Here’s Every Version of Pikachu, Ranked (Including the New Detective!)

You might not know the difference between a pokéball and a poke bowl but your kid is still going to make you take them to Detective Pikachu. And while you don’t have time to do extensive research on all 807 Pokemon, you may at least want to get brushed up on your knowledge of the titular electric Pokémon. Pikachu is, after all, unquestionably the face of the entire Pokemon franchise. But which is the true Pika? From Togedemaru to Detective Pikachu, here is our definitive ranking of all the members of the Pikachu family tree.

10. Dedenne: The only non-cute Pikachu relative. Sorry, Dedenne but you are the least of the Pikas.

9. Togedemaru: Not outright ugly like Dedenne but sadly this girthy guy simply isn’t very cute. He looks too much like a beach ball and is apparently a terrible fighter, meaning he would be more useful getting bounced around the crowd at a Grateful Dead concert than actually fighting.

8. Plusle: What exactly is this little guy’s deal? He’s basically like his cousin(?) Pikachu except he’s something known as a Cheering Pokémon, which apparently just means he’s bad at battling but a good hype man during a battle? Cute but like many on this list, too derivative of the OG Pika.

7. Minun: Pretty much the exact same as Plusle except blue? They should probably be tied but blue and yellow are a better combo than red and yellow, so Minun wins.

6. Pachirisu: Another cousin of Pikachu that is apparently better at offering moral support than actually fighting but this one looks like an adorable squirrel! What’s not to like?

5. Emolga: Pretty much the same as Pachirisu but the Pokémon equivalent of a flying squirrel, which is cooler.

4. Raichu: Yes, he’s technically the evolved version of Pikachu but there’s a reason Ash chose to not let his little guy evolve. Raichu will always live in the shadow of his little brother. It also doesn’t help that Pikachu can lowkey kick his ass.

3. Pichu: Listen, nobody is arguing that Pichu isn’t cute. Just look at him, he’s more adorable than a box of puppies floating on a cloud made of other boxes of puppies. But while Pichu may be as cute as Pikachu, as a Baby Pokémon, he’s significantly weaker.

2. Detective Pikachu: Ryan Reynolds brings oodles of charm to the performance and seeing Pikachu solve mysteries is fun as hell but as surprisingly good as he looks in live-action form, Pikachu is at his best in the animated world.

1. Pikachu: Sometimes the most obvious answer is the correct one and, in this case, the original Pikachu is so clearly the greatest. But he’s not just the best Pikachu, he’s a representation of everything kids and adults have come to love about the Pokémon franchise. He’s adorable. He’s a sneaky good fighter. He’s loyal. And he helps Ash become the very best like no one ever was. Long live Pikachu.