You didn’t like the[media=youtube]eMTB-_4LAVQ"[/media]? That was the best part of the show! =D It was probably the second best idea they came up with…first idea being naming Zoro, Zolo.
Oh yeah and them completely screwing up Ultimate Muscle…sigh yeah I’m definitely not gonna miss these guys.
Pikachu’s moveset was so godlike that [media=youtube]zU0DAruo2CA"]it didn’t matter what type of pokemon you were. There’s supposedly other moments in the series where [URL=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP24KR2nOzg&feature=related”[/media].
Pokemon using attacks that are the same type as themselves get a 50% bonus. (same type attack bonus, or “STAB”)
Attacks that a Pokemon are weak against get a 100% bonus.
So you usually want to load your moveset up with a variety of types so you have more “type coverage” - a better chance of being pitted against an enemy that you have a +100% move for. And then one STAB move so that you have a reliable +50% move in case you don’t have any +100%s for whoever you’re up against. Or just start filling move slots with useful utility moves.
Volt Tackle is not popular in competitive play due to the 25% recoil damage it does back to you. It’s a strong attack, but that doesn’t outweigh hurting yourself (Pikachu doesn’t really have a lot of HP either). Not only that, it and Thunderbolt are both of the same type, so you’re not getting any type coverage by having both.
Iron Tail… no STAB on Pikachu, only 100 base damage and a chance to lower defence for 75% accuracy (lowered accuracy attacks are usually a lot better). Plus it’s Steel-type, so it only does 2x against Ice and Rock. Type coverage against Rock isn’t very useful as they aren’t very popular aside from Tyranitar, but you would want a Fighting move against Tyranitar anyway since it takes +300% damage from Fighting moves. Type coverage against Ice is good, but Rock-type attacks are generally more useful as they not only smash Ice, but Fire/Flying/Bug as well.
Quick Attack has some uses as an +1 priority move (so it will always go first unless another + priority move is used), however Pikachu makes poor use of it as it doesn’t receive the STAB for it. Increased priority moves are usually bundled with extremely low base damage, and most users rely on STAB and other effects (like Scizor’s Technician ability, which gives a +50% bonus to its Bullet Punch on top of STAB) to make their damage significant. Plus it’s a normal attack, so nothing is going to take +100% from it.
Quick Attack does 40 damage base. Thunderbolt does 95 base, and Pikachu receives +50% on it. Your average attack is 80-100 base. So on Pikachu, Quick Attack would do about 28% of the damage Thunderbolt would do, and in exchange for such mediocre damage… you get to go first. Which I guess might be useful since anything that goes before Pikachu will likely one hit KO it anyway, but still, that damage is ass.
Static is meh, not an amazing passive but it’s a passive, you can’t hope for much.
Coming up with a good moveset for Pikachu is rough, Pikachu’s defensive stats are just really poor, being Electric-type gives almost no useful defences (you resist other electric attacks but get owned hard by Earthquake), and it lacks the oomph to be killing Pokemon before they can fight back.
If I had to use a Pikachu I’d make it a Sub Puncher just for shits and giggles… though I suppose sub punching everything to death wouldn’t make for interesting anime