Pichu
Description
Pichu, who is Pokemon #172 (#155 in the Hoenn Pokédex) is the pre-evolved version of Pikachu in the TV series and video game Pokemon. Pichu is an electric Pokemon, and will evolve to Pikachu whenever happy.
Name Origin
"Pichu" derives from the Japanese "chuu", referring to the squeak made by a mouse, and to the Japanese fix "pii", which is probably related to the word for "little" (see cleffa). "Pichu" can also be seen as a shortened form of "Pikachu".
In the games
The Pokédex defines Pichu as a Pokémon that is "not yet skilled at storing electricity" and therefore it often sends out sparks when it is happy or if it has been startled. According to the Pokémon TV series, Pichu is so young that it often shocks itself when trying to attack an opponent. Perhaps the only video game reflective of this is Super Smash Bros. Melee for GameCube, in which Pichu is a playable character.
In this game, Pichu has many of Pikachu's moves, but due to its lack of control over the electrical charge in its body, using any special attacks inflicts about 2% of damage to Pichu (or Kirby while wearing a Pichu hat) per attack. In addition, Pichu is the lightest fighter in the game, making it easy to launch off the screen. Therefore, Pichu is useful for handicapping a proficient opponent player in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
In the movies
In the Pokémon movies there are two characters called The Pichu Brothers which debuted in the animated short Pikachu and Pichu. This pair of young, mischievous pokémon always ends up making a real mess while trying to have some fun but they find a way to fix it before the "episode" ends. They live in a big city which provides plenty of trouble for them to get into.
