byIkue Ohtani instead of the regular electronic cry of other Pokémon. All partner Pikachu share the same friendship value, so any friendship-modifying event applies to all of them. For instance, if any partner Pikachulevels up or if the player teaches aTM move to any partner Pikachu, the shared friendship value increases; if any partner Pikachu faints or if the player deposits any partner Pikachu in thePokémon Storage System, the shared friendship value decreases. However, Pikachu's friendship only increases as a result of challenging aGym Leader if the first OT Pikachu in the party is not fainted when the battle starts.

Comparison with other Pikachu

Anyoutsider Pikachu (according to their Original Trainer name andTrainer ID number) behaves like any other regular Pokémon. An outsider Pikachu can be traded from other compatible games. Additionally, sometimes Pikachu were distributed as events, such as theNintendo Power Pikachu (aSurfing Pikachu that was available fromNintendo Power in 1999).

Outsider Pikachu don't have afriendship value, and they don't follow or interact with the player like the partner Pikachu. In battle, outsider Pikachu are sent from a Poké Ball (as opposed to being sent from the side like the partner Pikachu). The outsider Pikachu don't say their name; theircry is a normal electronic noise like other Pokémon. The outsider Pikachu are able toevolve normally intoRaichu, and are able to bereleased.

Gallery

Sprite from
Yellow		Menu and overworld
sprite fromYellow		Back sprite from
Yellow		Mood sprite from
Yellow

In the side series games

Pokémon Stadium series

Using theTransfer Pak,Pokémon Yellow can connect with the games in thePokémon Stadium series.

In theJapanese Pokémon Stadium, Pikachu is treated like any other Pokémon. When either theEnglish Pokémon Stadium orPokémon Stadium 2 is connected with Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu has some unique animations, and it speaks by saying its own name,voiced byIkue Otani (unlike the electronic noisecry of other Pikachu).

  • When idle in battle, Pikachu keeps swinging its head to the sides, with its ears slightly uneven.
    • This idle animation is seen in the Gallery screen as well. (This screen is used to take snapshots of the player's Pokémon, only in the North American version ofPokémon Stadium.)
    • Only inPokémon Stadium 2, this idle animation is shown when Pikachu is checked in the PC or thetrading machine in the Pokémon Lab.
  • When entering a battle, Pikachu waves happily to the player. In the Gallery screen, the partner Pikachu waves happily every few seconds.

When Pikachu is in battle, it does not matter whether the player or the computer is using it; in either case, Pikachu still has its unique animations and talks by saying its own name. (The computer is able to use the player's Pokémon in the Free Battle mode of all three Pokémon Stadium games.)

Pokémon Stadium 2 featuresgenders andheld items. When Pokémon Yellow (or any otherGeneration I orGeneration II game) is connected to Pokémon Stadium 2, all Pokémon'sgenders andheld items are displayed as usual, despite the fact that genders (except forNidoran♀ andNidoran♂) and held items are not featured in the Generation I games. Like any other Pikachu, the partner Pikachu is either male or female. Pikachu initially holds aLight Ball, but the player may take or replace that item by using thePC in the Pokémon Lab.

Pikachu can be released normally like any other Pokémon in any of the three games of the Pokémon Stadium series.

Trivia

  • The Pikachu inPokémon Yellow may have inspired the concept of any Pokémonfollowing the player outside their Poké Ball inPokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
  • Although Pikachu initially resides inside of its Poké Ball until the player has battled with the rival for the first time in Pokémon Yellow, it still enters the first battle from outside of the Ball.
  • In thecore series games, the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow is the only Pokémon that:
    • Is the onlyfollowing Pokémon available in a specific game.
    • Is the only Pokémon with afriendship value available in a specific game.
    • Loses some friendship if it is stored in thePokémon Storage System.
    • Has a different cry to other Pokémon of the same species in the same game (in Pokémon Yellow, other Pikachu have a regular noise as their cry instead of beingvoiced byIkue Otani).
  • In the core series games, the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow is the onlystarting Pokémon that:
    • Is the player's first Pokémon in an upper version but not in the original versions.
    • Is the player's first Pokémon in the samegeneration but not in the same game as the introduction of its species.
    • Is seen being caught by aPokémon Professor.
    • Is obtained by the player after a failed attempt to obtain another first Pokémon (in this case, after attempting to obtainEevee).
    • Is able to gain a type advantage against the rival's first Pokémon only after the latter has evolved (in this case, intoVaporeon).
    • Is only able to evolve after it is traded to another game.
  • In the core series games, Pikachu (including both the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow and thepartner Pikachu fromPokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!) is the only starting Pokémon that:
  • According to the Japanese manual of Pokémon Yellow, theplayer character (Pikachu's Trainer) is named Yellow (Japanese: イエロー). This follows the trend where the player character was always named according to the current game in the Japanese core series manuals up to Generation II.

References

  1. ↑Will be either male or female if traded or transferred fromGeneration I.
  2. ↑Iftransferred from the 3DSVirtual Console version of any Generation I or II game toPokémon Bank.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, seePikachu.

This game character article is part ofProject CharacterDex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in thePokémon games.