Thousands of ‘Dragon Ball Super’ Fans Flocked to Worldwide Watch Parties for Episode 130

If you thought Dragon Ball died out after Dragon Ball Z, then you haven’t been paying attention. The franchise shot to global stardom thanks to the anime sequel, but Toei Animation did not give up on Goku afterwards. After the controversial debut of Dragon Ball GT, the Saiyan was revived a few years back in Dragon Ball Super. And, thanks to some truly dedicated fans, the world was just reminded of how popular the series still is.

After all, more than 20,000 fans worldwide gathered for live watch parties when Dragon Ball Super aired its latest episode this weekend.

Last night, the series made its return to TV after a brief week-long hiatus. Dragon Ball Super aired its 130th episode, and the penultimate update saw Goku go all-out against Jiren. With his Ultra Instinct form mastered, the hero fought hard against the Pride Trooper in an episode many are calling the show’s best yet. So, several countries in Latin America and South America chose to honor the big episode with live watch parties.

As you can see in the slides below, thousands upon thousands of fans gathered to watch Goku and Jiren duke it out. Official — and unofficial — livestream parties were held in places like Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, and more. Dozens of cities took part in the home-grown movement as Juarez, Mexico alone is said to have brought up to 30,000 fans for its event. Videos and photos of the massive get-togethers are going viral on social media. After all, it isn’t everyday you seen several thousand people of all ages come together to root for Goku.

While plenty were surprised by Latin and South America’s big parties, lots of anime lovers saw it coming. In the week leading up to Dragon Ball Super‘s latest episode, areas like Monterrey and Guadalajara said they would be hosting watch parties sponsored by the government. Unfortunately, these bigger events were canceled when Toei Animation sent cease-and-desist letters regarding the unofficial parties. Still, thousands of fans soldiered on with their parties, and social media has shown the events were almost as hyped as Dragon Ball Super‘s episode itself.

So, if Toei Animation can find a way to approve some official parties for the show’s finale, it should. Talk about free publicity, you know?

Would you attend one of these watch parties for the anime’s finale? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

Jaurez, Mexico

Machala, Ecuador

Cajeme, Mexico

Nicaragua

Queretaro City

Unknown

Morella, Mexico

El Salvador

Ecuador

Chile