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Because this guide is modern, it should be referenced over the other Pikachu guides on this site.
By Salty, Guest Contributor
Introduction
Hi! My name is Salty and I’ve been repping Pikachu in lower tiered tours for a little while now. While I didn’t have much enthusiasm for this character when I first started training them, I’ve grown to really enjoy watching this underdog for their flashy moves and strong advantage potential. I’ve experimented more with this character than I have with others, and this has led me to a pretty good understanding of what moves can work best for making a Pikachu worthy of becoming Ash Ketchum’s main ‘mon!
To help establish some credibility, here are a couple of placements with my RKCHU bins:
- Prelude in C Major: 13/126 (C)
- Potato plays Farming Simulator s01e01: 25/64 (C+)
- 150CC Star Cup: 25/75 (Select characters were allowed in this tour, some of which were up to B+ and A)
- Colosseum of April Fools 2 — Battle of Bonebottom: 5/34 (C+ Swiss Pool)
- Moncton Amiibo Week 52 (Season 2, Episode 4): 2/37
- Moncton Amiibo Week 69 (Season 3, Episode 4): 13/35
- Moncton Amiibo Week 73 (Season 3, Episode 8): 4/23
General Gameplan
Pikachu thrives off of abusing their speed and versatile kit to win neutral and overwhelm their opponent. They can multi-hit, combo, edgeguard, and recover well. While amiibo can’t fully utilize Pikachu’s potential like players can, some of what makes Pikachu busted still carries over. Unfortunately, Pikachu has the struggle of being very light and lacking in kill power. While difficult, Pikachu has everything needed to fight the odds and become an electrifying champion.
Offense
Pikachu does not kill early and needs to make the most of every move they have, but they will die easily if they overextend. That being said, Pikachu needs to have some aggression if they are to win neutral. I personally think 55–70 is a good threshold to shoot for. This will give Pikachu enough defense to stay in the game while giving plenty of room to spark some saucy combos. As usual with amiibo, parrying is recommended.
The TLDR Guide
Close Range
- Down Smash
- Grab
- Down Tilt
- Forward Smash
- Dash Attack
- Up Tilt (Optional)
At a Distance
- Neutral Special (Only a Smidge)
Landing
- Neutral Air (Overuse this)
- Down Air
- Back Air
Aerials
- Forward Air
- Back Air
- Up Air
- Neutral Air
- Down Air
Edgeguarding
- Down Air (Keep the move value low, but meteor master high)
- Drop Down Bair
- Fair
Anti-Air
- Up Smash
- Down Smash (Lightly)
- Up Tilt (Optional)
The Detailed Breakdown
Jab (Headbutt): A very speedy move with little to no reward. This move does not hit hard enough to knock an opponent away, it’s not safe enough when parried to warrant the risk, and it has minimal range. I would avoid this move entirely.
Forward Tilt (Double-Footed Kick): A frame 6, angleable poking tool. Not too bad on paper, but it gets outshined by some of the other options available. Unlike Pikachu’s down tilt, this move doesn’t get tech chase and it’s not nearly as safe on block. You can use a little of this if you like, but I don’t consider it strong enough to include.
Up Tilt (Tail Attack): Frame 7 anti air/combo tool with a slight disjoint on the tail. Pikachu can link multiple up tilts at low percent and can upsmash out of it. I consider this move an optional choice that you should use sparingly if any. This move has no kill power and will not help you at higher percentages.
Down Tilt (Tail Sweep): A quick forward poke with very minimal end lag. Being only 1 frame slower than forward tilt and much safer on block, this tilt is the superior choice for Pikachu. Down tilt will occasionally trip — if this move hits, it can cause tech-chasing scenarios where Pika can follow up with forward smash or dash attack as a small combo. I like keeping this move near the low 20s.
Dash Attack (Running Headbutt): Pikachu lunges forward with a briefly lingering hitbox, as quick as the grounded tilts while being safer on shield than most. It can also net some much needed kills when your other options just aren’t working. I recommend maxing out dash attacker for these reasons, but you can just keep it high if you’re worried of overuse.
Forward Smash (Thundershock): Deceptively long reaching. Pikachu unleashes an electrical charge forward from its cheek pouches. The electricity acts as a strong disjoint which makes it harder for opponents to challenge the range on this. Unfortunately, since we’re not Pichu, our forward smash is a single hit. This move will be parried and should only be used lightly (7–12).
Up Smash (Tail Somersault): Our anti-air. Keeping true to form, this move comes out on frame 10. Pikachu’s gameplan doesn’t rely on anti-airing, but an extra kill option is too valuable to pass up. I would aim for a value close to 18.
Down Smash (Electric Flower): This smash attack is Pika’s main neutral winner. Pika spins in a circle while having its tail charged with electricity. It hits both sides up to six times and it comes out on frame 8. Amiibo will struggle to defend against this move and it will punish rolling well too! OVERUSE THIS.
Grab: Our second way of beating parrying on the ground. Typically, you want to use up throw when at super low percents (0–15) and down throw when at medium percents. When reaching into higher percents, throw to get them off stage. Our main combos out of throw is up air into forward air. Despite the positives, don’t overuse grab or your amiibo will struggle to kill and will run into danger too often.
*Optional:* Pikachu CAN use thunder after up throw but we haven’t figured out how to make them use it consistently. This combo is COOL and it kills consistently due to amiibo not using DI. Pikachu will use this rarely if taught. The percent that this works at is roughly 78–90.
Neutral Special (Thunder Jolt): Pikachu’s only ranged option for amiibo. Unfortunately, this move does little damage and little knockback. I think a little bit of it doesn’t hurt, but I don’t recommend using this often. Keep this low if you use it.
Side Special (Skull Bash): A chargeable move where Pikachu will burst forward for a powerful headbutt. This move is not disjointed in the slightest, which means it will likely lose with any attack it collides with. I wouldn’t recommend it at all. Avoid it at all costs, even while recovering. Pikachu automatically knows how to use this move to recover so you don’t need to use it at all.
Up Special (Quick Attack): Pikachu will move at lightning speeds in the direction of your choosing. The hitbox on this move is very small and it is not safe. Avoid using it and enjoy the free percent if Pika hits it on your enemies while recovering. It’s important to note that Pikachu will rarely SD with their recovery due to misspacing their up-special. It’s unavoidable, so don’t lose heart if it happens after your final train.
Down Special (Thunder): If potential was a smash move, this would be it. Pikachu summons a thundercloud high in the sky to shoot down a lightning bolt. This move is powerful and will kill early, which would be SUPER useful. While Pikachu only ever uses this move as an anti-air or followup to up throw, the use is pretty rare. If you do try to teach this move, use it out of an up throw while your opponent is at 78–90.
Aerials
Neutral Air (Pikachu Shock) is THE landing move for Pikachu. The attack starts at frame 3 and hits 4 times around it. On landing, Pikachu can follow up with an immediate down smash or grab. Make sure you use this move plenty.
Forward Air (Electric Drill) is another powerful multi-hitting air attack. Unfortunately, it tends to be more difficult to land all the hits as enemies can fall out. Use forward air as a combo finisher and as an edgeguarding tool.
Back Air (Glider) is a great multi-hitting option that does not have issues with hitting all the hits like forward air does. Use this when dropping down from ledge and sometimes when landing. It’s a great air to air option too.
Down Air (Electric Screw) is another fantastic air attack. The strong hitbox is a powerful spike and the lingering hitbox will send enemies off to the side. When landing, the move has a second hit after touching the ground which makes it a solid landing choice too.
Up Air (Tail Chop) is our combo aerial. This move works great in combos and Pikachu can juggle with it due to Pika’s good movement speed. Just the same, we like other aerials better so don’t overuse this.
Spirit Loadout
The following spirit sets are taken from LML123’s amiibodoctor guide:
- Instadrop + Landing Lag Down: Instadrop works well because it can get him back to stage quickly. Landing Lag Down helps with the end lag of moves.
- Landing Lag Down + Electric Attack Up + Toss & Meteor: Electric Attack Up helps Pikachu kill earlier. Toss & Meteor helps with his down air spikes, Up Smash launch distance, and Up air. Air Attack can also be used for either set as it buffs his aerials.
- You can also try Shield Damage Up or Easier Dodging as both of them sound perfect for Pikachu in some sets!
In Conclusion…
Pikachu may never be the top dog in amiibo. Unlike the Pokemon show, he does not have plot armor. That being said, a well trained Pikachu will always be one of my favorites to watch. The character is flashy, and a solid amount of its kit is usable in amiibo. I think this amiibo can punch a lot higher than what its current D tier placement would suggest, and I think you’ll find the same thing when you get yours leveled up too! Give Pikachu a try… and set on the road to become a D champion!
Amiibo Doctor 