Which Pokémon evolves from Pikachu?

Raichu is the Pokémon that evolves from Pikachu. In the main Pokémon games, a Pikachu evolves when a Trainer uses a Thunder Stone on it, changing the small Electric-type Pokémon into its larger, stronger final form.

Raichu first appeared in the original Pokémon Red and Blue games, released in Japan in 1996. It is an Electric-type Pokémon with orange fur, yellow cheek sacs and a distinctive lightning-bolt-shaped tail. Its name combines “rai,” meaning thunder in Japanese, with “chū,” a mouse-like squeak.

Pichu is a frequent source of confusion because it is not Pikachu’s evolution. Pichu is the baby Pokémon that evolves into Pikachu when its friendship with its Trainer is high. Eevee is also unrelated to Pikachu’s evolutionary family. In the anime, Ash’s Pikachu famously refuses to evolve, which helped make the question more memorable for fans.

The series later introduced Alolan Raichu in Pokémon Sun and Moon. That regional form is both Electric- and Psychic-type and can glide while riding its tail, but it remains an evolved form of Pikachu.