Pichu

When the world-famous Pokémon Pikachu has enough fighting experience (in their core games), they evolve into a more powerful form, Raichu. But who is the previous link of this evolution chain? Is there a smaller and even cuter version of Pikachu? Yes! Let us introduce you to Pichu.

This absolutely adorable Tiny Mouse was introduced in the game Pokémon Gold/Silver. Initially, creator Ken Sugimori worked on a species that appears when Pikachu evolves but couldn’t come up with a proper design. The team decided to look in the opposite direction and create the pre-evolution. It’s the story of how Pichu was “born.”

This Pokémon never gets the same amount of spotlight as his higher evolution. Pichu is cute, alright, but this quality is not enough to be the best creature for Pokémon trainers. Players take their teams to tough battles and want to see a decent power in their main Pokémon. In core games, Pichu is good for keeping in the Pokédex as part of the in-game collection or for taking to fights only if you plan to evolve them into Pikachu/Raichu.

Pichu is an electric-type Pokémon. They can’t store electricity, though, and often can’t control their electric ability — for example, Pichu might produce a thunderbolt when they are suddenly scared. 

Pichu is present in many main Pokémon games and spin-offs (such as Mystery Dungeon, Ranger, and Shuffle). They are shown in some anime episodes and the Pokémon Adventures manga. 

Pichu in the fighting series Super Smash Bros.

When the developers decided to add Pichu to Smash, they made them a joke character. This happened in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Pichu is a copy of Pikachu in this game but with more significant weaknesses. It’s the only appearance of Pichu in the Smash roster before Ultimate.

Pichu in SSBU

With their return to the battle, Pichu gets some substantial buffs that make this fighter a viable one. They remain a copy of Pikachu, but still, some of the moves have been changed.

The main distinguishing features of Pichu in Smash Ultimate are being the lightest one in the game, have high speed, and very small size. Pichu can deal significant damage by their electric attacks, but this Pokémon also damages themselves by the recoil.

Up/Down Tilts and Throws are good combo starters for Pichu in SSBU. Forward Air is also good for landing a combo. In general, the aerial game of this character is quite effective.

As a lightweight, Pichu has both an advantage and a disadvantage. It’s easy to use the hit-and-run strategy with this fighter, but that requires experience in controlling — to not get damage instead. Mighty Pichu’s attacks are tricky and work with good timing. The KO potential of this Pokémon is not really big, so you might need to put effort into winning a match.

These pro players use Pichu as their main: Blacktwins, Karoegu, NAKAT, Mossan, and Yetey.

To unlock Pichu in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate:

• Play VS. Matches and get the 34th character, which is Pichu
• Play the Classic Mode as Pikachu or anyone they unlock — Pichu will be the last one to appear
• Explore the story mode World of Light