We told you that the Pokémon 30th Anniversary celebrations would be coming thick and fast from every direction, and Puma have wasted no time in dropping their new Pokémon All-Pro Nitro 2 Pikachu basketball sneakers to capitalise on Pokémania.
Puma already released some suede trainers based on the mighty Mewtwo last year, so they're no strangers to a Pokémon collab. Now, however, they're using Ash's best friend and the most famous Pokémon of all time as their muse for a set of sneakers that look electric and will shock trainer fans the world over.
And no, I'm not proud of those dad jokes.
There's no mistaking the Pikachu influence in these shoes; electric yellow colouring, red tags for Pika's cheeks, and black lines for his tail. The design continues onto the sole too, with those grips looking a little like a charged energy blast getting ready to take down a Pidgey in the wild.
And if all that wasn't enough, there are pictures of Pikachu under the tongue to give you a little reminder of your Pokémon-playing past every time you put them on. He's also on the side of the shoes too, following you everywhere like in Pokémon Yellow for the Game Boy. This is probably the closest I'll ever get to having Pikachu following me around while I trek around the supermarket, so I'll take it.
From a technical level, these basketball sneakers are designed with a high-performance NITRO SQD foam midsole to give you cushioning when you land on hardwood floors, as well as traction patterns for sharp turns. But if we're being honest, most people won't be wearing these shoes for shooting hoops. These will either be put on display on a shelf or worn for everyday use by gamers wanting some serious comfort while catching legendaries in FireRed.
According to Hypebeast, the Pokémon All-Pro Nitro 2 Pikachu sneakers will cost $140 and will be available from Puma directly and through select retailers on April 1st, no joke. Obviously, scalpers are going to try and snap them up like the April Fools they are, so I hope Puma have got some measures in place to stop all of the stock being whipped away and resold for extortionate prices!
