#236, #106 - #107, #237: Tyrogue, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan & Hitmontop

Official Sugimori art of Tyrogue, the pre-evolution of Hitmonlee,
Hitmonchan and Hitmontop.

In Gen. I, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were two seemingly unrelated Pokémon with completely different movepools. One generation later, they both got the same pre-evolution, Tyrogue, and another brother (probably from another mother) to boot. Whereas baby Pokémon are mostly useless in my opinion, Tyrogue has one nice shtick: it is able to evolve into three different Pokémon (one per Tyrogue, of course), which is more than any other Pokémon aside from Eevee. It actually makes Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan related, something that wasn't really clear in Red, Blue and Yellow, mainly because they look different from each other and have completely different movepools: Hitmonlee focuses on kicking moves, while Hitmonchan specializes in punching moves. The second generation even saw the introduction of another evolution alongside Tyrogue: Hitmontop. This means you can choose from three different Tyrogue evolutions to use, and that is exactly what a baby Pokémon should be used for (the only other useful one is Pichu, who can learn the exclusive move Volt Tackle through breeding). Unfortunately, most baby Pokémon are useless and don't have anything to add to their already existing basic forms. I know I've said this a million times already, but I just can't emphasize it enough.

The Hitmon family, consisting of (clockwise
starting from the left) Tyrogue, Hitmonchan,
Hitmonlee and Hitmontop. 

Combat-wise, though, Tyrogue is far from useful. No surprises there, as it is a baby Pokémon and baby Pokémon are generally not really useful in battle, anyway. Maybe that's why this little rascal is always bursting with energy, challenging everyone (even larger foes) to become stronger. Because it is determined to do so, Tyrogue will not quit no matter how many times it loses, often nursing its injuries as a result of that. It even becomes stressed if it won't be able to exercise every single day, which is why its Trainer should establish and maintain a regular training schedule. Tyrogue will be happy, because all of this training will pay off quickly when it evolves at level 20. When its attack is higher than its defense, it will evolve into Hitmonlee; when its defense is higher than its attack, it will evolve into Hitmonchan; and when its attack and defense are the same, it will evolve into Hitmontop. This suggests that you'll get one of those three at random, but you'll be able to manipulate that by giving Tyrogue certain vitamins (Proteins when you want Hitmonlee, Irons when you want Hitmonchan, and both if you want Hitmontop) or grinding Tyrogue up to level 20 while battling Pokémon that give off attack or defense EVs. This sounds complicated, but it's not if you know what you're doing. Even if you don't, you'll get at least one of Tyrogue's three evolutions, and all three of them work out differently in competitive play.

The first is Hitmonlee (whose name is derived from Bruce Lee), who may be the personification of kickboxing and the martial art taekwondo, as it specializes in kicking moves. In fact, Hitmonlee's legs act like a coiled spring, which allows it to run with lengthy strides and gives it greater reach for its kicks due to its flexibility, while its excellent sense of balance enables it to launch lethal successive kicks from any position, especially since the sole of Hitmonlee's foot turns as hard as diamond upon impact. It's a little unsettling Hitmonlee looks like blemmyae or βλέμμυες, headless men in Greek mythology who have their facial features on their chests, but otherwise it's just a cool and strong Pokémon.

TCG art of Hitmonlee.

So it won't come as a surprise that Hitmonlee has a great attack stat that it can use to easily OHKO opponents. Too bad its speed is a little average, but that can be fixed by using a Jolly-natured Hitmonlee with invested speed EVs and a Choice Scarf as a hold item, even though an Adamant nature and/or a Life Orb can be used for a little extra power, especially in combination with Reckless. This ability powers up moves that cause recoil or crash damage, like its staple move High Jump Kick. Limber prevents paralysis but is situational, while Unburden doubles Hitmonlee's speed when its held item is lost (usually a Berry). In combination with a Liechi Berry, which raises its attack in a pinch, and the moves Endure and Reversal, this makes for a great late-game sweep. Otherwise just go with Reckless and the moves High Jump Kick, Knock Off, Stone Edge and Close Combat, while moves like Mach Punch (to make a move first), Bullet Punch (see Mach Punch), Rapid Spin (to remove entry hazards) and other strong coverage moves like Blaze Kick, Poison Jab and Earthquake are also viable options.

The second Tyrogue evolution is Hitmonchan (whose name is derived from Jackie Chan) and is the personification of boxing. This becomes apparent when looking at the color of its gloves in its normal (red boxing gloves) and shiny coloration (blue boxing gloves), which is refers to the red and blue corners in boxing. Also, Hitmonchan is said to be possessed by the spirit of a pro boxer working towards a championship, and it needs a break after three minutes of fighting, which is a reference to the duration of rounds in boxing as well. But when Hitmonchan fights, it does so incredibly efficiently: its punches are so fast that they can't bee seen with the naked eye and even a slight graze of one of them can cause a burn. By punching with a corkscrew motion, Hitmonchan is even capable of drilling through concrete.

Hitmonchan's official art.

Despite its characteristics, Hitmonchan isn't as strong as Hitmonlee. However, it makes up for that with an excellent ability: Iron Fist, which powers up punching moves by 20%. And Hitmonchan learns A TON of useful punching moves, including Mach Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Bullet Punch, Drain Punch and even Focus Punch (works best in conjunction with Substitute). Forget about Inner Focus and don't even mention Keen Eye; Iron Fist is the number one ability to go with. Unfortunately, Hitmonchan is slower and slightly weaker than Hitmonlee, which is compensated by a better defense stat, hence its evolution method. The fact that it is capable of taking at least one physical-based hit means that the Substitute/Focus Punch combo is a viable option, but mostly you'll be better off with Drain Punch (which is STAB and heals HP), Mach Punch, Ice Punch and another move like Rapid Spin, Bullet Punch or Close Combat. As it's not fast anyway, an Adamant nature and a Life Orb or Fist Plate are more than fine to use. In that regard, Hitmonchan is quite the predictable Pokémon, which isn't even a bad thing considering its current moveset in combination with its Iron Fist ability is extremely effective.

TCG art of Hitmontop.

The last evolution of Tyrogue is Hitmontop, introduced alongside Tyrogue in Gen. II, one generation later than Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Based on a top and probably the personification of the Brazilian martial art capoeira, Hitmontop moves more quickly by spinning on the spike on its head than it does by walking normally. Capable of spinning at high speeds, it delivers smooth and graceful kicks and may even bore into the ground similar to a drill. Its spinning technique is an offensive as well as a defensive mechanism, which manifests itself through its evolution method and its stats: the fact that Tyrogue's attack and defense must be equal in order for it to evolve into Hitmontop is akin to how a top must be in equilibrium to remain upright. As for Hitmontops stats, its attack and defense are exactly the same. This actually coincides with its evolution method, something that didn't really apply to Hitmonchan, as Hitmonchan's attack is still higher than its defense. There is an explanation for that, though: Hitmonchan was one of the first 151 Pokémon, while Tyrogue's evolution method wasn't introduced until the second generation.

GIF of Hitmontop spinning. 

Hitmontop's equal attack and defense stats make room for a more defensive take on the Hitmon family, even though its close-to-terrible HP makes an all-out defensive approach nigh impossible. Nigh, not entirely. Run an Impish-natured Hitmontop with Intimidate (lowers the opponent's attack stat by one stage), invest EVs in HP and Defense, and make its moveset consist of Close Combat, Rapid Spin, Foresight and Toxic. Foresight is used to hit ghost-type Pokémon with Rapid Spin, who would otherwise be immune to it as it is a normal-type move, but if you want a more offensive move for type coverage, Earthquake and Stone Edge are viable options as well. Mach Punch is an excellent STAB priority move, while Fake Out can be used when you have just switched in to Hitmontop (otherwise the move will fail) and want the opponent to flinch and receive a little damage first. An all-out offensive Hitmontop isn't unheard of either, especially combined with its ability Technician (which powers up moves with a base power of 60 or lower by 50%) and the moves Mach Punch, Fake Out and/or Bullet Punch, but I recommend leaving that to Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan.

That's what I like about the Hitmon family, anyway: all three of them are so completely different in their battle techniques and their flavor. Taekwondo, boxing and capoeira are all completely different fighting sports and I think it's great that these Pokémon are based on them, even though I hate sports in general. Personally, I would like to use Hitmonchan once, just because it is more diverse in its movepool than its two counterparts. But that medieval bowl cut, Hitmontop? Not done. Absolutely not done.

Rating: 4/5

#95, #208: Onix & Steelix

The Crystal Onix from "The Crystal Onix", the 87th
episode of the Pokémon anime. 

No, I am NOT going to talk about Onix. I refuse.

Shit, I said I'd talk about all Pokémon, didn't I?

Well, to start with, Onix's stats are pretty terrible: except for its defense stat, its stats are all booty, booty, booty, booty, rockin' everywhere. And although you can't say I hate or despise it, it is such an uninteresting Pokémon with an even more uninteresting flavor to it. A giant ground snake that digs tunnels? Yeah, I'm not impressed. Okay, it has a magnet in its brain that prevents it from losing its sense of direction while tunneling, but that is pretty much it. The only thing about Onix that might be interesting enough is the Crystal Onix episode from the Orange Archipelago era. In this episode, Ash, Misty and Tracey end up on Sunburst Island, which is famous for its artists and glassblowers. They meet Mateo, a shopkeeper whose products are of lower quality than the sculptures of other glass makers on the island. In order to find inspiration, Mateo seeks to capture the legendary Crystal Onix, but after they find it and battle it, he realizes that just seeing the special Onix has inspired him. The most curious thing is - despite the fact that Onix are rock/ground-type Pokémon and are thus four times weak to water - that the Crystal Onix can withstand water because of its glass skin. It is weak to fire instead, which regular Onix resist.

Some pretty good papercraft of Steelix.

But that is just one anime episode and doesn't prevent Onix from still being an awful Pokémon stat-wise. However, when you give Onix a Metal Coat to hold and trade it to another game, it evolves into a much better and more fascinating Pokémon: Steelix! Steelix's diamond-hard and magnetic steel body can resist heat (despite it still being weak to fire in the video games) and makes it able to dig towards the Earth's core. The most interesting thing is the change in its primary typing: all of the iron in the soil and rocks Steelix has swallowed as an Onix have accumulated and have caused its body to compress underground, which is why its body is harder than diamond or any other metal. Steelix is, as its name suggests, a primary steel type, as opposed to Onix being a primary rock type. This comes with a more-than-excellent defense stat, a large set of resistances (eight, to be exact) and two immunities (Steelix is still part ground, which makes it immune to electric-type moves). Game Freak even blessed Steelix with the most awesome Mega evolution I have seen thus far.

Mega Steelix's official art.

And that undoubtedly makes Steelix the best powerhouse and defensive wall in the RU tier, and maybe the best overall, barring any legendary Pokémon. Upon Mega-evolving, its already outstanding defense stat becomes even more outstanding, and it even gets a little special bulk behind it. Its very decent base 95 special defense stat gives you the option to run a Steelix with a Careful nature or invest in special defense EVs (or both), as Mega Steelix's physical defense is high enough as is. Being perfectly able to take a hit, Mega Steelix is arguably the best Stealth Rock user, and being the fifth heaviest Pokémon in the game, Heavy Slam - one of its staple moves - does massive damage to most Pokémon. Its other staple move is its STAB Earthquake, which hits Pokémon that are resistant to steel for neutral damage (water) or super-effective damage (fire, electric, steel). This is where you choose to have Toxic to whittle down physically bulkier foes, Roar to force opponents to switch so that they can't set up with stat-increasing moves, or Stone Edge, Crunch, Aqua Tail or even Iron Head/Iron Tail for coverage or more reliable damage. You can even go for Sandstorm, because steel-, ground- and rock-type moves get a 30% boost from Mega Steelix's ability Sand Force when a sandstorm is raging on the battlefield.

And while we're at it, a regular Steelix (before you Mega-evolve it) should have Sturdy, which prevents it from getting OHKO'd while at full health. Rock Head prevents recoil damage, but the only move Steelix gets that benefits from that is Double-Edge. Lastly, its hidden ability Sheer Force ignores additional effects of move (like flinching or stat reduction) of moves for a little extra power, but you want Steelix to Mega-evolve as soon as possible anyway, so you'll barely have the chance to make use of it.

Wow, this piece of fan art of Jasmine and her Mega Steelix is GORGEOUS!

I absolutely love, love, LOVE Mega Steelix and it is by far my favorite Mega evolution. It always looked like some kind of mineral-like spikes were about to protrude from Steelix's body, which they technically already did, but finally Mega-evolving has caused its cells to crystallize and made the prism-like crystalline spikes to burst from it. What's more, Mega Steelix now has its own gravitational orbit, causing metallic-looking scraps to constantly rotate around its neck. These scraps act to its movements and change position when it attacks. I mean, how cool is that? To top all that, Steelix's polished steel body makes its shiny form look more like actual gold, which makes it one of the most effective shinies to date. After all this praise, it probably comes at no surprise that I will give Steelix a perfect rating, just for being a perfect Pokémon.

Rating: 5/5

#79 - #80, #199: Slowpoke, Slowbro & Slowking

Scene from the "Slowpoke Song" music video.

Another split evolution, but this one is the dopiest so far. If you say that Slowpoke looks like it is dumb, you are absolutely right: it has dim intellect, often forgets what it was doing and - perhaps this is the worst one - responds to external stimuli after a very long time. For example, it can take up to five seconds for it to process pain and it can even take a day before it realises it has been bitten. Dopey? Yup, that is why the official Pokémon classifies Slowpoke as such. Recently, the Pokémon Company International, Inc. announced that it was Slowpoke week or something, and as a result they released a special song called the "Slowpoke Song". Now, if that isn't dopey, I don't know what is. One scene in the music video, in which eight Slowpoke form a circle by biting each other's tails, might even turn out badly for these Slowpoke (obviously, in the music video they'll be just fine). See, their flavorful and pleasant-to-chew-on tails are used as lure for fishing and they often break off and then regenerate. The video games even indicate that Slowpoke tails are seen as a delicacy by humans: Team Rocket sell them for a clean million Pokédollars each. The anime shows that Slowpoke will evolve into Slowbro the moment a Shellder holds on to its tail, after which Slowbro will lose the capability to feel pain due to Shellder's poison.

Heheh. Yeah, this is not really Slowpoke's evolution method in
the games, but it makes for some very good jokes. 

So, the tails are important? Not really. They make for a nice characteristic of Slowpoke, but in the games they are only used to create a storyline plot for Team Rocket and Slowbro is to be obtained by leveling Slowpoke up to level 37. That is quite late, to be honest. It has decent HP and therefore it is capable of taking a hit just fine, but its terrible special attack stat and mediocre attack stat (and the lack of good physical moves for it) makes Slowpoke fall behind quickly if you are going through a regular playthrough. Fortunately, there is another evolution method, as it is also capable of evolving into Slowking, introduced one generation later, by having Slowpoke hold a King's Rock and trade it. Apparently, that is not how it goes in the anime: when Slowpoke gets bitten in the head by a Shellder, the Shellder's venom is released in its brain, causing a chemical reaction that unlocks superior intellect, intuition and inspiration, and extraordinary power. More venom is injected into Slowking every time it yawns, which also causes Slowking to become more intelligent. However, if the Shellder on its head comes off, Slowking will forget everything it has learned.

Shellder, Shellder, Shellder. So that thing is important, after all. In the games, Mantyke evolves into Mantine when it levels up with a Remoraid added to the party, so why couldn't Shellder become the key in Slowpoke evolving into either Slowbro or Slowking (or both)?

Oh, that's right... Mantyke was introduced in Gen. IV and Slowking in Gen. II. I guess it just wasn't possible in the time of Gold and Silver. Alright, I'll let it slide.

Official art of Slowbro (left) and Mega Slowbro (right).

Fortunately though, Slowbro and Slowking are competent battlers. Slowbro even got a Mega evolution. And an uncomfortable one at that, as Slowbro gets almost completely devoured by the Shellder on its tail. Mega Slowbro's energy has gathered in the Shellder, and as a result the hardness of its shell is boosted, making an armor so hard that nothing and or no one can scratch it. And that is noticable, because Slowbro gets a huge boost in its defense (and a small one in its special attack) upon Mega-evolving. Regular Slowbro was already used as a physically defensive tank and a support Pokémon rather than an offensive one. A moveset consisting of Scald (for doing damage; it also has a chance to burn the foe), Thunder Wave (to paralyze the opponent), Slack Off (to recover Slowbro; works great in conjunction with its hidden ability Regenerator, which lets it gain some HP back upon switching out) and Calm Mind (to boost its lower special defense some more and power up Scald) is therefore not uncommon. Now that it has a Mega, it is easily used as an all-offensive threat, preferably with three strong special moves and a status move like Calm Mind or Slack Off.

"I could use pants."

While Slowking's stat spread differs from Slowbro, it is often used as a physically defensive tank as well. Its naturally high special defense can be pumped up with Calm Mind and an Assault Vest, anyway. There is just one thing that actually distinguishes Slowking from Slowbro: Nasty Plot. Slowbro cannot learn this move, which increases Slowking's special attack by two stages. This makes Slowking a great special sweeper in so many ways: Quiest/Modest nature with Slack Off for recovery and Leftovers or Life Orb as a hold item, Bold nature with Slack Off and Leftovers, Modest/Quiet nature with Choice Specs as a hold item and the move Trick (to switch hold items with the opponent, which forces the specs onto the opponent's Pokémon and locks it in an undesirable move)... you name it. Slowking really makes for a versatile Pokémon. By the way, any of the above options should include its hidden ability Regenerator, because its regular abilities (Oblivious and Own Tempo) only prevent it from becoming infatuated. This status condition can be solved by simply switching Slowking out anyway, so don't bother with these abilities.

I really like these Pokémon, to be honest. The only thing that annoys me a little is Slowbro's Pokédex classification as the 'Hermit Crab Pokémon'. Trust me, I do get the reference to the Shellder it is carrying along with it, but Slowbro itself does NOT look like a crab in the slightest, not to mention hermit crabs carry a shell along with them as their home, which can't be said about Slowbro's Shellder. If anything, it looks like a combination of a giant amphibian and a hippopotamus (whose features are clearly seen in the joke image above). That doesn't keep me from giving the whole Slowpoke family an excellent score of four stars out of five, though!

Rating: 4/5

#60 - #62, #186: Poliwag, Poliwhirl, Poliwrath & Politoed

The round form of Poliwag makes it somewhat cute and cuddly.

Tadpoles, my ass...

Alright then, I'll admit that Poliwag is a tadpole. And quite honestly, it is a creepy tadpole at that, because the spiral pattern on its belly is supposed to represent how the intestines of real-life tadpoles are sometimes seen through their transparent skins. Gross. I'm not particularly fond of slimy amphibian things in the first place, but that gets even worse when their intestines are clearly visible. One could call such a phenomenon fascinating, but I'm not buying it. What I'm also not buying is the whole Poliwhirl-being-a-tadpole thing. You know, when Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, the tail disappears and arms and hands (with what are supposedly gloves attached to it) are added, which really makes me think Poliwhirl isn't supposed to be a tadpole anymore, even though it is still a middle-stage Pokémon and the spiral pattern, still resembling intestines, remains. Admittedly, due to their round bodies and big eyes, both Poliwag and Poliwhirl have a somewhat adorable appearance, which might make one argue that both are tadpoles. But I refuse to believe that one of Poliwhirl's final evolutions, Poliwrath, is a tadpole. It's a grown-ass frog, goddammit!

The Gen. I Poliwag evolution line: Poliwag (middle, standing on
top of Poliwhirl's hand), Poliwhirl (left) and Poliwrath (right).

Poliwrath, which can be obtained by exposing Poliwhirl to a Water Stone, doesn't differ all that much from its pre-evolution, but there are several features that will make you go, 'THAT THING IS NOT A GODDAMN TADPOLE!' (Yes, it bothers me; can you tell?) The angry eyes that bulge from its head like a grown frog, for instance. Or its fierce stance. Its muscular body. The arms and the gloved hands. Its weight (119 pounds) and height (4'03"). Its typing. Indeed, on top of its primary water typing, Poliwrath gains the fighting type upon evolution. It even swims faster than the best human champion swimmers and is able to swim back and forth across the Pacific Ocean without much effort. I don't know much about frogs and tadpoles, but tadpoles can't fight and swim like Poliwrath can; that I know for sure. Then again, anything is possible in the Pokémon world, but even when I take that into account I still don't see a tadpole in Poliwrath. I'm sorry that I'm nagging on about this whole tadpole thing, but it bothers me so much that I had to put it out there. If anything, Poliwhirl and Poliwrath are based on glass frogs, a frog species whose organs are - you guessed it - clearly visible through its transparent skin. I still think that's nasty, though.

The entire Poli family: Poliwag (top right, on top of the square-shaped Poké Ball
box Poliwhirl is balancing on its fist), Poliwhirl (right), Poliwrath (back) and
Politoed (left). No, the crown is not naturally a part of Politoed, but a reference to
its status as a king among the Polis as well as its evolution method.

Enough about that; there is another evolution to discuss! That would be Politoed, who couldn't look any more different from Poliwhirl, but does have the most logical evolution if we maintain the whole tadpole-to-frog thing. While obtaining Poliwrath is easy, the method to obtain a Politoed (who is classified as the 'Frog Pokémon' by the Pokédex, thank the heavens above) is a lot more complicated. It requires the item King's Rock, which is not only harder to find in most games, but also doesn't just evolve Poliwhirl into Politoed. You'll have to have Poliwhirl hold the item and trade it to another game of the same generation. That only works if you have two 3DSs or a friend who is willing to trade with you. Poliwhirl may be the first Pokémon we come across that requires trading to evolve it, but it will definitely not be the last. It's an annoying evolution method for sure, especially if you're dependent on a friend who plays Pokémon as well, so the question is, 'Does it pay off?'

Old-ass official art of Politoed.

Why yes, it does. I mean... whether you like Politoed or not is a matter of taste, but it is undeniable a good Pokémon, especially when you have the right ability on it. Water Absorb, which makes Politoed absorb all water-type moves and regain some of its health, is better than Damp, which negates self-destructing moves like Self-Destruct and Explosion completely, but both are situational. Politoed's hidden ability Drizzle, which makes it rain in battle, is what you want for this Pokémon. The rain does not only boost water-type moves, it also decreases the power fire-type moves and extends the charge-up time for moves like Solar Beam. Due to its decent bulk and special attack, Politoed is often used as a support Pokémon in the competitive scene, with support moves like Encore (to lock the opponent in an undesirable move), Toxic or Hypnosis (to badly poison the foe or put it to sleep), Rest (for reliable recovery on Politoed itself) and even Perish Song (to prevent last-minute sweepers from setting up, as this move causes everyone present on the field to faint within three turns). Have it hold a Damp Rock and the rain will last for eight turns instead of five. For in-game purposes, you can go for an all-offensive Politoed. With its nice special attack stat, it can make use of moves like Scald, Surf, Ice Beam, Psychic, Focus Blast and even Mud Bomb (learned as a Poliwhirl), if you really want a ground-type move as coverage.

Official art of Poliwrath by Ken Sugimori.

Poliwrath, on the other hand, is a physical attacker. Prior to X and Y, it wasn't much of a physical attacker though, despite its muscular appearance. Thankfully, it has gotten a boost in its base attack stat, which is now 95. That is not bad to work with. This time, however, one of its regular abilities, Water Absorb, is the best ability to rock out with. Swift Swim, which doubles Poliwrath's speed when it's raining on the field, is a nice ability when you're running a rain team, but otherwise stick with Water Absorb and invest EVs in its HP and defenses to create some bulk. A Choice Band or Life Orb boosts its physical attacks such as Waterfall (STAB), Brick Break (STAB), Rock Slide, Earthquake, Poison Jab and Ice Punch. Focus Punch and Dynamic Punch look cool, but the former only works in combination with Substitute and the latter has terrible accuracy. Circle Throw, which forces the opponent to switch out, can come in handy though, especially if you want to prevent the opponent from setting up. Smogon also suggests a special attacker, but why would you do that if Poliwrath's physical attack and physical movepool is so much better?

It's just a shame that both Poliwrath and Politoed have had to give up some of their speed in exchange for a little extra bulk, which prevents them from really becoming sweepers. That's not a big deal in Politoed's case, because it looks a little bit like a support Pokémon, but Poliwrath looks like it should beat your opponents to hell and back. Believe it or not: despite the whole rant about Poliwrath not being a tadpole and everything, I really like this Pokémon. Politoed as well, even though I don't understand why it differs so much from the other Polis.

Rating Poliwrath: 4.5/5

Rating Politoed: 4/5

#43 - #45, #182: Oddish, Gloom, Vileplume & Bellossom

Oddish (up) and Gloom (below) in the
anime series.

This is a special entry in the sense that Gloom is actually the first Pokémon in the Pokédex that is capable of split evolution.

Well, okay... Eevee was the first Pokémon ever to be capable of evolving into multiple Pokémon, being the only Pokémon in Red, Blue and Yellow who could do that, but Gen. II saw the addition of multiple split evolutions and the basic or middle-stage Pokémon capable of evolving into said Gen. II Pokémon (Gloom into Bellossom, Poliwhirl into Politoed, and Slowpoke into Slowking) all come before Eevee in the Pokédex. Tyrogue, a baby Pokémon introduced in Gold and Silver as well, evolves into either Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee or Hitmontop, and the first two of those are to be found a bit earlier in the Pokédex than Eevee, too. Gloom just happens to be the first one. Its pre-evolution, Oddish, seems rather uneventful at first sight, but there are some things about its flavor that is actually quite interesting. Firstly, Oddish is based on a mandrake, a plant that shrieks when you pull it out, killing everyone that is within earshot. Well, at least in folklore. And, you guessed it, Oddish screams when it is pulled out of the soil it hides in. Second, Oddish is the only Pokémon known to have a scientific name: oddium wanderus, referring to its habit of wandering around at night. Lastly, Oddish is a nocturnal Pokémon and buries its sensitive body in the ground during the day to avoid sun and predators. It only starts moving at night, when its leaves start absorbing moonlight, which it uses to grow. It is for this reason that Oddish naturally learns the strong fairy-type move Moonblast (which it has been capable of as of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire), which Gloom, Vileplume and Bellossom cannot learn by level-up at all. They can learn Dazzling Gleam, which hits multiple opponents, but this move isn't near as strong as Moonblast is.

Official Sugimori art of Vileplume.

Vileplume, the grass/poison-type Pokémon Gloom can evolve into by means of using a Leaf Stone, greatly benefits from the lone move that Oddish can learn and that is unavailable to its evolutions otherwise. Quite some Pokémon from the first to the fifth generations have received a small boost in one of their stats, and Vileplume is no different: its special attack stat has actually been raised by 10 base points, from a nothing-to-sneeze-at base special attack of 100 to an even better special attack of 110. While it's in the NU (never used) tier competitive-wise, it's actually a great Pokémon to use, not in the least because of its hidden ability: Effect Spore, which has a chance to paralyze or poison the foe or put the foe to sleep when it makes contact with Vileplume, works great in conjunction with status-inducing moves like Sludge Bomb. With a final moveset of Sludge Bomb, Moonblast, and Giga Drain and Moonlight for reliable recovery (Giga Drain even deals some serious damage to the opponent, too) you actually have a great offensive Vileplume to rock out with. Vileplume has decent defenses as well, so if you invest in those instead of its special attack, you might even be able to stall or have a higher chance of inducing status ailments. Especially when you ditch Moonblast for a move like Sleep Powder.

Old official Sugimori art of Bellossom. Maybe its skin
color causes controversy (as was the case with Jynx),
because now its skin has a green color rather than blue.

Bellossom, on the other hand, has a quite different flavor than Oddish, Gloom and Vileplume. While those Pokémon are predominantly nocturnal and toxic (especially Gloom, who secretes a sticky drool-like nectar from its mouth to attract prey and releases a foul fragrance from the petal on its head that can be smelled from a mile away, and Vileplume, who shakes or burst its petals into bloom to create highly allergenic and toxic pollen with which it paralyzes its prey), Bellossom is actually a happy Pokémon that is often seen dancing and chanting. It dances when cloudy weather persists (as a ritual to summon the sun), or when the period of heavy rainfall ends and it is drawn out by the warm sunlight. That's not strange, regarding the fact that Gloom actually evolves into Bellossom when it is exposed to a Sun Stone. Considering the fact that Bellossom is such a happy Pokémon, almost resembling a hula dancer, it is not illogical that Gloom loses its poison typing when it evolves into Bellossom. I feel like Bellossom should have gotten fairy as its secondary typing, however, as this type wouldn't fit it badly at all. That way, Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam would have been STAB moves that would have hit harder than Vileplume's Moonblast attacks. Bellossom is more defensive than it is offensive, though, so investments in its defenses might have more effect than investments in an offensive Bellossom. A moveset that consists of Sleep Powder, Giga Drain, Sunny Day, and either Synthesis or Moonlight is an excellent moveset to ensure its durability. Sunny Day activates Bellossom's ability Chlorophyll, which doubles its speed in harsh sunlight, while both Moonlight and Synthesis heal 75% of its health while the sun is still up.

The entire Oddish family: Oddish (left), Gloom (right), Vileplume (middle), and
Bellossom (on top of Vileplume's petals). 

At the end of the day, both Vileplume and Bellossom make for interesting flower Pokémon. The former is even based on rafflesia arnoldii, a large flower that looks and smells like decaying flesh and generates heat to match the radiating warmth of an animal carcass. Ew. Both Pokémon have their uses, although I've always liked Vileplume a little bit more than Bellossom. That is just my personal taste though, and if I'd had to rate the entire Oddish family as a whole, I would whole-heartedly grant them a more-than-decent 4.5-star rating! And yes, usually my ratings are mostly (but not entirely) based on the final evolution in an evolution line, and this not really an exception, but in this case I should take Oddish and Gloom's flavor into consideration as well!

Rating: 4.5/5

#41 - #42, #169: Zubat, Golbat & Crobat

Zubat is probably the most hated Pokémon. 

Next up to discuss is the most beloved Pokémon of all time... Zubat!

Wait a minute...

I think I got confused with another Pokémon; Zubat isn't loved by many at all, save for those people whose favorite Pokémon is actually Zubat and/or its evolution line. If anything, this Pokémon is probably the one Pokémon that is most hated on. This, of course, has everything to do with how frequently Zubat shows up while you're roaming the caves all over Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. To be honest, Zubat and its evolution Golbat show up more often than you'd want 'em to, and in almost every goddamn cave at that, too. Yeah, I get why everyone is so upset about this eyeless freak bat (they gradually grew shut because they're constantly hiding from the sunlight in dark places), especially since Game Freak saw fit to let these bat Pokémon return to practically every cave in Hoenn and Sinnoh as well. I absolutely agree that's overkill, but personally I don't have a problem with Zubat and Golbat at all. And even though I do understand everyone's annoyance with this Pokémon, I don't understand those who whine about it. I mean, just slap a goddamn Repel on and get done with the area if Zubat annoys you so much.

Official art of Golbat by Ken Sugimori.

When you proceed through the games, though, you're more likely to run into Golbat instead of Zubat. You might think that would be just as annoying as running into Zubat, but at least Golbat isn't actually Zubat. One downside of encountering Golbat is that it is actually a vampire, because it feeds on blood from both Pokémon and humans to such extent that its blood type will change to that of its victim following a feed (300 cubic centimeters per bite!). It will then become too heavy to fly. What gluttonous little monsters they are, aren't they? Now, Zubat's description on Bulbapedia doesn't say anything about them being bloodsuckers as well (I suppose they are), but they can't be as bad as Golbat is described to be. On the other hand, in-game Golbat don't really suck your blood and they are, quite obviously, stronger than Zubat. They also have better moves. Therefore, it is battle-ready right off the bat.

Get it?

Yeah, lame. I know.

Anyway, that's not all regarding Golbat. Gold and Silver actually saw the introduction of Crobat, Golbat's evolution. While Golbat's attack stat is decent, it isn't very strong on its own. Prior to Gen. II, you didn't have a choice but to use one if you wanted to use it in the first place, but as of Gen. II, you'd do better to evolve it into Crobat immediately. Well, immediately... Golbat evolves when it has a high friendship level, and that friendship level is high enough after having run around like a madman for 30+ minutes.

Crobat by night. Well, it's a bat, what did you expect?

But the hard 'work' pays off! Crobat isn't much stronger than Golbat, but that little extra strength is very much appreciated, especially in the competitive scene. An in-game Crobat's moveset is sufficient enough with just attacking moves like Cross Poison, Acrobatics and X-Scissor, but in the competitive scene, people use completely different moves. See, Crobat resides in the UU tier (underused), which, despite the name, can be a popular tier to play in. To mess with opposing walls, Crobat has Taunt to prevent opponents from setting up, Defog to clear any entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Sticky Web, Roost for some reliable healing, U-Turn to freely switch in to another Pokémon while still doing damage, and the ability Infiltrate to bypass screens and substitutes. Crobat has decent bulk to pull all that off, too. An all-offensive Crobat isn't unheard of either, especially not in combination with maxed out attack and speed stats, the hold item Choice Band, and egg moves like Zen Headbutt and Brave Bird (or maybe TM move Acrobatics for massive damage without the recoil damage Brave Bird does; but that doesn't go well with a Choice Band).

If you don't watch out, Crobat is a force to be reckoned with. My own experiences with Crobat have been nothing but positive and I actually like this Pokémon enough to give it a 4-star rating, to which Zubat and Golbat don't even come close.

Rating: 4/5

#174, #39 - #40: Igglybuff, Jigglypuff & Wigglytuff

Official art of adorable, round Igglybuff.

Who remembers that annoying-as-fuck Jigglypuff that occasionally sang everybody to sleep in the first season of the anime series?

Yeah, that's what this article is about...

Seriously though, that Jigglypuff was incredibly annoying. And unreasonable too, for that matter, as it got mad and inflated when they fell asleep after its lullabies. The first time it got mad it stole a marker from Ash's backpack and started to doodle on their faces. Jigglypuff carried that marker along with it everywhere and never hesitated to use it when Ash and his company fell asleep once more. I never liked that Jigglybuff, though. It only interrupted the episode and it had no purpose in the anime whatsoever, so you can say that my 'experience' with this windbag (literally, because after mesmerizing its opponent with its eyes, Jigglypuff inflates its lungs to start singing a lullaby, endangering its own life by continuing to sing until its lungs run out of air if the opponent resists falling asleep) hasn't exactly been of a positive nature. It took a long time for me to actually start liking Jigglypuff. And then came Igglybuff...

Fan drawing of Jigglypuff (left) and Wigglytuff (right).

Like, was it really necessary to add another useless baby Pokémon? We've had Pichu and Cleffa now, who serve no purpose whatsoever (except maybe breeding the move Volt Tackle on Pichu in Pichu's case), and it's not even the last baby Pokémon to have been introduced in Gen. II. In fact, I am yet to review Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid and Magby, who have all been introduced in Gen. II as well. Gen. IV isn't much better, with a total of seven new pre-evolutions of Pokémon that already existed. Let it be clear, I don't hate baby Pokémon... I mean, they are cute and all, but what purpose do they serve other than being the result of introducing breeding (which, let's be honest, could have been introduced without adding weaker forms of already-existing Pokémon)? I don't want to rant about baby Pokémon and dedicate this whole article to it, but I had to put it out there. Again, this doesn't mean I hate Igglybuff; on the contrary, really, I just wonder why these Pokémon were added in the first place...

Cute.

Well, it can't be helped; Igglybuff is here, bouncing continually and uncontrollably once it starts with that, and with a sore throat of singing too much (if only the anime Jigglypuff had had this problem once in a while...). In the end, though, this article is largely based on one Pokémon: Jigglypuff's evolution Wigglytuff. Like Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable, it is now a fairy type (just like Igglybuff and Jigglypuff), but rather than having been changed into pure fairy types, Wigglytuff and its pre-evolutions have had the fairy type added to their primary normal typing. Other than taking neutral damage from fighting-type moves rather than being weak to it, this type combination makes no sense. Game Freak might as well have changed them into pure fairy types, but whatever... The main thing is that Wigglytuff got a boost in its base special attack, making this stat halfway decent. Its defenses are still booty, but its massive HP stat makes Wigglytuff bulky, anyway. Combine its passable special attack with moves like Ice Beam, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Hyper Voice, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Focus Blast and even Grass Knot and you have a Wigglytuff with so much diversity that you don't even know where to start when filling a moveset.

All in all, Igglybuff and its evolution Jigglypuff don't particularly pique my interest, but Wigglytuff is cute and interesting enough to pull off a very decent rating. I mean, who wouldn't want a fluffy balloon? Indeed, Wigglytuff's pink fur is so soft that those who touch it (including its own species) will not want to stop, and its body is so soft and rubbery that it is able to inflate by inhaling, moving around by bouncing or floating while it is inflated. I want to see you find a fluffy bunny/balloon thing that can do that. And yes, eventually I did get over my annoyance with Jigglypuff, because I haven't watched the anime series in ages...

Rating: 4/5

#173, #35 - #36: Cleffa, Clefairy & Clefable

Cute fan art of Cleffa (right) and its evolution Clefairy (left).

Damn, I was looking forward to discussing these Pokémon. Let's do this.

So, as it happens, Pokémon X and Y introduced the brand-new fairy type. These games also marked the first time that Pokémon from earlier generations had their typing completely changed, rather than that this new type was added to them on top of their primary typing (like Gen. II did with Magnemite and Magneton, when they gained the steel typing on top of their primary electric typing). The Cleffa line, the Togepi line, and Snubbull and Granbull had all been pure normal types (or normal/flying types in the case of Togetic and Togekiss) prior to X and Y, but have been made pure fairy types (or fairy/flying types in the case of, again, Togetic and Togekiss) in X and Y. This actually made the Pokémon mentioned above quite useful, as they weren't so great prior to X and Y. You see, the normal type is probably the worst offensive typing in the game, being super effective against absolutely nothing and resisted by rock and steel. Ghosts aren't affected by normal types at all, but can't do anything to normal types in return, either. Fairies, however, are dragon slayers and are super effective against fighting and dark types as well.

Official art of Clefable

Of course, Cleffa and Clefairy are still pre-evolutions of Clefable and aren't that useful against most dragons, especially not competitively. Clefable, on the other hand, didn't only get a useful typing; it also got a boost in its base special attack stat. Not that Clefable was particularly bad before Gen. VI, as its ability to learn moves like Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower and the like made it a very versatile Pokémon. The normal type was physical in the first three generations, however, so it didn't have a proper damage-dealing STAB move until Black and White, when it was able to learn Hyper Voice (let's leave out Hyper Beam in Gen. IV; even though it's a strong move, it requires Clefable to recharge the turn after that, and that is exactly what Clefable doesn't need). Its new fairy typing comes with a couple of STAB moves that are much better, though: Moonblast is a strong move that has a chance to lower the opponent's special attack stat, while Dazzling Gleam hits multiple opponents in double and triple battles. Due to its fairy typing (see how many benefits it gained by having its typing changed?), its crazy diverse movepool, and its more-than-decent special attack, special defense and HP stats, it is often used in the competitive scene. Whichever way you wanna go with it, you can let Clefable set up as a (specially) defensive wall or special sweeper. Its abilities, Magic Guard and Unaware, don't play an unimportant role in that, either.

Metronome the night away!

When I was doing a fairy mono-type playthrough of Omega Ruby (yeah, I like to keep it interesting), it was one of my main hard-hitting Pokémon. And when you're doing a playthrough like that, you quickly become attached to the Pokémon you're using. Also, the fairy type is easily my second favorite type in the game, having been unable to exceed the steel type as my favorite type, so all things considered it is not a surprise that I love this Pokémon so much all of a sudden. And not only Clefable, but the entire evolution line. Their flavor definitely suggests that these Pokémon are one of the rarest in existence; Cleffa are believed to have reached the Earth on shooting stars and are more frequently seen during meteor showers as they are attracted by them, Clefairy rarely show themselves to humans and are mostly seen dancing under the light of the full moon, whose light they absorb to be able to float, and Clefable flee when they hear humans approaching with their sensitive ears that can even hear a pin falling from half a mile away. The anime has even shown that these Pokémon are extraterrestrial, which is always a nice feature to add to a Pokémon's flavor.

There's a theory going around that Gengar is actually Clefable's shadow, due to
them sharing some similarities. 

The most interesting part about Clefable, however, is a theory that's been roaming around the Internet for ages: Gengar is Clefable's shadow. Personally, I don't really believe in this theory, but it is interesting to think about. Clefable's feet, three-fingered hands and pointy ears are features that Gengar has as well, while its wings have turned to spikes on Gengar's back, its curly hair has been replaced by spikey 'hair' and its tail has been uncurled. Also, prior to X and Y, Clefable and Gengar couldn't even touch each other with their STAB moves, as normal is immune to ghost and vice versa. Have you ever been able to hit your shadow? The theory is a little farfetched, as Gengar and Clefable were - and still are - able to hit each other with other moves. Besides... now that Clefable is a fairy type, Gengar has a huge advantage over Clefable, because Gengar's secondary typing is poison and fairy is weak to that. Also, Gengar is stronger than Clefable, at least according to base stats; although its attack stat is very medicore, and both ghost and poison were physical before the physical/special split in Gen. IV. Finally, it is heavier. Yeah, you read that correctly: Gengar is more than a pound heavier than Clefable, and I have never seen a shadow that is heavier than the person or creature the shadow belongs to.

Another cool image of Gengar being Clefable's shadow.

All things aside, Gengar might as well be considered the ghost of Clefable rather than Clefable's shadow, but even that I deem very unlikely. For starters, Gengar is nowhere close to Clefable in the Pokédex. Moreover, Gengar evolves from Haunter, who in turn evolves from Gastly, and I can safely say that Gastly and Haunter have nothing to do with Cleffa and Clefairy, respectively. Gengar being Clefable's shadow (or ghost, if you will) is a cool and interesting theory, but nowhere near believable. Not to me, anyway.

But enjoy your mindfuck, conspiratorialists!

To finish things off, Clefable is probably one of my favorite fairy types. It's also interesting to know that Game Freak almost decided to make Clefairy Ash's starter Pokémon rather than Pikachu. It wouldn't have been quite as fitting or effective as a mascot (or as Ash's starter Pokémon, for that matter, as it's way too girly), I believe, so I'm glad Game Freak went with Pikachu instead. Clefable is a whole different story; I won't give it a perfect rating, but I guess 4.5 stars should suffice.

Rating: 4.5/5

#172, #25 - #26: Pichu, Pikachu & Raichu

Unbelievably adorable Pichu fan art.

While in previous entries I didn't even know what the hell I had to write and tried to fill some 'gaps', I don't even know where to begin  right now.

Let's start with the fact that the headline of this entry starts with the number 172. That is, of course, the Gen. II Pokémon Pichu, the pre-evolution of first-generation Pokémon Pikachu and Raichu. It is not even skilled at using its electricity, even though it can zap adult humans while surprising itself at the same time. In that regard, Pichu is a danger to humanity and its own species alike, and I think it should be kept in an electricity-proof cage until it evolves into Pikachu. Then again, that probably wouldn't work as it evolves with high friendship, and I don't think locking it up is contributory to a good friendship in the first place. Anyway, Pichu is a baby Pokémon, and along with breeding, baby Pokémon were introduced in Gen. II and it wouldn't be until after Gen. IV that Game Freak would stop adding new baby forms of previously introduced Pokémon. Baby Pokémon are the product of breeding and can be obtained by having their evolutions breed with one of their species or with another Pokémon from the same egg group. That excludes baby Pokémon, because they cannot breed themselves and all automatically belong to the 'Undiscovered' egg group.

Technically, this feature makes Riolu and Togepi baby Pokémon as well, even though I would personally like to see them as basic Pokémon, as they were introduced alongside their evolutions in the same generation (the second and fourth, respectively). I want to believe baby Pokémon were introduced to appeal to girls as well, by adding more cuteness to the franchise. That definitely worked, because baby Pokémon are generally cute, pink and/or cuddly, with the notable exception of Tyrogue, and are useless most of the time. Pichu, however, gets one feature that actually makes it - or its evolutions Pikachu and Raichu, rather - quite useful, but I'll get to that later in this entry.

The Pichu evolution line: Pichu (front), Pikachu (middle) and
Raichu (back). 

Well, then it is time to move on to what is unquestionably the most well-known Pokémon in existence: Pikachu. This is not without a reason, though, because it has appeared as Ash's sidekick in the anime series since the very first episode. Well, it didn't actually start to act like Ash's sidekick until the episode after that, but let's not be nitpicky about that. We all know the story anyway: Ash gets to become a rookie Pokémon Trainer, but on the day he gets to pick his first Pokémon - Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, which he obtains a little later on in the series, anyway - he arrives late at Professor Oak's lab, and by that time there is only one Pokémon left: Pikachu. It doesn't listen to Ash at first, regularly zapping him with Thunder Shocks, but after Pikachu gets hurt by a horde of vicious Spearow, Ash snitches Misty's bicycle and rushes to a nearby Pokémon Center. From that moment on, Ash and Pikachu have been inseparable. During the course of the anime, Ash's Pikachu has shown a lot of personality: it has a love for ketchup, is sometimes seen in a bad mood, once refused to evolve into Raichu when Ash offered it a Thunder Stone, had temporarily lost its memories and sided with Team Rocket during the Hoenn saga, has been seen mediating and even breaking up fights among other Pokémon, and even acted as a guardian and big brother to Misty's weak Togepi. As a result of having been Ash's main Pokémon for, like, an eternity, it is probably the only Pokémon that has appeared in almost every episode and movie so far, if not actually every episode and movie.

There was a reason why Pikachu was on the logo of
the 10th anniversary of Pokémon.

Another reason why Pikachu is the most well-known Pokémon is that it has been the mascot of the Pokémon franchise since the franchise took off in 1996. On itself, Pikachu isn't such an overly strong Pokémon, but it really doesn't need to be. As the Pokémon mascot, it has to be recognized by every living being on this goddamn planet. I mean, not everyone can say that they know Sceptile, Luxray, Klinklang or Avalugg, but almost everyone has heard of Pikachu. Naturally, Ash's Pikachu has played a very big part in that, as it shows up in virtually every episode, getting Ash out of trouble time and time again. So it isn't without a reason that Pikachu shows up on banners and commercials announcing or representing official Pokémon events, such as the Pokémon National and World Championships - at which video game and TCG competitions are held annually, enabling candidates to win a scholarship of $10,000 or $25,000, respectively - and even the 10th anniversary of Pokémon. A series of events were held across the entire United States and even reached countries on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean (including the Netherlands, my native country), a special anime episode called "The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon" was made for this special occasion, and the chicken-producing company Perdue Farms distributed promotional mini-discs in their packages of chicken breast nuggets. The promotion they carried out featured three different mini-discs, each containing one of three games, a Pokédex of only one of three generations depending on which disc you had, and a "Learn to Play" demo of TCG (Trading Card Game). And all this time, Pikachu was the 'face' of this whole promotional stunt.

Pikachu has been on a strict diet since 1996, in official art (left) as well as in the
video game sprites (right).

Pikachu is also notorious for the changes it has undergone since it appeared as a fat, yellow mouse thing in Red and Blue (Green in Japan). During the past twenty years, Pikachu has gradually been losing weight, drastically changing its appearance in both official Ken Sugimori art and the video games. In the image above you can see the 'evolution' of Pikachu throughout the years; it is noticeable that Pikachu has gotten slimmer. That's not the only change Pikachu could have had, though: in 2013, there was a discussion going on about whether Game Freak would dare add the fairy type to Pichu, Pikachu and Raichu, especially after Dedenne (an electric/fairy-type Pikachu clone resembling Raichu) was revealed. Thank God Game Freak didn't do that to our beloved mascot, because changing its typing would have been way too much of a change for such a well-known Pokémon.

In every generation a new Pikachu clone was introduced: Pichu
in Gen. II, Plusle and Minun in Gen. III (top left), Pachirisu in
Gen. IV (top right), Emolga in Gen. V (bottom right) and Dedenne
in Gen. VI (bottom left).

Furthermore, Pikachu's popularity has risen to such an extent that Game Freak found it necessary to produce a new Pikachu clone every generation. That's right, every generation contained a new electric-type rodent Pokémon with features that so strongly resemble Pikachu that it's just obvious they're 'clones' - or remakes, if you will. Although one could argue whether or not Pichu should be considered a Pikachu clone, as it is technically Pikachu's pre-evolution, many people do consider Pichu as such and thus it is the Pikachu clone of the second generation. We shouldn't be picky about that, it was introduced in the generation after Pikachu, after all. All of the generations after that saw the introduction of electric rodents as well. Gen. III even added two more mice to the list: Plusle and Minun, which are supposed to be opposites (plus and minus), but are obviously related. Gen. IV introduced the electric-type squirrel Pachirisu and Gen. V has the flying squirrel Emolga, which is the first dual-type Pikachu clone. The last one is Dedenne, introduced in Gen. VI, and has the fairy typing on top of its primary electric typing. Why that is? Beats me.

ORAS introduced the feature of Cosplay Pikachu. The different
forms clockwise: Pop Star, Ph.D., Libre, Rock Star, and Belle.

Anyway, enough with the clones and the mascot thing. How does Pikachu do in the video games? Well... not half bad, to be honest. It is uncommon (rare, even) to see a Pikachu in the competitive scene, but it can deliver a damn good job if you know how to use it. You should at least have it hold a Light Ball, which doubles its attack and special attack stats, effectively making its attack stat of 458 at level 100 higher than most other Pokémon. Its moves are also worthwhile. Pichu is the only baby Pokémon that can learn a special move when one of its parents is holding a Light Ball: Volt Tackle. With a base power of 120, it is an insanely strong physical-based electric-type move that hits HARD when used by Light Ball Pikachu (just mind the recoil damage). It also learns Brick Break and Iron Tail, and even some decent special-based moves if you want to go that way. Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire even introduced a nice new feature: a Cosplay Pikachu given to you by a non-player character. Depending on which form you dress it into, Cosplay Pikachu learns a special move, of which Rock Star and Belle learn the most useful ones (Meteor Mash and Icicle Crash, respectively; the others get Draining Kiss, Electric Terrain and Flying Press).

This piece of Pikachu fan art is too cute not to share with you guys. 

Pikachu has no durability, however, because its defenses suck and its base speed of 90 is, compared to that of other Pokémon, only mediocre. If only Pikachu could take a hit... Raichu, who can store more than 100,000 volts of electricity and discharges them into the ground via its tail before it can get agressive, is faster and far more capable of taking hits, especially when special-based. However, both of its attacking stats are only decent compared to Light Ball Pikachu. Also, Pikachu receives much more attention than Raichu, not in the least because it's the friggin' Pokémon mascot. It even got a couple of video games of its own, for heaven's sake. All three of them are lovable enough, however, and Pikachu is even one of my favorite Pokémon, for all of the reasons stated above.

Rating Pikachu: 5/5

Rating Raichu: 4/5