Raikou
Electric
Best attacking moveset: Thunder Shock and Aura Sphere, worth 14.1 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Raikou can learn 10 combinations. Thunder Shock with Aura Sphere 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunder Shock | Electric | 4 | 0.5s | +7 |
| Volt Switch | Electric | 13 | 1.5s | +20 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura Sphere | Fighting | 100 | 2.0s | -50 |
| Shadow Ball | Ghost | 100 | 3.0s | -50 |
| Thunder | Electric | 100 | 2.5s | -100 |
| Thunderbolt | Electric | 80 | 2.5s | -50 |
| Wild Charge | Electric | 90 | 2.5s | -50 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Raikou has been released. Players have found it from: wild, raid, research, photobomb.
Numbers
| Max CP | 3,902 at level 50, 3,452 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 1,972 CP at level 20, or 2,466 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 1,889 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 241 attack · 195 defense · 207 stamina |
What it costs
| Second charged move | 100,000 Stardust and 100 Candy |
|---|---|
| Buddy distance | 20 km per Candy |
| Purify a Shadow one | 20,000 Stardust and 20 Candy |
| Size | 1.91 m and 178 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Raikou does not have one best moveset, it has 3. 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, Normal.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 22.0 | |
| Water | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 22.0 |
| Normal | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 20.0 |
| Rock | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 20.0 |
| Steel | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 20.0 |
| Ice | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 20.0 |
| Dark | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 20.0 |
| Ghost | Thunder Shock + Shadow Ball | 17.0 |
| Psychic | Thunder Shock + Shadow Ball | 17.0 |
| Fighting | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 14.1 |
| Fire | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 14.1 |
| Poison | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 13.6 |
| Bug | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 13.6 |
| Fairy | Thunder Shock + Wild Charge | 13.6 |
| Ground | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 12.8 |
| Grass | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 12.8 |
| Electric | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 12.8 |
| Dragon | Thunder Shock + Aura Sphere | 12.8 |
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 Raikou is actually for.
Counters: what beats Raikou
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Groudon | Ground | Mud Shot + Precipice Blades Legacy | 24.7 |
 Eternatus | PoisonDragon | Poison Jab + Dynamax Cannon Legacy | 23.9 |
 Excadrill | GroundSteel | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 23.5 |
 Mamoswine | IceGround | Mud Slap + High Horsepower | 23.1 |
 Regigigas | Normal | Hidden Power + Crush Grip Legacy | 22.3 |
 Rhyperior | GroundRock | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 22.3 |
 Garchomp | DragonGround | Mud Shot + Earthquake | 22.0 |
 Landorus | Ground | Mud Shot + Earth Power | 21.9 |
 Blacephalon | FireGhost | Incinerate + Mind Blown Legacy | 21.7 |
 Krookodile | GroundDark | Mud Slap + Earthquake | 21.2 |
Ranked by damage per second against Raikou's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.