Pikachu
Electric
Best attacking moveset: Thunder Shock and Wild Charge, worth 7.5 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Pikachu can learn 15 combinations. Thunder Shock with Wild Charge does the most damage per second of them, at level 40 with a perfect attack stat. Same-type moves get the 1.2× bonus, and the cycle assumes the charged attack fires the moment it has the energy.
Stats and moves come straight from the game's own data files. Every number on this page is a raid and gym number, not a PvP one.
Type matchups
| Fast attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Attack | Normal | 10 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Thunder Shock | Electric | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Present Legacy | Normal | 6 | 1.5s | +23 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discharge | Electric | 65 | 2.5s | -33 |
| Thunderbolt | Electric | 80 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Wild Charge | Electric | 90 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Surf Legacy | Water | 60 | 1.5s | -50 |
| Thunder Legacy | Electric | 100 | 2.5s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Pikachu has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,060 at level 50, 938 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 536 CP at level 20, or 670 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 493 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 112 attack · 96 defense · 111 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 50 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Size | 0.4 m and 6 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Pikachu does not have one best moveset, it has 4. Which one wins depends on what you are attacking, because a move only gets its bonus against something weak to it. Best against Flying, Water, Rock.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.6 | |
| Water | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.6 |
| Rock | Thunder Shock + Surf | 8.1 |
| Fire | Thunder Shock + Surf | 8.1 |
| Normal | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Fighting | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Poison | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Bug | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Ghost | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Steel | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Psychic | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Ice | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Dark | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Fairy | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 7.5 |
| Ground | Quick Attack + Surf | 7.2 |
| Electric | Quick Attack + Surf | 5.3 |
| Grass | Quick Attack + Wild Charge | 4.8 |
| Dragon | Quick Attack + Wild Charge | 4.8 |
Same maths as the headline number, run once per defending type: level 40, perfect attack IV, and the target's own type taken into account. Sorted by damage, so the top of this table is what Pikachu is actually for.
Counters: what beats Pikachu
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 46.8 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 45.1 |
 Excadrill | GroundSteel | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 44.4 |
 Mamoswine | IceGround | Mud Slap + High Horsepower | 43.6 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Hidden Power + Crush Grip Legacy | 42.2 |
 Rhyperior | GroundRock | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 42.1 |
 Garchomp | DragonGround | Mud Shot + Earthquake | 41.7 |
 Landorus | Ground | Mud Shot + Earth Power | 41.5 |
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 41.0 |
 Krookodile | GroundDark | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 40.1 |
Ranked by damage per second against Pikachu's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.