With the Dragon Ball franchise recently premiering the first episode of Dragon Ball Daima, the latest anime adaptation that was born thanks to an original idea from creator Akira Toriyama, the Z-Fighters have never been more popular. On top of focusing on the new adventures of “Mini-Goku”, shonen fans have also been able to take control of their favorite heroes and villains on Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, the latest game continuing the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise. While the franchise is taking over the anime and video game worlds, that hasn’t stopped Goku, Vegeta, and their allies from discovering new ways to permeate the cultural zeitgeist. One Japanese politician has just so happened to throw on some Saiyan armor of his own.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Specifically, a Japanese politician threw on a cosplay worthy of the prince of all Saiyans, throwing on a costume that recreated Vegeta’s earliest appearances in the series. When it comes to Dragon Ball Daima, the Saiyan Prince has been featured prominently in the first episode. Taking place after the death of Kid Buu but before the start of Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta is still hard at work, training with Son Goku and becoming a mini-version of himself to boot. Unfortunately, Vegeta apparently won’t be joining Goku on his universe-spanning adventure, meaning we don’t know how strong his presence will be in the anime series moving forward. Regardless, Vegeta’s overall popularity cannot be denied.
Nagoya Mayor Vegeta
Nagoya Mayor Kawamura Takashi dressed as the Prince of all Saiyans at the “World Cosplay Summit” both celebrating the event and showing off his love of the Dragon Ball franchise. Currently, Takashi is running for Japan’s House of Representatives. Kawamura’s cosplay video puts him in good company as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dressed as Majin Buu to help in opening an anime shop.
Over recent years, anime has continued to grow in popularity not just in North America but in Japan as well. The country originated the medium and is riding high on both the increase of anime projects and manga, partly thanks to the COVID lockdowns that helped introduce plenty of new fans to new stories in these avenues. It doesn’t seem as though the anime medium is slowing down any time soon and seeing more politicians rock cosplay seems like a no-brainer down the line.
Vegeta’s Future
As mentioned previously, Vegeta’s role in the future of Dragon Ball Daima remains up in the air though his future in Dragon Ball Super is assured. While many shonen fans wondered if the series might have released its final chapter due to the tragic passing of Akira Toriyama, artist Toyotaro has confirmed he plans to continue the manga. Considering how we last left Goku and Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince will have a challenging future ahead.
During the previous main arc of the manga, the Granolah The Survivor Arc, both Vegeta and Goku were soundly defeated thanks to the return of Frieza. Having discovered a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the alien despot trained for the equivalent of ten years and learned a new form he dubbed “Black Frieza”. The villain’s role remains the biggest loose thread of the shonen sequel and it’s one that is sure to have the Z-Fighters trying to increase their power levels to once again bring peace to the universe. Since Vegeta is now wielding the power of Ultra Ego, it will be interesting to see how he further develops this new transformation in the future.
Want to see which politicians around the world show off their love of all things anime in the future, Dragon Ball and otherwise? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Z-Fighters and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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