Pikachu is available early in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and you can reach Raichu soon after. You have two clean paths: catch a wild Pikachu in Lumiose City’s Wild Zone 3, or pick up a Pichu in Wild Zone 1 and evolve it through friendship, then use a Thunder Stone to reach Raichu.

Find Pikachu in Wild Zone 3 (early-game spawn)

Pikachu spawns in the southeast quadrant of Wild Zone 3. You gain access to this area during the “The City in the Shadow of Prism Tower” main mission when you head to Emma’s agency. Once inside, scan the bottom-right of the zone; Pikachu appears during the day or at night.

If none are present, move out of the quadrant and return to refresh spawns. Catching a wild Pikachu here is the fastest route if you’ve already progressed to Wild Zone 3.

Catch Pichu in Wild Zone 1 (then evolve via friendship)

Pichu can be found in Wild Zone 1, near the western gate by a pond. It’s a small, single spawn that may take a few loops to spot, so approach quietly and be patient. Once you have Pichu, the evolution to Pikachu hinges on friendship rather than level.

Friendship is an invisible stat. Raise it by:

  • Keeping Pichu in your party and using it in battles.
  • Avoiding knockouts (don’t let Pichu faint).
  • Feeding EXP items to level it up.
  • Resting with Pichu at cafes around Lumiose City.

When friendship is high enough, Pichu will be eligible to evolve to its next level-up.

Trigger evolutions manually in Legends: Z-A

Evolution in Legends: Z-A doesn’t auto-play. When a Pokémon becomes eligible, an arrow icon appears next to its party portrait. Open the menu, select the Pokémon, and choose “Let it evolve” to run the evolution sequence. The same flow applies to friendship evolutions, stones, and trades.

Use a Thunder Stone to evolve Pikachu into Raichu

Raichu is a simple item evolution. Buy a Thunder Stone from the Stone Emporium in Lumiose City. The shop is on Vernal Avenue, northwest of Wild Zone 1 and a bit west of Hotel Z. If the street is blocked or the store isn’t open yet, progress the main story a little further (roughly past mission 5 or 6).

The Thunder Stone costs ₽3,000. To use it, open your bag’s Other Items tab, highlight the Thunder Stone, and use it on Pikachu. Confirm the prompt to evolve into Raichu.

Quick reference: locations and evolution steps

Pokémon How to get in Z-A How to evolve
Pichu Wild Zone 1, near the western gate by a pond Level up with high friendship (manual evolve)
Pikachu Wild Zone 3, southeast quadrant (day or night) or evolve Pichu Use a Thunder Stone (manual evolve)
Raichu Evolve Pikachu Use a Thunder Stone from the Stone Emporium

Notes on forms and DLC

Legends: Z-A includes Alolan Raichu as an Electric/Psychic-type, and future content adds two Mega Raichu forms (X and Y) via the Mega Dimension DLC. If you plan to engage with that endgame path, it’s worth preparing more than one Pikachu or Raichu now.

If you’re early in the story, grab Pichu in Wild Zone 1 and start building friendship in the background; if you’ve reached Wild Zone 3, catching Pikachu directly is faster. Either way, Raichu is a single stone away once you stop by Vernal Avenue’s Stone Emporium.