Pikachu

Pi pikachu! Pika pika, pikachu!

Pikachu - Electric Mouse Pokémon (#25)

Japanese name: Pikachu
Pokedex in Red/Blue/Yellow: When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity could build and cause lightning storms.
Pokedex in Gold: This intelligent Pokemon roasts hard berries with electricity to make them tender enough to eat.
Pokedex in Silver: It raises its tail to check its surroundings. The tail is sometimes struck by lightning in this pose.
Pokedex in Crystal: When it is angered, it immediately discharges the energy stored in the pouches in its cheeks.
Height: 1 foot 4 inches
Weight: 13 lbs
Evolution: Pichu -(happiness)-> Pikachu -(Thunder Stone)-> Raichu
Type: Electric

Pikachu, the electric rodent of much fame and much infamy, is Pokemon #25, and unquestionably the best-known. Ash's Pikachu, apparently named "Pikachu" (Ash isn't exactly a creative genius), is the mascot of the first wave of Pokemon Game Boy games, as well as the anime, manga, and several spinoff games.

Pikachu is a chubby yellow rat the size of a small dog, with a round face, thin pointy ears, and red circles on its cheeks. The tail is the trademark, as it's flat and lightning-bolt-shaped. Lighting bolts come from the cheeks rather than the tail, as you would expect.

To date, Pikachu has appeared in...

• Pokemon Red and Blue (as well as Green in Japan)
• Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition - He starred in this game
• Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Pokemon Crystal
• Pokemon Stadium, Pokemon Stadium 2, and Pokemon Colosseum
• Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
• Pokemon Fire Red and Leaf Green

• Animal Crossing - A very tiny cameo, as the Pokemon Pikachu game is an item in Animal Crossing.
• Hey You! Pikachu! - Of special note was the special edition N64 package with this game, which had a blue N64 with a Pikachu sculpted in relief on the top.
• Pokemon Channel - Pikachu is the one actually watching the fairly insipid shorts in this game.
• Pokemon Pikachu and Pokemon Pikachu Plus - These are Tamagotchi-like pocket pet games.
• Pokemon Pinball and Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
• Pokemon Puzzle Challenge, both in the N64 and GBC versions
• Pokemon Snap - Pikachu was in each stage, save for Mew's stage.
• Pokemon Trading Card Game - Both the actual card game, and the Game Boy game of the same name.
• Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee

In actual play in the Game Boy games and Stadium, Pikachu, being a first-stage Pokemon, is obviously not exactly a heavy hitter, and is fairly useless at the Poke Cup level or at the Prime Cup level, eclipsed by much heavier hitters. However, Pikachu is a prime Pika and Poke cup competitor, with high special and speed for a small Pokemon, without defenses low to the point of uselessness. It can learn Thunderbolt on its own, and can learn Iron Tail and Mudslap from TMs (and possibly Surf, depending on the game), making it quite a versatile choice.

In the Pokemon anime, Pikachu is given to Ash by Professor Oak as a booby prize, after Ash is late to the ceremony to induct new Pokemon trainers. Initially, Pikachu dislikes Ash, taking great glee in electrocuting Ash at any opportunity. Eventually and very predictably, they become friends, and learn about each other and Pokemon training and friendship yadda yadda yadda. Pikachu seems to lose his personality, sadly, after the initial Indigo League saga, as the role of main character is taken over by Ash.

Pikachu is one of the few Pokemon with the name unchanged from the Japanese version. The name is a compound of two Japanese onomatopoeia, "pika" and "chu". Pika is the sound somehing flashing makes, whereas chu is the sound a mouse makes in Japanese. Hence, Pika-chu.

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Sources: GameFAQs, pokemon.com