In Pokémon Sun and Moon, use a Thunder Stone on Pikachu from the Bag. The whole game takes place in Alola, so this always gives you Alolan Raichu (Electric/Psychic), never the orange Kantonian Raichu. Pikachu doesn't need a set level or Friendship, and pressing B won't stop the evolution. The first Thunder Stone is on Route 8, behind the trailer at the Fossil Restoration Center, which you can reach after Kiawe's trial. The stone shop in Konikoni City then sells them for ₽3,000 each. You won't find Pikachu walking in the grass. Catch a Pichu in the Route 1 or Hau'oli City grass and raise its Friendship to 220, or catch the Pikachu that sometimes shows up when a Pichu calls for help.
This guide covers the original Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on Nintendo 3DS and 2DS, with or without updates. The two versions work the same way for everything here. Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are separate games. They move the Thunder Stone and add one way to get Kantonian Raichu, so they get their own section at the end.
Use a Thunder Stone on Pikachu
- Get a Pikachu. You can catch one or evolve it from a Pichu (see below).
- Get a Thunder Stone. The first one is on Route 8 on Akala Island.
- Open the Bag, pick the Thunder Stone from the Items pocket, and choose Use.
- Pick Pikachu. It evolves into Alolan Raichu right away, and the stone is used up.
Pikachu can be any level and doesn't need high Friendship. It also doesn't matter where the Pikachu came from. A Pikachu you transferred from X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire still turns into Alolan Raichu when you use the stone in Sun or Moon.
Where to get Pikachu and Pichu
Both are on Melemele Island, the first island, and both appear in Sun and in Moon, day or night.
| Where | Pokémon | How | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route 1, the grass on the west side toward Hau'oli City | Pichu | Walking in tall grass, 5% | 3–5 |
| Hau'oli City Shopping District, grass patches | Pichu | Walking in tall grass, 5% | 5–8 |
| Same grass in both places | Pikachu | Only when a wild Pichu calls for help (SOS). About 13% of the allies it calls are Pikachu | 3–5 on Route 1, 5–8 in Hau'oli (the local Pichu range) |
Pichu in the grass
The first grass on Route 1, in the Hau'oli Outskirts where your house is, doesn't have Pichu. Keep walking toward Hau'oli City. In the grass on that side Pichu takes one of the encounter slots, so you'll meet one in about one in twenty battles. Pichu is easy to catch with a regular Poké Ball.
Pikachu from an SOS call
Wild Pikachu doesn't appear by just walking around. Wild Pokémon only start calling for help after you clear Ilima's trial in Verdant Cavern, so before that, catch Pichu and evolve it. When a wild Pichu calls for help, the ally is Pichu about 77% of the time, Pikachu about 13% and Happiny about 10%. To get more calls, keep the Pichu at low HP and avoid knocking it out. An Adrenaline Orb makes calls more likely. If you'd rather not chain calls, just catch the Pichu and evolve it.
About 5% of wild Pikachu hold a Light Ball. If you catch one holding it, keep the Light Ball before you evolve (see What changes when it evolves).
Why Pichu won't evolve
Pichu evolves into Pikachu when it levels up with a Friendship of 220 or more. The maximum is 255, so you don't have to max it out. If your Pichu keeps leveling up and doesn't evolve, check these:
- Affection is a different stat. Petting and feeding Poké Beans in Pokémon Refresh raises Affection. Affection is the hearts in Pokémon Refresh, and it doesn't count toward this evolution.
- Raise Friendship in battle and on the move. Level-ups, walking with Pichu in your party, vitamins and EV-reducing Berries all add Friendship. Fainting lowers it, and so do bitter herbal medicines.
- Give it the Soothe Bell. An NPC on Route 3 gives it to you. While Pichu holds it, Friendship gains are 50% bigger. That's 1.5×, not double.
- Use the Konikoni City massage. The massage parlor in Konikoni City gives one massage a day that raises Friendship. The Soothe Bell doesn't boost it.
- Check the Friendship rater. The woman in Konikoni City rates Friendship. If she says "You clearly love your Pokémon," Friendship can still be under 220, so keep going before you level up.
- Remove any Everstone. An Everstone stops Pichu from evolving.
- Level 100 Pichu can't evolve this way. It can't gain another level, so the Friendship check never runs.
When Friendship reaches 220, one more level from battle or a Rare Candy evolves Pichu. If that evolution screen comes up, don't press B. That would cancel it.
Where the Thunder Stone is
Route 8, after Kiawe's trial
Route 8 is on Akala Island. It opens after you clear Kiawe's trial at Wela Volcano Park and continue past Route 7. Go to the Fossil Restoration Center, and you'll find the Thunder Stone item ball behind the trailer. There is only one in the field.
Konikoni City stone shop
After Route 8 you reach Konikoni City. Its stone shop sells the Thunder, Fire, Water and Leaf Stones for ₽3,000 each, with no limit. Shops buy a Thunder Stone back for ₽1,500. Isle Aphun in Poké Pelago can also bring back more stones. See Pokémon Sun evolution stones for every other stone and the Pelago details.
If the stone doesn't work
- Pressing B won't cancel it. B only stops level-up evolutions. Once you use the stone, Pikachu evolves.
- Take off any Everstone. In Sun and Moon an Everstone also blocks stone evolutions, so a Pikachu holding one can't use the Thunder Stone.
- "It won't have any effect" on a Pikachu in a cap. The special event Pikachu in a cap can't evolve. A regular Pikachu always can.
- Check that it's a Thunder Stone. The four shop stones look similar in the Bag. The Thunder Stone is green with a yellow lightning pattern.
Alolan Raichu or Kantonian Raichu
| Alolan Raichu | Kantonian Raichu | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Electric / Psychic | Electric |
| HP / Atk / Def | 60 / 85 / 50 | 60 / 90 / 55 |
| Sp. Atk / Sp. Def / Speed | 95 / 85 / 110 | 90 / 80 / 110 |
| Total | 485 | 485 |
| Ability | Surge Surfer (Speed doubles on Electric Terrain) | Static, or Lightning Rod as its Hidden Ability |
| Weak to | Ground, Bug, Ghost, Dark (all 2×) | Ground |
| How to get it in Sun and Moon | Thunder Stone on Pikachu | Trade over local wireless, or Pokémon Bank from an older game |
Alolan Raichu rides its tail like a surfboard, but that isn't Levitate. Ground moves still hit it for double damage.
You can't get Kantonian Raichu by evolution anywhere in Sun or Moon, and you can't catch any Raichu in the wild. To own one, trade it in from another 3DS over local wireless, or move it from Pokémon X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire through Pokémon Bank. Pokémon Bank ends service on 25 February 2027 at 7:00 p.m. PST, and it can't be downloaded anymore. 3DS online trading (GTS, Wonder Trade and online Festival Plaza) ended on 8 April 2024, but local wireless trading still works.
What changes when it evolves
Take back the Light Ball
A Light Ball doubles Pikachu's Attack and Sp. Atk, but it does nothing once Pikachu becomes Raichu. If you're keeping Pikachu as Pikachu, that's the main reason not to evolve. Otherwise, take the Light Ball back before you use the stone and give Raichu a different item. If you didn't get one from a wild Pikachu, there's one on the ground in Resolution Cave.
Moves to teach
Alolan Raichu learns Psychic the moment it evolves. After that it learns no new moves by leveling up. Pikachu learns Thunderbolt at level 42 and Thunder at 58, so you don't have to wait that long. The Move Reminder in the Pokémon Center on Mount Lanakila can teach Alolan Raichu Thunderbolt or Speed Swap for one Heart Scale each. TMs also work: TM24 Thunderbolt, TM25 Thunder, TM29 Psychic, TM72 Volt Switch and TM93 Wild Charge.
Aloraichium Z and Stoked Sparksurfer
Alolan Raichu has its own Z-Crystal. In Seafolk Village on Poni Island, go into the Steelix-shaped houseboat and show an Alolan Raichu to the woman who asks to see one. She gives you the Aloraichium Z. Have Raichu hold it, and Thunderbolt turns into Stoked Sparksurfer, an Electric special Z-Move with 175 power. It paralyzes the target whenever the target can be paralyzed, so it won't paralyze an Electric-type Pokémon. Raichu must know Thunderbolt, and you need your Z-Ring.
Don't mix it up with Pikanium Z. That one is for Pikachu only and needs Volt Tackle. In Konikoni City, the NPC who gives you the Pikanium Z can also teach Pikachu Volt Tackle. You can also breed it onto a Pichu egg when a Pikachu or Raichu parent holds a Light Ball.
Sun and Moon vs Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
| Sun and Moon | Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon | |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Stone in Alola | Always Alolan Raichu | Always Alolan Raichu |
| Field Thunder Stone | Route 8, behind the trailer | Route 9 |
| Konikoni City shop | ₽3,000 | ₽3,000 |
| Kantonian Raichu by evolution | Not possible | Use the stone while in Ultra Space during the Ultra Warp Ride |
| Partner Cap Pikachu | Not in the game | A gift that can't evolve |
If you're playing Ultra Sun or Ultra Moon, don't go to Route 8 for the stone. For the rest of the differences, see Pokémon Sun vs Ultra Sun.
Checklist
- Catch a Pichu in the west Route 1 or Hau'oli Shopping District grass, or a Pikachu from a Pichu's SOS call.
- For Pichu: raise Friendship to 220 (Soothe Bell, walking, battles, the Konikoni massage), no Everstone, then level it up.
- Clear Kiawe's trial and pick up the Thunder Stone behind the Route 8 trailer, or buy one in Konikoni City for ₽3,000.
- Take back any Light Ball, then use the Thunder Stone on Pikachu from the Bag.
- Teach Thunderbolt and pick up the Aloraichium Z in Seafolk Village.
FAQ
Does a Thunder Stone evolve Pikachu into Alolan Raichu in Sun and Moon?
Yes. Every Thunder Stone evolution in Sun and Moon happens in Alola, so Pikachu always becomes Alolan Raichu. There's no setting or item that changes it.
Where do you find Pikachu in Sun and Moon?
Pikachu only appears when a wild Pichu calls for help on Route 1 or in the Hau'oli Shopping District. Pichu itself is in the grass there, with a 5% rate.
Why won't my Pichu evolve?
Its Friendship is probably under 220. Pokémon Refresh raises Affection, not Friendship. Use the Soothe Bell, keep Pichu in your party and don't let it faint. Also make sure it isn't holding an Everstone and isn't level 100.
Where is the first Thunder Stone?
Behind the trailer at the Fossil Restoration Center on Route 8, after Kiawe's trial. Konikoni City sells more for ₽3,000.
Can you get Kantonian Raichu in Sun and Moon?
Not by evolution. Trade one in over local wireless, or move one through Pokémon Bank before it closes on 25 February 2027.
Is Alolan Raichu immune to Ground moves?
No. Its Ability, Surge Surfer, only doubles Speed on Electric Terrain. Ground moves still do double damage.
How do you get Stoked Sparksurfer?
Show an Alolan Raichu to the woman in the Steelix houseboat in Seafolk Village to get the Aloraichium Z. Give it to an Alolan Raichu that knows Thunderbolt.