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When the World Cup begins this summer, Nintendo fans might notice a few familiar faces. That’s because Nintendo and Adidas have announced that Pikachu will be the official mascot of the Japanese national team! An official promotional image from Nintendo shows off fan favorite pocket monsters such as Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle wearing the team’s famous “Samurai Blue” jerseys.
While Pokémon is hardly a franchise that requires the increased exposure, it’s always nice to see Nintendo promoting its characters and franchises in new and unique ways. After all, we have had Mario and Sonic as official Olympic sponsors over the last few years. Maybe next year we’ll see the Kong family promoting the Super Bowl, or Link trading in the Master Sword for a hockey stick in time for the Stanley Cup! Either way, the World Cup begins on June 12 in Brazil and lasts until July 13. Will you root on the Japanese national team in their quest for World Cup glory? As always, let us know in the comments below!
Source: Soccerly
I’ve become enough of a Japanophile in recent years that this doesn’t change how I’ll be pulling for them at the World Cup. Rather, it’s an excellent example of just why I’ve done so in the first place.
Hilarious. I think they picked a nice batch of Pokemon to represent the team.