Pikachu has also been in virtually every Pokémon-related spin-off game ever released, sometimes as the star or the main character, and other times just featured among the hundreds of other Pokémon in the series. The Light Ball also gained a new feature in this game - allowing both Pikachu's Physical and Special Attacks to be doubled. The Diamond and Pearl versions of the recently released DS title introduced cosmetic differences between genders for certain species of Pokémon, and Pikachu was one of them, with the females having a heart-shaped indent at the end of their tail. The Emerald version of Pokémon Advance gave Pikachu an Egg Move exclusive to it and its family, called Volt Tackle, which was an exceptionally powerful Electric-attack with a large recoil. However, the item was only obtainable when trading a Pikachu over from the Yellow version. It also gained an item called the Light Ball, which doubled Pikachu's Special Attack when held. In Pokémon GS, released for the Game Boy Color in 2000, Pikachu gained a new evolutionary phase in the form of Pichu.
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Pikachu has not had a starring role in any of the main games in the series since then, but it has been featured in every prominent handheld RPG since the franchise, usually bringing something new with it each time. Pikachu's happiness was sometimes a prerequisite for certain rewards in the game, such as attaining the three Pokémon that could be chosen as starters from the Red and Blue versions. Depending on the player's actions towards Pikachu, the electric mouse Pokémon would exhibit a variety of emotions when spoken to, varying from frustration, to amusement, to complete adoration. Pikachu's role in the game was intensely elaborated on, as several events on the game depended on how Pikachu felt towards the player. However, Pikachu's popularity in the anime, where it was the first and primary Pokémon of the main character, Ash Ketchum, eventually led to its starring its own specialized version of the Game Boy game (the Pokémon Yellow version, which was largely based on the anime), as the first Pokémon that the player obtained.
Unlike certain special monsters that had plot elements wrapped around them (such as Mewtwo), Pikachu was just another Pokémon that could be caught, evolved into its higher form, Raichu, and had no bearing on the story.
In the main series of video games, Pikachu is a relatively strong Electric-type Pokémon that can be found early in the original game. Pikachu is a small mouse-like Pokémon with short, yellow fur (with brown markings on the back), pointy, black-tipped ears, red circles on its cheeks, and a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt.