WHY is one of the proteins in the human eye named after Pikachu?

WHY is one of the proteins in the human eye named after Pikachu?

In 2008, Japanese scientists from the Osaka Institute of Biological Sciences discovered a protein playing a crucial role in transmitting signals between the ribbon synapses of the human eye's photoreceptors and dendrites. 

They named the protein Pikachurin, after the lightning-speed movement and electrical abilities of the Pokémon Pikachu.