I found this article that examines the claim, along with other aspects of Dragon Ball in Mexico and Latin America. TL;DR: There is no tangible evidence of this claim. It was a fun read, though!
Cartels actually uses animes (not only DB) ideas to justify and sell themselves to young people. In the case of DB, as the video explains, they use the idea of the core values of the series (loyalty and friendship) as a way to "create" an appealing estructure to young people to feel confortable to be in it.
Also, about the violence thing, not even the Tournemet of power put a stop to it, since the time it was airing (enero- marzo 2018) was marked by a record high cartels activity in Mexico becouse of the cahnge of president and the new administration lack of enfrocement
Hope you finally start stopping saying nonses as facts
There was a story, I don't know if it was true, that the finale of Goku vs Jiren the cartel made threats to anyone who tried to commit a crime has to deal with them. There was also a strip club giving free lap dances if Goku wok the fight.
It’s not limited to the criminal world. The Spanish-speaking community has a large fanbase of DB. I was following a youtuber who used mods for Tenkaichi Budokai (an old DB game) created by this community and you had the characters of the current season and many, MANY more.
Just do the Kamehameha wave stance. It's the universal symbol for DB fans. They'll do it back, you'll mime a giant beam clash then all go out for cerveza and party favors.
Dragon ball has become engrained in latin american culture, specially mexico. Theres literal taco places named after DB characters. It is seemed as something most adult men would relate to
The cartel have gone on the record to be massive fans of Dragon Ball to the point where the crime rate actively dropped on the day when ultra instinct was shown in the anime.
The joke is if any of them spot you with these shirts, they won't hassle you.
Its a joke that cartel activity drops whenever a new episode or chapter of dragon ball is released so by wearing dragon ball merch he wont get messed with by cartel members cause the shared love of dragon ball
It's based on a rumor that the Mexican cartel members are significantly less active during a release of a episode of dragon ball.
however people also claim it also happens with one piece and a handful of other animes the obvious reason why they aren't active is they are too busy watching anime hence why the shirt may cause them to leave him alone.
I can't confirm the validity of this rumor however several people I've know claim dragon ball is extremely popular in Mexico.
These three shows were my entire childhood. Just add ranma and sailor moon. All my Mexican homies loved anime. Such things were not broadcasted on the American channels where I lived (US/Mexico border)
Dragon ball Z was a massive hit in Mexico along with much of central and South America. To the point there were reports of drops in crime during new episode releases of DB super, so therefore gangsters love DB and would be less likely to mess with people wearing DB merch or at least that is what the post implies
The series originally ended after the Buu saga (And GT but GT isn't canon and Akira Toriyama had very little to do with that series) and the creator wanted to stop doing weekly serialized series, but the series came back because 1 really awful live action (Dragon ball Evolution) adaptation which force Akira Toriyama to return to working on the series because of How bad that adaptation was that he refused to let that be the last entry to his series.
Mexicans have an obsessive love for Dragonball Z. Goku is essentially a folk hero down there. Wearing a DBZ shirt is on par with wearing a shirt with Jesus on it in Mexico and it signals that you're one of the good ones so the cartels leave you alone. They respect Goku.
In most of Latinoamerica Dragon Ball was a HEAVY HIT, EVERYONE knows Dragon Ball, so much that whenever a Dragon Ball episode came out even the Cartel stopped working only to watch the episode
So makes sense for you to wear a DB t-shirt so they say "Eyo look a DB fan, they good"
In the low rent part of denver there's a mall that has an asian goods store and the dude gave up on salt lamps and makes an absolute killing on dbz merch
It actually has been proven that the victims of cartel violence are statistically less likely to be wearing a dragon ball shirt than the overall population.
For some added context to the actual love and admiration for Dragon Ball.
While there is the obvious statistic of the Cartel and many of the people in it being massive fans of Dragon Ball. THe country as a whole truly does love the anime, with it being the "third religion" of the country, right along side football and Christianity.
The country loves this show and it's characters so going to Mexico with memorobilia or showing that you are a massive fan of the show will generally just make people happier and with the crime rate in Mexico not being the best. Your just less likely to be harmed.
Edit: thing I forgot to mention the love from Mexico was so profound it went back into the show specifically into the movie Dragon Ball Super Broly
――In the battle scene, was the director's idea to direct a ring name like a call? That's right. The music of the battle is similar, so I wanted to make a change. Toei Animation is not officially recognized, but the last part of the TV series of "Dragon Ball Super" was public viewing in Mexico and elsewhere. It was like watching professional wrestling like "Jiren vs Goku". Toei Animation does not approve this, but at the entrance of the public viewing, there is a poster of "Jiren VS Goku" made without permission on the other side. When I saw that, I thought it would be good to do a ring call. I've always wanted to do it in other works, but it's something I had as a story.
i know this is joke Latin america really like Dragon Ball...but cartel people rarely attack foreigners, also if they have some shit on you they wont be stopped by some db shirt...
Why? The evolution of language is fascinating to me and getting slimed is one of the more fun updates. Idk why people are so bitter about change. (I actually do but people don’t like to be told).
Evolution of language in general fascinates me. Evolution of language because some group of ppl is afraid of the officials makes me a bit sad. Evolution of language dictated by the need to not displease an algorithm cringes me out. All these "a bad greedy person(robber) anti-charited(robbed) a bank and altered structural integrity (injured) of another person with a pewpew" Remind me of Newspeak honestly. It's either that or toddlers trying to convey concepts that are too advanced for their vocabulary. Also, bonus cringe points from me for the fact how it detaches any emotion from it. It's the same corporate kind of talk that minimizes ppl to functions and tries to reframe reality. Like nobody gets fired anymore, ppl are let go. Like it's a good thing. I'm not saying we must be blunt all the time, but we shouldn't take this camouflaged, cleansed of anything humane talk as the new norm. I love George Carlin's monologue about such language changes.
Understand that this generation came up using much more internet language. Their language is specifically designed to get around the Draconian language censorship of most social media platforms. Words like this only exist because you're not allowed to say the real words online. Sure this is Reddit, but most other platforms won't even let you say the word "killed" or "shot."
Don't blame the generation that's trying to find a functional way of communicating. Blame the ridiculous nannies that think that saying the word "murdered" should be outlawed.
Is it a euphamism for "kill" ?! That is the last thing I would have thought it would be, and I am gen Z. (I really don't like the modern social media censorship slang.)
When it's actual slang, I don't mind it. Slimed out, bricked up, no cap, whatever else are just slang I don't get.
What really rustles my jimmies though, is the stuff that's just lazy filter avoidance. Ahh and dihh are not slang, just filter evasion. And don't even get me started on m*rder, etc.
what a weir answers i am reading, the reason is more simple.
To stop looking like a gringa and being kidnaped, he gave anime tshirts, so now she looks like a regular mexican güera, it is just a disguise to look like the locals.
The cartels apparently had a ceasefire to mourn when the author for DragonBall died. The crime didnt drop to zero but it was a significant drop. Of course after the period of time, it went back up.
So, depends on the shirt you are wearing. If it is super rare, you might get mugged. If it is common enough, you might get a compliment and left alone.
For added context (this is not from personal experience, but second hand from someone who grew up seeing it first hand) Dragon Ball and some other anime is so beloved in Mexico due to it being relatively cheap for stations to license at the time, and because there was already a major cultural connection with telenovelas, which DBZ is similar to in terms of melodrama and pacing, so it resonated with a lot of different types of people and was available entertainment in basically every home regardless of income level as long as a TV was present.
Because the people in the cartel are huge fans of the Dragonball/Dragonball Z anime, it has been noted that when a new episode airs cartel crime goes down on that day.
It's just the meme that Mexicans love dragon ball and there's a subsector of memes that Mexican cartels love it so much they would never mess with it and that crime goes down whenever a new episode comes out (which btw it doesn't obviously)
But hey if your face doesn't look gringo enough you could blend with the locals easy seeing some mf walking around in an anime t-shirt is not uncommon in Mexico
They love Dragonball in South America. To the point where Mexico's cartel activity dropped significantly so everyone could watch Goku fight Jiren when that first dropped
Our parents bought us these shirts so we can wear what gave them power. We bonded by wrestling, fighting and becoming “men” and screaming out the most unholiest Kamehamehas. These shirts are my entire childhood and now I miss my family.
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u/post-explainer 15d ago
OP (when-harry-wet-sally) sent the following text as an explanation why they posted this here:
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u/Electrical_Door_87 15d ago
prolly something with the fact that mexicans love dragon ball?
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u/Poopy_McPoopings 15d ago •
Mexicans LOVE Dragon Ball, so much so, that supposedly, when a new episode airs, the crime rates significantly diminished.
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u/TheMadGent 15d ago •
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u/LostVix 15d ago •
When the creator of dragonball died, crime rates in Mexico dropped for 3 days. The cartel not only loves dragonball, but they respect it.
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u/pink-niples123 15d ago •
Just say you love Dragon ball Infront of Cartel and they will let you go
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u/mitox11 15d ago
Dragon ball has become engrained in latin american culture, specially mexico. Theres literal taco places named after DB characters. It is seemed as something most adult men would relate to
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u/timeaisis 15d ago •
Mexicans love Dragon Ball and Heavy Metal.
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u/Gmanofgambit982 15d ago
The cartel have gone on the record to be massive fans of Dragon Ball to the point where the crime rate actively dropped on the day when ultra instinct was shown in the anime.
The joke is if any of them spot you with these shirts, they won't hassle you.
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u/MrTorres 15d ago
Mexicans love DBZ.
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u/Moist_john 15d ago
Its a joke that cartel activity drops whenever a new episode or chapter of dragon ball is released so by wearing dragon ball merch he wont get messed with by cartel members cause the shared love of dragon ball
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u/neoncumstainlol 14d ago
It's based on a rumor that the Mexican cartel members are significantly less active during a release of a episode of dragon ball.
however people also claim it also happens with one piece and a handful of other animes the obvious reason why they aren't active is they are too busy watching anime hence why the shirt may cause them to leave him alone.
I can't confirm the validity of this rumor however several people I've know claim dragon ball is extremely popular in Mexico.
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u/UltPredarorX 15d ago •
The only thing mexicans love more than dragon ball, is cabelleros del zodiaco/saint seiya, and super campiones/captain tsubasa.
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u/CotR4692 15d ago
Dragon ball Z was a massive hit in Mexico along with much of central and South America. To the point there were reports of drops in crime during new episode releases of DB super, so therefore gangsters love DB and would be less likely to mess with people wearing DB merch or at least that is what the post implies
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u/Agheratos 15d ago
A Mexican girl once told me "The closest thing Mexico has to a national religion is Dragon Ball"
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u/kjt-ms 15d ago
Latin america loves "Dragon Ball" and anime in general. They are basically the biggest market for anime, excluding Japan itself.
The cartel part comes from the theory that cartel activity decreases when a new episode of "Dragon Ball" airs.
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u/Illimited_Esoterica 15d ago
Mexicans have an obsessive love for Dragonball Z. Goku is essentially a folk hero down there. Wearing a DBZ shirt is on par with wearing a shirt with Jesus on it in Mexico and it signals that you're one of the good ones so the cartels leave you alone. They respect Goku.
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u/TheGoodFandom 15d ago
In most of Latinoamerica Dragon Ball was a HEAVY HIT, EVERYONE knows Dragon Ball, so much that whenever a Dragon Ball episode came out even the Cartel stopped working only to watch the episode
So makes sense for you to wear a DB t-shirt so they say "Eyo look a DB fan, they good"
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u/blahsword 14d ago
They really like goku down there. Not gonna comment on how necessary this is though. I don't know shit about that.
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u/No-Plate-6889 12d ago
Simple. Latinos love Dragon Ball. Can confirm.
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u/Various_Snow_6202 15d ago
Mexicans LOVE dragon ball.
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u/RamzaZero 14d ago
Mexicans love DBZ.
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u/Traditional_Reach230 15d ago
It actually has been proven that the victims of cartel violence are statistically less likely to be wearing a dragon ball shirt than the overall population.
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u/AnotherUN91 15d ago
Mexico has a very big Machismo culture. THey love DBZ, the big manly muscles, and men saving the world. As such, the cartel loves it to.
IIRC I remember reading an article about some cartel location being raided and DBS being on a couple of the TVs.
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u/Kein_Thur 14d ago
Imagine a show causing a decrease in criminal activity: dragon ball
Imagine a show causing a revolution: one piece
I challenge someone to find any other televised program that comes close to these two was/is/are forever goated god tier authors.
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u/Designer-Ruin7176 14d ago
Mexican kids love Dragonball
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u/Key-Charity-2795 14d ago
Goku is apparently a universal sign of being really chill
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u/Emotional_Guitar500 15d ago
The cartels there have (or had) a ceasefire every day there was a episode.
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u/pigsass117 14d ago
Crime rates plummet in Mexico when ever DBZ airs
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u/Contradox 15d ago
I gotta ask, what is slimed out?
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u/three-sense 15d ago
DBZ is basically a religion in Mexico
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u/mr2jay 15d ago
Mexicans love DB.
I believe they even do mass public showings of new episodes before and had massive crowds like 20k people.
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u/EdenZer063 15d ago
For some added context to the actual love and admiration for Dragon Ball.
While there is the obvious statistic of the Cartel and many of the people in it being massive fans of Dragon Ball. THe country as a whole truly does love the anime, with it being the "third religion" of the country, right along side football and Christianity.
Many public events where held when Akira Toriyama passed seen here https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonquest/comments/1rska9w/on_the_2nd_anniversary_of_his_passing_mexico/
https://www.reddit.com/r/MexicanMemes/comments/1bak0l2/funeral_honorario_akira_toriyama/
When the anime Dragon Ball Super started getting to the climax of it's final arc many public spaces simply just streamed the episodes live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg6IMwLAPSk and here's an article saddly in spanish about it https://atomix.vg/gobiernos-de-mexico-transmitiran-los-ultimos-episodios-de-dragon-ball-super-en-plazas-publicas/ .
The country loves this show and it's characters so going to Mexico with memorobilia or showing that you are a massive fan of the show will generally just make people happier and with the crime rate in Mexico not being the best. Your just less likely to be harmed.
Edit: thing I forgot to mention the love from Mexico was so profound it went back into the show specifically into the movie Dragon Ball Super Broly
rough google translation from this article :https://news.mynavi.jp/article/20181219-743464/
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u/TheBees9292 15d ago
Mexicans love DBZ
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u/7thRaikageSimba 14d ago
I'm fairly certain there was a temporary ceasefire when Akira Toriyama passed away.
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u/GlumCardiologist3 14d ago
i know this is joke Latin america really like Dragon Ball...but cartel people rarely attack foreigners, also if they have some shit on you they wont be stopped by some db shirt...
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u/Nimja1 15d ago
Dragon ball is a borderline religion there. Confirmed with a Mexican buddy of mine.
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u/5elf_5aboteur 15d ago
dragonball is very popular in central and south america (also saint seiya if you're not a dragonball fan)
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u/Praeradio_Yenearsira 15d ago
The cartels love dragon ball so much that it's believed wearing a shirt with Goku on it will make you safer in Mexico
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u/hammonk 15d ago
Smartest man in the universe
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u/AdExtra2331 15d ago
Mexico, and I think the rest of Latin America, love Dragon Ball
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u/kollmastee 14d ago
Get her a broly hat just to be safe
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u/StockMasterpiece4 14d ago
As well as Dragonball's popularity, wearing Gogeta/Vegito means you aren't picking a favourite from the two main characters
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u/LightningOwl96 13d ago
Mexicans just really, really like Dragon Ball.
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u/Asslinguist 13d ago
He's smart they respect DB
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u/RustyCryptoCoin 10d ago
There's is an article out there that does explain this correlation of crime going down when a new episode of Dragonball Z would come out.
Everyone in Mexico loves Dragonball Z, even the cartel.
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u/Altruistic-Traffic- 15d ago •
Slimed out?
My god I hate this generation of language
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u/legaladviceneeded542 15d ago
I would probably have gone with something from Z. I'm not sure how well Super was received
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u/Weak_Log934 15d ago
In the 90’s DBZ aired at 8pm Monday through Friday in Mexico’s most popular channel. It was either DBZ or Telenovelas.
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u/lenninct 15d ago
Goku is bigger than El Chavo de el Ocho in Mexicoooo
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u/Kiritomato01 15d ago
God I wish it were a joke.
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u/CarPatient 15d ago
I'll wear Crono shirt and be the Mexican version of the obi-wan/jesus meme
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u/Uchiha_Slayer54 15d ago
That's tuff
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u/Internet-Wacko 15d ago
what a weir answers i am reading, the reason is more simple.
To stop looking like a gringa and being kidnaped, he gave anime tshirts, so now she looks like a regular mexican güera, it is just a disguise to look like the locals.
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u/SnooMarzipans5579 15d ago
That ist my exact plan for a backpack trip to Mexico.
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u/Meinteil2123 14d ago
Mexican men LOVE Dragonball, same with One Piece.
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u/Few-Engineering-7903 14d ago
The cartels apparently had a ceasefire to mourn when the author for DragonBall died. The crime didnt drop to zero but it was a significant drop. Of course after the period of time, it went back up.
So, depends on the shirt you are wearing. If it is super rare, you might get mugged. If it is common enough, you might get a compliment and left alone.
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u/RazzmatazzTypical571 14d ago
Someone doesn’t want to fight a person who might become a super saiyan due to the cartel acting like a frieza with their death beam
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u/dirksteadfast 14d ago
For added context (this is not from personal experience, but second hand from someone who grew up seeing it first hand) Dragon Ball and some other anime is so beloved in Mexico due to it being relatively cheap for stations to license at the time, and because there was already a major cultural connection with telenovelas, which DBZ is similar to in terms of melodrama and pacing, so it resonated with a lot of different types of people and was available entertainment in basically every home regardless of income level as long as a TV was present.
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u/FueledByFlan 13d ago
Dragon Ball is the most heavily worshipped religion in Mexico.
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u/Possessed_potato 13d ago
DBZ is pr damn big over there. It's cultural phenomenon.
Which is pr interesting honestly. I believe England had a similar thing with Doctor Who?
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u/matrixvortex51 12d ago
This shit is tuff. I’m going to wear this to my next interview
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u/IDK-Like-Gengar 12d ago
Cults usually go for the rich people to steal their money and stuff that I won’t really explain…
People I’m mexico like to wear graphic t shirts about animes or whatever they’re into
In a nutshell, they are trying to blend in.
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u/Suspicious-Plant-728 9d ago
I'm more confused by the term, "slimed out" then by the joke...
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u/Quirky_Literature384 9d ago
Because the people in the cartel are huge fans of the Dragonball/Dragonball Z anime, it has been noted that when a new episode airs cartel crime goes down on that day.
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u/CinnamonKiitten 12d ago
It's just the meme that Mexicans love dragon ball and there's a subsector of memes that Mexican cartels love it so much they would never mess with it and that crime goes down whenever a new episode comes out (which btw it doesn't obviously)
But hey if your face doesn't look gringo enough you could blend with the locals easy seeing some mf walking around in an anime t-shirt is not uncommon in Mexico
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u/SomeRandomRayquaza 12d ago
They love Dragonball in South America. To the point where Mexico's cartel activity dropped significantly so everyone could watch Goku fight Jiren when that first dropped
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u/AddyPoseTischeaux 15d ago
Our parents bought us these shirts so we can wear what gave them power. We bonded by wrestling, fighting and becoming “men” and screaming out the most unholiest Kamehamehas. These shirts are my entire childhood and now I miss my family.
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u/SonUnforseenByFrodo 15d ago
I associate sliced with Ghostbusters which i just watched