Pokémon Yellow Pikachu vs Anime: Which Is Stronger

Despite being based on the anime, Pokémon Yellow's starter Pikachu differs in strength from Ash's beloved Pikachu in the anime.

Both Ash from the Pokémon Anime and Red from Pokémon Yellow have Pikachu as their starting mate, but while Red's Pikachu is based on Ash's Pikachu, they play very differently. Originally developed for the GameBoy, Pokémon Yellow has recently released an adaptation for the Nintendo 3DS due in 2022, including some minor changes to the original, Pokémon Yellow is an adaptation of Pokémon Red and Blue, with players playing as Red instead of Ash Ketchum, A version of the game with various quality of life changes and NPC content to more closely mirror the Pokémon anime.

Pokémon Yellow's starting Pikachu never evolves into Raichu, reflecting Ash's Pikachu's adamant refusal to evolve in the anime, Pokémon Yellow's Red and Ash both get Pikachu as their starter, not Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirrel. Pikachu is the only entry option in Pokémon Yellow, and players can choose to get all other entry Pokémon during their journey, similar to Ash's journey in the anime. Along the way, both trainers bonded with their starter Pikachu, even as their Pokémon lineups changed.

Anime Pikachu Isn't Just Any Pikachu

The Pikachu in the Pokémon anime is always stronger than the Pikachu in the video games. Ash's Pikachu fights gods seriously and accompanies Ash In his Pokémon journey that has spanned decades, there has been no failure. As far as raw stats go, there are several other Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow that have better base stats, or players can evolve and train them to fight better than the starter Pikachu, including some Legendary Pokémon. Meanwhile, both the game Pikachu and the anime Pikachu had the typical faint and went to the Pokémon Center to recover, and neither chose to evolve into Raichu, but the anime Pikachu was still stronger than Red's starter Pikachu.

Befriending Starter Pikachu is More Important Than Its Fighting Stats

Strength does not define the value of Ash's Pikachu and Red's starting Pikachu; what makes these Pikachu unique is the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon. Pikachu rejects its Pokéball in Pokémon Yellow, mirroring the animation; likewise, it's more important for trainers to strengthen their bond with the starter Pikachu in Pokémon Yellow than to train their Pikachu to become An efficient fighter. Ash loves his Pokémon and never sees them as a tool for his larger goal of becoming a Pokémon Champion; he respects them as personal choices and goes out of his way to bond with them despite other characters and competitors Criticism is an unorthodox training method.

Although Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have been released for Nintendo On Switch, future installments of the Pokémon series may include some of Pokémon Yellow's unique game mechanics, such as follower Pokémon in the world (as seen in Let's Go, Eevee & Pikachu, and Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver) and easier Get other starter Pokémon. Whether Red's starting Pikachu should be enhanced to match the strength of Ash's Pikachu is still unpredictable. However, Pokémon Yellow continues to remind players that even though each member of a player's Pokémon team is one of many, it's the player's connection to the Pokémon they befriend that makes their Pokémon unique.

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