Pokémon Scrapped A Badass Gen 1 Pikachu Evolution I'm Only Just Learning About
By Dan Bibby
November 13th, 2025
Pikachu has become so famous that even those who don't follow Pokémon can point at the adorable little yellow mouse and refer to him by name. However, fans know much more than the average person about the franchise's electric mascot, including his evolutionary tree. While he was originally introduced with just one evolution, Raichu, the second wave of Pokémon introduced Pichu as the first link in Pikachu's evolutionary chain.
This Pikachu retcon made sense, as the character's surge to immense fame thanks to the anime meant any changes were immediately more interesting than if they'd been made to some of the other Pokémon. That said, maybe Game Freak quietly knew how popular Pikachu was going to be, as the developers originally planned for an evolution beyond Raichu when the games were being made.
This Pikachu retcon made sense, as the character's surge to immense fame thanks to the anime meant any changes were immediately more interesting than if they'd been made to some of the other Pokémon. That said, maybe Game Freak quietly knew how popular Pikachu was going to be, as the developers originally planned for an evolution beyond Raichu when the games were being made.
Gorochu Was Originally Intended To Be The Final Stage In Pikachu's Evolution Line
Just take him in, and look at how cool Gorochu is. While this isn't official artwork of the scrapped Gen 1 Pokémon, descriptions of Gorochu have resulted in fans agreeing that this is what he probably would have looked like. The fangs and the horns make him look truly fearsome, but he also somehow retains the cuteness of his predecessors.
Gorochu was reportedly dropped from the first Pokémon games for balancing issues, with Game Freak considering him overpowered. There are also reports that he was cut due to the memory limitations on the Gen 1 game cartridges. Either way, Pikachu was supposed to be a three-stage Pokémon from the beginning, rather than that happening retroactively when Pichu was introduced in Gen 2.
Speculating for a second, I think Gorochu's inclusion would have made another key change to how Pikachu evolves. In the games, Pikachu evolves into Raichu only when exposed to a Thunder Stone. Pokémon generally only tend to need stones to evolve ahead of their final form, rather than when they first evolve. So, I think it's reasonable to assume that Pikachu would probably have evolved into Raichu around levels 16-18, like other three-stage Pokémon. Then, assuming Raichu's evolution into Gorochu wasn't also level-based, I think the Thunder Stone would have been used to complete the process.
Gorochu was reportedly dropped from the first Pokémon games for balancing issues, with Game Freak considering him overpowered. There are also reports that he was cut due to the memory limitations on the Gen 1 game cartridges. Either way, Pikachu was supposed to be a three-stage Pokémon from the beginning, rather than that happening retroactively when Pichu was introduced in Gen 2.
Speculating for a second, I think Gorochu's inclusion would have made another key change to how Pikachu evolves. In the games, Pikachu evolves into Raichu only when exposed to a Thunder Stone. Pokémon generally only tend to need stones to evolve ahead of their final form, rather than when they first evolve. So, I think it's reasonable to assume that Pikachu would probably have evolved into Raichu around levels 16-18, like other three-stage Pokémon. Then, assuming Raichu's evolution into Gorochu wasn't also level-based, I think the Thunder Stone would have been used to complete the process.
Another Version Of Raichu Did Eventually Make Its Pokémon Debut
Pokémon Sun and Moon introduced the Alola region to the franchise, which brought with it various reimaginings of familiar Pokémon. Among these was Raichu. Like the other Alola Pokémon, this version of Raichu had adapted to the region and gained a secondary type of psychic to pair with its established status as an electric Pokémon. It looks notably different from the original Raichu, which kind of borrows from the idea of what was once the idea to have him evolve into Gorochu.
However, Game Freak...kind of went the other way this time. Rather than opting to make Alola Raichu more ferocious-looking, as was seemingly the plan with Gorochu, the new version of Pikachu's final form became more adorable than ever, if not also extremely cool for using its tail as a surfboard. Pikachu didn't get an Alola update, probably because it was too much of a risk to mess with the most recognizable figure in the entire Pokémon franchise.
However, Game Freak...kind of went the other way this time. Rather than opting to make Alola Raichu more ferocious-looking, as was seemingly the plan with Gorochu, the new version of Pikachu's final form became more adorable than ever, if not also extremely cool for using its tail as a surfboard. Pikachu didn't get an Alola update, probably because it was too much of a risk to mess with the most recognizable figure in the entire Pokémon franchise.
Head to Talk Nerdy To Me's TV page for more coverage of your favorite shows.