😂
Yes, the story about a person dressed as Pikachu appearing at a protest and confronting police is real. In late March 2025, during mass demonstrations in Turkey following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Ä°mamoÄŸlu, a protester in an inflatable Pikachu costume was spotted fleeing from riot police in Antalya. Ä°mamoÄŸlu, a major opposition figure, had been a key political voice, and his arrest triggered widespread protests across the country.
Footage of the Pikachu protester quickly went viral, spreading across platforms like TikTok and Twitter. It didn't take long for memes to pop up, and even AI-generated images started circulating, showing Pikachu in various protest settings. While those were digitally enhanced, the original video is 100% real and sparked global reactions.
Seeing such an iconic cartoon figure caught in the middle of political unrest was both surreal and symbolic. It highlighted how pop culture continues to find its way into even the most unexpected corners of real-world events.
Despite being a millennial and Pikachu not meaning that much to me personally, I couldn’t resist doing a quick flash post about this news. I even made a little sketch in three variations to go along with it.