Sonic the Hedgehog's voice actor, Roger Craig Smith, retires from the role

 

On the 28th of January, Roger Craig Smith, voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, revealed he is retiring from voicing the iconic blue hedgehog through a post on Twitter.

Welp, 10 years was an amazing run.
Onward to new zones!

Much love to the fans who've been so kind.💙

It's been an honor.
🦔 pic.twitter.com/7Rn9PVA92m

— Roger Craig Smith (@RogerCraigSmith) January 28, 2021

The Official Sonic Twitter also confirmed this a few hours later, all while wishing Roger the best.

For over 10 years, Roger Craig Smith has been an integral part of the SEGA family. He brought the voice of Sonic to life, and we are forever grateful for his never-ending enthusiasm in helping the community and spreading joy.

Thank you, Roger, for all you've done for Sonic.

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) January 28, 2021

For those not in the know, Roger Craig Smith is Sonic's 3rd American voice actor for the games, following Jason Griffith and Ryan Drummond respectively. Roger first took on voicing Sonic in the poorly received "Sonic Free Riders," which was released for the XBox 360 back on November 4th, 2010. Roger would continue to voice the character afterwards, even in the Sonic Boom cartoon, with his final role being "Team Sonic Racing" released on May 21st, 2019. (though to be technical, "Sonic at the Olympic Games (2020)" for Android and iOS is Roger's last role, though it simply reuses previously recorded voice clips)

SEGA has not yet revealed who will be the new voice actor for their mascot. Some speculate that Ben Schwartz, who voiced Sonic in the Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie, may take over the role, or that SEGA may contact Sonic's previously aforementioned voice actors, Jason or Ryan, though nothing is confirmed at the moment. Regardless, the writers here wish Roger the best, as well as whoever is taking on voicing the blue blur.

Speaking of which, Sonic's 30th Anniversary is this year. Last year, SEGA initially planned to reveal small tidbits about the upcoming anniversary on the 20th of each month, but due to the Covid Virus, these plans were scrapped. That being said, SEGA did eventually reveal the the 30th Anniversary Logo on the 29th of September 2020, as well as some upcoming merch, such as a Classic Sonic Comic series that will be published by IDW Comics, some toys from Jakks Pacific, and even a jewelry collection from King Ice. (Let's hope Rouge the Bat doesn't nab the entire jewelry collection stock first before they hit the shelves!)

Super Smash Bros. Fighters - Pokémon series - 05-01 Pokémon Trainers Red & Leaf

 

Debut
In the Pokémon series: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green (1996)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

Boxing Ring Title: Wants to Be the Very Best

Theme Song:  Main Theme - Pokémon Red & Blue (Brawl)

Pokémon Trainers are the main protagonist in the majority of the Pokémon games. Most of their stories start out in a similar way: Upon receiving their Pokémon License, the Pokémon Trainer goes to visit their local Pokémon Professor to be given one of three starter Pokémon so they can begin their journey. Along the way, they can also attempt to catch as many Pokémon as they can, allowing them to create a powerful team that consists of at least six Pokémon.

 

A Pokémon Trainer's main goal is to defeat the eight Gym Leaders scattered throughout the region to obtain their badge. Once the Pokémon Trainer has all eight badges, they can challenge the Elite Four, a group that are considered some of the strongest trainers in the region. Defeating them allows a Pokémon Trainers to challenge the region's Pokémon Champion, and if they win, they will become the new champion!

 

Additionally, a Pokémon Trainer may run into an evil organization attempting to conquer the region. Said organization may even attempt to capture a powerful Legendary Pokémon so that they can harness its power to complete their wicked goals. The Pokémon Trainer will encounter these groups a couple of times in their journey, which leads to a final confrontation with the organization's leader.

The male Pokémon Trainer competing in Super Smash Bros. is Pokémon Trainer Red, the main protagonist of Pokémon Red & Blue, Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, as well as their remakes Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen.

In the region of Kanto at a place called Pallet Town, Red and his rival Blue have received their Pokémon Licenses! The two head to the lab of Professor Oak, Blue's Grandpa and well-known Pokémon Researcher. There, they would choose one of the three Pokémon Oak had on him: Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle, with Blue choosing the one that has an advantage over Red's.

Red and Blue would also receive a receive a high-tech encyclopedia called a PokéDex, which they would use to record data on all 150 Pokémon that is said to exist in the region. Blue's sister, Daisy, would also give the two a map of the region. With that, the two set off to try and catch all the Pokémon they can, as well as become the region's champion.

During Red's journey, he would end up crossing paths with the infamous criminal organization called Team Rocket. Team Rocket's main goals are world domination and exploiting Pokémon for profit. Red would first encounter them during their fossil expedition in Mt. Moon. He also stops a Rocket Grunt in Cerulean City, who had stolen a TM (aka a Technical Machine) from one of the locals.

Later on in Celadon City, Red would find out that Team Rocket had set up a hidden base in the city's Game Corner. Red would sneak into the base and battle the grunts there, where he ends up coming face-to-face with their leader, Giovanni. Upon defeating him, Red would obtain the Silph Scope, which would allow him to explore the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. At the very top, he would rescue Mr. Fuji from three Rocket Grunts, who were holding him hostage for questioning.

Arriving at Saffron City, Red learns that Team Rocket has taken over the Silph Company Building! Red and his Pokémon would charge headfirst into the building, fighting off the various grunts and dealing with the building's confusing teleport panels. At the very top, Red once again confronts Giovanni, who was attempting to get the Silph Company President into making Master Balls for his organization, since the Master Ball is able to capture any Pokémon effortlessly. Luckily, Red and his Pokémon put a stop to that plan!

Finally, Red would confront Team Rocket for the last time in Viridian City, where he learns that Giovanni is the head of the Viridian Gym! They have their final confrontation, ending with Red and his team emerging victorious! Giovanni awards Red the Earth Badge, and then chooses to disband Team Rocket and leave for parts unknown. However, he warns Red that one day, he will return to conquer the world.

Also during Red's journey, he would cross paths with his arrogant rival Blue, who he would often clash with at certain points. At the Indigo Plateau, Red and his Pokémon would face the Elite Four and Champion Lance. However Lance informs Red that Blue had managed to defeat them a bit earlier than he did, and thus is the current Champion of the region. This would result in the two having their final confrontation to determine who would be the true champion of the region.

After a fierce battle, Red and his Pokémon would emerge victorious! Professor Oak would then personally induct them into the Hall of Fame!

In Pokemon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition, the story is mostly the same, with the main difference being that Red starts out with a Pikachu, while Blue starts out with an Eevee. Additionally, Red also confronts Jessie, James, and Meowth from the anime, Pokémon the Series. He battles the trio three times in the story; first is at Mt. Moon, second is at Pokémon Tower, and the final time is at Silph Company. 

Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen has an additional story element: the Sevii Islands. Here, Red learns that an offshoot of Team Rocket - led by Rocket Admin Archer - are experimenting on forcing Pokémon to evolve via radio waves. This comes to a stop when Red defeats them and reveals he has earned the Earth Badge from Giovanni, causing Archer to realize that Giovanni has truly disbanded Team Rocket. Archer decides to retreat, but not before swearing that'll someday they'll restore Team Rocket's glory.

Regardless, Red would decide to continue his journey to catch and log the other Pokémon he missed, which would eventually result in him finding Mewtwo hiding deep within the depths of Cerulean Cave.

Three years later, the events of Pokémon Gold & Silver, Pokémon Crystal, and their remakes Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver happen. Red has become a celebrity in Kanto and Johto, thanks to him and his team disbanding Team Rocket. Still, Red chose to continue his Pokémon journey, during which he became a bit reclusive, not even contacting his mother that much anymore.

While the protagonist of the game - Ethan, Kris (Crystal only) or Lyra (HeartGolf & SoulSilver only) - occasionally hears about him, it isn't until they acquire all of the Kanto Gym Badges and visit Professor Oak to gain access to Mt. Silver that they finally meet him face-to-face. It isn't known how long he's been up on the snowy mountains, but he's still ready to challenge the player, serving as the game's strongest and toughest opponent.

An unknown amount of time later, Red re-enters public life in Pokémon Black 2 & White 2 after the conclusion of the game's plot, traveling to the Unova region to compete in the Pokémon World Tournament. The game's protagonist - Nate or Rosa - could potentially fight him at any point during the Champions Tournament bracket.

Four years later, a bit after the main events that transpired in Pokémon Sun & Moon and Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, Red and his rival-turned-friend Blue travel to Alola to run the Battle Tree there. When the game's protagonist - Elio or Selene - first arrive at the Battle Tree, Blue congratulates them on becoming Alola's champion, and then offers them a chance to battle either him or Red. Afterwards, the player can fight Red again at the Single Battle Challenge and Multi Battle Challenge, where he's either their 20th opponent (normal challenge) or their 50th opponent (super challenge).

Red has also made sparring appearances in the spin-offs, such as the mobile game Pokémon Masters EX. Red journeys to the Pasio region to compete in the Pokémon Masters League with his Charizard, Snorlax, and Pikachu. His Sync Move with Charizard is "Living Legend Blast Burn," in which he Mega Evolves his Charizard into Mega Charizard X and raises his Critical Hit rate. Snorlax's Sync Moce is "Heaviest Sleeper Normal Impact," which causes stat increasing moves to double. Pikachu's Sync Move is "Lightning-Fast Volt Tackle," which increases the power of Sync Moves by 50%.

In Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee - which takes place in an alternate retelling of the Kanto story - Red and his rival Blue have completed their adventures quite some time before the game's protagonist - Chase or Elaine - start their journey. Notably in this timeline, Red never encountered Team Rocket, and thus never stopped them, though he still managed to become a Pokémon Champion and a powerful Pokémon Trainer. Once the player has become Champion, defeated at least six Master Trainers, and has a full team of six Pokémon on them, Red shows up in front of the Pokémon League building at Indigo Plateau, where the player can challenge him to a battle.

Personality-wise, Red was initially portrayed as a spunky individual who can be a bit hotblooded and occasionally foolish, which can be seen in some early promotional art, the pages of Pokémon Craft DX, and some of his counterparts portrayals in various works. However, starting in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen, he has since been portrayed as a quiet and stoic boy who tends to sport a serious expression on his face. Regardless, Red's most notable trait is how kind and trusting he is towards his Pokémon. He's also gained a reputation for being the best Pokémon Trainer in the world, able to train Pokémon of various types compared to others who specialize in one. Only his rival Blue and a girl named Leaf have managed to get close to his skills.

Speaking of his Pokémon , Red's most consistent team has been Pikachu, Lapras, Snorlax, Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise. In Pokémon Gold & Silver - as well as Pokémon Crystal - he had an Espeon, but starting in Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, he's been replaced with Lapras, and hasn't been seen since. In Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee, he drops Charizard and Blastoise for Machamp and Arcanine respectively. Pokémon Stadium has Red use Pokémon he's never been seen using since, those being Meganuim, Feraligatr, Typhlosion, Jolteon, Scizor, Tauros, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, and Dragonite.

Red's most well-known counterpart has to be none other than Ash Ketchum, the main protagonist of Pokémon the Series. Ash is a ten-year old who, while a bit inexperienced, is excited at finally becoming a Pokémon Trainer! He's a bit late heading to Professor Oak's lab, and as such is stuck with a rather disobedient Pikachu. Though Pikachu doesn't think much of him at first, it's not until Ash risked his life to save Pikachu from a flock of Spearow that the two became best friends.

Ash and Pikachu journey across the world, exploring the various regions alongside a group friends they meet along the way. During these travels, Ash challenges the region's eight gyms and obtain their badges so that he can compete in the region's tournament to become Champion. Along the way, Ash has to deal with the ever-persistent Team Rocket Trio - which consist of Jessie, James, and Meowth - who plan on snatching Pikachu for their boss, as well as any other Pokémon that catches their attention. He also tends to get wrapped up in the plots of various evil organizations, though with the help of his friends and his Pokémon, he manages to put a stop to their wicked plans. 

Another well-known counterpart of Red's would be the similarly-named Red from the ongoing manga, Pokémon Adventures. Prior to the series, Red was given Poliwag as his first Pokémon when he was a young boy. While playing by a lake, he accidentally fell into the lake and almost drowned, but luckily, Poliwag evolved into Poliwhirl in order to save his trainer! In the first chapter, Red was showing off his skills to a couple of young kids, but then overhears some Rocket Grunts talking about Mew. He manages to find his a mysterious boy battling said Pokémon with his Charmander, only to recall him back. Angered, Red tries to show him up with his Poliwhirl, only for Mew to easily best him. The boy insults Red for rushing in like that, and informs him to visit Professor Oak for help.

Inside his lab, Oak mistakes Red for a thief, which results in all of Oak's Pokémon running away. Red manages to retrieve them all except Bulbasaur, who retreats into the Viridian Gym. Both of them get attacked by a Machoke, but Red and Bulbasaur manage to defeat it with Solar Beam. Impressed by his skills, Oak gives Red a PokéDex and Bulbasaur as thanks, and asks for Red's assistance in catching all 150 Pokémon said to live in Kanto. Red agrees, and leaves for Viridian Forest. While attempting to capture a Kangaskhan, he encounters the mysterious boy again, and learns that he's the grandson of Professor Oak! He too is trying to collect all 150 Pokémon, which soon sparks a rivarly between the two as they attempt to see who can achieve this feet first. Thus, Red's adventure begins...

Personality-wise, Red is shown to be kind, heroic, and outgoing individual, if a bit slow on picking up on sensitive matters. Despite being human, he has a surprisingly capable amount of agility, and is always willing to help others out, with to without his Pokémon. He's also very skilled in Pokémon Battles, able to bring out his Pokémon's full potential in unique ways.

Debut

In the Pokémon series: Pokémon FireRed and Pokémon LeafGreen (2004)

In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018)

Pokémon Crystal is the first installment in the Pokémon series that allowed you to play as a female Pokémon Trainer. In the early games, there wasn't really any difference between playing as a male or a female trainer beyond some minor dialogue changes. In Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, the one you don't pick tends to become either an important character or one of your rivals. Starting in Pokémon X & Y, the clothing and hairstyle options for your Pokémon Trainer depend on which one of the two you pick to play as.

The female Pokémon Trainer competing in Super Smash Bros. is Pokémon Trainer Leaf who debuted in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen. Her story is more-or-less the same as Red's: Leaf picks between Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle, journeys throughout Kanto, fights her friend-turned-rival Blue, stops Team Rocket, etc... If you choose to play as Red, Leaf never shows up in the story, and vice-versa if you play as Leaf.

Leaf would then vanish from the series, though a character similar to her named Green would show up in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee. In this game, Green has completed her journey quite some time ago before the protagonist -  Chase or Elaine - began theirs.

She's currently searching for Mewtwo and hopes to catch it for herself. Unfortunately for her, by the time she heads for Cerulean Cave, the player has already caught Mewtwo. Upon learning that, she challenges the player to a battle for the ownership of Mewtwo, though despite her efforts she ends up losing. With a bit of reluctance, she gives the player the Mewtwonite X and Mewtwonite Y stones she found, then attempts to capture the player by tossing Poké Balls at them so that she can have Mewtwo indirectly. When that inevitably fails, she tells the player to consider joining her before running off. Afterwards, Green can be found at Cerulean City, where she can be fought once a day.

Leaf finally makes her return in the mobile spin-off game, Pokémon Masters EX. She journeys to the Pasio region to compete in the tournament with her Eevee and Venusaur. Her Sync move with her Eevee is "Endless Possibilities Extreme Evoboost," which increases her move gauge to whatever Eevee's current move level is, as well as sharply raising the Attack, Defense, Special Attack, Special Defense, Speed, and Accuracy of all allied sync pairs. Meanwhile, her Sync move with her Venusaur is "Tenacious Frenzy Plant," in which she Mega Evolves Venusaur into Mega Venusaur. If her foes are poisoned or badly poisoned, Venusaur's power increases.

Personality-wise, Pokémon Masters EX portrays her as a cheerful and kind-hearted girl. She admires her Venusaur, who looks out for her, her team, and others, which gives Leaf the determination to do her best to protect her friends. She's also pretty concerned about the well being of her Eevee. When wondering if whether or not she or Eevee should be the one to choose what Eevee evolves to, she settles on letting Eevee decide whenever the time comes. She also seems to be into arts and craft, as shown by her wanting to make a flower crown for her Eevee to wear.

If one considers Green the same character as Leaf, then Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee portrays her as a very determined, if somewhat eccentric, girl who wants to obtain Mewtwo at almost any cost.

When it comes to her Pokémon team, Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee have her with Clefable, Gengar, Victreebel, Ninetails, Kangaskahn, and Blastoise. Pokémon Masters EX gives her an Eevee and switches out Blastoise with Venusaur.

While Leaf never appeared in the animated adaption Pokémon the Series, she did get a counterpart named Green in the ongoing manga, Pokémon Adventures. Prior to the series, five-year old Green was kidnapped by a bird Pokémon called Ho-Oh, on the orders of the mysterious Masked Man. She was taken to a secret hideout and was trained alongside other masked children. During her time there, she met a boy named Silver and learned about Pokémon evolution. Eventually, the two would make their escape and go their separate ways. Flash-forward a couple of years, and Green learns that she's from Pallet Town, and that two other boys - Red and Blue - have just begun their Pokémon journey. Frustrated, she breaks into Professor Oak's lab and steals a Squirtle to start her own journey.

Green makes her proper debut in the 15th chapter "Wartortle Wars," where she scams Red of his money by selling him fake items. This results in him hunting her down, resulting in a Pokémon Battle between the two, which she loses. Red manages to reclaim his money, but later finds out that she managed to steal his Gym Badges in return!

Later on, she manages to steal a data disk from Team Rock, which contains information about the Legendary Pokémon Mew, though this causes the criminal organization to target her. During her escape, she manages to cross paths with Red yet again, during which Red reluctantly teams up with her to find Mew. Her Ditto, Ditty, disguises itself as Mew to try and fool Team Rocket, which works for a little while. When the two finally find Mew, Team Rocket manages to catch up to them and attempt to obtain Mew! However, Mew manages to easily defeat Team Rocket and escapes. Content on at least obtaining pictures of Mew to sell to the newspapers, Green returns Red's badges as thanks before leaving, starting an on-again-off-again friendship between the two.

Personality-wise, Green is quite cunning and quick-witted, usually able to talk herself out of a tight situation. Her Ditto, Ditty, definitely helps her out with this, due to its ability to shapeshift, allowing her to don many disguises.She also held no problem manipulating others to get what she wants, though she eventually stops doing that as she grows closer to Red, Blue, and Yellow. Green is also quite knowledgeable on Pokémon Evolution, due to her time under the Masked Man. Speaking of which, Green initially held a massive fear of bird-like Pokémon, due to Ho-Oh kidnapping her during her youth, though she eventually gets over it.

In Super Smash Bros., Pokémon Trainer is a three-in-one character. Pokémon Trainers Red and Leaf don't really fight the opponents directly; instead, they use their Pokémon - Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard - to battle for them! Time for Red and Leaf to show why they're considered Battle Legends.

Pokémon Trainer will always start the battle out with Squirtle, though you have the option of changing which of the three Pokémon will fight first by selecting the image of the Pokémon in the Character Select Screen.

Special Moves

Down Special: Pokémon Change 

Pokémon Trainer switches one of his Pokémon out for the other. Assuming that Squirtle is the current one fighting, the order is as follows: Squirtle to Ivysaur, Ivysaur to Charizard, and Charizard to Squirtle.

There's a two second delay after Pokémon Trainer switches out his Pokémon, so don't think you can rapidly switch between them. Additionally, all three Pokémon share the amount of damage they've taken between them, so keep that in mind.

While not called that in the Pokémon games, it is inspired by the ability to switch between Pokémon during a battle throughout the series. As switching takes up the user's turn, the benefits of switching in a Pokémon to face a target it is effective against must be weighed against the risks of being hit hard, setup on, or simply out-predicted by the opponent. Switching can also heal minor status effects such as confusion, but is unable to heal major ones like poison.

The Pokémon all sharing battle damage is unique to Super Smash Bros.

Final Smash: Triple Finish

Pokémon Trainer shouts "Take that, Triple Finish!" while sending out all three of his Pokémon to use their strongest attacks on the opponents!

With their combined might, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard ensure the foe they hit won't be able to escape, dealing impressive damage to their opponents before blasting them away! If the move misses... well, the "It's super effective!" text box will look pretty silly being there.

Triple Finish is unique to Super Smash Bros., but may have inspired the Triple Battle Format introduced in "Pokémon Black & White."

The text "It's super effective!" tends to pop up when an attack hits a Pokémon who's weak to it. (Example: Squirtle's Water Type move, Hydro Pump, hitting the Fire Type Charizard) In Super Smash Bros., it'll display this even if the Pokémon or opponent isn't weak to/resists/neutral to the Water, Grass, and Fire move, or even if it misses as previously mentioned.

Additional Notes

When it comes to Red's alternate colors, he has ones that reference Ethan's appearance in Pokémon Gold & Silver, Lucas from Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, and Calem from Pokémon X & Y.

When it comes to Leaf's alternate colors, she has ones that references May's appearance in Pokémon Emerald, Hilda from Pokémon Black & White, and Selene's appearance from Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon.

In the Japanese magazine Official Fan Book of Pocket Monsters, where Game Freak gave an early teaser about the then-upcoming Pokémon Gold & Silver, Red is referred to as "Satoshi," suggesting that it was originally gonna be his official name. In addition to the fact that the creator of the Pokémon series name is Satoshi Tajiri, Ash Ketchum from Pokémon the Series is also called "Satoshi" in Japan. If this was kept, it's likely Red's name over here would've become "Ash."

Speaking of names, Ken Sugimori - art designer for Pokémon - confirmed in a tweet that Leaf initially didn't have a name. It would remain that way until the unveiling of her collectible Koboyashi figure in 2019, as well as her return in the mobile game Pokémon Masters EX, both of which refer to her as Leaf. However, her appearance in Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee refer to her as "Green," which has caused debates if the two are the same character or not.

When it comes to the starter Pokémon, early artwork and promotional material associated Red with the Bulbasaur line, but nowadays he's associated with the Charmander line. Likewise, Leaf was associated with the Squirtle line, but is now associated with the Bulbasaur line.

Leaf was intended to debut in the first installments of the series, Pokémon Red & Blue, but was scrapped for unknown reason. The only remnants of this initial plan is a unique piece of art that shows her standing alongside Red, Blue, and the three Starter Pokémon; a starring role in some of the pages of the book Pokémon Craft DX, and the character Green from Pokémon Adventures using her scrapped design during the manga's early story arcs.

Leaf has different idle animations, taunts, and even victory animations compared to Red. Not that this really matters or anything, just something to note.

Pokémon Trainer's Boxing Ring Title, "Wants to Be the Very Best" comes from the very first line from the iconic Theme Song for the first season of Pokémon the Series: The Beginning.

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – Pokémon series – 04 Mewtwo

Debut

In the Pokémon series: Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green (1996)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

Boxing Ring Title: A Legend Reawakens

Theme Song: Pokémon Red / Pokémon Blue Medley

Mewtwo: the Genetic Pokémon. Psychic Type. #150 in the National Pokédex. Mewtwo is one of, if not, THE strongest Pokémon in series, and many are fearful of its power.

In Pokémon Red & Blue - as well as Pokémon Yellow, and their remakes Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen - the player is given hints about Mewtwo’s existence upon reading the various books that are scattered throughout the abandoned Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island. Upon reading them, it reveals that a group of scientists were tracking down the Legendary Pokémon, Mew, at a jungle. They witnessed Mew give birth to an individual who the scientists would name "Mewtwo," who's embryo had been tampered with to alter its DNA.

The scientists would then move and contain Mewtwo within the Pokémon Mansion, where one scientist - which Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen heavily implies to be the kind old man living in Lavender Town, Mr. Fuji - would perform horrifying gene-splicing experiments on it to turn it into the world's strongest Pokémon. The experiment proved to be a success, so much so that in only a few minutes, Mewtwo broke out of its containment and used it's powerful psychic abilities to completely trash the Pokémon Mansion, as well as severely injure everyone inside. Afterwards, Mewtwo fled, taking up residence deep within Cerulean Cave, where it now battles anyone and anything that dares to approach it.

Once the player becomes Champion, they are given the opportunity to explore Cerulean Cave. If they can make it to the deepest part of the cave, the player can challenge - as well as attempt to capture - the vicious Mewtwo.

In Pokémon Gold & Silver, as well as Pokémon Crystal, the Cerulean Cave has collapsed, with Mewtwo nowhere in sight. If the player heads to where the entrance would've been, they'd find the Berserk Gene, which is heavily implied to belong to Mewtwo. In the game's remakes, Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, Cerulean Cave has not collapsed, meaning Mewtwo can still be found hiding inside it.

Pokémon Black & White would give Mewtwo a signature move, Psystrike, a powerful special move that targets the opponents Defense instead of their Special Defense. Pokémon X & Y would give Mewtwo Mega Forms: Mega Mewtwo X, which changes Mewtwo into dual Psychic and Fighting type that focuses on Mewtwo's physical prowess; and Mega Mewtwo Y, which focuses on Mewtwo's special prowess.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, an alternate universe version of Mewtwo is shown being owned by that universe's Giovanni, who has successfully conquered the Kanto region and has recruited a massive team from various universes in order to conquer the main timeline! This Mewtwo seems to have given in to his lust for battles, becoming nothing more than a viscous fighting machine. In addition, Giovanni has in his possession a Mega Ring, which he uses to transform Mewtwo into either his X or Y Mega form depending on the version of the game.

Mewtwo also shows up in the various spin-off games as well such as the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, and Pokémon Stadium. In most of these, Mewtwo serves as an optional boss fight.

Mewtwo also shows up in the animated adaption, Pokémon the Series: The Beginning. Though he makes his debut in episode 63: “Battle of the Badge”, he wouldn't be given plot significance until Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back. Prior to the series starting, Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni, hears a rumor about Mew living somewhere deep in the jungles of Guyana, and sends his elite team of scientists to search for it. Managing to find a strand of Mew’s eyelash, Giovanni hired a brilliant scientist by the name of Dr. Fuji to create a powerful and fierce clone from it. Dr. Fuji and his team were successful, dubbing their Pokémon clone “Mewtwo.”

While Mewtwo was initially unsure of and curious about his existence, he became enraged upon finding out that he was viewed as nothing more than an “experiment,” leading him to kill everyone in the New Island Laboratory. Giovanni would arrive on the island a few minutes later, and the two would form an “alliance” of sorts. While the partnership was alright at first, Mewtwo slowly began to dislike working with Giovanni, which began fueling his hatred of humans and the Pokémon who worked with them. He would later destroy one of Team Rocket’s hideouts and flee back to the ruins of New Island, where he would begin constructing a castle there.

Some time later, he would issue a challenge to any and all trainers to fight “the world’s greatest Pokémon Trainer.” Many trainers – including Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, and their friends – would answer the call. Only a few could make it to New Island through the dangerous storm, and upon revealing himself, Mewtwo sent clones of Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise to challenge the trainers and prove his superiority over human trainers, as well of cloned Pokémon.

A massive and violent battle would ensue, and it only grew worse when Mew – who Mewtwo was cloned from – arrived and joined the fray. Ash, tired of this pointless battle, tries to get everyone to stop, only to take the full brunt of Mewtwo’s and Mew’s attack and gets turned to stone, resulting in everyone pausing in their fight. Mewtwo watched as everyone – humans, Pokémon, and even his clones – reacted to what happened, all of them deeply upset at Ash’s “death,” as well as Pikachu’s growing despair as he desperately attempts to save him. But through their tears, Ash was restored back to normal. Upon witnessing this genuine act of sympathy and compassion, Mewtwo has a change of heart and decides to spare everyone. Thinking it would be better if everyone had “forgotten” this incident, Mewtwo uses his Psychic powers to wipe everyone’s minds and return them back to the mainland. Mewtwo would then head off with his clones to live in peace elsewhere.

He would later show up in the special Mewtwo Returns, where he and his clones have are living at Mount Quena. Unfortunately for him, Giovanni finds out where he's hiding and attempts to capture him, but thanks to the help of Ash Ketchum and his friends, Mewtwo is able to fight Giovanni and his goons off. Unlike last time, Mewtwo only wipes the memories of Giovanni and Team Rocket - with the exception of Jessie, James, and Meowth - and decides to travel about to find his place in life.

Another separate Mewtwo would later appear in the 16th movie Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened, as well as its prequel Mewtwo: Prologue to Awakening. At some point in time, a bunch of scientists would manage to create a second Mewtwo, with the same results that happened during the creation of the first Mewtwo - destroyed lab, some of the scientists dying - happening here as well, with the major difference being that this Mewtwo has a more feminine voice, and is capable of Mega Evolving into Mega Mewtwo Y.

Following a couple of shenanigans involving a Pokémon Hunter, Mewtwo would end up wandering aimlessly about, trying to find her purpose in life. One day, she ended up flying through a severe thunderstorm, and ends up heading towards a nearby cave to wait it out. Standing near the entrance, she notices a bunch of Pokémon are also hiding in the cave, and all of them are cautious of her, but after seeing her getting struck by lightning, the Pokémon all work together to heal her. Feeling grateful for their generosity, she decides she’ll become a defender of wild Pokémon.

Some time later, Mewtwo moves to Mewtwo encounters a group of five Genesect. She finds out that they were ancient Pokémon that were revived by humans and turned into weapons. Feeling a connection, she offers them to follow her since things have long since changed since they were last alive, but the Red Genesect, who was the leader of the group, attacked her out of mistrust.

Mewtwo then pursued them to New Tork City, which bared a resemblance to the Genesect's ancient home. She managed to protect Ash and his friends from the Genesect's attack, though she assures Ash that she was only trying to save his Pikachu and Iris's Axew, since she still doesn't trust humans. Still, she indulges to them about the Genesect before leaving.

She eventually learns from a Starly that the Genesect are residing in Pokémon Hills, and have kicked all of the Pokémon living their out. Upon arriving, she tries to reason with the Red Genesect to no avail, thus she Mega Evolves and engages in battle with the Genesect Army. However, their fight causes the generator in the area to burst into flames. Taken by surprise, the Red Genesect takes advantage of the opportunity and Blaze Kicks her, but she's gets rescued by Ash. While she tries to tell him to stay out of the fight, he reveals he promised to help the younger Douse Drive Genesect find a new home for him and his family. This caused the young Genesect, along with the other three, to side with him and Mewtwo. Enraged, the Red Genesect tried to attack all of them with a Techno Blast, only for Mewtwo to grab him and fly him up into space, where she told him that everyone has a place on the planet, and everyone their can be friend with each other.

Having finally gotten through to him, she was about to float them back down to the planet. However, the stress of flying there - as well as their earlier fight - had left both indivuduals exhausted, resulting in them hurtling back down at a breakneck pace! Luckily, Ash comes up with a plan to have all the Water and Psychic-type Pokémon use their powers to create a soft landing for the two. Afterwards, the Genesect moved to the Absentia Natural Park. Mewtwo thanks Ash and his friends for their assistance, stating that they are now friends, before flying off to parts unknown.

A Mewtwo also plays a big role in the ongoing manga series, Pokémon Adventure. Mewtwo is first seen in the chapter "Tauros the Tyrant," where protagonist Red spots its still-unfinished body floating in a tank-tube at the Team Rocket Hideout. Red overhears a mysterious Rocket Scientist state that there wasn't enough genetic material to finish it. At some point, Blaine and the scientists manage to fix that, during only for Mewtwo to turn on his creators and escapes to Cerulean Cave.

Later on, Mewtwo begins to attack the citizens of Cerulean City. Red learns of this, and decides to seek Mewtwo out, only for Mewtwo to immediately attack the kid. Luckily, Blaine was nearby and saved him, revealing that he was the Rocket Scientist who created Mewtwo. Since Blaine didn't have enough genetic material to finish Mewtwo, he decided to use his own cells. This process caused a few cells of Mewtwo to seep into Blaine's arm, giving the two a psychic connection of sorts, at the cost of giving Blaine some occasional, unbearable pain in said arm.

Wanting to redeem himself for what he did, Blaine intended to take Mewtwo out in a way that would result in the death of both of them. Luckily, Red prevents that plan by giving his Pikachu, Pika, his Master Ball before tossing him at Mewtwo. As Mewtwo wasn't expecting that, Pika tosses the ball at Mewtwo and successfully captures him. Red then gives Mewtwo to Blaine, during which the scientist realizes his arm is no longer in pain, sensing that Mewtwo wants to start things over with him.

In Super Smash Bros., Mewtwo uses his powerful psychic powers to overwhelm the competition! Of course, since he’s also using it to hover and float around, that makes him an easy target to fling around, so be careful!

Special Moves

Neutral Special: Shadow Ball

Mewtwo begins charging up a Shadow Ball. While charging, you can cancel the charge by pressing left or right, shielding, or spot-dodging. The amount you charged is kept, so you can resume later. Once fully charged, pressing the Special Button again will have Mewtwo fling it forwards!

How big, fast, and powerful it is depends on how much you charge it.

Inspired by the move Shadow Ball, which debuted in “Pokémon Gold & Silver,” though technically the move was first seen in “Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back.” Shadow Ball is a Special Ghost Type move with a power of 80. It has a chance to slightly decrease the opponents Special Defense, which will help make Shadow Ball hit harder.

Mewtwo is capable of learning this move through the use of a TM. 

Side Special: Confusion

Mewtwo uses his psychic power to create a purple ripple of sorts. Anyone standing where the purple ripple is get twirled around before falling on the ground. The opponent can quickly act out of it after getting twirled, but as they take more damage, they have a slightly harder time acting out of it. At 140% damage, Mewtwo can quickly follow this up with a forward-aerial attack - provided you use Confusion in the air first - to possibly KO the foe before they can even react.

Mewtwo can also use Confusion to reflect projectiles back at the offender.

Inspired by the move Confusion, which debuted in “Pokémon Red & Blue.” Confusion is a Special Psychic Type attack with a power of 50, and has a 10% chance of confusing the enemy.

Its ability to reflect projectiles seems to be inspired by “Pokémon the Series,” where some Pokémon use it to reflect Pokémon or even thrown objects.

Mewtwo tends to knows this move at level 1, but since its encountered at higher levels, it needs to visit a Move Relearner to actually use it. 

Up Special: Teleport

Mewtwo disappears for a sec, before reappearing elsewhere. Where he shows up depends on which direction you’re holding, with upwards being the default if nothing is held.

Inspired by the move Teleport, which debuted in “Pokémon Red & Blue.”.Teleport is a Psychic Type status move that has two uses: If used while exploring, it causes the player to return to the last Pokémon Center they visited. In battle, it allows one to successfully flee from a Wild Pokémon Battle. Using it during a Trainer Battle will cause the move to fail, though starting in “Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu & Let’s Go Eevee,” using it would allow you to switch Pokémon.

Mewtwo can learn this move through the use of a TM. 

Down Special: Disable

Mewtwo eyes turn green as a small flash of light gets fired in front of Mewtwo. Anyone nearby who is on the ground and facing Mewtwo will get stunned. How long they stay stunned depends on how badly damaged they are. Using Disable on a stunned foe will slightly damage the foe and send them upwards, but it might be better using something else like a Smash Attack instead.

Using the move when the opponent is in the air facing Mewtwo will cause the opponent to take minor damage, but it barely stuns them, so it’s not really recommended.

Inspired by the move Disable, which debuted in “Pokémon Red & Blue.”.Disable is a Normal Type status move that causes one of the opponent’s moves to be temporarily disabled. Starting in “Pokémon Gold & Silver,” the move will disable the last move the opponent used, though it will fail if the foe hasn’t done anything.

In the “Pokémon Anime,” as well as the “Pokémon Mystery Dungeon” games, Disable is instead shown being able to stun the opponent for a few seconds/turns, which might be what the Super Smash Bros. portrayal of the move is referencing.

This move tends to be one of Mewtwo’s four starting moves in all of its appearances. 

Final Smash: Psystrike

Mewtwo starts off by Mega Evolving into Mega Mewtwo Y!

Mewtwo then fires Psystrike, a giant energy sphere filled to the brim with psychic energy!

Anyone who got hit by Psystrike will be stunned for a few seconds before the psychic energy blasts inside their minds, dealing heavy damage. (imagine it like a massive headache suddenly happening) After which, they will go flying away.

Inspired by the move Psystrike, which debuted in “Pokémon Black & White.” It is a Special Psychic Type move with a power of 100 that calculates damage by comparing the “Special Attack” stat to the “Defense” stat rather than comparing it to the “Special Defense” stat. It is Mewtwo’s Signature Move, and is always the last move it learns.

Mega Mewtwo Y is one of Mewtwo’s two Mega forms that debuted in “Pokémon X & Y,” though technically the Y form debuted in “Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened.” In order to transform Mewtwo into Mega Mewtwo Y, the player would need to find and give Mewtwo the Mewtwonite Y Stone.

Additional Notes 

Some notable alternate costumes for Mewtwo include his original Shiny form from Pokémon Gold & Silver, his current shiny form that debuted in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire (though starting in “Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U,” this costume has gotten more cyan), and one that references Shadow Lugia from Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. That last one is a bit unexpected, huh?

In the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros., Mewtwo has victory quotes. Due to retaining his Japanese voice actor in every region, his quotes were replaced. The quotes, translated, as well as there replacements are as follows:

Victory Quote 1: “I cannot afford to lose!” (was changed to him giving an ominous growl)

Victory Quote 2: “Why am I here…?” (was replaced with him simply scoffing)

Victory Quote 3: “Foolish!” (was replaced with him laughing)

According to journals in the Pokémon Mansion, Mewtwo’s Birthday is on February 6th. Mark it on your calendar!

Pokemon is celebrating its 25th anniversary! New Pokémon Snap

 

25 years ago on February 27th, 1996, Pokemon Red and Green were released in Japan for the Game Boy. In it, players assumed the role of a Pokemon Trainer who sets off with either Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle as they journeyed across the Kanto region, collecting Gym Badges, defeating the nefarious Team Rocket, catching Pokemon, and becoming the Pokemon Champion. Yesterday, The Pokemon Company revealed that they're planning on celebrating the franchise's 25th anniversary.

A promotional video was also released, showing a Poke Ball rolling across many decorative setpieces that call back to the various games that were released throughout the years up to today.

Various commemorative products are also planned to be released, such as a limited-edition skateboard made by the folks at Bear Walker. (pre-orders for the latter starting on the 19th of January)

Pokemon TCG fans can also look forward to getting some unique 25th Anniversary-themed collections that will be released later in the year. Meanwhile, fans can get oversized TCG cards starring the various region Pokemon starters and Pikachu, all of which sport the 25th Anniversary Pikachu logo.

The Pokemon Company is also working with some other well-known brands - such as General Mills, Levi's, McDonald's, Jazwares, Scholastic, Mattel, Funko, The Wand Company, and more - and their roles in the celebration will be announced throughout the year.

The Pokemon Company is also teaming up with Universal Music Group to work with various names in the music industry, from rising stars to award-winning super stars, for a program which they're calling "P25 Music". Pop icon Kate Perry was the first to be revealed as one of the collaborators in the yearlong music campaign. Details about her participation,  as well as the additional participants in the "P25 Music" program will be announced throughout the year.

 Fans of the Pokemon mobile games, "Pokemon Go" and "Pokemon Masters EX", will also be involved with the 25th celebration, presumably with exclusive events. The Pokemon Company also made mention of other Pokemon animations, video games, so it can be expected that they will be revealed later on.

And that's a glimpse on what fans can expect thus far. To keep yourself updated, go to the official Pokemon 25th Anniversary Site, which, in addition to looking back at the various regions throughout the Pokemon series, will also feature monthly events for music and many other events.

 What was your first exposure to Pokemon? Was it the show, the games, or even the toys? Go and comment down below, and have fun celebrating the 25th Anniversary, trainers!

You can pre-order the New Pokemon Snap Game right now. It will be available in stores on 04/30/2021.

Super Smash Bros. Fighters – Pokémon series – 03 Pichu

Debut
In the Pokémon series: Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver (1999)
In the Super Smash Bros. series: Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)

Boxing Ring Title: Shockingly Adorable

Theme Song: Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver Medley

Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. Electric Type. #175 in the Pokédex. As a species, Pichu are rather weak, and not very good at storing electricity due to the pouches on its cheeks being too small. They tend to unintentionally electrocute themselves when using electric moves, or even discharge electricity when amused or startled. When playing with other Pichu, they may accidentally short out electricity with each other and cause a shower of sparks, causing them both to cry. Sometimes Pichu will do this deliberately with one another, which is assumed to be a test of courage. Pichu have an even chance of being either male or female, though unlike it’s older forms, female Pichu lack the “dent” on its tail. Pichu is the baby form of Pikachu, and evolves into Pikachu if it has a high friendship level with its trainer, and can later evolve into Raichu by the use of a Thunderstone.

Back in its debut in Pokémon Gold & Silver, the player couldn’t find one in the wild. Instead, the only way to obtain one was to catch a female Pikachu or Raichu, and a male Pokémon compatible with them (such as another Pikachu or Raichu, or even Ditto) then put them in the Pokémon Day-Care in hopes of obtaining a Pokémon Egg containing Pichu. Pichu wasn’t very strong, but it could learn some moves that its older Pikachu and Raichu forms couldn’t, such as Charm, Sweet Kiss, and Nasty Plot.

In Pokémon Crystal, the player could obtain an Pichu from an Odd Egg which is obtained from the Day-Care Man; however, the Odd Egg also had a chance of containing either Cleffa, Igglybuff, Tyrogue, Smoochum, Elekid and Magby instead.

Pokémon Emerald would give the Pichu line a powerful exclusive move called Volt Tackle! To obtain it, one of its parents - who must be either a Pikachu or Raichu - must be holding the Light Ball. Upon hatching, it'll know this powerful move!

In Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver, a special Pichu called the Spiky-eared Pichu was introduced! If the player had a Pikachu-colored Pichu in their party and visited the Ilex Forest, Spiky-eared Pichu would reveal herself and join the player's party. If taken to Professor Elm, he reveals that she's been traveling through time with the Pokémon Celebi for quite a while. However, this experience has left her unable to evolve into Pikachu. The only other noteworthy thing about her is that her Pokéathlon stats are different compared to other Pichu.

Pichu also shows up in the various spin-off games, such as Pokémon Channel and the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. Its biggest tole was in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs, where Ukulele Pichu served as the player's partner. As its name would suggest, it carries a Ukulele, which it can use to help the player capture Pokémon more easily.

In the animated adaption Pokémon the Series, Pichu have made notable appearances starting in the Gold & Silver season. Notable members include the Pichu Bros., who made their debut in the Pikachu short Pikachu & Pichu, which played before the film Pokémon 3: The Movie – Spell of the Unown. The Pichu Bros. consist of two Pichu, Pichu Big (the one with the scruff of hair on his head) and Pichu Little, who live in a city called Big Town where they hang out and play with their various friends. The two happened to meet Ash’s Pikachu one day, resulting in the trio going off on some wacky hijnks throughout the city. The Pichu Bros. would leave on good terms with Pikachu, and would go off to have their own adventure, as shown in the Pokémon Chronicles side-series.

Another notable Pichu would be Spiky-eared Pichu, who debuted in the movie Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life. Unlike her game counterpart, who lived in the present but was taken to various points in time, Spiky-eared Pichu lives in the distant past. In the film, she decides to help Ash’s Pikachu and Dawn’s Piplup get their friends out of jail by helping them search for a key.

An important Pichu character named Pibu would also appear in the ongoing manga series, Pokémon Adventures, debuting in the chapter "Playful Poeygon2." Pibu is the son of Red's Pikachu Pika, and Yellow's Pikachu Chuchu. While he was still inside his egg, Pibu managed to get into the hands of a Pokémon Trainer named Gold, and would later hatch under his care. Despite being a newborn, Pibu had managed to inherit his trainer's kind heart and bravery, as he was willing to help Gold track down the Mystery Man and stop him from obtaining the legendary time traveling Pokémon, Celebi.

In Super Smash Bros., some of Pichu’s electric moves are surprisingly stronger than Pikachu’s, but said electric attacks tend to hurt him due to his inexperience with handling electricity. One has to play carefully to get good results with Pichu!

Special Moves

Neutral Special: Thunderjolt

Pichu fires off an electric ball diagonally downward. Once it hits a surface, it’ll bounce forward in an arc. It’ll wrap around corners and even bounce on the walls, and even the ceiling as long as it’s not jump-throughable!

The move does the most damage up-close, and gets weaker as it bounces along.
This move does minor damage to Pichu.

The name of the move is taken from the original Pikachu Trading Card in the “Pokémon Trading Card Game” (both it’s US and JP names on the card are similar to what the attack is called in Super Smash Bros.) Otherwise, this move is mostly inspired by Pichu’s electric abilities.

Side Special: Skull Bash

Pichu gets in a crouching position before firing forward, head-first. The move can be charged by holding the Special Button. The longer you charge it, the further Pichu flies!

When uncharged, the move is weaker than Pikachu’s, but at full charge, not only is it stronger, it also flings Pichu farther than Pikachu! Too bad it takes much longer to fully charge up. It also slightly damages Pichu regardless if he hits his opponent or not.

Inspired by the move, “Skull Bash” introduced in “Pokémon Red & Blue”. Skull Bash is a Physical Normal-Type Move that has a power of 100 (in Gens 1-5) or 130 (in Gen 6 and on) and is a two-turn attack, the first turn being the Pokémon prepping itself, and the second turn being the attack. Starting in “Pokémon Gold & Silver”, Skull Bash would also boost the user’s defense, though this effect isn’t in Super Smash Bros. The “self-damaging” bit is exclusive to Super Smash Bros.

Pichu is unable to learn Skull Bash in any of the Pokémon games, though it’s evolved form, Pikachu, could learn it back in “Pokémon Red & Blue”.

Up Special: Agility

Pichu stalls for a sec before dashing forward in whatever direction you hold. (upward if nothing is held) Pichu will use the move a second time if you tilt the control stick in a different direction.

The move doesn’t do any damage, but it’s a good move to use to recover back to the stage, or to play mindgames. Though the fact Pichu takes damage from it will probably relegate the move to being solely used for recovery.

Inspired by the move, Agility, introduced in “Pokémon Red & Blue”. Agility is a Psychic Type move that greatly boosts the Pokémon’s speed, which can possibly allow it to outspeed the opponent and attack first. The “self-damaging” thing is exclusive to Super Smash Bros.

Pichu is unable to learn Agility in any of the Pokémon games, though it’s evolved form, Pikachu, can.

Down Special: Thunder

Pichu summons a Thunder Cloud from above him! The Thunder Cloud shoots lighting downward where Pichu is/was standing. Anyone who hits the lighting takes damage and gets flung away, unless they happen to be very close and underneath where the Thunder Cloud spawned, then they will get sent flying downwards towards Pichu! That will be devastating for them, because once/if the lightning hits Pichu, he releases a powerful burst of electric charges, and anyone nearby will get sent flying!

This move greatly damages Pichu if the lightning hits him.

Inspired by the move, Thunder, introduced in “Pokémon Red & Blue”. Thunder is a Special Electric-Type Move with a power of 120 (in Gens 1-5) or 110 (in Gens 5 and on) and is one of the stronger Electric attacks, though it has poor accuracy. (70%, to be exact) Its accuracy would change depending on the weather, though. (always accurate during Rain, 50% accurate during Harsh Sunlight) The “self-damaging” thing is exclusive to Super Smash Bros. Pichu can learn the move by using a TM.

Final Smash: Volt Tackle

Pichu charges himself up with electricity and charges forward! If he hits someone, the camera zooms in to where Pichu is and he begins wildly bouncing around, trapping the opponent and anyone else nearby in the center of his attack! After which Pichu goes to the center of the camera and unleashes a powerful surge of electricity, zapping everyone away from him! The camera returns to normal after this.

This move causes a great deal of damage to Pichu if he hits his opponent.

Inspired by the move, Volt Tackle, introduced in “Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire”. Volt Tackle is a Physical Electric-Type Move with a power of 120, though it causes the user to take recoil damage. Starting in “Pokémon Emerald”, it is the Signature Move of the Pichu-Pikachu-Raichu line. In order for Pichu to learn the move, a female Pikachu or Raichu holding a Light Ball must be put in the Pokémon Daycare with a compatible Pokémon – such as a male Pikachu, Raichu, or a Ditto – and the end result will be that it’s offspring, Pichu, will know the move.

Additional Notes

Despite not being Electric Type moves, Skull Bash and Agility still do damage to Pichu. Why? Good question.

Two notable alternate costumes Pichu has include the Team Aqua Grunt bandanna from Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, and the Team Skull Grunt beanie from Pokémon Sun & Moon.

Pichu also has a female alt: Spiky-eared Pichu! Considering that Pikachu has two female alts, it’s possible that the alternate costume of Pichu wearing a flower on its left ear is the second female alt, but that’s just speculation.

Pichu’s move, Volt Tackle, is a reference to Pulseman, an unrelated game made by Game Freak, creators of Pokémon. In that game, the protagonist had a special move called “Voltteccer” which surrounded him in an electrical barrier.

Despite sharing a near-identical moveset with Pikachu, he's not considered an Echo Fighter. Why this is, is unknown.