TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese media hailed Olympic 100m gold medallist Noah Lyles as the world’s fastest anime fan after the American celebrated his win by miming an attack from Dragon Ball.
Just five thousandths of a second separated the American champion from Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson – a thrilling finish that was the event’s closest in modern history.
Wrapped in a US flag after the race, an over-the-moon Lyles thrust his hands forward, fingers splayed, imitating the “kamehamaha” attack used to unleash a powerful burst of energy in the Japanese manga and anime franchise.
The 27-year-old Lyles has made no secret of his love for Japanese pop culture, including comics and cartoons such as the global 1990s megahit Dragon Ball.
At the Olympic trials in June, he delighted fellow anime enthusiasts by whipping out his Yu-Gi-Oh cards and showing them off to the cameras.
Yu-Gi-Oh! ran in the Japanese weekly comic magazine Shonen Jump between 1996 and 2004 and gave rise to a media franchise including a trading card game.
“Mankind’s fastest otaku”, blared a headline in Japanese sports newspaper Daily Sports – using the term for hardcore superfans in a new nickname also used by other outlets.
Anime fans on social media also recalled how Lyles had paid tribute to Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama after his death aged 68 earlier this year.
“So sad to lose a legend Akira Toriyama… his work has forever affected my life,” Lyles wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in March.
“I’m sure this kamehameha didn’t go unnoticed by Toriyama-sensei,” one fan said on X in response to his victory on Sunday.
The French men’s fencing team also paid homage to Dragon Ball when they made “kamehameha” gestures in unison after winning bronze.
But it isn’t the only anime that has inspired Olympians.
Brazilian volleyball player Darlan Ferreira Souza was seen in Paris with a tattoo on his arm featuring a slogan from Haikyu!!, a series about high-school volleyball clubs.
The tattoo, saying omoide nanka iran (We don’t need memories), elated Haikyu!! fans in Japan who saw the ink as proof of the anime’s reach and impact.
“So happy to know Haikyu! is travelling worldwide. Hope it will continue to inspire volleyball players across the world”, one X post said.
