Pokemon Pokopia's new Pikachu form was dubbed "unfortunate Pikachu" by co-dev Koei Tecmo, but it comes from a place of love: "We were surprised and thrilled"

Koei Tecmo co‑developer Takuto Edagawa revealed that the new Pikachu design for Pokopia, officially called Peakychu, was nicknamed "unfortunate Pikachu" by the team. Six new Pokémon designs have been shown, including a spectral Pikachu, two Ditto‑human hybrids, mossy Snorlax (Mosslax), a craft‑obsessed Smeargle (Smearguru), and the first Pokémon professor, Professor Tangrowth. The designs were created by Game Freak and received surprise and enthusiasm from Koei Tecmo.