Noah Lyles, Kim Yeji and Payton Otterdahl at the Paris Olympics 2024 | Photo credit: Reuters
The summer of 2024 in Paris will not only see the city blooming with Olympian athleticism; it will also be immersed in an infectious wave of otaku energy. The 2024 Olympics are showered with homages and tributes to Japanese pop culture, with athletes from various disciplines striking poses and rituals that will make even the most seasoned webcomer smile knowingly.
Take America’s speed-spinning dynamo Noah Lyles, for example. When the “world’s fastest otaku” lined up on the starting block during his qualifier in June, he nonchalantly took a shot. Yu-Gi-Oh! card, and dramatically summons the legendary Blue-Eyed White Dragon.
This strange pre-race gesture seems to have given him enough energy to propel Lyles to the extraordinary Shonan speed that has now earned him an Olympic gold medal in the men’s 100 meters in 9.78 seconds. Wrapped in the Stars and Stripes, Lyles concluded his win with a triumphant Kamehameha pose. Dragon Ball.
The bronze medal-winning French fencing team took this Goku-inspired spirit to heart, performing a synchronized Kamehameha in a scene that was pure anime gold, drawing thunderous applause from the stadium crowd.
meanwhile, Dragon Ball The Ultra Instinct theme was also played in the stadium before the 400m mixed relay race.
Changing the game, German volleyball player Tobias Krick brought out his favorite plush toy, Tsukishima. Haikyuu!!in his games, mirroring his animated counterpart’s role as a blocker.
Volleyball has seen an unprecedented rise in popularity, thanks largely to Haikyuu!!The Mainichi survey showed that Gen Z viewers chose volleyball as their favorite sport for the Olympics, influenced by the dynamic portrayal of the sport in anime.
This year the Japanese men’s volleyball team was also welcomed in Paris Haikyuu!!With Paris’s intro song playing, fans took to the stage in cosplay, turning the stands into a delightful mix of jocks and otaku.
American shot putter Payton Otterdahl added her own page to this Olympic anime compilation. one pieceOtterdahl’s pre-competition ritual involved mimicking the pirate’s Gear Fourth Boundman form, giving him superhuman strength for a podium finish.
Chinese rifle shooter Zhang Qiongyu also stole hearts with her viral photos Hello Kitty-made headlines by carrying an assault rifle and turning his weapon into the most beloved meme machine on social media.
And then there was the British 4×400 mixed relay team. After winning bronze, they celebrated by making the hand sign for the Domain Expansion of Gozo. Jujutsu Kaisen.
The British 4×400 mixed relay team celebrate their podium finish with the Gojo hand sign from Jujutsu Kaisen | Photo credit: BBC
But the most talked about event on the internet at this year’s Olympics was the competitive shooting events. South Korea’s Kim Yeji, who won silver in the 10m air pistol event, inspired fans to create anime-style posters celebrating her “main character energy.”
Meanwhile, Turkish shooter Yusuf Dike, with his modest, gearless Olympic attire, became an Internet sensation known as “Uncle Free-to-Play,” his image immortalized in manga tributes that captured his unique charm.
Even South Korean shooter Choe Dae-han’s stylish posture, which led to him finishing seventh in the 10m air rifle event, was recreated by fans. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures.
However, the anime-filled spectacle at the Paris Olympics isn’t the first time athletes have shown off their inner Weebs on the world stage. Go back to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and Greek long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou launched himself into Luffy’s Gear Second pose. one pieceItalian race walker Massimo Stano took a similar approach and won the gold medal.
Otterdahl first gained fame that year when he presented Frankie’s “Super!” posse. one piece before reaching the final.
Recently, Italian sprinter Lorenzo Nadel Simonelli channeled his inner pirate by adopting Luffy’s Gear 5 pose ahead of the 110m hurdles semi-finals in Paris. Although he missed the podium, he previously won a silver medal at the European Championships in Rome, where he took himself even further by declaring himself the Monkey D. Luffy avatar with a “Nika” pose, wrapped in the Italian flag and gracefully placing a straw hat atop his head.
If anything, the Paris Olympics seem to be proof that anime has gone from being a niche, weird obsession to a global phenomenon, seamlessly tying in with the grandeur of the world’s greatest sporting event.
