Over the course of the last two and a half decades, Pikachu has become a Japanese Mickey Mouse of sorts, capturing the hearts and minds of people of all ages and nationalities and becoming an unmistakable icon among icons. The adorable electric rodent’s roaring success is thanks in no small part to the massive popularity of the Pokemon anime that will soon bring the story of Ash and Pikachu to a close after almost 1300 episodes, 15 specials, and nearly 30 movies spanning around 25 years.a
But while it is hard to say goodbye to perhaps the most beloved character in a series that has connected with multiple generations of kids, there are a ton of great Pikachu memories that can be revisited whenever fans are feeling nostalgic. Whoever comes next in the Pokemon anime will be working a long, long time to match up to these amazing moments in the legendary story of the franchise mascot.
8 Meeting Ash
From the very first moment Pikachu appeared on the screen in episode one “Pokemon—I Choose You!”, it was clear that he wasn’t going to be like any other Pokemon. He's obstinate and difficult and he refuses to go inside his Poke Ball, leaving Ash wishing he'd gotten one of the standard starters.
It isn’t until Ash shows some true courage in the face of a flock of fiendish Spearows that Pikachu realizes his new trainer is worthy of respect. He fries every last bird in the flock with a single Thunder Shock and the greatest friendship in the history of Pokemon is born.
7 Standing His Ground Against Raichu
Some fans of the Pokemon video games will press B when their starter is evolving to prevent the transformation and keep a tiny, cute, and ironically powerful little buddy on their team. In the Pokemon anime, that decision was made by Pikachu himself in episode 14 “Electric Shock Showdown” when he battled it out with Lt. Surge’s Raichu and showed the world he punches above his weight class.
The episode is a lot of fun in general, and it offers a great lesson in perseverance and staying true to oneself, but the real reason why it’s an all time great Pikachu moment is because it showed fans why the little lightning mouse would go well over 1000 episodes without ever evolving.
6 Pikachu Cries
Pokemon: The First Movie was a monumental event in the history both of Pokemon and anime in America. So many kids took off of school to catch the Wednesday release that some dubbed their excuse the “Pokeflu.” It raked in over $50 million in its first three days, becoming the first anime film to top the box office, and it remains the highest grossing anime film in American history to this day.
The movie is not necessarily the best the Pokemon franchise to offer, but it had its moments, like the one where Pikachu cries genuine motion picture-quality sparkling tears of anguish after Ash becomes embroiled in a fight between Mew and Mewtwo and he’s turned to stone. The number of kids who have cried right along with him in this scene is incalculable. It's simply one of the saddest moments in anime history.
5 The Big Break Up
While Ash and Pikachu may be the ultimate anime bromance, it hasn’t always been sunshine and blue skies. In fact, there was a brief moment when the two went their separate ways. In “Pikachu’s Goodbye” Ash finds that Pikachu is extremely happy when in the presence of other Pokemon of his species, so he does the unthinkable and sets him free.
This is of course an absolutely heartbreaking moment, but it doesn’t stay heartbreaking. Pikachu eventually realizes that there’s only one place for him and that’s by Ash’s side. When the two finally reunite it’s easily one of the best moments in Pika history.
4 Pikachu Speaks
Some things in television and movies are meant to remain a secret, like what the Krabby Patty secret formula is in SpongeBob Squarepants or what Dr. Mad from Inspector Gadget looked look...ignoring that ridiculous action figure, of course. It’s all part of the fun and no big reveal would ever match the power of the mystery itself, anyway, right?
Well, that’s what many fans may have said when they learned that Pikachu was actually going to speak to Ash in Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You! but it happened anyway, and it actually went over pretty well, all things considered. Pikachu’s voice isn’t that out of place and his brief but poignant message to his trainer showed fans why he is easily the best companion Ash has ever had.
3 The Path to Becoming an Alolan Champion
While Ash comes across hundreds and hundreds of other Pokemon on his journey to become the very best like no one ever was, not a single one of them ever really matches the connection he has with his unusually powerful Pikachu. The little lightning mouse is still a go-to in the heat of battle by episode 1,077 when Ash is facing Gladion on his path to becoming an Alolan champion.
There are some Pikachu fights that rival his battles with Lycanroc and Silvally in this episode, but it has to be among the best in all of Pokemon...and there’s just something awesome about seeing Ash and his starter still battling together after all these years, and still winning.
2 Regaining His Memory
A main character losing their memory is a huge television trope that often falls flat at this point, but it still somehow managed to have plenty of emotional gravity when it happened to Pikachu in episode 363, “A Scare to Remember.” Maybe it’s because his amnesia also led him to joining the reviled Team Rocket for a brief stint. A chilling prospect.
The episode itself may not rank among the all time favorites for many, but the moment where Ash learns that Pikachu has regained his memory and the two reunite is an underrated tearjerker moment in a show with a very long history of them.
1 Taking On Legendaries
There have been more than a few times when Pikachu squared off against Pokemon of legendary status and it’s pretty tough to pick just one, so why not collect them all in one place? There’s Tapu Koko, Regice, Silvally, and Latios in terms of legitimate legendaries, but Dragonite, Tyranitar, Metalgross, and Mega Gyarados are all great examples of the little mouse punching well above his weight.
It may seem a bit silly that this one single Pokemon that has never evolved might be able to take on these super-powerful rivals, but hey, he didn’t win them all and there’s just something sort of beautiful about Ash’s starter sticking it out with him to very end of this long, long road.