Dragon Ball: SNL Drops Donald Trump Super Saiyan Joke in Latest Episode

Dragon Ball has become a worldwide mainstream hit in the last few years, and there's no denying that the series exposure has risen exponentially. In fact, these days, it seems that Dragon Ball has become so popular that it gets referenced in even the most unlikely of places: such as Saturday Night Live! In fact, during the opening skit for SNL's latest episode (with RuPaul hosting and Justin Bieber as musical guest), Dragon Ball's Super Saiyan transformation got name-dropped in reference to how President Donald Trump is feeling after his recent Impeachment trial acquittal!

Here's how SNL cast member Mikey Day compared Trump to Dragon Ball's Super Saiyans, while imitating political pundit George Stephanopoulos, during a skit about the New Hampshire 2020 Democratic Debate:

"Wow! What a week it's been for American politics. Iowa was a disaster; President Trump has gone Super Saiyan since his acquittal; and now it's up to New Hampshire to start turning things around for the Democrats."

Now sure, on the one hand that is a tiny little reference to Dragon Ball dropped into a SNL skit - but the significance of that little mention shouldn't be overlooked. Even with its diminished reputation, SNL is still one of America's biggest platforms for comedy and social commentary. The opening skit is also one of the most crucial parts of the show, as it arguably is the one thing viewers will definitely stick around to see, or will view later as a YouTube clip. The fact that Dragon Ball made into that all-important lineup of jokes - and more so the fact that it didn't even have to be mentioned by name for the joking reference to work - shows just how popular the notion of "Super Saiyans" (and subsequently Dragon Ball as a whole) has become. With political pundits and even Trump himself throwing around memes fashioned from Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones, its seems that Dragon Ball is just a half-step away from joining the biggest titles in TV / Movie entertainment in the socio-political zeitgeist.

...That is, if Dragon Ball stops sabotaging its own success, and finally continues with that next anime.

The Japanese-language and English dub releases of Dragon Ball Super are now complete and available to stream with FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll. Viz Media is releasing new chapters of the manga at a monthly rate that can be read entirely for free through the Shonen Jump digital library, and Dragon Ball Super's big movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.