Japanese Television Show Doesn’t Understand the ‘Rick and Morty’ Szechuan Sauce Hype

Still not sure what the whole Szechuan Sauce madness was about? You’re not alone. Even the Japanese are confused.

While odd Japanese trends often make headlines in the rest of the world, this time it’s America’s turn to make headlines there. Rocket News 24 reports that the chaos surrounding McDonald’s botched limited release of their Szechuan dipping sauce was so perplexing that it ended up being discussed on the Japanese morning news show Toka Da Ne.

If by some chance you missed all the saucy drama here is a quick rundown. In the closing moments of the third season premiere of Rick and Morty, Rick reveals to Morty that his life’s purpose is to get more of “that Mulan Szechuan teriyaki dipping sauce.” The sauce, which McDonald’s released as a promotion for the 1998 film Mulan, quickly became the focus of fans who started lobbying for it. The lobbying worked and McDonald’s announced that they would re-release the sauce in limited supply for one day only on October 7.

However, the release didn’t exactly go well. Demand massively overwhelmed supply with only a very limited number of locations getting a small number of sauce packets. Angry fans unable to get their hands on the sauce were not only angry, but in some locations actual fights broke out requiring police intervention and the debacle made headlines.

Read on for what the Japanese had to say about the fuss around Szechuan Sauce.

@MuGenTenbin

“In America there are riots at McDonald’s for people wanting Szechuan sauce, but I don’t know if they’re dangerous or peaceful.”

@AN_donut

“The Szechuan sauce is a re-release from 19 years ago when Mulan came out. I never expected to see Mulan come up on Toku Da Ne.”

@batake615

“What?! America is on the brink of rioting over Szechuan sauce?! A two-liter bottle sold for 1.6 million yen (US$14,000)?! And a little one got 50,000 yen (US$444)….”

The Aftermath

It wasn’t just the Japanese who took notice of the outcry about the Szechuan Sauce shortage, however. McDonald’s noticed it as well and, just a day after enraging fans of both Rick and Morty and the popular sauce, the fast food chain acknowledged that they hadn’t been properly prepared for the demand and were going to make it up to fans. McDonald’s announced that they would be bringing the sauce back again, this time making sure that anyone who wanted the sauce could get it by offering it at more locations and in not quite as limited a fashion.

While specific details about when and how McDonald’s plans to bring the sauce back haven’t been released, hopefully this time it won’t end up on Japanese morning news.