When adidas dropped a yellow and black variation of its flat-soled Tokyo sneaker earlier this summer, it immediately brought to mind some iconic pieces of cinema. And footwear.

Bruce Lee’s jumpsuit in the 1978 film Game of Death became a global pop culture symbol thanks to Lee’s martial arts mastery and aura. So much so that it inspired Uma Thurman’s “Bride” outfit, complete with a yellow pair of flat Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.

That yellow and black palette, combined with a flat sneaker, will always be associated with those films, sometimes by way of an official collaboration, other times as a not-so-subtle reference. This adidas Tokyo is the latter.  Although the yellow and black sneaker doesn’t stick to the script, it flips it. 

The main body is crafted entirely from black pebbled leather, while adidas’ three stripes are yellow. This is a “Kill Bill” sneaker in reverse. 

Originally designed for athletes ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the adidas Tokyo was a lightweight, performance-minded trainer built to go the distance. Decades later, it’s emerged from the archives as a cult-favorite lifestyle silhouette, perfectly suited to slim-shaped sneaker tastes.

Dropping August 15 for $97 on adidas’ website, this adidas Tokyo doesn’t explicitly honor a martial arts legend. However, there’s some Bruce Lee energy hidden in the design.

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