Pikachu variants

This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. Reason: variants from Pikachu's Goodbye, images from Snap, Onemuri (Sleeping) Pikachu

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There are many Pikachu variants found in the games, anime, manga, and TCG. The following are the main variants besides Shiny forms and gender differences.

Surfing Pikachu

Surfing Pikachu is a Pikachu with a surfboard. With this, it is able to wield the move Surf.

In the games

Core series

• Surfing on a Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow, Gold, Silver, and Crystal will result in a different overworld sprite being used.
• The surfing Pikachu was featured in a minigame exclusive to Pokémon Yellow, called Pikachu's Beach. This can only be activated in the original editions of the games by transferring a surfing Pikachu from other games. In the Virtual Console editions, only the starter Pikachu is needed. The Surfin' Dude there apparently also has a surfing Pikachu.
• In the Generation II games, players may receive a Surf Pikachu doll via Mystery Gift; however, this item is very rare.
• Though surfing Pikachu isn't explicitly available in the Generation III games, it can be obtained by evolving the surfing Pichu hatched from an egg received from depositing 1,499 Pokemon into Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire.
• In the Generation IV games, a surfing Pikachu can be found in Yellow Forest through use of the Pokéwalker.
• Surfing Pikachu have been given out through event distributions.
• Players can obtain a Surfing Pikachu on Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon by beating the high score of "Big Boss" in Mantine Surfing, making this the first time one can be obtained without an event or transferring from a side series game.
• In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Pikachu can learn Surf via TR04.

• 

  Yellow

• 

  Gold, Silver, Crystal

• 

  Surf Pikachu doll (Generation II)

Side series

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Clarify info on Japanese Stadium 2

• If a Pikachu uses Surf in Pokémon Stadium (Japanese), Pokémon Stadium (English), Pokémon Stadium 2, Pokémon Colosseum, Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, or Pokémon Battle Revolution, it will wield a pink surfboard. All of these games have certain requirements to get Surfing Pikachu or at least get a player's Pikachu to learn Surf (with the exception of Colosseum and XD)
  • In the Japan-only Pokémon Stadium, if the player clears the Master Ball division of the L1-30 Division with a Pikachu in his or her party, the Pikachu can learn Surf.
  • In the non-Japanese versions of Pokémon Stadium, if the player clears the Master Ball division of the Round 2 Prime Cup with all Pokémon selected directly from a Game Pak, not saving the game during the challenge (continues are permitted), and ensures Pikachu participates in the final battle (the Pikachu can come from any Generation I game), they will be able to teach that Pikachu Surf. This does not occur in the Japanese version of the game (this game is known as Pokémon Stadium 2 in Japanese).
  • In Pokémon Battle Revolution, after defeating Pokétopia Master Mysterial the player can download a Surfing Pikachu onto a Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold, and SoulSilver game from the shop for free. It can be downloaded by multiple games, but no two Pikachu can be downloaded by a single card.
• All of Lt. Surge's Pikachu and Raichu in Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2 know Surf.
• In Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire, after 1499 Pokémon are stored the player will receive an Egg with a Pichu that knows ThunderShock, Charm and Surf. This Pichu, of course, can evolve into a Pikachu that knows Surf.

Spin-off games

• This Pikachu variant was later seen in Pokémon Snap, appearing at the Beach.
• The surfing Pikachu was also featured in Pokémon Dash in special courses.
• The surfing Pikachu appeared in PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. By typing in a certain code, a green surfboard is unlocked, which can then be used by Pikachu so he can play Gyarados's Aqua Dash.

Region	Code
North America	02970626
PAL	84925064
Japan	78872252

• A Surfing Pikachu doll can be bought from Shop 'N Squirtle in Pokémon Channel.
• Surfing Pikachu were made available for Pokémon GO's first Community Day event.

In the anime

Puka is a Pikachu that seems to be based on this, making its only appearance in The Pi-Kahuna.

Ash's Pikachu later appeared riding a surfboard in The Mystery Menace and Expedition to Onix Island!.

In music

A surfing Pikachu is mentioned in the Exciting Pokémon Relay.

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In the Yellow arc, Yellow was able to teach Red's Pika the move Surf through the use of Substitute to create a surfboard.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga

In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, one of Red's rivals, Yellow, has a Pikachu with surfing skills. In The Fake Pikachu!!, he uses it in battle against Red's Pikachu.

In the TCG

The following is a list of cards mentioning or featuring Surfing Pikachu in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Surfing Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Surfing Pikachu		Wizards Black Star Promos		28	Unnumbered Promotional cards
					Unnumbered Promotional cards
					Pokémon Web		025/048
		Rising Rivals		114/111	Bonds to the End of Time		089/090
		Evolutions		111/108	XY-P Promotional cards		264/XY-P
Playing in the Sea Pikachu					SM-P Promotional cards		392/SM-P

Merchandise

20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu

The 20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu (Japanese: 20th Anniversary スペシャルパック「メガヤドランEX＋なみのりピカチュウ」 20th Anniversary Special Pack: MYadoranEX + Surfing Pikachu) was released on the same day as the Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary subset, September 16, 2016, in the buildup to the 20th Anniversary of the Japanese TCG. The pack features the Hermit Crab Pokémon Slowbro in both its regular and Mega Evolved forms as Pokémon-EX cards, its Spirit Link Item card, and a re-imagined version of the Surfing Pikachu promotional card originally released in 1997. All cards feature a layout reminiscent of those from the Original Era. The special pack also comes with 3 Expansion Pack 20th Anniversary booster packs.

Promotional cards:

• Surfing Pikachu (XY-P Promo 264)

Product image:

20th Anniversary Special Pack: M Slowbro-EX + Surfing Pikachu	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins
The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins
The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins
The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins
The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins	The Sneak-Peek Tins

Flying Pikachu

Flying Pikachu is a Pikachu with balloons. With them, he is able to wield the move Fly.

In the games

Core series

• The flying Pikachu can be seen in the opening of Pokémon Yellow.
• The flying Pikachu can be found in the Pokéwalker's Yellow Forest.
• The flying Pikachu was given out through event distributions.

Spin-off games

• The flying Pikachu can be found in Pokémon Snap taking the name "Balloon Pikachu".
• This Pikachu variant was featured in Pokémon Dash in special courses.
• The flying Pikachu appeared in PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. By typing in a certain code, a set of balloons are unlocked, which can then be used by Pikachu so he can play Pelipper's Circle Circuit and Salamence's Air Ace.

Region	Code
North America	99930457
PAL	57429445
Japan	80373821

• A flying Pikachu can be seen in the opening of Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, along with a Pichu.
• A flying Pikachu was added to Pokémon GO and was available during the GO Fest 2020 Weekly Challenge: Skill event from July 3, 2020 to July 8, 2020. This Pikachu cannot evolve and can be Shiny.

Appearance

Sprite from Yellow	Sprite from Pokémon Puzzle Challenge	Sprite from Pokémon Dash	Artwork of Yellow Forest featuring a flying Pikachu	Sprite from Pokémon GO

In the manga

In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In The Last Battle VII, Chuchu flew with Pika and their Egg, lifting them in the air by using balloons wrapped to her body.

In the TCG

Flying Pikachu has been featured in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The following are cards named Flying Pikachu.

Flying Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Flying Pikachu		Wizards Black Star Promos		25	Unnumbered Promotional cards
					Unnumbered Promotional cards
		Rising Rivals		113/111	Bonds to the End of Time		090/090
Flying Pikachu					Unnumbered Promotional cards

Cosplay Pikachu

Main article: Cosplay Pikachu

In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the player will be able to receive a unique female Cosplay Pikachu, which has a black, heart-shaped mark near the end of its tail. This event occurs after the player takes part in their first Pokémon Contest Spectacular.

This particular Pikachu is able to be dressed up in five different costumes corresponding to each kind of Contest stat (Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness) and learn exclusive moves which are linked to these stats. Cosplay Pikachu can switch costumes anytime by going to any Contest Hall in the Hoenn region and talking to the Pokémon Breeder in the rightmost back room. This Pokémon Breeder can also remove the costume.

Unlike other Pikachu, Cosplay Pikachu is in the Undiscovered Egg Group, meaning it cannot breed. It also cannot evolve into Raichu.

Cosplay Pikachu File:Spr 6o 025 C.png  Electric  Thunder Shock*

Pikachu Rock Star  Electric  Meteor Mash

Pikachu Belle  Electric  Icicle Crash

Pikachu Pop Star  Electric  Draining Kiss

Pikachu, Ph. D  Electric  Electric Terrain

Pikachu Libre  Electric  Flying Press

Pikachu in a cap

Main article: Pikachu in a cap

The first six cap-wearing Pikachu are event-exclusive Pokémon that debuted in Pokémon Sun and Moon, and are being distributed in celebration of the Pokémon anime's 20th movie, and by extension, the anime's 20th anniversary. Like Ash's Pikachu, these Pikachu are always male and cannot evolve. They also have access to the exclusive Z-Crystal, Pikashunium Z, and its Z-Move, 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt.

A seventh Cap Pikachu, wearing the hat Ash wears in the twentieth movie, debuted in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, and is distributed via QR Code on a special Pokémon Ga-Olé disc. In America, it was distributed via a QR Code that was given to those who pre-order tickets for the 20th movie.

An eighth Cap Pikachu, wearing the hat Ash wears in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, debuted in an update of Sword and Shield.

Original Cap Pikachu  Electric

Hoenn Cap Pikachu  Electric

Sinnoh Cap Pikachu  Electric

Unova Cap Pikachu  Electric

Kalos Cap Pikachu  Electric

Alola Cap Pikachu  Electric

Partner Cap Pikachu  Electric

World Cap Pikachu  Electric

Partner Pikachu

Main article: Partner Pokémon (game)

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!, the player starts their journey with a Partner Pikachu. Though it cannot evolve, it has higher stats than a regular Pikachu and can be taught special moves related to other common Pikachu variants.

Pikachu  Electric  Static Hidden: Lightning Rod HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spe 35 55 40 50 50 90

Pikachu Partner  Electric  Static HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spe 45 80 50 75 60 120

Gigantamax Pikachu

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, a Gigantamax form was introduced for Pikachu. It can be obtained in one of three ways:

• If the player has a Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! save on their Nintendo Switch, they can recieve a Gigantamax Factor Pikachu from a man inside the Wild Area Station at the Meetup Spot in the Wild Area.
• Gigantamax Pikachu was also available via a Wild Area News event between May 12 and May 18, 2020.
• As of the release of The Isle of Armor, any normal Pikachu can obtain a Gigantamax Factor if they consume a bowl of Max Soup.

Gigantamax Pikachu has exclusive access to the G-Max Move G-Max Volt Crash.

Pikachu  Electric  Static Gigantamax Factor HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spe 35 55 40 50 50 90

Pikachu Gigantamax Pikachu  Electric  Static HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spe 35 55 40 50 50 90

Other

Games

Core series games

Singing Pikachu

A Pikachu that knows Sing was distributed to promote the new Japanese Pokémon anime ending theme which involved Pikachu singing. Artwork was released as well.

Pokémon World Championships 2011 Pikachu

A special skating Pikachu wearing a hat is featured on official artwork for the Pokémon 2011 World Championships, including the promotional C-Gear skin.

Spin-off games

Pokémon Snap

• Pikachu on a stump is a special Pikachu found on the Beach. The player can encounter two Pikachu sitting on a set of stumps after forcing a wild Scyther out of tall grass.
• Pikachu on a ball is another special Pikachu found near the Tunnel. A sole Pikachu will jump on top of a rolling Electrode if startled by the player, and playfully keep it rolling until the Electrode stops in a ditch and explodes, shocking the Pikachu.
• Speed Pikachu is a special Pikachu found along the River. Taking a picture of this Pikachu will cause it to use Quick Attack to dash across a small field, making it one of the hardest Pokémon to get a picture of.
• Pikachu on Articuno is another special Pikachu found in the Cave. After rescuing a Pikachu from a Zubat and having Articuno hatch by playing the Poké Flute, near the exit, Articuno will be seen flying towards the player with Pikachu on its back.

PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure

In PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, Pikachu uses a snowboard to play Empoleon's Snow Slide by using a code.

Pokémon Shuffle

Pokémon Shuffle has featured several variants of Pikachu throughout its life cycle. They are listed below.

Dex#	NDex	Icon	Pokémon	Type	Level 1 Attack Power	Max	Initial Skill	Alternate Skill(s)
#016	#0025		Pikachu	Electric	50	20	Paralyze	Unity Power
#016	#0025		Pikachu Angry	Electric	50	10	Super Bolt	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Winking	Electric	50	10	Swap++	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Sleeping	Electric	50	10	Sleep Charm	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Fired Up	Electric	50	5	Cross Attack+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Surprised	Electric	50	5	Last-Ditch Effort	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Enamored	Electric	50	10	Mind Zap	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Smiling	Electric	50	10	Flash Mob	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Dizzy	Electric	50	5	Barrier Bash++	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Happy	Electric	50	10	Power of 4+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Spooky	Electric	50	10	Block Smash+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Holiday	Electric	50	10	Mega Boost+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Burn	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Swap++	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Power of 5+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	L-Boost	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Power of 5+	Pyre
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Eject+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Kimono Boy	Electric	50	5	Sleep Combo	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Kimono Girl	Electric	50	5	Paralysis Combo	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	50	5	Dragon Talon	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Costume	Electric	60	5	Dragon Talon	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Three Force	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Quirky+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Damage Streak	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Counterattack+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Calm Down	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Hitting Streak+	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Nap Time	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Final Effort	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Vitality Drain	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Prank	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	Downpour	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Celebration	Electric	50	5	T-Boost	N/A
#016	#0025		Pikachu Original Cap	Electric	60	5	Stabilize+	Hyper Bolt
#016	#0025		Pikachu Hoenn Cap	Electric	60	5	Rock Shot	Hyper Bolt
#016	#0025		Pikachu Sinnoh Cap	Electric	60	5	Block Shot	Hyper Bolt
#016	#0025		Pikachu Unova Cap	Electric	60	5	Barrier Shot	Hyper Bolt
#016	#0025		Pikachu Kalos Cap	Electric	60	5	Cloud Shot	Hyper Bolt
#016	#0025		Pikachu Alola Cap	Electric	60	5	Shot Out	Hyper Bolt

Pokémon GO

This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Costumes since 2020

Several variants of Pikachu have appeared in Pokémon GO wearing different hats. These variants are released for limited events. During the events, all wild Pikachu appear as the variant and Pikachu appear more commonly. Pichu and Raichu also have parallel variants. Variant Pichu can be obtained by hatching an Egg obtained during the event, and any variant Pichu or Pikachu that is evolved will retain its form.

• Holiday Pikachu: first released for the Holiday Season event, from December 12, 2016, to January 3, 2017. It appeared again the next year, from December 21, 2017, to January 4, 2018, with the special move Present, and once again the next year, from December 18, 2018 to January 2, 2019.
• Pikachu wearing a party hat: first released for the first Pokémon Day event, from February 26 to March 6, 2017. It appeared again the next year, from February 26 to 28, 2018, with the special move Present. It returned once more the following year for the third Anniversary event, from June 28 to July 6, 2019, this time exclusively through photobombs in the GO Snapshot feature.
• Pikachu wearing Ash's hat: first released for the first Anniversary event, from July 6 to 24, 2017. It appeared again for the second April Fools' Day event nearly two years later, from April 1 to 2, 2019, this time exclusively through photobombs in the GO Snapshot feature.
• Pikachu wearing a witch's hat: first released for the second Halloween event, from October 20 to November 2, 2017. It appeared again the next year, from October 23 to November 7, 2018.
• Summer Style Pikachu: first released for the second Anniversary event, from July 6 to 31, 2018.
• H.F. cap Pikachu: first released for the H.F. Custom Tie-In event, from October 5 to 7, 2018.
• Pikachu wearing a flower crown: first released for the third Pokémon Day event, from February 26 to 28, 2019.
• Pikachu wearing a detective hat: first released for the Detective Pikachu tie-in event, from May 7 to 17, 2019, exclusively through photobombs in the GO Snapshot feature. While this Pikachu can evolve into Raichu, unlike the other variants, no equivalent Pichu exists.
• Pikachu wearing a straw hat: first released for the One Piece tie-in event, from July 22 to 29, 2019. This variant cannot evolve into Raichu and no equivalent Pichu exists.

Pikachu♂  Electric	Festive Pikachu♂  Electric	Party Pikachu♂  Electric	Ash Pikachu♂  Electric	Witch Pikachu♂  Electric	Summer Pikachu♂  Electric	H.F. Pikachu♂  Electric	Spring Pikachu♂  Electric	Detective Pikachu♂  Electric	Straw Hat Pikachu♂  Electric	Winter Pikachu♂  Electric
Pikachu♀  Electric	Festive Pikachu♀  Electric	Party Pikachu♀  Electric	Ash Pikachu♀  Electric	Witch Pikachu♀  Electric	Summer Pikachu♀  Electric	H.F. Pikachu♀  Electric	Spring Pikachu♀  Electric	Detective Pikachu♀  Electric	Straw Hat Pikachu♀  Electric	Winter Pikachu♀  Electric

• 

  Holiday Pikachu

• 

  Pikachu wearing a party hat

• 

  Pikachu wearing Ash's hat

• 

  Pikachu wearing a witch's hat

• 

  Summer Style Pikachu

• 

  Pikachu wearing a straw hat

Anime

Pikachutwo

Main article: Pikachutwo

Pikachutwo was cloned from Ash's Pikachu, and battled against it in Mewtwo Strikes Back. Pikachutwo was also central to the plot of Mewtwo Returns. The fur on Pikachutwo's ears are colored similar to a Pichu's.

Puka

Main article: Puka

As mentioned above, Puka is a Surfing Pikachu that appeared in The Pi-Kahuna. Puka is at least twenty years old, having been first found on a beach on the Seafoam Islands by surfing enthusiast Victor shortly after he failed to conquer a large wave, "Humunga-Dunga". Puka is noticeably older than any other Pikachu seen in the anime, and has blue eyes rather than the regular dark brown eye color.

Sparky

Main article: Sparky

Ritchie owns a Pikachu, nicknamed Sparky. It is distinguished from other Pikachu by a scruff of fur on the top of its head.

Blue Orb-possessed Pikachu

Ash's Pikachu was possessed by the Blue Orb in the anime in Gaining Groudon and The Scuffle of Legends. This caused his eyes to glow red and he became covered in markings similar to Groudon's.

TCG

Captain Pikachu

Captain Pikachu depicts a Pikachu wearing a pirate hat. The following are cards named Captain Pikachu.

Captain Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Captain Pikachu					Unnumbered Promotional cards

Shopping Pikachu

Shopping Pikachu depicts a Pikachu with a shopping basket. The following are cards named Shopping Pikachu.

Shopping Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Shopping Pikachu					L-P Promotional cards		079/L-P

Other

Snow Pikachu

As an April Fools' Day joke in 2008, Game Freak announced that it would move to the Arctic to help save snow Pikachu from polar bears. Game Freak's website was also changed to incorporate an image of a snow Pikachu, which was a snow sculpture.

Ash's Pikachu made a snowman in the shape of itself on the cover of Pikachu's Winter Vacation Soundtrack, which also appears in Pokémon Channel. In the Pokémon Dream World, a Snow Pikachu was featured as a piece of Décor in the Winter Catalogue 2011. During the Holiday 2014 promotion on the online Pokémon Center store, a Snow Pikachu was one of the special plushes.

The Pikachu balloon in the 2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade features a scarfed Pikachu holding a snow Pikachu in a Santa hat.

One Trading Card features a Snow Pikachu, being built by two Snorunt.

• 

  A picture of a snow Pikachu from Game Freak's website

• 

  Pikachu's Winter Vacation Soundtrack cover

• 

  Snow Pikachu in Pokémon Channel

• 

  Snow Pikachu Décor item

• 

  Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.

This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species.