Editing Pikachu (section)

{{Short description|Pokémon species}}
{{Other uses}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
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{{Infobox character
| name = Pikachu
| image = Pokémon Pikachu art.png
| image_upright = 0.75
| caption = Pikachu artwork by [[Ken Sugimori]]
| series = [[Pokémon]]
| firstgame = [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'']] (1996)
| creator = [[Atsuko Nishida]]<ref name="nishida"/>
| designer = {{ubl|Atsuko Nishida<ref name="nishida"/>|Koji Nishino<ref name="nishida"/>|Ken Sugimori (finalized)<ref name="sugimori"/>|James Turner (Gigantamax)<ref name="giganta"/>}}
| voice = {{Collapsible list|title=Various|{{idp|
* [[Ikue Ōtani]]
* Kate Bristol (''[[Pokémon the Movie: I&nbsp;Choose You!]]''{{--)}}
* Abby Espiritu (''Pokémon: Path to the Peak''{{--)}}
* '''Detective Pikachu:'''
* [[Ryan Reynolds]] ([[Detective Pikachu (film)|film]], English)
* [[Kaiji Tang]] ([[Detective Pikachu (video game)|video games]] and short, English)
* [[Hidetoshi Nishijima (actor)|Hidetoshi Nishijima]] (film, Japanese)
* [[Tōru Ōkawa]] (video game, Japanese)
* [[Koichi Yamadera]] (''Detective Pikachu Returns'' and short, Japanese)}}}}
| species = Pokémon
| lbl21 = [[Pokémon types|Type]]
| data21 = Electric
}}
'''Pikachu''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=Pikachu Voice Line.ogg|ˈ|p|iː|k|ə|tʃ|uː}}; [[Japanese language|Japanese]]: {{lang|ja|ピカチュウ}}, [[Hepburn romanization|Hepburn]]: {{Transliteration|ja|Pikachū}}) is a [[Pokémon species]] in [[Nintendo]] and [[Game Freak]]'s [[Pokémon|''Pokémon'' media franchise]], and the franchise's [[mascot]]. First introduced in the video games [[Pokémon Red and Blue|''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'']], it was created by [[Atsuko Nishida]] at the request of lead designer [[Ken Sugimori]], with the design finalized by Sugimori. Since Pikachu's debut, it has appeared in multiple games including ''[[Pokémon Go]]'' and the ''[[Pokémon Trading Card Game]]'', as well as various merchandise. While Pikachu has been primarily voiced in media by [[Ikue Ōtani]], other actors have also voiced the character including Kate Bristol, [[Ryan Reynolds]], [[Kaiji Tang]], [[Hidetoshi Nishijima (actor)|Hidetoshi Nishijima]], [[Tōru Ōkawa]], and [[Koichi Yamadera]].

Classified as an Electric-type Pokémon, Pikachu is a large yellow mouse with a lightning bolt-shaped tail, and red sacs on its cheek which can generate large amounts of electricity. Originally designed to be the first part of a three-stage evolution line in ''Red'' and ''Blue'', Pikachu evolves into Raichu through the use of a "Thunder Stone" item, with Raichu intended to be able to evolve into 'Gorochu'. However 'Gorochu' was removed due to [[ROM cartridge|cartridge]] space concerns, and a pre-evolution for Pikachu, [[Pichu]], was later added in the sequel titles [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']].

Pikachu is widely considered to be the most popular and well-known Pokémon species, largely due to its appearance in the [[Pokémon (TV series)|''Pokémon'' anime television series]] as the companion of series protagonist [[Ash Ketchum]]. Pikachu has been well received by critics, with particular praise given for to its [[kawaii|cute design]], and it has been regarded as an icon of both the ''Pokémon'' franchise and [[Japanese pop culture]] as a whole.