Anime fans are everywhere, and one of them has shown their love on one of the biggest stages ever. Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster scored a touchdown in their game against the Kansas City Chiefs and celebrated in his own ninja way.
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How ninja? But turning the football into a mighty Rasengan from Naruto as part of his touchdown glory.
Finish him. pic.twitter.com/ZMURhNQeGR
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 16, 2018
With help from his teammate, running back James Connor, the celebration saw Smith-Schuster charge up a “Rasengan” (much like how Naruto did with the help of his clones in the anime series) before launching it at the nearby Steelers tight end Jesse James.
It was one of many touchdowns in the high-scoring game, though the Pittsburgh Steelers unfortunately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the end with a final score of 42 to 37. Still, this celebration is sure to cement Smith-Schuster in Naruto fans’ hearts as they’ll most likely keep a close eye on all of his future celebrations as the football season has just begun.
It’s no mystery as to why Smith-Schuster would want to invoke Naruto for his victory as the Rasengan is one of the coolest moves in all of anime. It is such a popular technique that it has even resurfaced in the series’ sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
During the biggest fight in the sequel to date, Naruto’s son Boruto used a huge version of the Rasengan in order to defeat a villain that had an overwhelming, and even godlike strength. Though Naruto’s son can craft a Rasengan by himself, without the help of clones, it wasn’t until he formed a new Rasengan with his father that finally provided a final attack strong enough to put down the mighty foe.
It proved how crucial the Rasengan is to the series, and just like JuJu Smith-Schuster, there’s plenty more greatness to come in the future.
Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.
