View source for Pikachu (Yellow)

{{AnimePokémonInfobox
|ball=Poké
|type1=Electric
|nickname=Pikachu
|jnickname=ピカチュウ
|tmnickname=Pikachu
|gender=Male or Female<ref>Will be either male or female if traded or transferred from [[Generation I]].</ref>
|ability={{a|Lightning Rod}}<ref>If [[transfer]]red from the 3DS [[Virtual Console]] version of any Generation I or II game to {{g|Bank}}.</ref>
|evolution=0
|prevonum=025
|pokemonname=Pikachu
|image=[[File:025Pikachu Y 2.png|250px|]]
|caption=Pikachu in {{game|Yellow}}
|epnum=Pokémon Yellow Version
|epname=Pokémon Yellow
|location=[[Professor Oak's Laboratory]]
|current=[[Party|With the player]]
|java1=[[Ikue Otani|Ikue Ootani]]<!--As spelled in the credits of Pokémon Yellow-->
}}

'''Pikachu''' is the [[first partner Pokémon]] given to the {{player}} by [[Professor Oak]] at the start of {{game|Yellow}}. It is based on [[Ash's Pikachu]] from {{aniseries|OS}}, which this game is loosely based on.

This Pikachu, due to its unique characteristics and mechanics, is sometimes unofficially referred to as the "partner Pikachu" to distinguish it from regular Pikachu originating from a game other than Pokémon Yellow.

==In the core series games== 
===Pokémon Yellow===
[[File:Red Pikachu Yellow debut.png|thumb|Pikachu first appearing as a [[wild Pokémon]]]]
Pikachu first appears along the outskirts of {{rt|1|Kanto}}, where [[Professor Oak]] will encounter and {{pkmn2|caught|catch}} it. When the player visits [[Professor Oak's Laboratory]], Oak had intended to give an {{p|Eevee}} to the player to start their Pokémon journey, but his impatient grandson {{ga|Blue}} takes it instead. So that the player still has a Pokémon, Oak gives the player the Pikachu he just caught instead. The Kanto [[first partner Pokémon]] ({{p|Bulbasaur}}, {{p|Charmander}}, and {{p|Squirtle}}) are not received from Oak in Pokémon Yellow, but these three Pokémon can be received later in the game (which reflects how [[Ash Ketchum]] eventually obtains all three Kanto first partner Pokémon in {{aniseries|PTS}}). After battling against Blue for the first time, the Pikachu chooses to stay out of its {{i|Poké Ball}} and [[walking Pokémon|follow the player]] as long as it is in the party and not fainted.

In battle, Pikachu arrives from the side of the screen, instead of being sent from a [[Poké Ball]]. At the start of the game, Pikachu is kept in its Poké Ball prior to the first battle against Blue, but it is still sent from the side of the screen in this battle.

This Pikachu is the only Pikachu found in Pokémon Yellow, although other Pikachu can be [[trade]]d in from other [[Generation I]] and {{gen|II}} games. In the [[Virtual Console]] release of Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu can participate in the [[Pikachu's Beach]] minigame.

====Starting moveset====
{{Pokémon
|gen=1
|ndex=0025
|pokemon=Pikachu
|type1=Electric
|level=5
|move1=ThunderShock|move1type=Electric
|move2=Growl|move2type=Normal}}

====Friendship====
{{main|Friendship|section=Generation I}}

In Pokémon Yellow, the concept of [[friendship]] was first introduced as a game mechanic specific to Pikachu. There are several actions that increase or decrease Pikachu's friendship. Pikachu's friendship value remains even if Pikachu is traded to other Generation I or II games and then traded back to its original game.

Although the player's friendship with Pikachu does not have many uses in the game, it is vital if the player wishes to receive a Bulbasaur in [[Cerulean City]].

This game mechanic was later expanded in [[Generation II]], where each individual Pokémon has its own friendship value.

====Interactions====
[[File:Pokémon Yellow shop worker.png|thumb|Pikachu and the player traveling together]]
Should the player speak to Pikachu, a small animation of his current emotion will pop up; this image can also be an indication of Pikachu's friendship. The game also shows animations of several other events:

*If the player has been idle for at least 8 seconds, Pikachu starts randomly turning to look at one of the four directions.
*If the player has been idle for at least 8 seconds and the player and Pikachu are separated by a ledge, Pikachu starts jumping or spinning around.
*If talked to right after the player loses to Blue in the Pokémon Lab, Pikachu will turn its back to the player.
*If talked to right after the player wins against Blue in the Pokémon Lab, it will appear uninterested in the player.
*If Pikachu is affected by a [[status condition]], it will appear weak or in pain. If it is asleep, it will appear asleep when talked to.
*If Pikachu has just learned {{m|Thunder}} or Thunderbolt, it may shock the player if talked to.
*When the player heals their Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, Pikachu jumps over the counter to be healed. Once the healing process ends, Pikachu remains on the counter until the player walks away with it.
*In [[Pewter City]]'s Pokémon Center, there is a {{p|Jigglypuff}} that will {{m|Sing}} a lullaby if talked to. After listening to the Jigglypuff, Pikachu will fall asleep and not move unless awakened by the player. The center's nurse will also comment on Pikachu's sleeping if talked to, instead of healing the party. The cable club will also be inaccessible. Until the player awakens Pikachu, it cannot be deposited into the [[PC]], have items used on it (excluding the [[Poké Flute]]), or moved in the party.
*When the player goes to [[Bill]]'s house and discovers that he has turned into a Pokémon, Pikachu will approach him and look confused. When Bill reappears in human form, Pikachu will appear to be shocked.
*If the player walks into the [[Pokémon Fan Club]] in [[Vermilion City]], Pikachu will approach a {{p|Clefairy}} and fall in love with it.
*If the player uses a fishing rod and then checks Pikachu, it will appear to have a bait bucket over its head.
*If taken inside [[Pokémon Tower]], Pikachu will appear to be scared.
*If talked to right after the player catches a Pokémon, it will make a V with its fingers to represent victory, similarly to how Ash's Pikachu posed after Ash caught {{AP|Caterpie}}.
*If talked to after the player loses or runs away from a battle, or the battle ends by the use of {{m|Roar}} or {{m|Whirlwind}}, Pikachu will appear disappointed in and unsure of its Trainer.
*Reflecting the [[EP014|actions]] of Ash's Pikachu, this Pikachu will refuse a [[Thunder Stone|Thunderstone]] given to it in Yellow, and, if talked to after the player tries to use the stone, will shake its head in refusal. 
*After the player stores Pikachu in Bill's computer, Pikachu complains and becomes less friendly toward the player.

====Walking animation====
In the game overworld, Pikachu's walking animation is faster if its friendship is equal to or higher than 80.

====Location====
This single Pikachu appears on {{rt|1|Kanto}}, at the start of Pokémon Yellow. In this game, no other wild Pikachu can be found on this route or anywhere else.

====Entering battles====
The player's partner Pikachu appears quickly moving from left to right when entering a [[Pokémon battle]], unlike other Pokémon who are sent from their Poké Balls.

This references the fact that Pikachu is not kept in a Poké Ball. However, in the first battle against the rival {{ga|Blue}}, Pikachu also appears moving from left to right like in all battles, despite the fact that, at this point, it was being kept in the Poké Ball instead.

A Pikachu traded from another game (with a different [[Original Trainer|OT]] or [[Trainer ID number]]) is also sent from a Poké Ball in battle like any regular Pokémon.

In link battles, the opponent’s Pikachu is always treated like a regular Pokémon, even if both players are playing Pokémon Yellow. When Pikachu is sent for battle, it is shown arriving from the side in its original game, but it is shown coming from a Poké Ball in the other player's game.

====Cry====
This Pikachu says its own name, [[Voice acting in the Pokémon games|voiced]] by [[Ikue Otani]], as opposed to the electronic noise uttered by other Pokémon. When Pikachu is in the process of being sent or received in a [[trade]], it utters an electronic noise like other Pokémon, instead of saying its own name. Another player's Pikachu in a link battle is always treated like a regular Pikachu, so it utters the standard electronic cry.

====Individual values and gender====
As seen in the game data, this Pikachu's [[individual values]] (IVs) are randomly generated twice. They are first generated when it appears as a wild Pokémon on {{rt|1|Kanto}}, but these original values are ignored and discarded as Pikachu is immediately caught by [[Professor Oak]]. Pikachu's IVs are randomly generated again when it is given to the player at [[Professor Oak's Laboratory]].

Pikachu has no identified [[gender]] in Pokémon Yellow, like all other Pokémon in [[Generation I]] games except for {{p|Nidoran♀}} and {{p|Nidoran♂}}. This Pikachu is shown to be male or female, based on its Attack IV (the value generated when given to the player), like any other Pikachu, if it is [[trade]]d to a [[Generation II]] game, used in [[Pokémon Stadium 2]], or transferred from a [[Virtual Console]] game to [[Pokémon Bank]] through the [[Poké Transporter]].

====Catch rate and held item====
As seen in the game data, when this Pikachu appears as a wild Pokémon on {{rt|1|Kanto}} and is caught by [[Professor Oak]], it has a catch rate of 190 like any wild Pikachu. However, when it is given to the player, this Pikachu has a catch rate of 163, which is the [[List of items by index number in Generation II|Generation II index number]] of the [[Light Ball]].

If this Pikachu is traded from Pokémon Yellow into the [[Generation II]] games using the [[Time Capsule]] or is used in [[Pokémon Stadium 2]], it is shown to be [[held item|holding]] a [[Light Ball]] due to the fact that the Generation I catch rate value is interpreted as the Pokémon's held item in Generation II.

If a Pokémon in the [[Virtual Console]] version of a Generation I or II game is transferred to [[Pokémon Bank]] via the [[Poké Transporter]], it will not have any held item. The held item is lost in a Generation I game, or returns to the bag in a Generation II game.

====Evolution====
Pikachu is unable to evolve in its original game. If the player tries to use a [[Thunder Stone|Thunderstone]] on it, Pikachu will shake its head in refusal and the game text will say "<sc>Pikachu</sc> is refusing!", but this does not affect their friendship. However, it can evolve into {{p|Raichu}} in another game (including another copy of Pokémon Yellow). There is no way to obtain Raichu in Pokémon Yellow except by either trading one in or using a Thunderstone on an {{pkmn2|outsider}} Pikachu. If Pikachu evolves into Raichu, it is treated like any other Pokémon, even if it returns to its original game: it is kept in the Poké Ball and doesn't follow the player, it doesn't have a [[friendship]] value, etc.

====Releasing====
Pikachu is unable to be released in its original game. If the player attempts to release Pikachu, it will complain and the game text will say "Pikachu looks unhappy about it!", but this does not affect their friendship. Pikachu can be traded away and released in another game, or released normally in the [[Pokémon Stadium series]], like any other Pokémon. If Pikachu evolves in another game and returns to its original game as {{p|Raichu}}, it can be released normally as well.

====Multiple partner Pikachu====
In {{game|Yellow}}, even though the player's partner Pikachu is a unique Pokémon and there is no other Pikachu available in-game, any other Pikachu that the player is the [[Original Trainer]] of (according to their Original Trainer name and [[Trainer ID number]]) is equally treated as the partner Pikachu. This includes any duplicates of the partner Pikachu with the use of [[cloning glitches]], or any wild Pikachu encountered in the current game by means such as the [[old man glitch]] or the [[Mew glitch|Trainer-Fly glitch]].

If a Pokémon Yellow player has the same name and ID as a player of any other [[Generation I]] or [[Generation II|II]] game (including another copy of Pokémon Yellow), any Pikachu caught or originally hatched as a {{p|Pichu}} in the other game is treated as the partner Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow.

If the player has multiple OT Pikachu in the [[party]], only the first of those Pikachu is able to follow the player. If the first OT Pikachu is affected by a non-volatile [[status condition]], then it will react with the respective animation when the player interacts with it. If the first OT Pikachu is [[fainting|fainted]], then no Pikachu follows the player. If the player swaps the order of fainted and non-fainted Pikachu in the party, this makes the Pikachu seen in the overworld appear or disappear based on the first OT Pikachu.

When Pikachu is affected by certain scripted events in the overworld, it will not be possible to see the [[summary]] or change the order of any OT Pikachu in the party before the event ends. This includes Pikachu sleeping as a result of the player interacting with {{p|Jigglypuff}} at the [[Pewter City]] [[Pokémon Center]], or Pikachu interacting with {{p|Clefairy}} at the [[Vermilion City]] [[Pokémon Fan Club]].

All partner Pikachu are unable to evolve in the current game and speak by saying variations of their name "Pikachu" voiced by [[Ikue Ohtani]] instead of the regular electronic cry of other Pokémon. All partner Pikachu share the same friendship value, so any friendship-modifying event applies to all of them. For instance, if any partner Pikachu [[level|levels up]] or if the player teaches a [[TM]] move to any partner Pikachu, the shared friendship value increases; if any partner Pikachu faints or if the player deposits any partner Pikachu in the [[Pokémon Storage System]], the shared friendship value decreases. However, Pikachu's friendship only increases as a result of challenging a [[Gym Leader]] if the first OT Pikachu in the party is not fainted when the battle starts.

====Comparison with other Pikachu====
Any {{pkmn2|outsider}} Pikachu (according to their Original Trainer name and [[Trainer ID number]]) behaves like any other regular Pokémon. An outsider Pikachu can be traded from other compatible games. Additionally, sometimes Pikachu were distributed as events, such as the {{DL|List of European language event Pokémon distributions in Generation I|Nintendo Power Pikachu}} (a [[Surfing Pikachu]] that was available from [[Nintendo Power]] in 1999).

Outsider Pikachu don't have a [[friendship]] value, and they don't follow or interact with the player like the partner Pikachu. In battle, outsider Pikachu are sent from a Poké Ball (as opposed to being sent from the side like the partner Pikachu). The outsider Pikachu don't say their name; their [[cry]] is a normal electronic noise like other Pokémon. The outsider Pikachu are able to [[Evolution|evolve]] normally into {{p|Raichu}}, and are able to be {{pkmn2|released}}.

====Gallery====
=====Artwork=====
{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color}}; font-size:80%;"
|- 
| class="roundy" style="border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}" | [[File:025Pikachu Y.png|x250px]]
| class="roundy" style="border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}" | [[File:025Pikachu Y 2.png|x250px]]
| class="roundy" style="border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}" | [[File:025Pikachu Y 3.png|x250px]]
|- 
| colspan=3 | Artwork from<br>{{color2|000|Pokémon Yellow Version|Yellow}}
|}

=====Sprites=====
{| style="margin:auto; text-align:center; {{roundy|20px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color}}; font-size:80%;"
|- 
|style="{{roundy|80px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}; width:64px"| [[File:Spr 1y 025.png]]
|style="{{roundy|80px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}; width:64px"| [[File:MS Pikachu Y.png]]
|style="{{roundy|20px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}; width:64px"| [[File:Spr b g1 025.png]]
|style="{{roundy|20px}} border: 2px solid #{{electric color dark}}; background: #{{electric color light}}; width:64px"| [[File:Spr Y Red Pikachu.png]]
|- 
| Sprite from<br>{{color2|000|Pokémon Yellow Version|Yellow}}
| Menu and overworld<br>sprite from {{color2|000|Pokémon Yellow Version|Yellow}}
| Back sprite from<br>{{color2|000|Pokémon Yellow Version|Yellow}}
| Mood sprite from<br>{{color2|000|Pokémon Yellow Version|Yellow}}
|}

==In the side series games==
===Pokémon Stadium series===
Using the [[Transfer Pak]], {{game|Yellow}} can connect with the games in the [[Pokémon Stadium series]].

In the [[Pokémon Stadium (Japanese)|Japanese Pokémon Stadium]], Pikachu is treated like any other Pokémon. When either the [[Pokémon Stadium|English Pokémon Stadium]] or [[Pokémon Stadium 2]] is connected with Pokémon Yellow, Pikachu has some unique animations, and it speaks by saying its own name, [[Voice acting in the Pokémon games|voiced]] by [[Ikue Otani]] (unlike the electronic noise [[cry]] of other Pikachu).
* When idle in battle, Pikachu keeps swinging its head to the sides, with its ears slightly uneven.
** This idle animation is seen in the Gallery screen as well. (This screen is used to take snapshots of the player's Pokémon, only in the North American version of [[Pokémon Stadium]].)
** Only in [[Pokémon Stadium 2]], this idle animation is shown when Pikachu is checked in the PC or the [[trade machine|trading machine]] in the Pokémon Lab.
* When entering a battle, Pikachu waves happily to the player. In the Gallery screen, the partner Pikachu waves happily every few seconds.

When Pikachu is in battle, it does not matter whether the player or the computer is using it; in either case, Pikachu still has its unique animations and talks by saying its own name. (The computer is able to use the player's Pokémon in the Free Battle mode of all three Pokémon Stadium games.)

Pokémon Stadium 2 features [[gender]]s and [[held item]]s. When Pokémon Yellow (or any other [[Generation I]] or [[Generation II]] game) is connected to Pokémon Stadium 2, all Pokémon's [[gender]]s and [[held item]]s are displayed as usual, despite the fact that genders (except for {{p|Nidoran♀}} and {{p|Nidoran♂}}) and held items are not featured in the Generation I games. Like any other Pikachu, the partner Pikachu is either male or female. Pikachu initially holds a [[Light Ball]], but the player may take or replace that item by using the [[PC]] in the Pokémon Lab.

Pikachu can be released normally like any other Pokémon in any of the three games of the Pokémon Stadium series.

==Trivia==
[[File:Yellow manual story.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Pikachu's Trainer is named イエロー (''Yellow'') in the Japanese manual of Pokémon Yellow]]
* The Pikachu in {{game|Yellow}} may have inspired the concept of any Pokémon [[walking Pokémon|following the player outside their Poké Ball]] in {{game|HeartGold and SoulSilver|s}}.
* Although Pikachu initially resides inside of its Poké Ball until the player has battled with the rival for the first time in Pokémon Yellow, it still enters the first battle from outside of the Ball.
* In the [[core series]] games, the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow is the only Pokémon that:
** Is the only [[following Pokémon]] available in a specific game.
** Is the only Pokémon with a [[friendship]] value available in a specific game.
** Loses some friendship if it is stored in the [[Pokémon Storage System]].
** Has a different cry to other Pokémon of the same species in the same game (in Pokémon Yellow, other Pikachu have a regular noise as their cry instead of being [[Voice acting in the Pokémon games|voiced]] by [[Ikue Otani]]).
* In the core series games, the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow is the only [[List of the player's first Pokémon|starting Pokémon]] that:
** Is the player's first Pokémon in an upper version but not in the original versions.
** Is the player's first Pokémon in the same [[generation]] but not in the same game as the introduction of its species.
** Is seen being caught by a [[Pokémon Professor]].
** Is obtained by the player after a failed attempt to obtain another first Pokémon (in this case, after attempting to obtain {{p|Eevee}}).
** Is able to gain a type advantage against the rival's first Pokémon only after the latter has evolved (in this case, into {{p|Vaporeon}}).
** Is only able to evolve after it is traded to another game.
* In the core series games, Pikachu (including both the Pikachu from Pokémon Yellow and the {{OBP|Partner Pokémon|Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!|partner Pikachu}} from {{LGPE}}) is the only starting Pokémon that:
** Is {{type|Electric}}.
** Has a [[gender]] ratio other than [[:Category:Pokémon with a gender ratio of seven males to one female|seven males to one female]].
** Has a previous [[evolution]]ary stage (in this case, {{p|Pichu}}).
* According to the Japanese manual of Pokémon Yellow, the [[player character]] (Pikachu's Trainer) is named Yellow (Japanese: イエロー). This follows the trend where the player character was always named according to the current game in the Japanese core series manuals up to Generation II.

==References==
<references/>

==Related articles==
{{animespecies|Pikachu}}
* [[Ash's Pikachu]]
* [[Red's Pikachu]]
* [[Partner Pokémon (Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!)]]

{{First partner trios|Electric}}
{{Project CharacterDex notice}}

[[Category:Game characters]]
[[Category:Red, Blue and Yellow characters]]
[[Category:Male characters (Pokémon)]]
[[Category:Pokémon characters]]
[[Category:Characters' first Pokémon]]
[[Category:Champions' Pokémon]]
[[Category:Oak's Pokémon]]

[[it:Pikachu iniziale]]