adidas is putting Pikachu on the Superstar for the Pokémon franchise’s 30th anniversary, and this yellow pair is the most literal read of the character in the entire collection.
The upper is soft yellow suede from toe to heel, with Pikachu’s face worked onto the heel and plush ears pinned to the tongue. The shell toe stays untouched, which is the right call.
The Superstar arrived in 1969 as a basketball shoe, the first low-top built around a molded rubber shell toe, and it moved from the hardwood to street culture through Run-DMC in the mid-1980s. Since then it has functioned as a canvas more than a performance shoe, which is why adidas keeps handing it to outside partners.
To me this signals adidas leaning into licensing as a volume play rather than a hype play. The Pokémon collection spans more than a dozen pairs across the Superstar, Pro Model, Samba, Handball Spezial, ZX 8000 and multiple adiStar silhouettes. That is a lineup built for families and casual buyers, not for a raffle queue. At $110 the Superstar sits at its normal retail, which tells you adidas wants these on feet.
Who it is for: anyone who grew up with the games and wants a wearable version of that, plus adidas collectors who track Superstar variations.
Release details: The Pokémon x adidas Superstar “Pikachu” releases September 1, 2026 for $110 under style code KI2858, in a Yellow/Yellow/Core Black colorway.
Where to buy: adidas.com and the adidas CONFIRMED app, plus select adidas retailers.
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