Character Spotlight 7: Volt Storm

*This post is one of the 3 this week in honor of E3! I hope you enjoy both!*

This Smasher is one of the most notable faces on the roster, with a sparking personality. They have a lot of fans with such a cute face.

They don't need a serious backstory to get appeal, but you do have to find them first! They're hard to catch, but worth the effort.

Who's that Smasher?

It's Pikachu!

Pokémon's lovable mascot is certainly a fan favorite, that's for sure. It ain't a Nintendo party with Pikachu! He's always the first to be chosen, both at Pokémon Stadium and at Final Destination.

My First Reaction

Pikachu is not only my favorite Pokémon, but my first experience in the world of Kanto, and in the world of handheld gaming. You see, that first game was Pokémon Yellow Version!

I love this game!

It was here that I got involved and evolved to a Poké Fan today, playing games like SoulSilver and White versions. And in every possible game, I tried to catch a Pikachu if there was one. They were fast moving with strong electric special attacks.

Ownership and Gender?

This section will replace the Throughout His/Her Series for the other Pokémon characters except for Red. Because, while main characters in Smash, they are not defined characters in their series save for a Wild Pokémon to catch. I'll try to explore the possible ownership of the Pokémon (because they should all have one) and their gender.

This Pikachu, I believe, is a male Pikachu because of the lack of a V-shaped dent in it's tail. By comparison, a male Pikachu also has less black on the tip of it's ears, much like Smash's Pikachu.

Here's a male Pikachu...

...and a female Pikachu.

The voice doesn't change between genders and Smash's Pikachu doesn't have any hats to hint at a definite gender, but Pikachu does have his tail to tell us that he's a boy. Otherwise, they would have changed it.

As for ownership, Smash's Pikachu definitely has a trainer because his On-Screen Appearance is popping out of a Pokéball. But who owns this Pikachu? Certainly not Ash, as I have said before. But who? Who could possibly own a super strong Pikachu in the Pokémon series?

Only Red could!

Pokémon Trainer Red owns a Level 88 male Pikachu in both the original Gold/Silver versions and their remakes. His Pikachu has the honor of being the highest level trainer owned Pokémon in the main games. And considering that he is the original main character in the Pokémon games just supports the idea.

In theory, Red could have let Master Hand borrow Pikachu for the first two tournaments while he traveled on his Pokémon journey.

In Super Smash Brothers

One of Pikachu's strongest assets in a Brawl is his speed. He also has good specials, smash attacks, and is hard to hit with his small frame. But, he can be sent flying easily with his light weight.

He's not exactly known as a tank.

Pikachu also has a small shield, making his defenses less strong when compared to other Smashers. But other then that, Smash DOJO regards him as a pretty All-Around character.

As a Character

By species, Pikachu need to discharge electricity periodically in order to stay healthy. Otherwise they'll get an "electric flu" due to power build up. Their tails can act as lightning rods and their cheeks react to magnets.

Pulling/stepping on a Pikachu's tail would result in the offender getting a nasty shock. Pikachu also can give a nasty bite, leaving quite the mark, and have acute senses of hearing thanks to their large ears. They like to roast berries with electric shocks, and can understand human speech very well. Pikachu especially loves Oran Berries.

Although they can eat human foods also
with no ill effects on their health.

As a Smasher, Pikachu spends most of his time with Samus and his trainer Red. Despite being a Pokémon, he is very self sufficient and intelligent, able to fight without commands from anyone. Pikachu is very familiar with modern technology like a blender or TV and is able to operate them with little to no problems.

Pikachu likes to nap, and being Red's Pikachu, has a Sassy nature. Pikachu originally doesn't like to be trapped in a Pokéball, but I think he's got over that distaste somewhat for his On-Screen Appearance. He prefers to be free and run around with Yoshi or Kirby to play. Pikachu is very helpful and friendly, but he has a temper when angered.

You don't wanna be around when Pikachu revolts

Smash Bros 4 Changes?

Immediately, I'm going to say make the Volt Tackle easier to control. The damage is fine; just the controls are wonky in my opinion.

I could barely hit anyone with such unorthodox controls.

And for his Down Smash, make Pikachu able to deflect projectile attacks when performing the move. And by giving it some more range, Pikachu's electric shocks would cancel out fireballs or arrows or lazers. But he'll still get damaged by explosions, like Link's Bombs. The animation wouldn't change of course.

This gives Pikachu some more defensive options.

Finally, for a more cosmetic change, make Pikachu's tail give a metallic glow during his Up Smash. I mean, Red's Pikachu does know Iron Tail after all. And, most importantly, redo Pikachu's design so he looks slimmer. Like how current Pikachu sprites look like, either from the main series or Mystery Dungeon.

Or how Pikachu looks in the PokéPark series

Final Thoughts

Don't underestimate me.

Pikachu is Pokémon's beloved mascot and overall favorite. His face is on almost anything related to the series, be it main games or spin-offs. There's no doubt that this cute little mug is adored by guys and girls everywhere!

He is the strongest Pokémon a trainer could have, and with his speed, smarts, and electric attacks, he's earned a spot in the Big 4.

I hope I covered Pikachu accurately. What do you think? Share your opinion by commenting below.

Pika Power!

Until next time! :D