It's impossible to have a discussion about the best companions in anime and not mention Ash's best friend Pikachu, who has stuck by his side ever since he first entered Professor Oak's Lab in Pallet Town. While a lot of fans might think they know everything about this small and sparky Pokemon, there are actually many obscure facts that only those who pay close attention to the episodes will be able to uncover.
Considering he's now been the mascot for the Pokemon brand for over two decades now, it only makes sense that more trivia and personal information would be revealed about Pikachu as time went on, and while some revelations are very surprising, there are others that fit his character perfectly and that present him as the loyal, fun, and trustworthy companion that fans all love him for.
7 Ash's Pikachu Is Male
Pokemon genders didn't actually appear until Generation II since this is when the concept of breeding was being brought into the games, and as a result, a lot of trainers in the anime would start explaining whether their Pokemon was a boy or a girl, but Ash always remained a little more tight-lipped on the subject.
However, the biggest giveaway is in Pikachu's tail which has a straight curve as opposed to a love heart, meaning that it is officially a male. Interestingly, it was only in Generation IV and the Sinnoh region that Pokemon began to have physical traits based on their gender, and one Pokemon who received this treatment was Pikachu, with females having a love heart tail and sometimes, even a small tuft of hair. While journeying through the Sinnoh region, Dawn's Buneary would also blush and act shy around Ash's Pikachu, hinting even more that he's a male.
6 He Is Ash's Only Electric-Type Pokemon
Despite venturing across every single known region in the Pokemon world, and acquiring several different parties, Ash has never even considered getting another electric-type Pokemon, and while it's easy to chalk this down to the fact that Pikachu is already immensely strong, it also points to just how strong the bond between Ash and Pikachu really is.
Despite how devastating electric-type Pokemon can be towards water and flying types, Ash has never decided to bring a backup simply because of how much trust he has In Pikachu who has proven that he will never let his trainer down in a fight. Added to this, Ash also caught a Gengar in Pokemon Journeys: The Series which is his only ever Ghost-type Pokemon, but other than these two, he has multiple versions of all other types.
5 Pikachu Refused To Evolve
The episode Electric Shock Showdown begins with Ash's Pikachu getting easily defeated by a Raichu in the Vermillion Gym. Upon returning to the Pokemon Center, Ash is given a Thunder Stone by Nurse Joy which she says can be used to evolve Pikachu into a Raichu, therefore making him stronger and capable of defeating Lt. Surge's Raichu in a rematch.
Ash is torn about this decision though, on one hand he wants his buddy to be as strong as possible, but he also knows that viewing his Pokemon purely based on their strength would make him no better than Lt. Surge himself, so he lets Pikachu decide instead. When Team Rocket's Meowth makes a sudden appearance, he translates that Pikachu says he doesn't want to evolve, and instead, wants to prove that he can beat his evolved counterpart without having to change who he is, making for an incredibly heartfelt moment and a great way to focus on the Pokemon's perspective on evolving.
4 His Appearance Changes After Kanto
Longtime fans of the Pokemon anime will know very well who "chunkachu" is, with it being a fan name given to Ash's Pikachu during his time in the Kanto region where he was visibly much chubbier than he is now. Even when Pikachu is first looking up at Ash when in Oak's Lab, it's clear to see that his arms are much smaller compared to his wider frame, and this design choice continued up until the Johto region where he gradually began to slim down.
Despite being much skinnier now, which makes sense considering how many times he's had to sprint around using Quick Attack in battles, the trading cards actually recently made a reference to the classic design with the Pikachu VMax card which shows a gigantic Pikachu who is towering over the trainers, and most importantly, who also has a little extra fat.
3 Ash's Pikachu Has Battled Many Legendary Pokemon
Determining Pikachu's exact power level in the anime and his personal stats is very tricky to do considering that the writers love to build him up throughout a season, only to then have him lose to a starter once Ash enters a new region. With that being said though, there have been more than a few instances where Pikachu has gone toe to toe with some of the most powerful Legendary and Pseudo-Legendary Pokemon in the series.
Dragonite, Silvally, Latios, Zeraora, and Regice are some of the most powerful Pokemon Pikachu has come up against, and the fact that he was able to hold his own with each one, and even defeat a few of them, shows just how much power he possesses. In the Sun & Moon series, Pikachu even bested Professor Kukui's Legendary Pokemon, Tapu Koko, by using the 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt Z-Move, making for a visually stunning final battle to end off the series.
2 Pikachu Has A Strange Obsession With Ketchup
Rather than snacking on seeds and grains like normal mice, Pikachu instead has a different food that he obsesses over, and that's ketchup. In the Kanto episode Showdown at Dark City, Pikachu can be seen licking the top of a ketchup bottle, and even decides to carry it around with him when exploring the restaurant in the spooky Dark City.
When the ketchup accidentally smashes on the floor, Pikachu even begins to cry, demonstrating that this is more than a simple fondness for the condiment, with many fans believing that this obsession comes from the fact that the word ketchup sounds extremely similar to Ash's surname, Ketchum. This small character quirk actually became so well known in the early 2000s that Heinz even decided to officially release a special edition ketchup which featured Pikachu on the bottle, with it now being somewhat of an obscure fact that unfortunately hasn't really been touched upon too much in the last few series.
1 He Was Raised By A Kangaskhan
Thanks to the first episode of Season 23 titled Enter Pikachu!, fans are finally able to get a peek at what Pikachu's life was like before he met Ash, something that has been an incredibly popular topic of discussion among Pokemon forums for many years. While Ash nervously prepares to start his adventure, the episode flips over to Pikachu who at this point is still a Pichu, and who feels incredibly lonely when looking at all the herds of Mankee, Nidorino, and Doduo that inhabit the world around him.
Just as the small and frail Pokemon is about to be attacked by a group of Koffing, a Kangaskhan jumps out to protect him, eventually introducing him to a family of Kangaskhan who end up raising Pichu like one of their own. Realizing that he truly wants to explore the world that awaits him and grow stronger, Pichu eventually splits from the Kangaskhan herd who taught him about the importance of family and friendship, with him evolving soon after he leaves their cave.