Pikachu is the most famous Pokemon that serves as the mascot of the series, which even people who have never played the games or watched the anime can recognize. Ash may be the most famous Pikachu trainer in the series, but he's not the only one with a Pikachu on his team.
We've seen a handful of trainers with their own Pikachus, in addition to Ash's iconic traveling partner. However, these trainers and their Pikachu are not all built the same. Here's a look at how all of these Pikachu trainers are doing, considering their individual achievements as trainers and how well they've raised their Pikachu.
Pokemon: 5 popular anime in which you heard Pikachu's voice
Pikachu's voice is iconic, but did you recognize him in these other anime?
Winner
Victor is not a Pokémon trainer in the traditional sense of the word. Although he and his Pikachu, Puka, are shown to have a close bond, Victor's goal is not to become a Pokémon Master. Victor and Puka don't even participate in battles as far as we know. This duo is more concerned with catching waves than earning gym badges.
Victor and Puka have been trying to surf the legendary Humungadunga wave for years. While not shown to do much in terms of combat, Puka has a unique ability that no other Pikachu has. Puka can detect big waves, making it a great partner for surfers like Victor. They may not be the strongest when it comes to traditional battles, but Victor and Puka still make a great team, and by the end of their episode in the original series, they manage to accomplish what they set out to do years ago.
Ritchie
Another character from the original series, Ritchie serves as one of Ash's rivals. Not only does he look very similar to him, but Ritchie also has a pretty similar team to Ash's. From a Charmeleon named Zippo to a Butterfree named Happy, Ritchie and Ash definitely share some similarities as trainers. But the most notable thing they have in common is their Pikachus.
Like Ash, Rictchie's Pikachu is the strongest of his party. Sparky is distinguished from Ash and other Pikachus by the small tuft of fur on his head. In early appearances, he seemed to be quite evenly matched with Ash's Pikachu. We don't see much of Ritchie throughout the series, so it's hard to say how strong Sparky was, but it's likely that he could never surpass Ash's Pikachu in terms of strength.
Ms
Ash has had a lot of traveling companions over the years, and Goh might be one of the best. Talented trainer and member of Project Mew Goh has caught over 100 Pokémon, proving to be one of the most productive and ambitious trainers Ash has ever traveled with. But the only one that matters in this list is one of the Pokémon he briefly shared with his traveling companion; Pikachu.
Goh only had her Pikachu for a short time before Team Rocket's scheme forced her to use the Thunder Stone and evolve into Raich. Racichu may not have featured as much as some of Goh's other Pokemon, but she always seemed to be a decently strong member of his party. Even though it evolved, it didn't really match the power of Ash's Pikachu, but it served as a reliable Pokemon for Goh regardless.
Professor Friede
Professor Friede plays quite a role in the novel Pokemon journeys series. As the leader of the Rising Volt Tacklers, Friede is an important part of the main cast. But as cool as he is, the real show stealer is his Pikachu. Captain Pikachu, like his predecessor, is not like most of his kind.
Aside from some fun quirks like being “allergic” to being called cute, Captain Pikachu has proven to be an incredibly capable and powerful Pokémon. It's just as fun and charismatic as its predecessor, but it hasn't quite surpassed the original yet.
Ash
Ash was the face Pokemon long. He was the main character of the anime series for more than 20 years, millions Pokemon fans all over the world followed his journey to becoming a Pokémon master. Ash is a great MC, but he wouldn't be nearly as fun to watch without his Pikachu by his side.
Ash's Pikachu is a big reason why the Pokemon anime became as popular as it is today. When most people think of Pikachu, they probably think of this little guy. The dynamic between Ash and Pikachu carries the series, and the bond they form during their journey has allowed Ash's Pikachu to push beyond any other Pikachu in the series. It's safe to say that Ash's Pikachu is not only the strongest Pikachu we've seen in anime, but it's probably one of the strongest non-legendary Pokemon in anime.
Pokemon
- Release date
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1997–2023
- Network
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TV Tokyo, TV Osaka, TV Aichi, TVh, TVQ, TSC
- directors
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Shigeru Omachi, Koji Ogawa, Fumihiro Ueno, Hideki Hiroshima, Maki Kodaira, Makoto Ooga, Ayumi Moriyama, Keitaro Motonaga, Shigeru Ueda, Fumihiro Yoshimura, Minoru Ohara, Yoshitaka Makino, Kiyoshi Na Egami, Makoto Keni, Heoki Ken Nishida, Tomoe Makino, Masahiko Watanabe, Hiroaki Takagi, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Ryohei Horiuchi, Yoshihiro Oda, Hiromichi Matano
- Writers
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Junki Takegami, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hideki Sonoda, Yukiyoshi Ôhashi, Yuka Miyata, Takeshi Shudo, Shouji Yonemura, Shinzo Fujita, Michihiro Tsuchiya, Deko Akao, Reiko Yoshida, Aya Matsui, Junichi Fujisaku
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Rica Matsumoto
satoshi (voice)
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Ikue Otani
Pikachu (voice)
