But as an experience ? is a 10/10. It captures a specific moment in time—the turn of the millennium—when Japanese advertising budgets were insane, and video games could be literally anything.
In the sprawling history of video game mascots, some are beloved (Mario), some are bizarre (Segata Sanshiro), and some are so profoundly weird that they loop back around to being masterpieces. One such anomaly is PepsiMan . pepsiman japanchd
It is the "The Room" of video games. It is sincere, bizarre, and quotable. PepsiCo has largely ignored the character for 20 years, though they briefly resurrected him for a 2023 commercial in Japan (using CGI, not the glorious rubber suit). The original actor? He has never been publicly identified, adding to the myth. But as an experience