No attacks are effective at damaging Pikachu’s cuteness.

Really, the only way to properly finish the sentence “Pikachu is cute when he _____.” is with the word “exists.” It doesn’t matter what the most famous Pokémon does; you can be absolutely sure he’s going to look adorable doing it.

We’ve previously seen examples of this in Pikachu’s multi-expression cup clinger figures and McDonald’s McFlurry depictions, and now comes even more photogenic proof of the character’s omni-cuteness, courtesy of Japanese Twitter user @koch_neB. Recently, @koch_neB attended this year’s Pikachu Outbreak event in Yokohama, where hundreds of Pikachus roamed the Minato Mirai neighborhood.

But while the Pikachus seen in the Pokémon anime and video games are compact, nimble creature, the ones that show up in Yokohama are larger and chubbier. That makes them great for posing for pictures with and hugging, but it can also make it tough for them to squeeze through some of the narrower walkways at the venue, and @koch_neB spotted one of the electric-types getting stabbed in the head by a handrail corner as he attempted to navigate around a turn.

Still, nothing was going to keep this determined Pocket Monster from his adoring fans! And so he pressed on, even though rotating around to squeeze through the passage meant that he was now getting stabbed in the face.

And yet, he still managed to look as cute as ever.

Online reactions included:

“Pikachu is just a lightning rod for cuteness, isn’t he?”
“Hey, careful there, Pikachu!”
“It looks like he’s eating it.”
“You’re getting stabbed!!”
“That’s violent but I’m giggling.”
“Thanks for helping me start my day off with a laugh.”
“Oh man, my stomach muscles heart from laughing so much!”

On the subject of pain, while Pikachu has been shown to be capable of learning all sorts of attack techniques like Thunderbolt and Wild Charge, defense-boosting skills aren’t really his forte. That means he’s taking the full brunt of this attack, but he never stops smiling, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s not only the most beloved Pokémon, but also a consummate showman.

Source: IT Media
Images: Twitter/@koch_neB