Piyoko arrives like a force of chaos that the original series didn't know it needed, and Megumi Hayashibara's voice work makes every ransom threat funnier than it has any right to be. The special trades the rapid-fire joke structure of the main series for something looser, which lets the comedy breathe in ways that feel almost experimental for 2000 television. Four episodes is just enough time to fall in love with Piyoko before realizing this format stretches thinner than the writers expected, but by then you're already committed to whatever comes next in this ridiculous franchise.

Pyoko, whose full name is Pyocola Analogue III, leads the Black Gema Gema Group, the band that once tried to invade planet Di Gi Charat. Now she travels to Earth with a plan to snatch Dejiko and demand a ransom. When the kidnapping falls through, Pyoko switches tactics and sets out to make life miserable for the gang and their shop, Gamers. Adding to the mess, a slug-man keeps turning up in the middle of the antics and creates even more problems. These four comedy specials aired across two days in August 2000 and mark the first appearance of Pyoko in the franchise.