Whenever someone asks a Pokémon fan why Ash never evolved his Pikachu, a couple of answers are offered. Some may provide the in-story reason, and say Pikachu wanted to prove it could win without evolving. Others might point out how Pikachu might lose its cuteness and marketability if it were to evolve. However, a third answer isn't used as often.
At the end of the day, the Pokémon anime is an advertisem*nt for the games. This not only means showing off characters and story elements, but also certain mechanics for how they are meant to be played. It teaches players those kinds of lessons while also entertaining them with compelling stories, which might be why the real reason Pikachu wasn't evolved flew under many people's radar.
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Why Didn't Pikachu Evolve, Initially?
A couple of the reasons for Pikachu refusing to evolve were given in Episode 14, "Electric Shock Showdown." At the time, Ash was mocked by Lt. Surge for not evolving his Pikachu, and making it strong as soon as possible; to drive his point home, the Gym Leader beat Pikachu with its evolved form Raichu. Later, Ash and Pikachu were given a Thunder Stone so that the latter could evolve, too, but they concluded that doing so just to win would make them no better than Lt. Surge. They ended up beating Lt. Surge and his Raichu in a rematch, proving that Pokémon don't need to evolve to win. However, that wasn't the real lesson of the episode.
The real lesson was in exactly how Ash managed to win. It's because Pikachu was able to learn speed-based moves like Agility and Quick Attack, which it could only learn as a Pikachu. Lt. Surge couldn't teach his Raichu these moves because he evolved it too quickly. With this advantage, Ash and Pikachu were able to outmaneuver their opponents and earn the Thunder Badge.
This difference between Pikachu and Raichu is based on a mechanic from the games. Certain Pokémon can only learn moves as their pre-evolution. This holds especially true for Pokémon who evolve with evolutionary stones like Pikachu; after it evolves into a Raichu, it can't learn any moves by leveling up. Even if the Move Reminder existed back then, it couldn't learn anything special. It's challenging, but the reward for battling with and leveling up Pokémon in their weaker, unevolved forms until the time is right is often too good to pass up. Ash keeping his Pikachu from evolving so it could learn moves like Quick Attack and Agility was meant to be a showcase for this important game mechanic.
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Why Did Pikachu Continue to Refuse Evolution?
As for why Pikachu remained unevolved after beating Lt. Surge's Raichu, that can be attributed to the reasons everyone thinks. For one thing, the episode itself proved that Pikachu could be just as capable in a battle as Raichu, so evolving was now more a matter of personal preference. This lesson about not needing to evolve to win can be translated into all sorts of life lessons like doing what feels right or not taking shortcuts. Besides this, evolving Pikachu into Raichu would likely cause it to lose its cuteness and marketability; that will likely never be stated in the anime itself, but there's a cynical truth to it. These kinds of points, while not nearly as applicable to the games, can leave a far more lasting impression that goes beyond a single anime episode.
Points like these also apply to "Electric Shock Showdown," but the lesson about learning moves is still the exclusive key takeaway for that particular episode. Even a similar episode fromDiamon and Pearl, "Pika and Goliath," couldn't quite recreate the moral of "Electric Shock Showdown;" it had Pikachu similarly win by outmaneuvering the opponent's Raichu, but the reasons had more to do with anime logic than game mechanics. This may not have been an important life lesson, but it was something viewers who were doing their own playthroughs of Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow would greatly appreciate.
FAQs
In the episode "Gotta Catch a What?!" Ash explained to his companion trainer Goh that Pikachu wanted to get stronger as a Pikachu. While evolving into a Raichu would have increased Pikachu's power significantly, it also wouldn't have been true to who he is.
Why did Ash's Pikachu never evolve? ›
Ash keeping his Pikachu from evolving so it could learn moves like Quick Attack and Agility was meant to be a showcase for this important game mechanic.
Why do so many of Ash's Pokémon not evolve? ›
A lot of Ash's Pokemon are acquired early on and naturally can't evolve until they've undergone considerable training, but some of the most iconic parts of his roster often remain unevolved even after overcoming considerable trials.
Why does Ash's Pikachu get weaker? ›
Ash's Pikachu Was Struck by an Intense Electrical Attack
Caught up in the chaos, Pikachu ends up getting hit by one of these strikes, revealed to have been caused by the titular electric legendary Pokémon. This intense loss of power is seemingly later confirmed when Pikachu is defeated by a weak-looking Snivy.
Why doesn t Pikachu turn into Raichu? ›
Ash's Pikachu ended up refusing to evolve because he likes the way he is and he doesn't want to evolve just to take the easy way out with getting stronger but rather he would prefer to get stronger in his current form as a Pikachu.
Is there a reason to not evolve Pikachu? ›
Even those unfamiliar with the franchise have had some experience or interaction with the character. Evolving Ash's Pikachu would have meant changing the mascot for the franchise and, as a result, losing marketability. Keeping Pikachu as a Pikachu has allowed the franchise to maintain its iconic branding.
Why did Meowth never evolve? ›
While Meowth was never faced with the choice of evolving due to his general inability to battle well, we have seen that Meowth is capable of battling well when his mind is put to it/when the situation calls for it, like in EP070 "Go West Young Meowth" when Meowth defeats a Persian in battle.
What is Ash's rarest Pokémon? ›
Ash's Noctowl was also notably smaller than others of its species, making it even rarer. All these factors come together to ensure that Noctowl is Ash's #1 rarest Pokémon.
Why did Squirtle never evolve? ›
Some people believe that his Squirtle never evolved because Gary selected Squirtle as his starter Pokemon and so Gary would be the only one with the eventual Blastoise. Pikachu- was already a Pikachu, and Pichu wasn't in the original Kanto games, had an opportunity to evovle, but didn't want to.
Why did Ash stop using his old Pokémon? ›
However, Ash did have his reasons for sticking with new teammates. It's all part of the fresh start he takes every time he enters a new region. He probably could do better with stronger Pokémon, but he wanted to do what he felt was right, even if it was more challenging.
However, Pikachu defeats the Raichu in their second battle using agility that gives it superior speed. Despite Raichu's higher evolution, it still loses to Ash's Pikachu without it ever having to use the Thunderstone and evolve into a Raichu itself. After the battle, Team Rocket reaffirms that Ash's Pikachu is special.
Is Ash's Pikachu level 100? ›
Ash's pikachu is actually probably level 68.
Is Ash's Pikachu stronger than Greninja? ›
Given their unique bond and its incredible win record, there should be little doubt that Greninja is Ash's strongest Pokémon other than Pikachu.
Why does Pikachu refuse to evolve yellow? ›
In the story arc, Pikachu decides to not evolve with Ketchum's Thunder Stone, as it would rather face and defeat Raichu on its own terms.
Why does Pikachu hate pokeballs? ›
A theory for Pikachu's preference for the outside world is that he may not enjoy the environment inside the Poke ball, no matter how comfortable it may be. In the event that no other Pokemon can interact with each other inside the Poke ball, it is possible that Pikachu does not like being isolated in there.
Why doesn't Ash age? ›
My favorite theory is that Ash has been in a Neverending dream ever since the first episode and that's why he never ages. But its mostly to keep his age around the same age as the shows targeted audience. If I was in charge of the pokemon anime, I would have Ash age by 1 year.
Why was Ash's Pikachu so special? ›
While the series never outright confirms what makes Pikachu special or rare, it's evident that it is more powerful and different from others of its kind. There is a possibility that Ash's Pikachu is maxed out at level 100 without evolving, explaining its dominance in Pokémon battles.
Why did Ash get Pikachu instead of a starter? ›
"By the way, I decided from the very get-go that the Pokémon that would become [Ash's] partner would not be one of the three you choose between at the start of the video game, since I figured that might make some of the viewers sad. That's why he ended up with a Pikachu, a decision I'm really glad I made."
Did Ash leave Pikachu forever? ›
In the present, Ash finally stops running. Misty and Brock both catch up to him, asking why he's leaving Pikachu. Ash stands his ground, stating that Pikachu will be much happier with its own kind in the forest rather than traveling with him and decided that his decision is final.
Was Ash's Pikachu ever a girl? ›
Any event that distributes the Electric Mouse Pokémon makes it male with no way to get it as a female. This is especially noteworthy for the special Pikachu in a cap, which is supposed to be based directly on Ash's Pikachu. This seems to act as definitive proof that Pikachu is a male in the eyes of the game developers.
