By now, the connection between anime and pro sports is hard to ignore. Year after year, athletes from around the world continue to attribute inspiration and success to anime legends like Naruto and Luffy. Of course, few icons are more influential than Goku when it comes to athletes, and one of Brazil’s top football stars admits his own name comes from the Saiyan.
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The news comes from Globo, a Brazilian outlet. The site was able to speak with Club Rome’s midfielder Alejandro Kakaroto. It was there the football player admitted his second name was given at baptism, and it came from his father as he loved Dragon Ball Z.
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“My name came from my father who was a former athlete. Hewas always concentrated and watched a lot of Dragon Ball Z. Kakarot is the real name of the character Goku, so that became my name as well,” he shared.
Anime and Pro Sports
As you can imagine, this confession has fans geeking out, and Kakaroto is far from the first person who’s been named after Goku. In fact, names relating to Dragon Ball have become more common with each passing year. This is no doubt because fans who grew up with the anime in the late ’90s are having kids of their own now. So if you meet a Bulma in real life in a few years, don’t be shocked.
Kakaroto is also far from the first pro athlete to share their love of anime with fans. Zion Williams, a star in the NBA, has never shied away from his love of Naruto and more. In fact, the player told fans that 80% of NBA players have some sort of anime obsession. Other super-fan athletes include Mike Daniels (NFL), Myles Garrett (NFL), Pierre Emerick (Soccer), Naomi Osaka (Tennis), and more.
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