Pikachu evolves from a Pichu when it levels up with high happiness, and evolves into a Raichu with a 'Thunderstone'. Pikachu is regarded as the official mascot of the Pokémon franchise, and has become an icon of Japanese culture in recent years. Pikachu is widely considered the most popular Pokémon, largely because a Pikachu is a central character in the Pokémon anime series. Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series. Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ Hepburn: Pikachū?) /ˈpiːkəˌtʃuː/ is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise - a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri.
