Have you ever noticed there are many Pokemon that look like Pikachu? Let’s examine them. Updated August 7, 2019.
Possibly the most famous Pokemon of all is the little yellow electric mouse, Pikachu. Even if I ask older relatives if they know who this creature is, they say its name is Pokemon.
A relatively unknown fact is how Pikachu wasn’t always going to be the poster child for Pokemon, nor the companion of Ash – the main character in the Pokemon anime series. Originally, Ash was going to have a Clefairy, just like the character Red in the Pokemon manga. There are a few speculations as to why this was changed when the anime was created. Some say Clefairy was too vulgar in the manga, while others say Clefairy looked to girly since it’s a pink fairy Pokemon. A pink fairy wouldn’t do well when marketing to boys. Whatever the reason was, they decided to go with Pikachu, and he became the face of Pokemon.
Another slightly unknown fact is that Pikachu’s name is the same in all languages. Even the Japanese voice actor is the same all around the world. Below is a video of Ikue Otani, the voice actor of Pikachu.
Over the years, and the six generations of Pokemon, there have been a few clones of Pikachu. Some look like exact replicas, while others are just slightly similar. Lets examine each family one by one.
The Pikachu Family
The original Pikachu family started off in generation one, back when there were only 151 known Pokemon. Pikachu is an electric mouse Pokemon, and has some pretty weak stats. When generation two came around, the developers created a special item for Pikachu that doubled its Special Attack. This item was called the Light Ball. When generation four came, the item doubled its Attack and Special Attack.
For those that don’t know much about Pokemon, Pikachu is able to evolve into Raichu after using a Thunderstone. Its stats are a little bit better than Pikachu’s, but not by much.
When the second generation of Pokemon came out, the Pikachu family added another member named Pichu. Pichu was a pre-evolution of Pikachu. If you bred a Pikachu or Raichu with a compatible Pokemon, they would make an egg that would hatch into a Pichu. Pichu can then evolve into Pikachu once the friendship between it and the trainer became high enough.
The Marill Family
The first Pikachu clone appeared in the form of the water mouse Pokemon Marill. It may be the least Pikachu-like duplicate on the list, but it does have a small resemblance. Maybe because they’re both mouse Pokemon. Like Pikachu, Marill kept the same name across the various language translations around the world.
Marill appeared in generation two (Gold and Silver) when there were 251 Pokemon. It was also one of the first few Pokemon that appeared before generation two was fully unveiled.
At Level 18, the water mouse Pokemon Marill evolves into the water rabbit Pokemon Azumarill. Don’t ask me how a mouse becomes a rabbit.
During the third generation, the Marill family added the normal-type Azurill. This Pokemon is a pre-evolution of Marill that can be created when a Marill or Azumarill held a Sea Incense and bred with a compatible Pokemon.
Once the sixth generation finally rolled out, these three Pokemon had the Fairy-type added to them.
Plusle and Minun
The second Pikachu clones came paired together in generation three (Ruby and Sapphire), back when there were a total of 386 Pokemon. During generation three Double Battles made their debut. Two Pokemon could fight side by side against two other Pokemon for the first time in a Pokemon game. So, Game Freak (the developers that created Pokemon) decided to create two Pikachu lookalikes that would compliment each other in double battles. They have no evolutions or pre-evolutions, and their stats aren’t anything special.
Pachirisu
When generation four (Diamond and Pearl) came around, another Pikachu clone appeared. Pachirisu is an electric squirrel Pokemon. It has no evolutions or pre-evolutions, and its stats are pretty terrible. Only its Speed and Special Defense are decent.
Like Pikachu and Marill, Pachirisu kept its name throughout the various language translations around the world.
Emolga
In generation five (Black and White), another Pikachu duplicate appeared, but this time it was a flying- and electric-type Pokemon. Emolga is a flying squirrel Pokemon. Its stats aren’t anything special, but it does have a decent set of moves it can learn.
This Pokemon’s name was very similar to the original Japanese name, but one letter was changed for some reason. The original name was Emonga, but when it was translated into other languages, they changed it to Emolga. For those that don’t know, Momonga is the Japanese name for flying squirrel.
Dedenne
Generation six (X and Y) added the least amount of new Pokemon to the overall roster, unless you count all the mega evolutions that keep appearing. One of the few Pokemon that was created was an electric- and fairy-type mouse Pokemon called Dedenne. Outside of its Speed and Special Attack, its stats are pretty terrible.
This Pokemon looks more like a mix between Pikachu and Raichu. Like Pikachu, Marill, and Pachirisu, Dedenne has the same name across the various language translations.
Togedemaru
Generation seven (Sun and Moon) added two new Pokemon that resemble Pikachu. First up is Togedemaru, the electric/steel-type roly-poly Pokemon. This is another rodent Pokemon with electric sacks on its cheeks, which is the only resemblance to Pikachu. In the anime, there is a Trainer’s Togedemaru who is very friendly towards Ash’s Pikachu.
Togedemaru has the same name across all regions. It does not have any evolutions or pre-evolutions.
Mimikyu
Generation seven (Sun and Moon) deliberately created a Pokemon that looked like Pikachu. Mimikyu is said to disguise itself as Pikachu, but nobody knows what it really looks like under its costume. It is a Ghost- and Fairy-type Pokemon. Its attack, special defense, and speed stats are pretty good. Defense stat isn’t too bad. The others are below par.
This Pokemon’s Japanese name is the same as its English name.
What’s your favorite Pikachu clone? Do you have a favorite based on move sets and stats? What about based on design? Leave a comment below with your thoughts.
Morpeko
Generation eight (Sword and Shield) added a new electric rodent Pokemon that looks very similar to Pikachu. Morpeko is the electric/dark-type two-sided Pokemon. It will switch between full and hangry during battle. Since the games have not been released yet, not much is known about the form changing Morpeko.
This Pokemon has the same or a similar name across all regions, which is believed to be a combination of marmot and harapeko (hungry, starving).
