Pikachu

The Electric-type yellow mouse Pokémon with a lightning-bolt tail and electricity-generating cheek sacs.

Pikachu is a species of fictional creatures known as Pokémon within Nintendo and Game Freak's media franchise. First introduced in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, it was created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori, with the final design realized by Sugimori himself. Standing 0.4 metres tall, this bipedal rodent features yellow fur, long pointed ears with black tips, red cheek sacs, and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt. Classified as an Electric-type Pokémon, it generates large amounts of electricity in its cheeks. While primarily voiced by Ikue Ōtani since its debut, other actors including Kate Bristol, Ryan Reynolds, and Kaiji Tang have also lent their voices to the character across various media.

Quick Facts

Series

Pokémon

First game

Pokémon Red and Blue (1996)

Creator

Atsuko Nishida

Designer

Atsuko Nishida
Koji Nishino
Ken Sugimori (finalized)
James Turner (Gigantamax)

Lore & Background

Pikachu's origins trace back to midway through the development of Pokémon Red and Blue. Lead designer Ken Sugimori sought more "cute" Pokémon but struggled with male-centric designs, so he brought in female staff member Atsuko Nishida. She was tasked with creating an Electric-type that evolved twice, with a final evolution looking strong. Nishida initially modeled the species after squirrels due to their "comical" movement and the idea of storing food in cheeks, which translated to electricity storage.

However, creator Satoshi Tajiri changed the classification to a mouse. Developer Koji Nishino encouraged making it cuter but jokingly made it rare in the original games so he could "keep it for himself." The design was finalized by Sugimori, who drew promotional art to unify the look. Originally pudgier, the character's design slimmed down over time for easier animation in the anime, a change later revisited in Pokémon Sword and Shield as a "Gigantamax" form designed by James Turner.

Reader's Guide

In the world of Pokémon, Pikachu evolves from Pichu, a species added later in Pokémon Gold and Silver. It evolves into Raichu when exposed to a Thunderstone. Originally, Raichu was planned to evolve further into "Gorochu," but this was cut due to cartridge space constraints. In gameplay, Pikachu uses its red cheek sacs to generate electricity.

Unlike other Pokémon who have different voice actors in each language dub, Ikue Ōtani voices Pikachu in all languages to keep the character's name and sound universal. While the anime initially planned for Pikachu to learn human speech gradually, this was dropped; instead, it communicates using only its own name. Digitized recreations of Ōtani's performance were used in Pokémon Yellow, and she voiced the character from Pokémon X and Y (2013) through Legends: Arceus (2022). In all other main series games prior to these, Pikachu uses a digitized "cry" sound effect.