noun
itasha; anime-decorated car
Colloquial otaku term for a car covered in anime, manga, or game character stickers and paint. The name plays on 痛い (cringey/embarrassing).
See also: 痛い
秋葉原で派手な痛車をよく見かける。
I often see flashy itasha in Akihabara.
彼は自分の車を痛車に改造した。
He turned his car into an itasha.
The adjective meaning 'painful' or 'cringey'; 痛車 derives humorously from this, implying the owner's otaku passion is so intense it's embarrassing.
A portmanteau of 痛い (itai, 'painful' or 'cringey') and 車 (sha, 'car'), coined in otaku culture to describe vehicles decorated with anime characters, suggesting the owner's obsession is so extreme it's 'painful' to witness.