Which is better Pikachu or Raichu ?

Question

We all love Pikachu since it's the mascot of Pokemon and of course the most known Pokemon ever,but when it comes to battle should I use it or it should be evolved into Raichu ?
Pikachu can benefit from Eviolite and Light Ball since it's defensive and offensive stats aren't that great.
Raichu it has overall much better stats(Pikachu total 320-Raichu 485) and can benefit from other items.
So which one is better ingame and PvP ?

Answer 1

Would you prefer a Growlithe or an Arcanine?

Don't let the Anime null your senses.

Raichu IS stronger, tougher and more durable than Pikachu in the games.
The only down side is that Raichu can't use the Light Ball but regardless it still has higher total base stats.
However, it would have lower Attack and Sp. Attack, so Pikachu would generally be the better sweeper.

Hope this helped!

Comments

in competitive pokemon they are both in the same tier so they are pretty equal if i have to say so myself

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I use light ball on my Raichu and it works just fine

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King, what I meant is not that Raichu CAN'T hold the Light Ball, but that it DOESN'T benefit from it.
It's an item created specifically for Pikachu.

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nvm I wasn't thinking :P also have you added me on 3ds yet?

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Just did ;)

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Pikachu with Light Ball is actually stronger than Raichu

Answer 2

Pikachu with light ball might hit harder, but it's speed isn't high enough to actually sweep in the majority of cases. And priority moves end any sweep super quickly.

Source: Experience using Light Ball Pikachu

Raising up a HA Raichu now, gotta breed it, then look at whether I want it physical or special. Raichu is generally better because of how balanced it is, but a pikachu with, let's say tailwind support is pretty strong. Depends on the tier, the battle and what circumstances the Pikachu/Raichu is in.
Never really been fond of pikachu' evolution line BUT.... I can't think o something better to deal with bulky waters.