Ash's Pikachu has grown to become one of the strongest Pokémon in the entire anime, learning and perfecting several devastating and effective moves along the way. Pikachu has always been known for its standard Electric-type attacks that pack a punch from a distance and send Team Rocket blasting off again on the regular, but Pikachu has also adapted to situations that require a more close-quarters and physical approach.
Developing a broader move-set has allowed Ash to in turn to develop new strategies and compete at a higher level, as proven by Ash's better Pokémon League performances in the later anime series compared to the beginning.
10 Double-Edge Caught Ritchie's Butterfree By Surprise And Grounded It
When Ash and Ritchie face each other in the fifth round of the Indigo League, Ritchie's Butterfree gains the upper hand for its trainer by defeating Ash's Squirtle, forcing a rather tired Pikachu to step up next. Shocking everyone in the stadium, Pikachu launches a Double-Edge attack, which is a glorified Tackle that also hurts the user a little bit.
This is effective in grounding Ritchie's Butterfree and setting the scene perfectly for Pikachu to finish the job with a devastating Thunderbolt. While Double-Edge isn't really used again by Pikachu after this, it served its purpose at the time. The fact is that Quick Attack is just as useful and doesn't have the drawback of hurting the user.
9 Agility's Significant Speed Boost Can Turn A Battle In Pikachu's Favor
Agility is used by Ash's Pikachu whenever it needs to increase its speed and generate its own advantage in a battle. When Ash and Pikachu face Lt Surge at the Vermilion City Gym, after losing the first bout, Ash realizes that Raichu relies on its brute force and isn't capable of moving as quickly as Pikachu.
Pikachu's use of Agility against Surge's Raichu not only increases its speed substantially but also boosts its evasiveness, as the move Double Team would do. In the games, trainers are unable to tell their Pokémon to dodge like they do in the anime, but upping the speed would still increase the chances of dodging slow attacks. Pikachu's use of Agility and Quick Attack are enough to exploit Raichu's slow nature to pick up the win.
8 Thunder Shock Was Pikachu's First Electric Move And Also Its Worst
Thunder Shock is Pikachu's first Electric-type offensive move and one that it already knows when it meets Ash at the beginning of the anime and is what is commonly used on Ash until he earns Pikachu's trust.
When facing Brock at the Pewter City Gym, Thunder Shock has little to no effect on Brock's Onix while it's using Bind, and it's not until Pikachu learns Thunderbolt that Ash and Pikachu are able to power up and defeat the Rock-type Gym Leader. Thunderbolt is considerably more powerful than Thunder Shock so it effectively replaces Thunder Shock from this point on.
7 Electroweb Can Be Used Both Offensively And Defensively
Ash's Pikachu learns an intriguing new move in the Sun & Moon series in "A Battle Hand-Off!," Electroweb. Pikachu hones and develops it as the series progresses and it eventually serves multiple purposes.
Pikachu is seen using it to protect itself or its friends from harm, using it to trap and damage opponents in an electrified web construct. It even uses it to gain a tactical advantage when facing Gladion's Silvally at the Manalo Conference, bouncing off it to launch a surprise counterattack. While it isn't the most powerful attack in the games, the multiple possible uses for it in the anime make it a great addition to Pikachu's arsenal.
6 Quick Attack Is An Easy Source Of Damage-Dealing
Just like Agility, Quick Attack is used by Ash and Pikachu to avoid Lt Surge's Raichu's powerful but slow attacks, slowly turning the tide of the battle in favor of the trainer from Pallet Town. Quick Attack is a priority move that, as the name suggests, allows the user to attack quickly.
For an Electric-type Pokémon, Quick Attack is a perfect move to have, as they can't always just rely on their Electric offense. Although Quick Attack is used less often once Pikachu learns Iron Tail, it still appears when needed, as Ash knows that it's a quick way to inflict damage before Pikachu takes damage itself.
5 Pikachu's Speed Actually Makes Electro Ball More Effective
Learned by Pikachu while in the Unova region, Electro Ball hurls an electric orb at the opponent and its power is greater the faster the user is. As Pikachu is notably a very quick Pokémon, it comes as no surprise that this move packs a punch when used in the anime.
Ash learns that he can get Pikachu to use a powerful Iron Tail-Electro Ball combo attack and practices it several times in battles leading up to the Unova Pokémon League. When he faces his rival Trip at the Vertress Conference, Pikachu uses this practiced combination to defeat Trip's strong Serperior, winning the bout for Ash.
4 Thunder Is Overshadowed By Thunderbolt But Still Comes In Handy
Pikachu is revealed to know the move Thunder in "Abra And The Psychic Showdown", when it uses it against Sabrina's Kadabra before being reflected by Confusion and in turn damaging Pikachu. Thunder is the most powerful Electric-type move in terms of sheer strength, seemingly drawing power from the sky to launch an attack.
Pikachu's Thunder comes into its own when Ash journeys through Hoenn, first using Thunder to defeat Winona's Pelipper before using it an unusual way against Mossdeep's Tate & Liza, having Pikachu use Thunder on Swellow to give them both Thunder Armor, allowing them to launch a surprise counterattack.
3 Volt Tackle Can Put All Of Pikachu's Energy Into One Last Charge Of Bravery
During Ash's adventures at the Battle Frontier in "May's Egg-Cellent Adventure", he discovers that Pikachu can learn Volt Tackle when a normal Quick Attack started resembling the powerful Electric-type physical move. As the series progresses, however, Pikachu learns to master it, using it to defeat Lucy's Milotic after supercharging the move by using Thunderbolt on itself to make Volt Tackle more devastating.
In the Semi-finals of the Sinnoh Pokémon League, Ash loses to Tobias, a trainer that possesses Legendary and Mythical Pokémon. However, Pikachu forces a draw out of Latios by taking them both out with a fierce combination of Volt Tackle and Iron Tail, no small feat by any means.
2 Iron Tail Enables Pikachu To Be A Capable Physical Attacker Too
Learned and mastered by Pikachu while in the Hoenn region, Iron Tail has risen to become one of Pikachu's most used and most effective moves in the anime. Used whenever a physical attack is necessary or when a Thunderbolt won't do the trick, Iron Tail hardens Pikachu's tail and allows it to be used as a weapon and whipped, dealing potentially devastating Steel-type damage.
Not only is Iron Tail a powerful and effective move in its own right, it adds more versatility and variety to Pikachu and its move-set, meaning that it doesn't have to always rely on Electric-type attacks.
1 Pikachu's Thunderbolt Is Arguably One Of The Most Powerful Moves In The Entire Anime
The move that will forever haunt Team Rocket's nightmares, once Pikachu learned Thunderbolt all the way back in Kanto during the Pewter City battles with Brock, it instantly became Pikachu's signature move and only grew in strength and effectiveness as Ash's journey progressed.
With significantly better accuracy than the move Thunder, albeit with slightly less offensive power, Thunderbolt has ended battles more times than it's possible to count, which makes it all the more impressive when a trainer finds a counter for it. Tyson and his Meowth are an example of this in the Hoenn Pokémon League, using Thunderbolt to counter Pikachu every time it tried to use its own Thunderbolt or Thunder.