Ash's Pikachu

Ash's Pikachu (Japanese: サトシのピカチュウ Satoshi's Pikachu) is the first Pokémon obtained by on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. He is the main protagonist of the Pokemon franchise.

Kanto and Johto
In the first episode of the Pokémon anime, Pokémon - I Choose You!, Ash woke up late the day he was supposed to go to to obtain his first Pokémon. When he arrived at the lab, the three available starter Pokémon,, , and , had already been taken by other Trainers who arrived earlier. Seeing that Ash was disappointed, Professor Oak gave him Pikachu, which did not take a liking to his new Trainer, constantly zapping him and anyone else nearby. He refused to go into his Poké Ball, and when Ash failed to catch a, he laughed at him. However, by the end of the episode, Ash gained Pikachu's trust by protecting him from an attack by a flock of and rushing him to the Pokémon Center. Pikachu and Ash soon became inseparable. In Pikachu's Goodbye, Ash gave Pikachu his consent to remain in a forest filled with Pikachu, but Pikachu decided to stay by Ash's side.

In general, Pikachu as a species are not particularly powerful, but Ash's Pikachu is an anomaly, overcoming odds in numerous times. In Showdown in Pewter City, he defeated Brock's Onix with an attack that triggered the sprinkler system causing Onix to be drenched in water, one of its weaknesses. In Electric Shock Showdown, Pikachu fought Lt. Surge's and lost. During a resulting hospital stay, he refused to become Raichu's equal by evolving via a, and in the second battle, Pikachu overcame Raichu by using his superior speed. The same situation happened in Pika and Goliath! where Pikachu reaffirmed his decision not to evolve. In Pokémon Emergency!, remarked that Pikachu's power "far exceeds its evolutionary level". Ash's Pikachu has also defeated very powerful Pokémon that Ash's other Pokémon were unable to, such as and. He has helped Ash win innumerable battles and Gym and matches.

However, at times, has lived up to his species' frail and brittle strengths, particularly in Gym battles where he was defeated with relative ease by his opponent; for example, he was overpowered very easily by Lt. Surge's Raichu, Sabrina's Kadabra, Blaine's Magmar, Bugsy's, Whitney's Miltank, Chuck's , Roark's Rampardos, Fantina's Drifblim, and Cress's. He also drew against Winona's and Norman's, and struggled against Crasher Wake's. Furthermore, he has lost twice to Trip's Servine, despite Trip being a starting Trainer and recently having obtained Servine.

Since Ash's first encounter with in Pokémon Emergency!, Pikachu has been pursued by the trio of Jessie, James, and. Throughout the series, it has been Jessie, James and Meowth's desire to steal this Pokémon from Ash and present him to. To do this, they have come up with many schemes. Though they have tried and continue to try hundreds of times, every last one of their plots fail, usually with the help of Ash,, other Trainers, an Officer Jenny, or even themselves (such as in the first episode of the ).

Hoenn
Pikachu became the second non-legendary Pokémon to defeat a legendary Pokémon in the anime after, beating 's in Pace - The Final Frontier!, giving Ash his final Frontier Symbol.

Pikachu is also the only one of Ash's Pokémon to accompany him to the Hoenn and Unova regions, and was intended to be the only Pokémon to accompany him to Sinnoh before was discovered to have stowed away on the ship Ash was taking. Up until the capture of Dawn's Pachirisu, Pikachu was the only Pokémon in the anime owned by a main character.

Even with his high level of electrical power, Pikachu has not stopped learning new attacks. Upon learning that Roxanne, the Rustboro Gym Leader used Rock types, Ash had Pikachu begin learning in All Things Bright and Beautifly!. After training hard, Pikachu finally perfected it in The Winner by a Nosepass, where he used it to defeat Roxanne's and earn Ash his first Hoenn Badge. In addition to giving Pikachu an advantage over Rock-types, Iron Tail has allowed Pikachu to defeat many powerful opponents. In May's Egg-Cellent Adventure, during a battle with Team Rocket, Ash ordered Pikachu to do a. Much to the surprise of Ash and his friends, the Quick Attack morphed into which sent Team Rocket blasting off. Until Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!, it has been one of Pikachu's signature moves. Also in the same episode, Pikachu learned while battling a trio of annoying. Not only that, Pikachu has used his Ability,, a few times in the anime.

In Hoenn, Pikachu learned how to surf. He also learned how to punch from Ash in The Punchy Pokémon. In Sinnoh, Ash used him during the Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament.

Sinnoh
In Sinnoh, he defeated Roark's in the Oreburgh Gym rematch. Pikachu battled again in the Pastoria Gym battle, where he battled Crasher Wake's and defeated it with a Volt Tackle to the face. He also battled Crasher Wake's Floatzel for a moment, allowing time to recover. In Shield with a Twist!, Pikachu lost to Fantina's Drifblim after a fierce battle.

Pikachu's next major battle after Fantina, was when he was used against Paul in Evolving Strategies!. First he went up against ; however, when he attacked with Quick Attack, he was ed by Magmortar's and Pikachu was recalled. Later, he went up against Paul's very powerful and  it with. This actually made things worse for Pikachu as being paralyzed activated Ursaring's Ability, and Pikachu found himself completely outmatched by Ursaring's massive power and was defeated and thrown into Lake Acuity, taking him out of the match as well as injuring him. This defeat meant that Ash had to defeat Paul's remaining five Pokémon with only.

Later, in Flint Sparks the Fire!, Pikachu battled Flint's Infernape, but he was defeated after a long fight.

In The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!, Pikachu battled against Volkner's and won, giving him his first victory over a Pokémon in the  evolutionary line. However, he was defeated by Volkner's.

In the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash used Pikachu in his battle against Paul in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!. He was used against Paul's, where he put up a good fight and weakened Aggron before he was recalled in place of Infernape. Pikachu was also used in the continuation of Ash's battle against Paul in A Real Rival Rouser!. He went against Paul's where he was seen having some trouble at first, but by the end, he was able to pull through and defeat Froslass with a powerful Volt Tackle attack. This gave Pikachu his first win against one of Paul's Pokémon and also gave Ash the lead in the battle. In Battling a Thaw in Relations!, he battled Paul's Electivire, but had trouble due to Electivire's Ability, and was soon defeated by a. In The Semi-Final Frontier!, Pikachu was the last Pokémon chosen by Ash to battle in the semi-finals. Despite Ash losing five of his Pokémon, Pikachu tried its best to defeat Tobias's. Almost none of the attacks hit or did any damage to Latios in the beginning, however, Pikachu finally managed to jump on top of Latios and used Thunderbolt several times before he was shaken off. As Pikachu was about to land, Latios used. Pikachu used Volt Tackle and Iron Tail, taking against the force of the Luster Purge. However, he was tied with Latios as both fainted. As Ash's last Pokémon also fainted, Tobias was crowned the winner of their battle.

Unova
Ash decided to just bring Pikachu to Unova with him, just like he did in Hoenn. In In The Shadow of Zekrom!, Pikachu had an encounter with, which unaware by Ash, caused Pikachu to lose his ability to use Electric-type moves. Ash finally noticed this when Pikachu battled Trip's, losing in the process. In Enter Iris and Axew!, he regained its ability to use Electric-type attacks and was used in battle which led to the capture of. In Triple Leaders, Team Threats!, Ash used Pikachu in his Gym battle at the Striaton Gym, where he faced Cress and his. Even though he tried his best, Pikachu was just not as fast as Panpour and was defeated without landing a single hit despite the type-advantage. In A Battle for Club Champ!, he battled Trip's, who had already taken out Ash's Oshawott and. He took a beating from multiple s, but showed Trip the power of his electrical attacks by defeating Tranquill with Volt Tackle. He then battled Snivy again, who by then had evolved into. However, despite not being incapacitated, he was once again defeated. In Minccino-Neat and Tidy!, Ash used Pikachu in a battle against and her. Even though he had some trouble at first, Pikachu was able to pull through in the end and defeat Pignite with a powerful Volt Tackle.

In Dancing With the Ducklett Trio!, a trio of stole Ash's  and 's sunglasses. One of the Ducklett dropped an umbrella on Pikachu while he was about to use Thunderbolt. Pikachu was unable to release electricity because of it. While Sandile battled the three Ducklett, Pikachu joined the battle as well and after taking a direct hit from the Ducklett, Pikachu began releasing electricity and formed an and sent the Ducklett flying. Later on, he battled against the Sunglasses Sandile. Even though Sandile evolved into, Pikachu used Electro Ball and sent right back at  and he was sent flying.

Ash used Pikachu in his third Gym battle against Burgh at the Castelia Gym in Battling For The Love of Bug-Types!. Pikachu went up against Burgh's and after a tough battle, Pikachu was able to win it with a powerful  and  combo.

In Movie Time! Zorua and the Pokémon Knight! Pikachu played a movie role as Ash's assistant. He battled Iris's Axew in order to gain the power to defeat and his assistant. He succeeded with a Thunderbolt-Electro Ball combo. He later defeated the villain and rescued the princess.

Ash used Pikachu in the final round in the Club Battle in Club Battle Finale: A Hero's Outcome! against. Pikachu went up against Iris's Excadrill. Pikachu had a very hard time battling Excadrill, as Excadrill is part Ground and Pikachu's Electric moves would have no effect on him. Pikachu did surprisingly well, however. Unfortunately, Pikachu fainted first, and Iris won the tournament.

In Dazzling the Nimbasa Gym!, when Ash couldn't choose who to use after and  fainted, Pikachu got fed up and zapped him, Ash then chose to use Pikachu in his Gym Battle against Elesa. He went up against her powerful, who even though she knew , Pikachu beat her with a single. Later, Pikachu battled Elesa's, who only knew , but was still very strong. Yet Pikachu was able to beat Tynamo with a powerful attack, winning Ash the.

In Stopping the Rage of Legends! Part 1, Pikachu teamed up with Cilan's Stunfisk to battle and. Stunfisk used his amazing jumping ability to get them both into the air so that they could launch a — combination at the two legendary Pokémon. However, Pikachu was knocked off Stunfisk's back and his partner was then struck by a powerful. Later in Stopping the Rage of Legends! Part 2, Pikachu helped rescue the kami trio from. He used Thunderbolt on Dr. Zager's helicopter, joined by, Iris's Axew and and Cilan's Pansage to cause the forcefield prisons trapping the trio to break.

In An Amazing Aerial Battle!, Ash used Pikachu against Skyla's after  was recalled. While Pikachu's Electric-type attacks were evaded, he was eventually able to intercept Unfezant's Aerial Ace attack with his Iron Tail. Pikachu then launched an Electro Ball and defeated Unfezant. Pikachu stayed in the battle to fight Skyla's last Pokémon,. Pikachu's Electric-type attacks were blocked by Swanna's, defending against the type advantage Pikachu held over it. However, using the hoops that Skyla had used in her pre-battle show, Pikachu was able to jump with Quick Attack to hit Swanna. Eventually, Swanna was able to hit Pikachu with a powerful and a brutal, after which Ash deemed Pikachu unable to battle, although he tried to continue.

In Rocking the Virbank Gym! (Part 2), Ash chose Pikachu as his final Pokémon in his Gym battle with Roxie and her strongest Pokémon,. Using its extendable arms, Garbodor tried to use on Pikachu, but the Electric Mouse Pokémon was too fast for the Trash Heap Pokémon, and trying to reach him with all his dodging only caused Garbodor's arms to accidentally get tied together, allowing Pikachu to land a hit with Quick Attack. Garbodor tried to use its tied-up arms as a whip, but Pikachu was easily able to dodge them every time and strike back with a Thunderbolt. When Pikachu tried to use Iron Tail, Garbodor swung its arms upwards, repelling Pikachu and untying the arms. After several misses with, Garbodor grabbed Pikachu, swung him up high and hit him repeatedly with DoubleSlap while falling. After this, Garbodor fired another Gunk Shot, this time hitting and also ing Pikachu. Ash was getting discouraged, but thanks to the encouraging words from Iris and Cilan, he and Pikachu decided to keep on going, despite the poison. To Ash's luck, all the physical contact Pikachu made with Garbodor, had caused Pikachu's Static Ability to activate and paralyze Garbodor. Despite still being able to withstand a Thunderbolt, the Trash Heap Pokémon was unable to take a hit from the following Electro Ball, and was knocked out, making Ash victorious and earning him his eighth and final Unova Badge, the, thus allowing him to enter the Unova League. After the battle, Roxie admitted her defeat, and gave Pikachu a Pecha Berry to cure him from the poisoning.

In Goodbye, Junior Cup - Hello Adventure!, Pikachu battled Dawn's Quilava in a friendly battle before Dawn left Unova for Johto. He was hit by a attack before missing with Quick Attack, though he managed to dodge Quilava's. Pikachu attempted both Electro Ball and Iron Tail, both of which were stopped by his opponent's. After their Quick Attack and Flame Wheel clashed in mid-air, Cynthia stopped the match.

In Meloetta and the Undersea Temple!, Ash battled with Pikachu trying to protect, but was defeated by his  and Giovanni successfully captured Meloetta, and took it, along with the imprisoned Ash and Pikachu, to the Abyssal Ruins. In the next episode, Pikachu managed to break Team Rocket's force field prison by striking it repeatedly with Iron Tail, freeing both Ash and himself. They made an attempt to reach Meloetta, but were sent flying by the attacks of Jessie's Woobat and James's Yamask. Luckily, they were safely caught mid-air and brought down by Ridley's. Later, during the battle against the mind-controlled Therian Forme Kami Trio, as Thundurus aimed a attack at Iris's Dragonite and Iris stepped in its way to protect her Pokémon, Pikachu jumped in, and absorbed the massive blast of electricity himself. This gave Pikachu a tremendous power boost, as seen later, when Ash told Pikachu to use Electro Ball on Team Rocket. The supercharged attack grew into amazingly massive proportions, inflicting notable damage on the Abyssal Ruins, sending Team Rocket flying, and freeing Meloetta. However, the blast also caused Giovanni to get a straight view at the, causing its possessive powers to take over and corrupt his mind, sending the Kami Trio on a mindless rampage in an attempt to destroy Unova rather than conquer it. The possession was broken when Jessie, James, and Meowth pushed Giovanni out of the enchanted ring, breaking the spell. As Giovanni realized that it would be impossible to control the legendary Pokémon without Meloetta, he ordered a full retreat back to Kanto. Even while aboard the Team Rocket helicopter, Jessie and James couldn't help at admiring Pikachu's incredible powers. When Meloetta later left with Ridley, Pikachu was saying goodbye to it, along with Ash, Cilan, Iris, Cynthia, Axew, and the heartbroken Oshawott.

Personality and characteristics
Pikachu is extremely loyal to Ash, and while he is not always immediately trusting of strangers, he is generally friendly to humans and Pokémon alike. He acted as a guardian and big brother to Misty's Togepi, and has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, such as in Pikachu's Vacation. In Mewtwo Strikes Back, Pikachu,, and Meowth's clone were the only Pokémon not to participate in the giant battle; Pikachu stood motionless as his clone repeatedly slapped his face. Contrary to his distrusting nature, Pikachu took a liking to Misty very early in the series, and he has retained this liking of Misty throughout the series, such as when he was very happy to see her in The Scheme Team.

However, even Pikachu has had exceptions to this rule. In Pikachu Re-Volts, Pikachu was controlled by Butch and Cassidy, which caused him to become evil and disobey Ash's commands. During the Hoenn saga, Pikachu temporarily developed amnesia and sided with Team Rocket for a while. Later within the same series, Pikachu was possessed by the and controlled by, nearly causing a disaster. On several occasions, Pikachu has developed an "electric flu" causing him to become overcharged, and extremely powerful. During these instances, Pikachu will sometimes accidentally let off electric outbursts which can be set off on anyone, including Ash. In all of these cases, Pikachu did not intentionally mean harm upon anyone.

As shown in a handful of episodes, the first being Showdown at Dark City, Pikachu has a special fondness for ketchup, but he will eat and enjoy almost any other human or Pokémon food. A running joke in the anime also seems to be the destruction of a female character's bike with one of Pikachu's s at the beginning of each series, which then causes her to for the remainder of the series. This has happened to, , and so far, but did not happen to , since she doesn't have a bike. Instead, Pikachu shocked Iris herself.

Pikachu, like his Trainer, is always happy to battle. He often tries his very best, but when he loses, he doesn't complain or feel bad about himself, especially when Ash reassures him. Ash and Pikachu are almost identical personality-wise, and thus are the perfect match for one another, and most others agree, with the exception of Burgundy, who in A Connoisseur's Revenge! said that Ash had a terrible relationship with all of his Pokémon, though this is more due to her inexperience in determining relationship.

Moves improvised

 * Leer was first seen in The School of Hard Knocks. When Giselle called for to use Leer, Ash told Pikachu to "Leer right back" by making funny faces. It later used Leer in Hour of the Houndour; however, this was the actual move, albeit, an anime move error still.
 * An attack where Pikachu stored electricity in his tail similar to was used to defeat Lt. Surge's Raichu in Electric Shock Showdown. A similar move, referred to as "Shocking Tail" by the MC, was used to defeat 's  in Hello, Pummelo!.
 * Rocket Punch was a move that Pikachu used while "boxing" 's in The Punchy Pokémon. Pikachu glowed red and shot off his boxing gloves, leaving off a trail of smoke. Once the smoke disappears, Pikachu still has his boxing gloves on and flies towards Hitmonchan at high speed.
 * Thunder Armor was a one-time technique in the episode Solid as a Solrock, Pikachu is seen using Thunder on himself while riding Ash's Swellow. This increased their attack power greatly, and they easily overpowered their opponents.
 * Spin, originally made by and first used by her Piplup and Buneary, was also used by Turtwig and Aipom to avoid attacks in the episode O'er the Rampardos We Watched!, where he was able beat Roark and obtain the.
 * Swift-Quick Attack was a combination of 's twirling and Pikachu's  that was used in A Stand-Up Sit-Down!. Aipom would use a twirling Swift that spins in the air and then Pikachu would jump in the Swift with Quick Attack and as it runs the Swift stars would be surrounding the white light from the Quick Attack.
 * Volt Tail, a combination of and, was used in Pika and Goliath! against Sho's  and once again in The Semi-Final Frontier! against 's.
 * Counter Shield can be used by Pikachu by utilizing, similar to Ash's Buizel and who can do the technique with their own moves.
 * Hydro Volt Tackle is used as a finishing blow against in Memories are Made of Bliss!. It is a combination of Pikachu's  and Dawn's Piplup's  creating a massive Electric-Water shot that sent Team Rocket blasting off.
 * Thunderbolt-Electro Ball is a combination used to power up, first seen in Movie Time! Zorua in "The Legend of the Pokémon Knight"!. Ash has Pikachu use Electro Ball, then tells him to use Thunderbolt on it to significantly increase the size and power of Electro Ball.
 * Massive Electro Ball was a stronger variation of Electro Ball that Pikachu used in Unova's Survival Crisis!. Pikachu got a hit from 's attack while defending . Later, when Ash told Pikachu use Electro Ball, the supercharged attack grew into massive proportions, thus inflicting great damage on the Abyssal Ruins after it was launched.