Is Raikou good in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Raikou is B-tier for Great League and has 9 other ranked roles.

What are the best Raikou IVs for Great League?

The rank-1 Great League spread is 6/12/11 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 16. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

What are the best Raikou IVs for Ultra League?

The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 5/13/13 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 26.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.

Is Raikou a good raid attacker?

Raikou ranks #26 of 283 fighting attackers with 14.9 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.

Can Raikou be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes. Shiny Raikou is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.

Is Shadow Raikou worth keeping?

Shadow Raikou hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Ultra League, so keep it.

#243 · Generation 2

Raikou

electricLegendary

Max CP (L40 / L50): 3,452 / 3,902
Raid catch CP (L20 / L25): 1,972 / 2,466
Research CP (L15): 1,479
Buddy distance: 20 km
2nd charged move: 100,000 dust · 100 candy

Shiny
Shadow
Tradable
Mega
Dynamax

Situational

Keep the best copies

Legendary Pokemon are hard to get back once they leave rotation. Keep hundos, shinies, and one for the collection; transfer the weak duplicates.

Battle roles

B
Great League#168 of 1154 · score 83.7
It is ranked #168 in Great League on PvPoke with Thunder Shock / Wild Charge / Aura Sphere.
B
Ultra Leagueshadow#98 of 851 · score 85.9
The Shadow version is ranked #98 in Ultra League on PvPoke with Thunder Shock / Wild Charge / Aura Sphere.
B
Electric raid attackershadow#9 Electric · 17.1 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #9 of 248 Electric-type attackers with Thunder Shock / Wild Charge.
B
Fighting raid attackershadow#10 Fighting · 17.6 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #10 of 283 Fighting-type attackers with Thunder Shock / Aura Sphere.
B
Max Battle attackerdynamax#4 Electric · 237 per Max Move
Dynamax Raikou ranks #4 of 15 Electric-type Max attackers: 237 damage per Max Lightning at level 40 (fast move Thunder Shock). Only a copy caught in a Max Battle can use it.
B
Max Battle tankdynamax#30 of 157 tanks
B-tier Max Battle tank (#30 of 157 by Defence × HP): it takes the boss's hits and shields the party with Max Guard.
C
Master Leagueshadow#74 of 409 · score 79.6
The Shadow version is ranked #74 in Master League on PvPoke with Thunder Shock / Wild Charge / Aura Sphere.
C
Electric raid attacker#24 Electric · 14.4 DPS
It ranks #24 of 248 Electric-type attackers with Thunder Shock / Wild Charge.
C
Fighting raid attacker#26 Fighting · 14.9 DPS
It ranks #26 of 283 Fighting-type attackers with Thunder Shock / Aura Sphere.
C
Ghost raid attackershadow#24 Ghost · 14.9 DPS
As a Shadow it ranks #24 of 193 Ghost-type attackers with Thunder Shock / Shadow Ball.

Collection value

Legendary: keep at least one, and hold on to hundos and shinies.
Can Dynamax: only copies caught in Max Battles can Dynamax, so keep at least one Max copy.
Shadow version exists: Shadows hit 20% harder and are worth a raid slot even with low IVs.

Tiers: S = meta-defining, A = strong, B = playable, C = niche. PvP from PvPoke overall rankings; raids from computed DPS/TDO within each attacking type; Max Battles from GO Hub tier lists.

Base stats

Attack241

Defense195

Stamina207

Base stats. Bars are scaled to the strongest Pokemon in the game.

Weak to

ground×1.6

Resists

electric×0.625
flying×0.625
steel×0.625

Evolution line

Does not evolve.

Check your Pokemon's IVs

Ranks all 4,096 spreads for each league

Loading IV checker…

PvP rankings (GO Battle League)

League	Tier	Rank	Score	Recommended moves	Typical build
Great League	B	#168 / 1154	83.7	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge · Aura Sphere	L16 · 6/12/11
Great LeagueShadow	C	#213 / 1154	82	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge · Aura Sphere	L16 · 6/12/11
Ultra League	B	#117 / 851	85.4	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge · Aura Sphere	L26.5 · 5/13/13
Ultra LeagueShadow	B	#98 / 851	85.9	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge · Aura Sphere	L26.5 · 5/13/13
Master League	C	#87 / 409	77.8	Thunder Shock · Aura Sphere · Wild Charge	L50 · 15/15/15
Master LeagueShadow	C	#74 / 409	79.6	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge · Aura Sphere	L50 · 15/15/15

Source: PvPoke overall rankings. Score is relative to the league meta (100 = best). Typical build is the IV spread PvPoke assumes.

Max Battles (Dynamax & Gigantamax)

Raikou can Dynamax. Only copies caught in Max Battles (or from Max research) can enter Power Spot battles.

Max Moves

electricMax Lightningfrom Thunder Shock250 / 300 / 350 power
Max Guard+20 / +40 / +60 HP shield
Max Spiritheals 8 / 12 / 16% HP

Max Battle roles

AttackerB Dynamax
Tank (Max Guard)B Dynamax

Max Move power is per level 1 / 2 / 3; levels are unlocked with Max Particles and Candy. Tiers are computed from level-3 Max Move damage, Defence × HP and HP at level 40; thresholds on the guide page.

Raid attacker rankings

Attacking type	Tier	Rank	DPS	TDO	Best moves
electricShadow	B	#9 / 248	17.1	308	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge
fightingShadow	B	#10 / 283	17.6	318	Thunder Shock · Aura Sphere
electric	C	#24 / 248	14.4	313	Thunder Shock · Wild Charge
ghostShadow	C	#24 / 193	14.9	268	Thunder Shock · Shadow Ball
fighting	C	#26 / 283	14.9	323	Thunder Shock · Aura Sphere
ghost	–	#35 / 193	12.6	272	Thunder Shock · Shadow Ball

Level 40, 15/15/15, neutral target. DPS = damage per second, TDO = total damage output before fainting. Rank is among every Pokemon using that attacking type.

Moves

Fast move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	DPS	PvP power	PvP energy	Speed
Thunder ShockSTAB	electric	4	+7	0.5s	8.0	4	+9	2 turns
Volt SwitchSTAB	electric	13	+20	1.5s	8.7	14	+16	4 turns

Charged move	Type	Raid power	Energy	Duration	Dmg/energy	PvP power	PvP energy	Effects
ThunderSTAB	electric	100	-100	2.5s	1.00	100	-60
ThunderboltSTAB	electric	80	-50	2.5s	1.60	90	-55
Wild ChargeSTAB	electric	90	-50	2.5s	1.80	100	-45	100% chance: -2 own Def
Shadow Ball	ghost	100	-50	3.0s	2.00	90	-50
Aura Sphere	fighting	100	-50	2.0s	2.00	80	-40

Questions people ask

Is Raikou good in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Raikou is B-tier for Great League and has 9 other ranked roles.
Should I keep or transfer Raikou?: Legendary Pokemon are hard to get back once they leave rotation. Keep hundos, shinies, and one for the collection; transfer the weak duplicates.
What are the best Raikou IVs for Great League?: The rank-1 Great League spread is 6/12/11 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 1500 CP cap at level 16. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
What are the best Raikou IVs for Ultra League?: The rank-1 Ultra League spread is 5/13/13 (Attack/Defense/HP), which reaches the 2500 CP cap at level 26.5. Low Attack with high Defense and HP wins in capped leagues. Use the IV checker on this page to rank your own copy among all 4,096 spreads.
Is Raikou a good raid attacker?: Raikou ranks #26 of 283 fighting attackers with 14.9 DPS. That is outside the top 15, so it is not a raid priority.
Can Raikou be shiny in Pokemon GO?: Yes. Shiny Raikou is available from photobomb, raid, research, wild. A shiny is worth keeping for the collection no matter its IVs.
Is Shadow Raikou worth keeping?: Shadow Raikou hits 20% harder and takes 20% more damage. The Shadow form is B-tier for Ultra League, so keep it.

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