This Electric-type Pokémon is the most underrated in the franchise.

In Pokemon, There are many ways to be considered underrated. There are competitive examples, where Pokémon can perform above the expectations of their level. There is the anime, where specific Pokémon may not have roles that are in line with their popularity. There is promotional material, where fans can find 50 Eevee, Gengar, or Slowpoke-branded merchandise for every Scyther sighting. That said, in the grand scheme of Pokémon, No Electric-type Pokémon is overlooked as often as Pikachu's evolution, Raichu.

Raichu is not without its fans. It is one of the original 151 Pokémon, and was voted one of the top 30 Kanto Pokémon in The Pokémon Company's 2020 and 2021 Pokémon of the Year polls. But in the context of the series' merchandise and media, it is uniquely trapped behind the most famous Pokémon of all; its pre-evolution, Pikachu. Pokémon has touted Pikachu as its mascot since the series' first day in the spotlight, giving the 25th number a starring role in the anime, spin-off games, and Detective Pikachu film. Raichu, however, has never received the same kind of attention. Instead, it has been uniquely de-emphasized in a way that no evolution has ever managed. Through its relationship with Pikachu, humiliating anime appearances, and even its aborted evolutionary concepts, no Electric-type seems more underrated than Raichu.

Raichu is the black sheep of the electric mice

While Pikachu and Pichu are having fun, Raichu is nowhere to be found.

There are currently 1,025 unique species of Pokémon, with more being introduced with each new generation. But despite the seemingly endless amount of monsters, if you ask a person to name just one, there’s a coin-flip chance that their immediate response would be Pikachu. At the very least, it’s understandable. After all, the iconic electric mouse has graced countless Pokémon promotions and appeared in decades of merchandise lines, as well as starring in generations of anime episodes and films for the series. Pikachu has even participated in real-world crossovers through collaborations like those with Build-a-Bear and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s also the namesake of the protein Pikachurin, first discovered in 2008. It’s a world-class legacy that few real-world people, let alone fictional characters, could ever hope to achieve. But it’s also a legacy that has left little to no room for Raichu to be showcased.

While Pikachu may be instantly recognizable as the Disney logo or Batman symbol to almost anyone in the world, There is no equivalent or even proportional deification of Raichu. It's true that none of the other 1,024 Pokémon species come close to matching Pikachu's impact, but the fact that Raichu is its evolution and direct successor makes this feel more personal. On paper, Raichu should be the upgrade, something functionally superior to Pikachu within the Pokémon games in its stats and capabilities. But through a unique mix of adaptive and real-world storytelling, it's instead become one of the few Pokémon to fade into the background compared to its predecessor. Making matters worse is Pichu, the baby form of Pikachu that became a mascot for the franchise's second generation. Pichu's popularity has left Raichu even further behind in the fandom dust than its highly successful evolutionary predecessors.

Raichu has had an infamous history in the anime

Raichu's wickedness may have caused him to lose some of his grace.

Several different Raichu have appeared in the Pokémon anime, but the first was undoubtedly the most notable of the others. Unfortunately, this initial appearance would also become the most denigrating for its species. Under the command of Gym Leader Lt. Surge, a Raichu fought and defeated Ash's Pikachu, at least in their first clash. The loss led Ash to consider evolving his Pikachu using a Thunder Stone, though the Pokémon vehemently refused. Pikachu believed in its ability to defeat Raichu as it was, and ultimately emerged victorious in their decisive battle. Throughout this story arc, the idea of ​​evolving Pikachu was seen as an insult to its potential and history with Ash. This was witnessed by countless children who were experiencing the franchise for the first time, and it undoubtedly created a ripple effect. If Ash didn't need to evolve his Pikachu, then neither did the countless children who had one.

Unfortunately, there would be no real second chance at fame for the ill-fated evolution. Several Raichu would reappear in the series, most notably one under the ownership of eventual rival trainer Tierno. He would team up with his Raichu along with a Wartortle to battle Ash's Pikachu and Goodra. However, Raichu and its trainer would be defeated, and Tierno would be eliminated before he could meet Ash again in the semifinals. Raichu's failure to find a more iconic incarnation than the one possessed by Lt. Surge ultimately robbed it of the ability to redeem itself to the fandom at large. While Tierno's Raichu did appear in several battles and achieve its victories, this had occurred in Pokémon XY, by which time much of the original fandom had outgrown the anime. This robbed them of the chance to see the Pokémon in action under friendlier circumstances, and the chance for the Pokémon itself to gain a few more fans.

Gorochu: The Lost Evolution of Raichu

Pokémon with larger evolutionary stages sometimes receive more love.

Raichu's perception may have also been damaged by its small size design.. In the first generation of Pokémon, the ends of evolutionary lines usually served as a stark contrast to the beginning. Squirtle ends up as Blastoise, a Nidoran can become a menacing Nidoking or Nidoqueen, bugs like Caterpie and Weedle transform into a beautiful Butterfree and the ferocious Beedrill. But Pikachu's evolution was less of a complete transformation and more of a stylish addition. But it's possible that this was because Raichu was intended to be less analogous to Blastoise or Nidoking and closer to the tamer second evolutions in those lines, Wartortle and Nidoran. This makes sense based on the small changes those evolutions made to their initial base forms. There's also the fact that when Pokémon Red and Green were originally developed, Raichu was supposed to evolve into a now-infamous monster removed from the first generation games, Gorochu.

Gorochu was first revealed by the franchise's developer, Gamefreak, in a 2018 interview with a Japanese newspaper. The team provided details about its intended appearance and the reason for its removal from the games. A victim of limited Gameboy cartridge space, Gorochu was one of many Pokémon removed prior to the first generation's retail release. GameFreak described Gorochu as having fangs and horns, somewhat resembling a thunder god. A year later, beta assets for Pokémon Red and Green would leak online, giving fans a look at Gorochu's back sprite, used in battles where it is owned by the player. Unfortunately, the front sprite was not included, leaving Gorochu's full appearance a mystery, though fans have speculated through art and sprites. Gorochu's inclusion could have increased the popularity of the evolutionary line outside of Pikachu during the franchise's heyday. Instead, its status as a lost Pokémon only further overshadows Raichu.

Since its inception, nothing has gone right for Raichu. Originally created to be the middle evolution of a larger line, the Pokémon instead became its oft-ignored finale. It would eventually become the least publicized evolution while both of its predecessors served as mascot Pokémon, even earning playable roles in Smash Bros. Since then, Pokémon has tried to get more praise for Raichu, giving it a new form for the Alola region and providing a ton of trading cards for the species, but it will never be enough. Raichu will never get the attention that Pikachu and Pichu have, and it will always be underrated.