#243: Raikou

Raikou is the first Johto legendary, but it's not my favorite. Let's just get the least interesting of the legendary beasts out of the way, shall we?

Raikou (right) with its fire and water counterparts Entei
(middle) and Suicune (right).

Entei, Suicune and Raikou form the trio of legendary beasts resurrected by Ho-Oh after the burning of the Brass Tower (or Burned Tower) in Ecruteak City, Johto. While Raikou is said to represent the lightning strike that ignited the fire that consumed the Brass Tower, Entei is said to represent the flames that burned it and Suicune is said to represent the rain that quenched the flames. Apparently, the purple mane on Raikou's back resembles a cumulonimbus cloud, the type of cloud most often associated with thunderstorms, and allows it to shoot bolts of lightning. It likes racing across the land while barking a cry that sounds like crashing thunder, sends shock waves shuddering through the air and shakes the ground as if lightning bolts have come crashing down. That sounds God-almighty; and rightfully so, because legendary Pokémon should have more outlandish characteristics than other Pokémon (although you don't have to make flavors too bland; RIGHT, Game Freak?). At least 'God-almighty' is the right word to describe Raikou, because it seems to be based on a few thunder and lightning deities from different folklores.

Damn, some pieces of fan art are just plain AMAZING! 

First and foremost, there's the raijū - literally 'thunder animal' or 'thunder beast' - which is a thunder demon from Japanese lore and is said to be the companion of the Japanese god of thunder, Raijin. A raijū is said to be able to take the form of a tiger, like Raikou is obviously based on, but its white-and-blue wolf form wrapped in lightning is the most common depiction of it (in fact, the Pokémon Manectric seems to be based on this form). There's also the Taoist deity of Lei Gong - literally 'Lord of Thunder' - from Chinese mythology, which is even Raikou's Mandarin Chinese name: Léigōng (雷公). This translates to Japanese as raikō, which literally means 'thunder duke' but is also taken from the words rai ('thunder') and kō (emperor). And aside from some Eastern deities, Raikou is also based on a couple of normal animals, most notably Bengal tigers and the extinct species similodon fatalis, most often referred to as the saber-toothed tiger. Bulbapedia even suggests that the white ruff around Raikou's face is akin to the Siberian tiger's thick fur around its neck, but I think that's a little farfetched. Sure, Siberian tigers live in a part of Russia close to Japan, and some even reside in China and North Korea, but I just think the designers thought the white ruff was a cool addition. Personally, I think the 'puffy cheeks' make Raikou look a little baby-faced.

Talk about being baby-faced: check out Raikou's sprites from Gold and Silver. Damn, it just looks weird.

Also, despite all its feline traits, Raikou and its companions are still considered dogs rather than cats. It has to be said that Entei and Suicune sure look canine, but Raikou really doesn't... Oh, well.

Raikou just being regal on its rock. 

The name 'legendary beast' sure does Raikou justice, though, because it is an absolute beast in battle. It is often hard to find a check for Raikou in competitive play, because its only weakness is ground and its defenses are very good. Well, its defense is quite mediocre, but its decent HP makes up for that and its base 100 special defense is good enough for it to take a few special hits. However, its special attack and speed, both a stunning base 115, are off the fucking charts. People often run a Calm Mind set on Raikou, to raise its special attack and special defense by one stage each and then annihilate the opponent with strong moves like Thunderbolt, Extrasensory, Shadow Ball and Signal Beam. Volt Switch can be thrown into mix for gaining momentum any time you need it, while Hidden Power provides some coverage of any type when you need it. The to-go nature for all Raikou sets is Timid, while a Calm Mind set can be accompanied by a held item such as a Life Orb or the Leftovers. Choice Specs or an Assault Vest are viable options as well, but both require Raikou to omit Calm Mind from its moveset. A 50% boost in special attack (Specs) or special defense (Vest) sounds nice, but it won't be able to get both with Calm Mind this way, although setting up requires the use of a valuable turn, so I understand the desire for instant power or bulk with the Specs or Vest.

There is a lot of awesome fan art of Raikou to be found on the Internet. I'd
recommend you go check it out. 

This is the same situation as with Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres: Articuno is my favorite legendary bird and wins from Zapdos and Moltres by a landslide (Team Mystic!), but I don't hate Zapdos and Moltres by any means, considering the fact I gave them both 4.5-star ratings. Raikou is nowhere near as interesting as Entei or even Suicune, but it'll get a 4.5-star rating from me nonetheless. And if I'm being honest, I might as well tell you guys that there aren't any legendary or mythical Pokémon that I hate and that most of them will get a 4-star rating or higher (although there could be one or two exceptions).

P.S.: I still have a little figurine of this thing, mind you. Not that I value it all that much, but I thought I should mention it just for the hell of it.

Rating: 4.5/5