Raichu
Electric
Best attacking moveset: Thunder Shock and Wild Charge, worth 11.8 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Raichu can learn 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charm | Fairy | 20 | 1.5s | +11 |
| Spark | Electric | 4 | 0.5s | +6 |
| Thunder Shock | Electric | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Volt Switch | Electric | 13 | 1.5s | +20 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brick Break | Fighting | 40 | 1.5s | -33 |
| Skull Bash | Normal | 130 | 3.0s | -100 |
| Surf | Water | 60 | 1.5s | -50 |
| Thunder Punch | Electric | 50 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Trailblaze | Grass | 65 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Wild Charge | Electric | 90 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Thunder Legacy | Electric | 100 | 2.5s | -100 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Raichu has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, evolution, photobomb.
Other forms
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 2,467 at level 50, 2,182 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,247 CP at level 20, or 1,558 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,180 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 193 attack · 151 defense · 155 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 1 km per Candy |
| Size | 0.8 m and 30 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Raichu does not have one best moveset, it has 5. 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 | 17.7 | |
| Water | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 17.7 |
| Rock | Thunder Shock + Surf | 12.9 |
| Fire | Thunder Shock + Surf | 12.9 |
| Fighting | Charm + Wild Charge | 12.7 |
| Dark | Charm + Wild Charge | 12.7 |
| Dragon | Charm + Skull Bash | 11.8 |
| Normal | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Poison | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Bug | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Ghost | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Steel | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Psychic | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Ice | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Fairy | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 11.8 |
| Ground | Charm + Surf | 10.8 |
| Grass | Charm + Skull Bash | 9.1 |
| Electric | Charm + Skull Bash | 9.1 |
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 Raichu is actually for.
Counters: what beats Raichu
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 31.3 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 30.2 |
 Excadrill | GroundSteel | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 29.7 |
 Mamoswine | IceGround | Mud Slap + High Horsepower | 29.2 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Hidden Power + Crush Grip Legacy | 28.2 |
 Rhyperior | GroundRock | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 28.2 |
 Garchomp | DragonGround | Mud Shot + Earthquake | 27.9 |
 Landorus | Ground | Mud Shot + Earth Power | 27.8 |
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 27.4 |
 Krookodile | GroundDark | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 26.9 |
Ranked by damage per second against Raichu's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.