Pichu
- For fighter info, seePichu (SSBM) andPichu (SSBU).
| Pichu | |
|---|---|
   Official artwork of Pichu fromPokémon FireRed andLeafGreen Versions andSpiky-eared Pichu fromArceus and the Jewel of Life. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Debut | Pokémon Gold andSilver Versions (1999) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Melee Brawl SSB4 (3DS only) Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) |
| Console/platform of origin | Game Boy Color |
| Species | Pichu |
| Gender | Varies |
| Place of origin | Johto |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori |
| Voice actor | Satomi Korogi |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Pichu (Pokémon) |
Pichu (ピチュー,Pichu) is the Tiny Mouse Pokémon from thePokémon series. It debuted in the series'second generation, and is present as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Melee andSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate after being absent from bothSuper Smash Bros. Brawl andSuper Smash Bros. 4.
Origin[edit]
Pichu is a small, rodent-like Pokémon characterized by its yellow fur, flat, triangular ears, and pink cheeks. It is categorized within the Pokédex at #172 as the "Tiny Mouse Pokémon".[1] As both the pre-evolved form ofPikachu and ababy Pokémon, Pichu is much less powerful than its evolved forms. While it cannot learn some moves that Pikachu andRaichu can, it can learn three moves (Charm,Sweet Kiss andNasty Plot) that its evolved forms could not learn untilPokémon Sword andShield. Pichu only evolves into Pikachu when it achieves a very high level offriendship with itsTrainer.
ThePokédex explains that the electricity pouches in Pichu's cheeks are still small and unable to store much electricity. This, in turn, makes it inexperienced with handling electrical attacks, to the point that it occasionally inflicts damage to itself. While this does not actually occur in thePokémon games (outside oftwoinstances where it is a universal mechanic), it has nevertheless been demonstrated in thePokémon anime, inPokémon Channel and theSuper Smash Bros. series.
Pichu's inexperience with handling electricity may also result in spontaneously discharging if amused or startled. Despite its small size, it can zap even adult humans, but surprises itself whenever it does so. When it plays with other Pichu, they may short out electricity with each other, creating a shower of sparks, startling them and causing them to start crying.[1]
Pichu becomes more adept at storing electricity as it grows older, and will start playing with other Pichu by touching tails and discharging sparks in apparent mutual tests of courage. It charges itself with electricity more easily on days that either have very dry air or thunderclouds, in which case the crackling of static electricity can be heard coming off of it.[1]
If the parent of a Pichu holds aLight Ball while the egg is produced, that Pichu will knowVolt Tackle when it hatches. This is the only way other than move tutoring for any member of Pichu's evolutionary line to learn Volt Tackle. It is also not an egg move, meaning a parent that knows Volt Tackle is unable to pass the move down to its descendants.
Like Pikachu, Pichu has a special variant of its species; in Pichu's case, it isSpiky-eared Pichu, which debuted inPokémon HeartGold andSoulSilver. True to her name, Spiky-eared Pichu features three spiky tufts of fur on her left ear. Spiky-eared Pichu also deviates from other members of her species by knowingHelping Hand andPain Split, having differentPokéathlon stats and, most notably, her inability to evolve or be traded outsideHeartGold andSoulSilver and her incompatibility with thePoké Transfer by extension. The latter two traits are later explained byProfessor Elm as a side effect of her constantly traveling through time withCelebi.
While nowhere near as prominent as its evolved counterpart, Pichu has had major roles in several multimediaPokémon projects. The theatrical shortPikachu & Pichu introduces thePichu Brothers, two brothers who lead a club of mostly baby Pokémon in the city of Big Town, who would appear frequently in thePokémon Chronicles spin-off series and spawn their own game on thePokémon mini platform. More recently, a stop-motion animated series known asPokémon Tales: The Misadventures of Sirfetch'd & Pichu has been announced, which is to be animated byAardman Animations ofWallace & Gromit fame.
InSuper Smash Bros. Melee[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
Pichu is a playableunlockable character inSuper Smash Bros. Melee. As confirmed in a development news update shortly afterMelee's release, Pichu was purposed to be a "joke character" because of its status as an inferiorclone ofPikachu that possesses more weaknesses and weaker strengths.[2] Its most infamous flaw is based on its Pokédex description of unintentionally harming itself with its own electricity: whenever Pichu performs anelectrical attack, it will sustain 1%-4%recoil damage. Along with this, Pichu is the lightest character inMelee, giving it extremely poor endurance. Although its agility and okay juggling capabilities were more recently highlighted, such positives are insufficient to offset its multitude of cons, resulting in Pichu currently ranking 22nd out of 26 on theMelee tier list in the D tier.
Trophies[edit]
As a playable character, Pichu has three trophies - a normal trophy won beating theClassic Mode with Pichu on any difficulty, and "Smash Red" and "Smash Blue" trophies are acquired by beating the Adventure and All-Star modes, respectively.
- Pichu
- (1.0/1.01 NTSC) A baby Electric-type Pokémon identifiable by its big ears, Pichu evolves into Pikachu. It's not very skilled at storing up electrical energy and will sometimes discharge it if jarred. Although it's small, it has enough electrical power to give even an adult quite a shock. It's often startled by its own power.
- (1.02 NTSC/PAL) A Tiny Mouse Pokémon identifiable by its big ears, Pichu evolves into Pikachu. It's not very skilled at storing up electrical energy and will sometimes discharge it if jarred. Although it's small, it has enough electrical power to give even an adult quite a shock. It's often startled by its own power.
- Pokémon Gold & Silver (10/00)
.png)
- PichuSMASH
- Compared with Pikachu, Pichu is a tad more nimble and a little more difficult to hit. Those are the only two advantages, however, and since Pichu damages itself when it uses electrical attacks, it's best suited for handicapped matches. Even though Pichu's tough to catch, it's easy to throw its tiny frame great distances.
- B: Thunder Jolt
- Smash B: Skull Bash
.png)
- PichuSMASH
- Pichu is the lightest character in Super Smash Bros. Melee., and it's top of the class in weakness, too! For Pichu, it's all about scampering here and there to pick up items that will help it survive. The first warp in Agility causes 1 point of damage to Pichu, and the second causes 3, so try to limit the number of times you use the move.
- Up & B: Agility
- Down & B: Thunder
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
Pichu is one of the five playable characters inMelee who did not return as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, along withDr. Mario,Mewtwo,Roy andYoung Link. It is also the only character who neither has unfinished data onBrawl's disc, nor a new playable character as a successor. Instead, Pichu only appears as a trophy. However, its ability towall jump and the blue goggles from itsblue alternate costume were given toPikachu.
Trophy[edit]
Pichu makes an appearance inBrawl as a collectible trophy. It is obtained by completingAll-Star Mode without using a continue. The trophy describes Pichu's appearance in thePokémon games, and makes no reference whatsoever to its appearance inMelee.
- Pichu
- A Tiny Mouse Pokémon. Because its electric cheek pouches are still small, it cannot store electricity yet. Pichu has been known to flaunt its courage by touching tails with others and setting off sparks. It is easier for Pichu to build up electricity when the humidity is lower. Pichu will evolve into Pikachu.
:Pokémon Gold/Silver
:Pokémon Diamond/Pearl
InSuper Smash Bros. 4[edit]
Once again, Pichu only appears as a trophy inSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, whileSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U references it viaPalutena's Guidance regardingPikachu. Once again, Pikachu still has Pichu's blue goggles and Pichu's wall jump.
Trophy[edit]
- Pichu
- Professor Elm must have been shocked when he discovered a pre-evolution of Pikachu! These cute baby Pokémon often discharge electricity accidentally when something takes them by surprise. They also play together by using their tails to make sparks fly! It's cute to watch, but it's good training for battle, too.
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a playable character[edit]
After a two-installment absence, Pichu returns as a playable character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. This marks its first playable appearance in theSuper Smash Bros. series in 17 years, a distinction shared with fellowMelee newcomerYoung Link. In addition,Spiky-eared Pichu appears in this game as a playable character via Pichu's alternate costumes.Ultimate also marks her first appearance in any form of official media (video games or otherwise) in nearly a decade. UnlikePikachu Libre, Spiky-eared Pichu does not have an obtainable Fighter Spirit.
Pichu still functions as a lighter, polarizedclone of Pikachu, yet it has nevertheless been somewhat de-cloned (though not to the same extent as previous clones due to it not receiving as many entirely original moves), thanks to several of its moves having received modified animations, functionality changes and/or frame data adjustments, as well as Pikachu gaining a new neutral aerial. Presumably due to its previous status as a "joke character" inMelee, Pichu has been buffed greatly. Although several of Pichu's moves had their recoil damage increased in update 3.1.0, a few of these nerfs were undone in update 11.0.0. As a result, Pichu is considered by many to be a viable character, albeit not to same degree as before update 3.1.0, currently ranking in the C+ tier at the 53rd place out of 82.
Despite the term "Echo Fighter" being used inUltimate to denote clones, Pichu is not labeled as such, and no official reason has been given for this oddity. However, it is worth noting that clone characters introduced beforeSSB4 are not labeled as Echo Fighters.
Spirit[edit]
410.Pichu
Gallery[edit]
Spiky-eared Pichu, as she appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | ピチュー,Pichu |
 English | Pichu |
 French | Pichu |
 German | Pichu |
 Spanish | Pichu |
 Italian | Pichu |
 Chinese | 皮丘,Pichu |
 Korean | 피츄,Pichu |
 Dutch | Pichu |
 Russian | Пичу |
 Portuguese | Pichu |
Trivia[edit]
- Pichu is the only playable character inSmash whose console of origin is the Game Boy Color.
- Pichu is the only playablebaby Pokémon.
- Pichu is the most recent playable character to debut in the 20th century.
- Despite Pichu using bothSkull Bash andAgility as part of its moveset, Pichu cannot legitimately learn either move in thePokémoncore series.
- Additionally, both moves dealrecoil damage to Pichu, even though neither of them are Electric-type moves.
- Pichu andYoung Link are the only playable characters to skip more than one installment in theSuper Smash Bros. series prior to returning to the series in a playable capacity. Therefore, both have the longest gap for lack of playable appearances between installments.
- Pichu is the only character in the series with non-special attacks that inflict recoil damage.
- Pichu is, in bothSmash games that it makes a playable appearance in, the lightest character byweight across the entire cast, beatingJigglypuff.
References[edit]
- ^abcPichu | Pokédex
- ^News Flash! Smash Bros. Dojo: Pichu (translated 2015-09-24;original posted 2001-12-11)
| Playable characters | |
|---|---|
| Super Smash Bros. | Captain Falcon ·Donkey Kong ·Fox ·Jigglypuff ·Kirby ·Link ·Luigi ·Mario ·Ness ·Pikachu ·Samus ·Yoshi |
| New inMelee | Bowser ·Dr. Mario ·Falco ·Ganondorf ·Ice Climbers ·Marth ·Mewtwo ·Mr. Game & Watch ·Peach ·Pichu ·Roy ·Sheik ·Young Link ·Zelda |
| New inBrawl | Diddy Kong ·Ike ·King Dedede ·Lucario ·Lucas ·Meta Knight ·Olimar (Pikmin) ·Pit ·Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle ·Ivysaur ·Charizard) ·R.O.B. ·Snake ·Sonic ·Toon Link ·Wario ·Wolf ·Zero Suit Samus |
| New inSmash 4 | (Alph) ·Bayonetta ·Bowser Jr. (Koopalings) ·Cloud ·Corrin ·Dark Pit ·Duck Hunt ·Greninja ·Little Mac ·Lucina ·Mega Man ·Mii Brawler ·Mii Gunner ·Mii Swordfighter ·Pac-Man ·Palutena ·Robin ·Rosalina &Luma ·Ryu ·Shulk ·Villager ·Wii Fit Trainer |
| New inUltimate | Banjo &Kazooie ·Byleth ·Chrom ·Daisy ·Dark Samus ·Hero ·Incineroar ·Inkling ·Isabelle ·Joker ·Kazuya ·Ken ·King K. Rool ·Min Min ·Mythra ·Piranha Plant ·Pyra ·Richter ·Ridley ·Sephiroth ·Simon ·Sora ·Steve (Alex,Zombie,Enderman) ·Terry |
