Riolu

Using Riolu in a Playthrough

Riolu evolves into Lucario when leveled with high friendship during the day, and in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum the line is normally obtained from the Riolu Egg given by Riley on Iron Island, making it a mid-to-late-game investment rather than an early-route staple. Lucario's base 110 Attack, 115 Special Attack, and 90 Speed support physical, special, or mixed offense, while Fighting/Steel typing supplies numerous resistances and a Poison immunity but leaves important Fire, Fighting, and Ground weaknesses. The Generation IV physical/special split is essential to its flexibility: Close Combat and later physical Steel moves can use Attack, while Aura Sphere, Flash Cannon, Dark Pulse, Psychic, and other coverage use the slightly higher Special Attack, with Swords Dance and Nasty Plot supporting either direction. Inner Focus prevents flinching and from Generation VIII onward also blocks Intimidate, Steadfast can turn a flinch into Speed, and the Hidden Ability Justified raises Attack after taking a Dark move; Jolly or Adamant suit physical builds while Timid or Modest are straightforward for special ones. Standard Mega Lucario raises Attack to 145, Special Attack to 140, and Speed to 112 while Adaptability greatly amplifies STAB, and the newer Mega Lucario Z in Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Mega Dimension remains Fighting/Steel but uses Z Mega Evolution to execute moves more rapidly at the cost of consuming Mega Power much faster, favoring short decisive battles.

Riolu in Competitive Pokémon

Lucario was a defining DPP OU late-game sweeper because Swords Dance, Close Combat, Extreme Speed, excellent resistances, and enough coverage to punish its counters made it extremely difficult to stop once faster threats and bulky checks had been weakened. Special and mixed sets were also legitimate thanks to base 115 Special Attack and Nasty Plot, but base 90 Speed and only 70/70/70 defensive bulk meant Lucario often depended on priority or carefully chosen setup opportunities. Base Lucario later settled into strong lower-tier roles—most notably as a dangerous XY and SM UU setup attacker—while modern SV Smogon places it around NUBL, where Swords Dance plus Extreme Speed still gives it a niche despite severe competition and power creep. Mega Lucario was dramatically stronger: Adaptability, 145 Attack, 140 Special Attack, 112 Speed, both Swords Dance and Nasty Plot, and physical and special priority made it so difficult to cover that Lucarionite was banned from XY OU and Mega Lucario thereafter competed in Ubers. Mega Lucario Z is a much newer form without the same long-form Smogon singles history, so its established competitive legacy should not be invented; officially, its confirmed identity is a faster-acting Z Mega that burns through Mega Power quickly and is designed to secure rapid, decisive victories.

Riolu in Nuzlockes

Riolu itself is fragile and arrives from an Egg in the original Sinnoh games, so the safest approach is usually to raise friendship quickly and evolve it during the day before exposing it to major battles. Lucario's extensive resistance list and Poison immunity create many excellent planned switches, but 70 HP and 70 in both defenses mean those resistances should not be mistaken for true wall-level bulk; strong neutral attacks and super-effective Fire, Fighting, or Ground coverage can still kill it quickly. Extreme Speed and Bullet Punch are valuable permadeath tools because priority can remove weakened enemies before they act, while Inner Focus becomes especially useful from Generation VIII onward because immunity to Intimidate keeps physical damage predictable as well as preventing flinches. Close Combat is powerful but lowers both defenses, making repeated use dangerous if the opponent survives or another Pokemon immediately follows, and Life Orb or other self-damaging competitive strategies similarly reduce the safety margin. Mega Lucario's enormous offensive boost often makes battles safer by shortening them, but its HP and Special Defense do not improve enough to make reckless switching safe; Jolly or Timid can be particularly useful when moving first prevents a dangerous retaliation.

Riolu can sense and manipulate aura before it even hatches, and the black appendages hanging from its head rise when that ability is active. Its own aura changes with emotion and becomes especially strong when Riolu is frightened or sad, allowing other aura-sensitive beings to detect its condition. Riolu can read human minds closely enough to judge whether someone is pure of heart, and it uses aura both as a sensory system and as a method of communication. Physically it is exceptionally energetic for its size, capable of making long journeys on foot in surprisingly little time while showing unusual strength, stamina, and endurance. Pokémon Sleep observations describe Riolu sleeping upright while apparently dreaming about the day it will become Lucario, fitting a species repeatedly characterized as hardworking, loyal, and intensely driven to improve itself.