Pokemon GO Raikou PvP and PvE guide: Best moveset, counters, and more

Raikou is one of the Legendary Pokemon from the Johto region that are available in Pokemon GO. The creature was released in August 2017 and has since appeared in the mobile game multiple times. Its latest appearance is as a 5-star raid boss from September 23, 2023, to October 6, 2023. Many players are sure to battle and capture it in this cycle.

Once you have a Raikou, you might be wondering what moves suit its playstyle the best in different situations. This article has you covered on all such matters.

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Which moves can Raikou learn in Pokemon GO?

Raikou's best moveset (Image via TPC)

Raiku can learn the following Fast Attacks in Pokemon GO:

• Thunder Shock
• Volt Switch

The Charged Attack that the creature has access to are:

• Thunder
• Thunderbolt
• Wild Charge
• Shadow Ball
• Frustration
• Return

Before moving on to the best movesets for the creature, it is important to note its elemental typing and stats. Raikou is a pure Electric-type Pocket Monster. This means it gets the benefit of Same Type Attack Bonus when using moves of the same type.

Raikou is an attack-weighted Pocket Monster, boasting base 241 Attack, 195 Defense, and 207 Stamina.

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Best PvP moveset for Raikou in Pokemon GO

Raiku's best moveset for trainer battles in Niantic's mobile title consists of the following Fast and Charged Attacks:

• Fast Attack: Volt Switch
• Charged Attack: Wild Charge and Shadow Ball

Volt Switch is arguably the best Electric-type Fast Attack in the game since it generates four energy per turn while dealing 3.6 damage per turn (including STAB). Raikou's second option, Thunder Shock, is great at generating energy but severely lacks in the damage department. With a glass cannon like Raikou, you want to exert as much damage pressure as possible using your Fast Attack.

Wild Charge is Raikou's best STAB Charged Attack option. The move deals 120 damage at only 45 energy cost. It also inflicts a two-stage defense debuff on the user, but with its poor defenses, Raikou is not expected to stick around the battlefield for very long anyway.

For the second Charged Attack, Shadow Ball is the way to go since Ghost-type attacks do at least neutral damage to everyone but Normal-types. This makes Shadow Ball an excellent coverage move, dealing 100 damage at 55 energy.

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Best PvE moveset for Raikou in Pokemon GO

Shiny Raikou in the anime (Image via TPC)

Being a Legendary Beast, Raikou cannot be a defender in a gym. Thankfully, it shines much brighter as an attacker in Gym Battles and Raids in Pokemon GO. When going on the offensive in PvE battles, any creature should always make use of its STAB attacks and shouldn't be concerned with coverage.

Considering these things, here is Raikou's best PvE moveset:

• Fast Attack: Volt Switch
• Charged Attack: Wild Charge

With Volt Switch, you will be able to deal approximately 10.5 damage per second (DPS), while Wilde Charge will deal 41.5 DPS.

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Best counters to Raikou in Pokemon GO

You may encounter Raikou in Pokemon GO Battle League battles in the Ultra League as well as the Master League.

The best counters for Raikou in the Ultra League are:

• Swampert
• Giratina (Altered)
• Cobalion
• Scrafty
• Obstagoon

In the Master League, the following critters perform best against Raikou:

• Giratina (Origin)
• Dragonite
• Mewtwo
• Zekrom
• Dialga

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This is all you need to know in this Raikou PvP and PvE guide.