Why Do Mexico, Latin America And South America Love 'Dragon Ball?' Latino And Hispanic Culture's Love For Goku Explained

Dragon Ball the anime and manga has become synonymous with Latino and Hispanic culture, specifically in Mexico where art of Goku paints the walls of major cities and local taquerias alike.

The stereotype that Mexico loves Dragon Ball extends to all of Latin America and South America too, including countries like Brazil and Colombia. It's even rumored that Cartel activity drops when new Dragon Ball episodes are released. All of the discourse has led to notable memes, especially this week, after the death of Dragon Ball's creator Akira Toriyama.

However, why does the Latino belt love Dragon Ball so much? What's the history behind their adoration, and does Cartel activity actually drop when Dragon Ball media is released? Let's explain.

What's The History Of Dragon Ball In Mexico, Latin America And South America?

Dragon Ball was created and released in Japan in the late 1980s. After its national success, the producers wanted to test international success through adaptions. In the late 1990s, Spanish adaptions were released in Mexico, Latin America and South America. They saw great success when compared to North American countries like the U.S. and Canada.

According to publications like CBR, Latino and Hispanic TV networks found that adapting Japanese anime was easier than homebrewing original animation series. In turn, Dragon Ball became common on all major channels because of its ease of production.

Going into the 2000s, Dragon Ball gained a major fandom south of the U.S. border. Meanwhile, up north in the States, American audiences had a tougher time digesting Dragon Ball. The franchise would later become widely popular in the U.S., but Mexico and others got a head start.

Why Do Mexico, Latin America And South America Love Dragon Ball?

Many people have theorized as to why Mexican, Latin American and South American people were able to easily adopt anime earlier than other international markets. For instance, in a 2018 video, YouTuber Get In The Robot guessed that the culture's love for Telenovelas played a major role.

Spanish Telenovelas include drawn-out, melodramatic plots often similar to the slow, plodding storylines in anime in which one battle might take four full-length episodes. Others, like LA Times writer JP Brammer, have alleged similar connections.

What's The Taqueria Goku, aka Tacos Goku?

The Taqueria Goku, now known as Tacos Goku, is an actual taqueria in Oaxaca, Mexico that is Dragon Ball-themed. It has a giant wall-art painting of a blonde-haired Goku cutting meat al pastor meat.

Images of Taqueria Goku first spread on Reddit in 2012. The early posts about the establishment act as the first sign of memes made about Mexico, Latin America and South America's love for Dragon Ball which is often symbolized by excessive public art depicting the anime's many characters.

Do Public Screenings Of Dragon Ball Take Place In Mexico?

In March 2018, the final episodes of Dragon Ball Super were released and lots of local governments in Mexico were advertising screenings of the event in public squares. Mexicans online were joking about the advertisements, saying that public billboards acted like it was an MMA fight.

Lots of videos from that month have surfaced online showing massive crowds gathered in front of large TV screens. In fact, some Mexican officials were even issued complaints from the Embassy of Japan for violating Dragon Ball's author rights. However, that hasn't stopped public screenings in the country since.

Does Cartel Activity Drop When New Dragon Ball Episodes Are Released?

A meme went viral at the beginning of this year that read, "Fun Goku fact!" alleging that, "Whenever new Dragon Ball content is released, cartel activity drops significantly for about two days." Although it's a funny idea, not much proof is available for the claim. Regardless, scholars have still tried to prove its authenticity.

What's With The Memes About Mexico Mourning Akira Toriyama's Death?

On Thursday, the internet learned about Akira Toriyama's passing. Toriyama is the creator of Dragon Ball and fans all over the world mourned his death.

Bubbling out of the posts came a lot of memes about Mexican, Latin American and South American people morning Toriyama's passing more than others. Many of the memes joked about a statue being erected for Toriyama in the heart of a Mexican city. Maybe Mexican officials will hear the calls and fulfill the interesting monument.

For the full history of Mexico loves 'Dragon Ball,' be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.