People Are Going Wild Over This Sea Slug Which Looks Like Pikachu

The Pokemon Pikachu is often seen as Japan’s answer to Mickey Mouse - and ranked second in Time Magazine’s 1999 ‘Person of The Year’.

But was he really inspired by a slimy sea slug?

A Japanese TV show by primary school teacher turned presenter, Osamu Hayashi, highlighted the resemblance between marine animal thecacera pacifica and the popular lightning-emitting rodent.

Japanese internet users have, naturally, risen to the challenge with many Tweeting pictures of the animal next to the Pokemon.

While the resemblance is undeniable, what’s less clear is whether the sea slug - found off the coast of Japan - was actually an inspiration to Pikachu’s creators.

Pikachu was one of 151 Pokemon designed for the original game - and was picked out to be a ‘star’ only when the company made an anime cartoon of the game.

Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri said, ‘When they did the anime, they wanted a specific character to focus on. Pikachu was relatively popular compared with the others and potentially both boys and girls would like it.’