There are a few responses that pop up whenever someone asks a Pokémon enthusiast why Ash never evolved his Pikachu. Some might cite Pikachu’s desire to demonstrate its viability without developing as the in-story justification.
The Pokémon anime is ultimately a marketing tool for the games. Showing off the games’ characters and plot components is just one aspect of this; other gameplay mechanisms should also be demonstrated. This game entertains players while simultaneously instilling these kinds of teachings in the players, which may be why the real reason Pikachu wasn’t developed went mostly unnoticed.
In Episode 14, “Electric Shock Showdown,” Pikachu’s refusal to develop was explained in part. Lt. Surge made fun of Ash at the moment for not quickly strengthening his Pikachu and evolving it; to prove his point, the Gym Leader defeated Pikachu with its evolved form Raichu.
Later, a Thunder Stone was handed to Ash and Pikachu so that the latter could develop as well, but they concluded that doing so solely for the sake of victory would make them no better than Lt. Surge. They ultimately prevailed over Lt. Surge and his Raichu in a rematch, demonstrating that Pokémon do not require evolution to triumph.
Additionally, only as a Pikachu could Pikachu learn speed-based moves like Agility and Quick Attack. Because Lt. Surge evolved his Raichu too quickly, he was unable to teach it these moves. Ash and Pikachu were able to outwit their opponents and obtain the Thunder Badge thanks to this edge. The distinction between Pikachu and Raichu is based on a gameplay element.
Only during their pre-evolution may certain Pokémon learn moves. This is particularly true for Pokémon that evolve using evolutionary stones, such as Pikachu, who cannot learn any new moves after evolving into a Raichu.
The Move Reminder couldn’t have learned anything exceptional even if it had been around back then. Although it can be difficult, the reward for engaging in combat with and leveling up Pokémon in their less powerful, unevolved forms until the time is right is frequently too great to pass up.
Ash’s decision to prevent his Pikachu from growing so it may acquire skills like Quick Attack and Agility was intended to highlight this crucial game aspect.
After defeating Lt. Surge’s Raichu, Pikachu did not develop, which is understandable given what everyone assumes. For starters, the episode itself demonstrated that Pikachu could be just as effective in combat as Raichu, so evolving became more of a matter of taste. Additionally, if Pikachu evolved into Raichu, it would probably lose its cuteness and marketability.
Although this will probably never be explicitly stated in the anime, it has a cynical truth. Even though they are not nearly as relevant to the games, these kinds of points can have a much greater impact that lasts longer than a single anime episode.
These points also apply to “Electric Shock Showdown,” however the lesson about learning movements remains the episode’s unique takeaway. Even “Pika and Goliath,” a related episode from Diamon and Pearl, couldn’t completely capture the lesson of “Electric Shock Showdown”; although Pikachu won by outwitting the opponent’s Raichu, the reasons for this had more to do with anime logic than game mechanics.
