Quick Links
One of the three Legendary Beasts, Raikou was ressurected by Ho-Oh after the burning of the Brass Tower. It was introduced in Generation 2 and remains a fan-favourite to this day (as with all the Beasts). It is said that Raikou represents the lightning strike that started the Brass Tower fire to begin with. From a different timeline, it is rumored to be a relative of the Paradox Pokemon, Raging Bolt.
Due to the Shadow effect, this raid will be incredibly tough - Shadow Raikou is more powerful than its regular counterpart. Raikou (and by extension, Shadow Raikou) are not available in their shiny forms in Pokémon GO. This is what Raikou looks like:
Shadow Raikou Raid Overview
Shadow Raikou CP Ranges and Moves
Normal (Level 20)
1889-1972 CP
1972 CP for 100% IVs
Weather Boosted (Level 25)
2361-2466 CP
2466 CP for 100% IVs
Fast Moves
Charge Moves
Thunder Shock
Wild Charge
Volt Switch
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Frustration
Raikou’s highest DPS moveset is Thunder Shock and Wild Charge. Together, this works out to be 19.37 DPS and 522.24 total damage overall before Raikou faints.
Shadow Raikou Weaknesses
Shadow Raikou is vulnerable to:
Raikou is a pureElectric-typePokémon, and our answer to it is straightforward -Ground-type moves. Raikou willresist Electric, Flying, and Steel-typemoves so do not teach your Pokemon these types of attacks if you want to reliably take this guy down.
The added difficulty to this raid is that it is a Shadow Raid, meaning it has an extra mechanism to keep in mind while you’re fighting. Shadow Pokémon can become enraged, doing extra damage and taking less. You will want to ensure you have enoughPurified Gemsto placate Shadow Raikou, as well as good counters and powered up Pokémon. If this is your first rodeo with Shadow Raiding, take a look at our guide about Purified Gems to help you get started!
Pokémon Go: How to Get, Use Purified Gems
With this in-depth guide, you will be well on your way to unleashing the power of Purified Gems and conquer all the upcoming Shadow Raid Bosses.
Shadow Raikou Raid Strategy and Trainer Recommendations
Duoing Shadow Raikou is not possible. With a team of great counters, you can get away with a team of 3-5 Trainers. If you are all best in slot and have great Purified Gem timing, you should be able to do these raids just fine with that amount. For lower level Trainers with not as much experience or great counters, you’re going to want a lot more people around. We suggest a minimum of 8 Trainers if you do not have high level friends. The more people you get, the faster these raids will go by. Remember, take advantage of the buffs you get from Party Play! It’s free damage, if you’re all together anyway.
Recommended Shadow Raikou Counters
As ever, if you have Shadow variations of the Pokémon listed below, they will be better picks over their normal counterparts. Shadow Pokémon do more damage than their regular counterparts (even with mediocre IVs), so consider taking them for this raid for the extra damage.
Standard Counters
Charge Move
Earth Power
High Horsepower
Earthquake
Scorching Sands
Krookodile
Legendary Counters
Groudon (Primal)
Precipice Blades
Landorus (Therian)
Mega Rayquaza
Dragon Tail
Psycho Cut
Mega Evolutions
Mega Garchomp
Mega Swampert
Mega Sceptile
Fury Cutter
Mega Tyranitar
Brutal Swing
Mega Heracross
Mega Salamence
Mega Gengar
Additional Tips
Pokémon GO: June 2024 Schedule
We have a couple of repeat raids coming up for those who may have missed some of these great Pokémon when they were in the pool.
Pokémon GO
