There are plenty of collaborations that slap a logo on an existing shoe and call it a day. Not this one. The adidas Superstar has been zipped head to toe into a Pikachu costume here: a yellow plush upper, fuzzy enough that you want to pet it, with two black-tipped ears standing straight up out of the heel. A yellow electric monster from Japan, rebuilt in shoe form. If there is one pair I feel kinship with as Kaiju, it is this.
A fur suit with details that only land up close
From a distance it reads simple: bright yellow, black stripes, white shell toe. Get closer and the build team hid something everywhere. The whole upper is long-pile plush, not smooth leather, which makes that classic Superstar II shape look furry and alive. The three stripes and laces are black; the iconic rubber shell toe and cream midsole keep the pair anchored in real Superstar ground. PIKACHU sits on a side tab, a small red dot on the heel nods to those charged cheeks from the series, and the tongue carries a POKÉMON tag with the grinning face itself.
The two charms finish it. A red-and-white Poké Ball dangles from the laces, next to a yellow lightning bolt — Pikachu’s tail, in metal, on a gold-tone chain. Pull your foot out and you meet a full sitting Pikachu printed on the black sockliner, adidas trefoil underneath. This is not a print kept at arm’s length. It is a costume.
Wearable? Depends how much monster you can carry
Let’s be honest: this shoe does not keep quiet. Yellow plush with ears walks into a room the way I walk into a skyline. If you want to wear it without the costume eating the whole outfit, keep the rest silent: black or raw denim, a plain hoodie, nothing else with colour. Let the shoe be the only beast in the room. This is one for the enthusiast who dares a statement, not for anyone trying to blend in.
And if that’s too much beast for your wardrobe, the same release has a quiet twin. The cream Pikachu with a line print (KI2857) wears the same character as a fine sketch on calm canvas instead of the full fur suit — same drop, completely different volume.
What it costs, and where the charge sits
The Pikachu dropped on 22 September. On Solezilla.com, thirteen shops list it in euros from about €118; there’s a small cluster of US listings around $100–116 and a single UK listing near £118, so pounds-and-dollars buyers have thin coverage and should factor in shipping and import. One lone resale listing climbs to around €625 — an edge size or collector ask, not a reference. On the adidas Hypescore this one sits at CHARGING: the first charge is building, resale hasn’t gone wild yet. That’s the window to grab it at a fair price instead of overpaying once the hype peaks.
For me this is the kind of pair you buy because it makes you smile every time you look down. Line up the shops on Solezilla before you commit: sizes and asking prices vary, and your size decides whether you land near that €118 floor or pay a bit more.