How to get Raikou in Pokemon Sleep
Learn where to find and how to befriend the Legendary Beast, Raikou, in Pokemon Sleep, and what's so special about the Thunder Pokemon.
Raikou, the Thunder Pokemon, is now available in Pokemon Sleep - but as you might expect, this Legendary Beast isn't easy to befriend, so you'll need to do some prep if you hope to add it to your Helper Team!
This primer details where to find and how to get the game's first Legendary Pokemon, Raikou, and what makes it so unique in Pokemon Sleep.
Where to find Raikou
Raikou is exclusive to Greengrass Isle, meaning you won't find the Thunder Pokemon in any other Research Area.
A naturally-appearing Raikou is extremely rare, and not only that, to even have a chance at encountering one requires a Sleep Type of Snoozing and a Snorlax Rating of at least Master 9.
Alternatively, you can force Raikou to appear with a Raikou Incense. Place a Raikou Incense beside your Camp Set before you go to bed, and when you wake up, you'll find a napping Raikou, regardless of your Sleep Type or Snorlax Rating.
To get a Raikou Incense, you'll need to collect enough Raikou Mane. You can get this item by completing event missions, conducting sleep research, or checking on your friends in the Research Community.
How to get Raikou
Like any other Helper Pokemon in Pokemon Sleep, you can befriend Raikou by maxing out its Friendship Points. Charming Raikou requires a whopping 30 Friendship Points, though!
If you want to add Raikou to your team as fast as possible, your best bet is to use a Master Biscuit to instantly cap its Friendship Points. Otherwise, you'll need to feed it Poke Biscuits, Great Biscuits, Bonus Biscuits, or Raikou Biscuits.
However, without a Master Biscuit, you'll probably need to study Raikou's sleep many times before you can add it to your Helper Team. Of course, if you're lucky enough to find a Shiny Raikou, you can max its Friendship Points with a single Poke Biscuit!
What's special about Raikou?
Because Raikou is a Special Pokemon, you cannot pair it with another Raikou, or for that matter, any other Legendary Pokemon. To get the most out of your teams in Pokemon Sleep, you should try to find and befriend top-tier Legendary Pokemon that can bolster the rest of your Helper Pokemon.
It's worth noting that every researcher's first Raikou will always have the same exact Helping Stats, including its Sub Skills and Nature. The introductory Raikou's Helping Stats are nothing to scoff at, but it's definitely worth attempting to find a better version of this Legendary Pokemon!
While Raikou is the only Special Pokemon in Pokemon Sleep right now, Entei and Suicune will round out the Legendary Beasts sometime in the future. So, start saving up your Sleep Points for more Master Biscuits!
The best time to find and befriend Raikou is during the Raikou Research Event that launched alongside Raikou and runs until April 8, 2024. Raikou is a permanent addition to Pokemon Sleep, though, so as long as you're on Greengrass Isle and achieve the necessary Snorlax Rating, you'll have a shot at the game's first-ever Legendary Pokemon!
You'll need a powerful Snorlax to attract Raikou! Learn all the different recipes in the gmae, and check out our Pokemon Sleep homepage at GGRecon for more news and guides on the sleep-tracking app.
About The Author
Coleman Hamstead
Coleman is a freelance journalist at GGRecon. While gaming has always been his passion, it wasn’t until he worked as a Sports Journalist at the Community College of Baltimore County that he found his enthusiasm for writing. In the time since Coleman has had his work featured in publications such as The Washington Post/Launcher and ESTNN. Coleman is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Sport Management and Business Administration.