Olympic Athletes Sure Love Anime

With the closing ceremony wrapping up this evening in Japan, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have drawn to a close. Like at previous Olympics, there were winners, losers, and upsets. But unlike other ones, the Tokyo Games had more anime references than ever.

Previously, Kotaku featured Miltiadis Tentoglou, who did a pose from One Piece before winning gold in the Men’s Long Jump. He was hardly alone. Other athletes also got in on the act, making nods to beloved franchises before, during, and after competitions.

Let’s take a look at more Olympians showing their love for manga and anime.

American shot putter Payton Otterdahl, for example, made another One Piece homage, doing Franky’s “Super” pose (and even said “Super” as he did it!).

Dear USA shot putter; Payton Otterdahl

We sincerely celebrate the activities of our "NAKAMA" around the world with the utmost respect for your efforts and achievements. pic.twitter.com/wSpnifZyK4

— ONE PIECE スタッフ【公式】/ Official (@Eiichiro_Staff) August 5, 2021

The official One Piece staff Twitter sent the finalist a nice congratulatory note, writing, “We sincerely celebrate the activities of our ‘NAKAMA’ around the world with the utmost respect for your efforts and achievements.”

At the Tokyo Olympics, Lyles ran the 200m with a time of 19.74 seconds. Photo: Patrick Smith (Getty Images)

After winning bronze in the Men’s 200m, Team USA’s Noah Lyles celebrated with a Kamehameha. On Instagram, Lyles confirmed that it is, in fact, a Kamehameha and not a Street Fighter Hadouken. (China’s 400m Men’s Relay Team likewise did what was either a Kamehameha or Hadouken pose before their competition.)

Team Italy, meanwhile, also seems like big Dragon Ball fans.

Sì, lo sappiamo che sono cattivi ma la squadra Ginew non poteva mancare.

Grazie ai pistard campioni olimpici Elia Viviani, Filippo Ganna, Francesco Lamon, Simone Consonni e Jonathan Milan! 😄💙#ItaliaTeam | #StuporMundi | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/qZ55lkJVJR

— ItaliaTeam (@ItaliaTeam_it) August 8, 2021

Pagaiate verso la gloria raccontate a Casa Italia da Manfredi Rizza e da un telecronista molto speciale… il suo allenatore Stefano Loddo! #ItaliaTeam | #Tokyo2020 | #StuporMundi | @federcanoa | #k1 | #canoesprint pic.twitter.com/poNrKgNofE

— ItaliaTeam (@ItaliaTeam_it) August 6, 2021

Mexican gymnast Alexa Moreno did her floor routine to the Demon Slayer soundtrack.

Alexa Moreno also competed in the Women’s Vault Finals, making her the second Mexican woman gymnast to reach the finals. Photo: Laurence Griffiths (Getty Images)

It’s not uncommon for anime music (or video game music, for that matter) to be used in routines or sporting events, but since this is Moreno’s last Olympics, the choice makes it extra special.

Team Uzbekistan has been wearing these Sailor Moon style outfits in competitions leading up to the Olympics. Photo: Martin Bureau/AFP (Getty Images)

Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva already proved that Sailor Moon works well with ice skating, and this year Team Uzbekistan showed how well it goes with rhythmic gymnastics.

These weren’t the only references (more here and here), with Attack on Titan and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure also getting the inevitable shoutouts. This was inevitable! Besides the fact the Olympics were held in Japan, manga and anime characters appeared on official merchandise. Plus, liking anime and manga has gone mainstream internationally.

Considering how anime and manga are especially popular in France, don’t be surprised if poses like these become a standard at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

While anime nods were in no shortage, video games certainly weren’t forgotten. The Tokyo Games inspired an Olympic-themed JRPG Google Doodle, and the opening ceremony was packed with video game music.