The legacy of “dragon ball” in the world is undeniable. Since its debut in the 1980s, this iconic anime franchise has captivated audiences of all ages and left an indelible mark on popular culture. However, if there is any truth to the claims circulating the internet, the scope of Dragon Ball’s impact on society could be much broader than anyone could have imagined.
According to some statements online, the “Dragon Ball Super” episodes had the unique effect of “reducing the criminal activity of drug cartels.” At least, that’s what “Dragon Ball” fans on the web often claim. If there is any truth to this statement, it is definitely worth considering, especially if it turns out that anime really can save the world.
While the reality of the situation is much more complicated than the meme, there is more truth to it than most of the most ridiculous claims found on internet forums. Memes tend to take facts, make an assumption based on those facts, and then turn the assumption into a new story that many people believe due to its popularity.
The origin of the connection between “cartel activity” and Dragon Ball is not difficult to trace. The importance of that date and its connection to the Dragon Ball franchise is very telling, as it was around the time the final episodes of the Dragon Ball Super anime aired. The end of Dragon Ball Super had an interesting impact on Latin American countries, with one specific event even making the news.
It all started when a group of university students from the Autonomous University of Ciudad de Juárez sent a Facebook message to the mayor of Juárez, Mexico. In it, they proposed a public screening of the penultimate episode of Dragon Ball Super. Seeing the possible value of the idea, the mayor gave his full support to the project, and for very good reasons. In a press conference before the event, he explained that “It is simply a way for the municipality to support young people. Let’s say it: there are not many programs to help our kids“. In that context, the event was a way to keep children off the streets and away from drugs, and the cartels associated with them.
While the idea of screening Dragon Ball in public might be a good idea to keep kids off the streets in Latin America, the reason why it might be the anime in particular goes a little further. Historically, anime has been ridiculously popular in Latin American countries.
In fact, while anime was in its early stages in the United States, in Latin America it was already an established cultural phenomenon. Due to differences in censorship laws in some Latin American countries compared to other countries, viewers received full, uncut versions of series such as “Saint Seiya” and “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon,” which attracted a much more diverse audience. than the heavily censored versions released in other countries. This had a lasting effect on the perception of anime, a view that has only recently begun to be shared in other countries.
The popularity of Dragon Ball in Latin America is well known by fans, and that is what makes many believe in a meme that suggests that crime in these countries could be decreased by the releases of the series. This kind of deep-rooted love for anime, and Dragon Ball in particular, is what led to the great anticipation surrounding the series’ return with Dragon Ball Super in Latin America. By the time the series finale rolled around in 2018, highly publicized public screening events in Mexico, Ecuador and Chile were making headlines. It is truly a testament to the love that Latin America has for Dragon Ball that there was such a huge turnout to see Goku on the big screen, and that governments did everything they could to make its public screenings happen.
However, the question remains: what does all this mean for the “poster” meme? As positive as this event was for the city of Juárez, is the claim that “every time new Dragon Ball content is released, cartel activity decreases significantly for two days” really based? The idea that each release of Dragon Ball episodes literally decreases the criminal activity of drug cartels in Latin America is simply a meme.
Source: ComicBook Resources
Credits:Kudasai
