Raichu
Pokémon character
National Pokédex
Pikachu - Raichu (#0026) - Sandshrew
First gamePokémon Red and Blue (1996)
Created byAtsuko Nishida[1]
Designed byAtsuko Nishida[1]
Ken Sugimori (finalized)[2]
Voiced by
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypeElectric
Electric/Psychic (Alolan)

Raichu (ライチュウ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. First introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue, they were created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori to create cute characters for the game, with the design finalized by Sugimori. Since their initial appearance, they have appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise. In media related to the franchise, Raichu has been voiced by various voice actors, including Urara Takano, Kei Shindō, Fumiko Takekuma, and Casey Mongillo.

Classified as an Electric-type Pokémon, Raichu is a large brown mouse with a lightning bolt-shaped tail, and yellow sacs on its cheek that can generate large amounts of electricity. Designed to be the stronger counterpart to Pikachu, who evolves into Raichu through use of a "Thunder Stone" item, Raichu was meant to evolve to a form dubbed Gorochu before it was removed. A regional variant was added in Pokémon Sun and Moon called Alolan Raichu, a fluffier design with round ears and tail, able to levitate by riding its tail like a surfboard, and classified as both Electric and Psychic-type.

While early reactions regarded it negatively in light of Pikachu's status as the franchise's main mascot, later examinations have been more favorable, showing preference for its design. Often portrayed as Pikachu's rival in the anime adaptation of the series, or in some games, shown as a form Pikachu refuses to evolve into, critics have claimed this coupled with the lack of support for the species from Game Freak has painted the species in a negative light and overall damaged its reputation. This has led to further discussion on Game Freak's overemphasis on Pikachu, but also varying interpretations of the themes in the rivalry, including concepts of self identity and portrayals of youth in anime media.

Conception and development

Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon,[7]: 6–7, 11  and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve, once they gain enough experience or through other methods.[7]: 31, 35  The ultimate goal is to complete the Pokémon index (Pokédex), a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species.[7]: 6–7 

Midway through Red and Blue's development, lead designer Ken Sugimori felt that the game needed more "cute" designs and was struggling to conceive such. Attributing it to his male perspective, he brought in female Game Freak staff including Atsuko Nishida to join the development team. Tasked with developing the Pikachu species and their evolutionary line, she was given specific guidelines to work with, namely their role as an Electric-type, that it evolved twice, and that the final form "look strong". Pikachu evolves into Raichu through use of the game's "Thunder Stone" item,[8] while Raichu was originally planned to evolve into a Pokémon dubbed Gorochu. However, the latter was cut due to cartridge space concerns, leaving Raichu to be Pikachu's sole evolution.[1] Nishida developed the sprites,[1] using a single color identity chosen in order to work within the Super Game Boy's hardware limitations.[9] Afterwards, the design was finalized by Sugimori who, towards the end of development, drew the promotional art of all the species to give them a unified look and make any last-minute changes.[2]

Design

Nishida also defined Alolan Raichu's means of movement, with the Pokémon levitating on its tail, gliding on it like a surfboard.

Standing 2 ft 7 in (79 cm) tall,[10] Raichu's name comes from the Japanese kanji "rai", meaning thunder, followed by "chū", which is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak.[11][12] Raichu is a small bipedal rodent with long ears and feet but short arms. With orange skin, Raichu has a white belly, brown paws, and tan-colored soles on their feet. Their bifurcated ears are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside, and they have yellow cheek sacs.[10] Two brown stripes go across their backs, a detail shared with Pikachu that Nishida added to give them a more defined look as players would typically see them from behind during gameplay. Raichu's long, thin tail has a broad, lightning bolt-shaped end, meant to signify its electric nature. They were not originally intended to be based off mice, as the mouse Pokémon Rattata already existed at this point in development, and instead were modelled after squirrels. Nishida stated in an interview that she was obsessed with the creatures at the time due to their "comical movement", and the idea to have Pikachu and Raichu store electricity in their cheeks similar to how squirrels store food. Sugimori credited the change to mice to Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri when he was designing the setting.[1]

When developing sequel titles Pokémon Sun and Moon, several "Alolan form" Pokémon were added. Variants of existing Pokémon, they were meant to be tied thematically to the game's region.[13] According to game director Shigeru Ohmori, of all the regional forms introduced in the game, Raichu's was the hardest to create, as they felt the species was popular with fans of the franchise. A theme of it surfing on its tail was chosen due to the large amount of water surrounding the in-game region,[14] a concept they had previous explored with Raichu in another game, Pokémon Stadium.[15] Sugimori asked Nishida to design the form, who based the design off a bread motif, resulting in a more "soft and fluffy" appearance that surprised him. Nishida felt that Raichu's original design was far cuter than people gave it credit for, and wanted to express this in the Alolan design. The development team gave the species an affinity for pancakes to better tie it to its motif as well as to "play up that cuteness".[13] With Psychic as its secondary type, it has an ability called Surge Surfer to speed through terrain that has the Electric trait.[14]

Appearances

First found in Pokémon Red and Blue, they have appeared in most Pokémon titles since, including every major game. The most notable Raichu is owned by Pokémon Gym Leader Lt. Surge, a boss in several of the games. Typically, players must use a Thunder Stone item on a Pikachu to evolve it into Raichu. However, the Pikachu obtained at the start of Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu cannot evolve, and another Pikachu must be obtained instead.[16][17] While the regular version was omitted from Pokémon Sun and Moon, their Alolan form appears instead. Both have appeared in the mobile game Pokémon Go, and, in physical media, were in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.[18] Outside of games, Raichu has appeared on several pieces of merchandise, including plush toys, figurines, and as promotional material with companies such as Burger King.[19][20]

In the related anime and manga, Raichu appears as a repeated rival of protagonist Ash Ketchum's Pikachu. First appearing alongside Lt. Surge, Raichu quickly overpowers Pikachu, leaving Ash to consider evolving it. However, Pikachu rejects the Thunder Stone, and fights Raichu again. Using skills it acquired that Surge's Raichu lacked, due to the latter evolving his as quickly as possible, and its superior speed, Pikachu defeats Raichu.[21] Another Raichu appears in the short Pikachu's Vacation, goading Pikachu into fighting him and racing across the island they are on.[22] Pikachu comes into conflict with an Alolan Raichu, engaging in a race where they carry stacks of pancakes.[23] Later in the anime series, a female Raichu owned by the character Goh is quite fond of Ash's Pikachu.[24] Raichu has been voiced by Urara Takano, Kei Shindō, Fumiko Takekuma, and Casey Mongillo, the last of which voiced Goh's in the English localization of the anime.[3][4][5][6]

Critical reception

Raichu's rivalry with Pikachu (right) in the anime shaped a significant amount of how the former was perceived in subsequent works.

Early reactions to the species were negative due to Pikachu's popularity as the series mascot, with IGN in their "Pokémon of the Day Chick" series of articles argued Raichu was "loved by many and despised by more,"[25] and GamesRadar+ editor Brett Elston adding that it was "easy to forget Raichu even exists."[8] Later articles, such as Nintendo Life's retrospective of Pokémon from Red and Blue, spoke more favorably of the species, with Jon Cartwright describing them as a "step up" from Pikachu. Alex Olney agreed that Raichu is "hugely underrated", ranking it higher than Pikachu, while Zion Grassl felt it was unfair to players of Pokémon Yellow to be denied access to Raichu without losing a core feature of the game.[16]

Other articles also praised the species. Kenneth Shephard of Kotaku criticized The Pokémon Company's handling of the species, stating that they would either use Raichu as a "punching bag" or ending up not using them at all. He blamed it due to Raichu's debut episode in the Pokémon anime, feeling that while the episode by itself was good, it helped set the tone for how the species was perceived by the audience, with Pikachu being the superior of the two. Raichu's negative reception compounded in the Pokémon video games; while Pikachu would be given items or new forms available to it to improve its effectiveness, these were omitted from Raichu, giving players the underlying message that evolving Pikachu would be a disadvantage,[26] or, in some titles, prevent Pikachu from evolving at all. In an article for Fanbyte, he further explained that Raichu, compared to other final evolution Pokémon such as Charizard or Blastoise, was treated with less recognition, and added "it feels like Raichu can't get out from under its little brother's shadow, even as he towers over him."[27]

Isaiah McCall of The Gamer held similar sentiments, stating "people worship the throne that Pikachu built, ignoring anything Raichu had to offer", and expressing his confusion at the reaction. He argued that Raichu was simply a stronger counterpart to Pikachu, and felt Raichu would have been far more popular if it evolved from any other Pokémon.[28] Evan Valentine of ComicBook.com argued that while Raichu was overshadowed by their "smaller, and let's be real, cuter" counterpart, its existence and portrayal helped give better insight to Pikachu's character in the anime.[29] ScreenRant's Niki Fakhoori stated that despite The Pokémon Company's emphasis on Pikachu, Raichu was overall more effective in the franchise's competitive scene, needing less forced support and able to utilize a wider array of items, further calling it one of the franchise's "best designs", highlighting Raichu's "sleek" legs and "iconic" tail.[15] However, in a 2022 article, she emphasized that the franchise abandoned the species.[22]

Other sources have read different meanings into Pikachu's rivalry with his evolved form, such as the book La Culture de l'Enfance à l'Heure de la Mondialisation, which drew direct comparisons between them to the Biblical story of David and Goliath.[30] Gina O’Melia in the book Japanese Influence on American Children's Television drew a comparison to Ash's idealized childlike state instead of maturing in Pikachu's refusal to evolve into Raichu and how this displayed that they drew power from their younger states respectively. The theme was something she felt was also a common trope in other anime media targeting children.[31] Meanwhile, journalist Nicole Hill in an interview with Kotaku felt Pikachu's refusal to evolve and why resonated well with the LGBTQ community, acting as an example of self-expression and -identity.[32] On characterization, Fakhoori felt the anime's repeated portrayal of Raichu as "an ill-natured Pokémon used by unkind Trainers" significantly damaged how the species was viewed by the public, especially in light of Pikachu being emphasized as "reasonable and heroic" when the two come into conflict.[22]

Polygon writer Allegra Frank noted that Raichu's Alolan form had proven popular with the fandom, some of which had made the connection between its design and pancakes and that its presentation in the Pokémon anime may have been in response to memes that arose from such.[23] Fakhoori appreciated how it maintained similar aspects to Raichu's original design, ranking Alolan Raichu as "one of the cutest alternate forms" across the Pokémon series, and added regardless of form, "Raichu is always shaped like a friend."[15] Shephard, on the other hand, voiced disdain. While he praised the fact Raichu had finally gotten some acknowledgement, he felt it was in part the company trying to shelve the original design. Despite praising the design on its own aspects, the form came across as a reminder that "if Raichu is to get any spotlight", it would be "as a kind of canvas" for new ideas instead.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Creator Profile: The Creators of Pikachu". Pokemon.com. July 26, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Ken Sugimori Works (in Japanese). Tankobon Softcover. January 2014. pp. 342–343. ISBN 9784198638061.
  3. 1 2 "でんげきたいけつ！クチバジム". Pocket Monsters. Season 1. Episode 14 (in Japanese). July 1, 1997. Event occurs at 21:17.
  4. 1 2 "ポケットモンスター「伝説ゲット！？水の守護神スイクンを探せ！！」". TV Tokyo (in Japanese). January 29, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Fumiko Takekuma". Visual Entertainment Plandas (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  6. 1 2 @CaseyTheVA (December 5, 2020). "I'm so excited to share that alongside of voicing Scorbunny, Raboot and Chrysa, I am also the voice of this Raichu in the new batch of episodes of #PokemonJourneys! They just arrived on Netflix, so go and check 'em out!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
  7. 1 2 3 Game Freak (September 30, 1998). Pokémon Red and Blue, Instruction manual. Nintendo.
  8. 1 2 Elston, Brett (September 21, 2010). "The complete Pokemon RBY pokedex, part 3, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl DS Features". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 15, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  9. ↑ Morrissy, Kim. "Pokémon Designers Reflect on History of Eevee's Design". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Raichu - Pokédex". Pokemon.com. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Pokemon Red Version Guide/Walkthrough - GB, Game Boy Walkthrough - IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  12. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (January 21, 2008). "Japan: The True Meaning of". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
  13. 1 2 The Pokémon Company (December 2017). Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon Edition. Piggyback Interactive. p. xxi. ISBN 9781911015437.
  14. 1 2 Loveridge, Sam (October 20, 2016). "Guess which Pokémon Sun/Moon Alola form was the hardest to design". Digital Spy. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 Fakhoori, Niki (May 20, 2022). "Pokémon: Raichu Is Secretly Much Cooler Than Pikachu". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  16. 1 2 Olney, Alex (December 25, 2021). "Feature: We've Ranked All 151 Gen 1 Pokémon And It Nearly Killed Us". NintendoLife. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  17. ↑ Cooper, Dalton (May 30, 2018). "Pokemon Let's Go: Can You Evolve Pikachu and Eevee?". GameRant. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  18. ↑ Zalace, Jacqueline (October 12, 2022). "Pokemon TCG: The 10 Pokemon With The Most Cards". The Gamer. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  19. ↑ "ポケモン ライチュウのグッズ一覧 1件～40件（全 202件）". PokemonCenter Online (in Japanese). Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Pok¿Monday - GBA Feature at IGN". IGN. December 20, 1999. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  21. ↑ Atsuhiro Tomioka (writer) (September 25, 1998). "Electric Shock Showdown". Pokémon. Season Indigo League. Episode 14. Various.
  22. 1 2 3 Fakhoori, Niki (July 11, 2022). "Pikachu Ruined One Pokémon Forever". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  23. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (February 3, 2017). "Pokémon anime rekindles Pikachu and Raichu's rivalry — and a popular meme". Polygon. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  24. ↑ Peters, Megan (August 30, 2020). "Pokemon Journeys Saves Ash's Pikachu from Evolving with a Twist". ComicBook.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Pokemon Crystal Version Pokemon of the Day: Raichu (#26) - IGN FAQs". IGN. Archived from the original on April 23, 2003. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Shephard, Kenneth (November 13, 2023). "An Ode To Raichu, The Best Pokémon Who Can't Get Any Respect". Kotaku. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  27. ↑ Shephard, Kenneth (April 29, 2021). "I Am Once Again Asking Game Freak to Put Respect on Raichu's Name". Fanbyte. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  28. ↑ McCall, Isaiah (May 16, 2018). "10 Classic Pokémon Nobody Should Pick (And 10 That Are Underrated)". The Gamer. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  29. ↑ Valentine, Evan (September 19, 2019). "Pokemon Fan Brings Raichu to Life with Adorable Plush". ComicBook.com. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ Bruno, Pierre (2002). La Culture de l'Enfance à l'Heure de la Mondialisation (in French). In Press. p. 180. ISBN 9782912404909.
  31. ↑ O'Melia, Gina (July 2019). "5 Pokémon "Gotta Catch All The Success"". Japanese Influence on American Children's Television. Springer International Publishing. pp. 123, 128. ISBN 9783030174163.
  32. ↑ Shephard, Kenneth (June 26, 2023). "Fairy Pokémon Have Become A Queer Calling Card". Kotaku. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
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