Pokemon Legends: Z-A fans are getting hypnotized by the next likely Mega Evolution candidate, a psychic squid amassing an army for its “my friend Malamar” hype: “GREATEST POKEMON OF ALL TIME!”

In case you hadn’t heard, Malamar is the undisputed best Pokemon of all time. Everyone loves Malamar, and you should, too. In fact, loyal fans and friends of Malamar have been spreading the love for the Gen 6 Dark/Psychic type, for no particular reason at all.

OK, but seriously, why is everyone suddenly talking about this big squid? Yesterday, a series of truly bizarre live-action videos were shared on official Pokemon social media channels, showing people celebrating Malamar in various ways – from a very enthusiastic artist making a mural, to a taxi driver with a car full of Malamar plushies, wearing what looks like some kind of cloak made of the things, too. Honestly, goals. Another dances to a cheering crowd while chanting, “My friend Malamar.”

It seems pretty likely that these are all teasers for Malamar getting a Mega Evolution in Pokemon Legends: Z-A – we’ve had similarly interesting reveals for a couple of the other new ones, after all. The Malamar videos seem to be playing on the idea that the ‘mon has hypnotic powers that can be used to make people do whatever it wants, and it’s seemingly using them to make everyone love it and want to be its friend – There’s something deeply sad about that if you think about it too hard.

Anyway, as the official Pokemon channels spread the love, fans have been following suit. “FUUUUCKKKK!!! I LOOOVE MALAMAR!!! GREATEST POKEMON OF ALL TIME!!!” one enthusiastic friend of Malamar declares. “Felt the urge to draw my Favorite Pokemon Malamar for some reason,” says another, sharing some lovely new fan art of the ‘mon.

Others, meanwhile, are creating their own Malamar chain letter messages, which you can bask in the glory of below. There’s… a lot going on.

Anyway, the good news for any friends of Malamar is that – as Serebii reports – we can expect a “special ‘celebration’ of Malamar” to appear on the Pokemon social channels at 6am PT / 9am ET / 1pm GMT on Wednesday, September 10. Personally, I’m predicting that we’re going to see a Mega Evolution reveal then, but it would be incredibly funny if it ended up being totally unrelated, and simply just a huge effort to make more people like one of Kalos’ weirdest ‘mons.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Pokemon games.

I’m GamesRadar+’s Deputy News Editor, working alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.