5 most unique Pikachu variants in Pokemon GO, ranked

Throughout the title's lifespan, many Pikachu variants in Pokemon GO have been introduced. With the mascot of the franchise not serving too well in the battling scene, Niantic incentivizes players to still catch their fill of the little rat by releasing costumed varieties. Fittingly, they have become quite valuable to collectors.

With so many of these costumed Pikachus coming to the servers, many players may get confused when it comes to which ones are truly unique and which are just reprints of the original species. Thankfully, there are a few types of costumed Pikachus in Pokemon GO that stand out from the rest, and are much stronger than their base form.

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5 best Pikachu variants in Pokemon GO

5) 5th Anniversary/Flying Pikachu

Flying Pikachu has been a part of the franchise ever since the first generation (Image via Game Freak)

Flying Pikachu has come to Pokemon GO a few times in the form of its standard variant, and through the special 5th Anniversary variant that included a special 5-shaped balloon in its bundle. There have also been different forms of this particular Pikachu covering a different spread of colors for the balloons it uses to fly.

What makes this creature so special is the fact that it is the only Pikachu variant in Pokemon GO that can learn the move Fly. Though this does not make Flying Pikachu a star metagame contendor, a Pikachu that can fly with balloons tied to itself is a charming concept for a collectible monster. To this day, Flying Pikachu is still a beloved part of the franchise.

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4) Pop Star Pikachu

Pop Star Pikachu is one of the many costumes available for Cosplay Pikachu, a variant from the main series (Image via The Pokemon Company)

This Pikachu variant in Pokemon GO is a limited-time form given out during GO Fest 2021. It has yet to make a return. This variant of the rodent did not offer much in terms of stats, much like a lot of other Pikachu variants, but it did have a new moveset. Most notably, Pop Star Pikachu sees the addition of Charm into its movepool.

Since Charm is one of the strongest fast attacks in the game, having access to this attack on a Pikachu may prove useful in some special Battle League formats. However, it is unclear whether or not Niantic will bring back this rare and beloved form of the franchise's mascot.

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3) Rock Star Pikachu

Rock Star Pikachu is another costume for Cosplay Pikachu (Image via Game Freak)

Much like Pop Star Pikachu, Rock Star Pikachu is a variant of Cosplay Pikachu from the Hoenn region remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. This form possesses no alternate typing, nor does it receive any additional stats, and it too has its own exclusive move. Each form of Cosplay Pikachu knows charm, but they each have their own exclusive charged attack.

In the case of Rock Star Pikachu, it has access to Meteor Mash, a powerful Steel-type attack. This move can be useful if there are any special formats where this form is viable. However, much like Pop Star Pikachu, Rock Star Pikachu was only available for a limited time with no word on it ever making a return.

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2) Pikachu Libre

Pikachu Libre is still available to this day, but is incredibly rare (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Pikachu Libre is another form of Cosplay Pikachu. Originating from the Hoenn remakes, it excels in Tough Contests. However, with contests nowhere to be found in Pokemon GO, it is left as another underwhelming monster, but a pretty decent variant of Pikachu all things considered.

For Pikachu Libre's signature attack, it has access to Flying Press. This powerful Fighting-type attack is currently only learned by this form of Pikachu, as well as Hawlucha. This rare Pikachu variant in Pokemon GO can be caught as a reward for reaching the Legend Rank in GO Battle League.

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1) Captain Pikachu

Captain Pikachu is the newest form of Pikachu to come to Pokemon GO (Image via The Pokemon Company)

One of the most recent Pikachu variants in Pokemon GO, Captain Pikachu, added in the new Pokemon Horizons anime collaboration event is easily one of the best. Not only did this creature have a chance to appear in its shiny variant right when it debuted, but it also finally added the signature attack of the PIkachu line, Volt Tackle, to Pokemon GO.

Since Captian Pikachu is the only variant of Pikachu that can learn this move, it is the strongest that players can get in terms of damage output. However, it will still remain unviable in most tiers since it cannot evolve into a Raichu, forever having Pikachu's notoriously pitiful stat pool.

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