Riolu
Fighting
Best attacking moveset: Counter and Blaze Kick, worth 6.7 damage per second against a neutral target.
Best moveset
Riolu can learn 10 combinations. Counter with Blaze Kick 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counter | Fighting | 13 | 1.0s | +9 |
| Quick Attack | Normal | 10 | 1.0s | +13 |
| Charged attack | Type | Power | Duration | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaze Kick | Fire | 40 | 1.0s | -33 |
| Brick Break | Fighting | 40 | 1.5s | -33 |
| Cross Chop | Fighting | 50 | 1.5s | -50 |
| Low Sweep | Fighting | 40 | 2.0s | -33 |
| Thunder Punch | Electric | 50 | 2.0s | -33 |
Shiny
Yes. Shiny Riolu has been released. Players have found it from: wild, egg, research, photobomb.
Evolution family
Numbers
| Max CP | 1,123 at level 50, 993 at level 40 |
|---|---|
| Raid catch | 567 CP at level 20, or 709 if weather boosted (perfect IVs) |
| Lowest possible raid catch | 522 CP. Raid encounters can't roll below 10/10/10 |
| Base stats | 127 attack · 78 defense · 120 stamina |
What it costs
| Candy to evolve | 25 Candy |
|---|---|
| Second charged move | 10,000 Stardust and 25 Candy |
| Buddy distance | 5 km per Candy |
| Size | 0.7 m and 20.2 kg |
Best moveset against each type
Riolu 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 Steel, Ice, Normal.
| Against | Best moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | Counter + Blaze Kick | 10.6 |
| Ice | Counter + Blaze Kick | 10.6 |
| Normal | Counter + Cross Chop | 10.6 |
| Rock | Counter + Cross Chop | 10.6 |
| Dark | Counter + Cross Chop | 10.6 |
| Bug | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 8.5 |
| Grass | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 8.5 |
| Quick Attack + Thunder Punch | 7.7 | |
| Water | Quick Attack + Thunder Punch | 7.7 |
| Fighting | Counter + Blaze Kick | 6.7 |
| Ground | Counter + Blaze Kick | 6.7 |
| Electric | Counter + Blaze Kick | 6.7 |
| Fire | Counter + Cross Chop | 6.6 |
| Dragon | Counter + Cross Chop | 6.6 |
| Poison | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 6.5 |
| Psychic | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 6.5 |
| Fairy | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 6.5 |
| Ghost | Quick Attack + Blaze Kick | 5.1 |
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 Riolu is actually for.
Counters: what beats Riolu
| Attacker | Type | Moveset | DPS |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mewtwo | Psychic | Confusion + Psystrike Legacy | 67.4 |
 Enamorus | Fairy | Fairy Wind + Fly | 65.1 |
 Tapu Lele | PsychicFairy | Confusion + Natures Madness Legacy | 60.7 |
 Yveltal | Dark | Gust + Oblivion Wing Legacy | 57.6 |
 Alakazam | Psychic | Confusion + Psychic Legacy | 57.5 |
 Toucannon | Normal | Peck + Beak Blast Legacy | 57.1 |
 Moltres | Fire | Wing Attack + Fly | 56.8 |
 Staraptor | Normal | Gust + Fly Legacy | 56.0 |
 Azelf | Psychic | Confusion + Futuresight | 55.8 |
 Hoopa | PsychicGhost | Confusion + Psychic | 55.5 |
Ranked by damage per second against Riolu's own defense, at level 40 with a 15 attack IV, one per evolution family.