Dragon Ballfans may have been taken by surprise recently, when the official Toei Animation X account made a post about an obscure character named Mustard that garnered quite a bit of attention. Unfortunately, for what is likely a very small number of Mustard fans in the world,the post was referencing Kendrick Lamar’s new hit song, “tv off”. The section of the track during which Hip Hop’s current most popular figure screams the name of producer DJ Mustard has gone viral, and countless fans have been crafting memes referencing the song.
Could Kendrick Lamar have secretly been referencing his favoriteDragon Ballcharacter, Spice Boys star, Mustard? It’s possible,though the chances are slim. In all likelihood, Toei Animation’s X account was simply joining in the fun of pairing Kendrick’s new song with aDragon Ballcharacter, as many fans have been doing since the release of his new album,GNX.
What is notable about the latest trend is the amount of crossover between fans of Kendrick Lamar and fans ofDragon Ball. The iconic franchise has seeped its way into other areas of pop culture throughout the years, and the music scene is no exception. Even if it wasn’t the intention of Kendrick Lamar,many other artists have drawn inspiration fromDragon Ball,and the newest meme, while making use of the series' ridiculous naming conventions, is a reminder of that.
Many Musicians Have Referenced Dragon Ball In Their Songs
Dragon Ball References Are Littered Throughout Popular Music
While Toei’s post might have just been using “tv off” as a fun reference to an obscure character,many musicians have openly nodded toDragon Ballin their music. Though it wasn’t Kendrick Lamar himself to say the line, he was featured on a song with Jay Rock in 2011, titled, “Hood Gone Love It”, in which the Los Angeles-based rapper says “Whip like a fireball, call it Goku.” The track gained heavy popularity after being featured inGrand Theft Auto V.
Other notable artists to mention the series include Chance the Rapper, who calls out Krillin on his 2016 track, “Blessings”, and one of pop’s biggest stars, The Weeknd, who compares his hair to that of a Saiyan’s on 2014’s “Drinks on Us”. The most well-knownDragon Ballreference in popular music, however,comes from Frank Ocean’sPink Matter, in which the semi-retired, enigmatic singer uses the song’s chorus to sing, “Cotton candy, Majin Buu.”
That song also features the legendary Andre 3000, and is one of Frank Ocean’s most popular tracks.Dragon Ballhas become timeless, having recently celebrated40 years since the series debut, and it continues to affirm its status as a staple of pop culture through references in entirely different fields of art. At this point in the series' long history,Dragon Ballis bigger than just anime and manga, and songs like these prove it.
The Meme Is a Reminder of Dragon Ball’s Hilarious Naming Convention
Nearly All Dragon Ball Characters Are Named After Food
Unfortunately for fans ofDragon Ball Z’s Garlic Jr. saga, Toei’s post is more than likely not hinting at a return for the non-canon villain. Mustard, featured in the image for sharing the name of the focal point of the trend, is one of Garlic Jr’s henchmen and a member of the hilariously dubbed “Spice Boys”. In the grand history ofDragon Ball,Mustard is a pretty unremarkable character, and one that even die-hard fans of the series probably wouldn’t be able to name at first glance.
The humor lies more in the fact thatDragon Ballhas a character named Mustard in the first place. Akira Toriyama, though not responsible for the non-canon henchman, was never exactly secretive in terms of where he found inspiration for the names of his characters. As most fans are aware by this point, a large majority of the characters in the seriesare named after food in some way, while others enjoy the privilege of being named after household appliances or even musical instruments.
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The Spice Boys, of no relation to the Spice Girls, are aptly named after spices used in cooking. Spice, Mustard, Salt, and Vinegar act as Garlic Jr’s evil underlings, andbear striking resemblance to the Ginyu Force. Their screen time duringDragon Ball Z’s anime-only Garlic Jr. Sagais cut short by Gohan, who rather brutally disposes of each member of the crew. If not for Kendrick Lamar, there would likely be very few fans with anything to say regarding them.
Dragon Ball Has Become Cemented In Pop Culture
Dragon Ball’s Influence Stretches Far and Wide
For a series which originated in Japan over 40 years ago to be mentioned alongside the release of an album by a popular American rapper is extremely impressive. Aside from Toei’s post directly partaking in the ‘Mustard’ trend,countless fans are combining the audio from “tv off” with classicDragon Ballclips. From being credited with popularizing anime in the west, to providing the Olympics with an official mascot, and now being relevant in discussions surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s newest album,Dragon Ballhas truly become iconic.
The series' influence has spread far and wide across popular culture, inspiring many other major anime and manga, likeOne Piece, along with countless western properties as well. At this point, even the series' villains have become just as common a household name as the leading Saiyan himself, Goku. Currently,Dragon Ballis enjoying areturn to its roots of sorts in the ongoing anime,Dragon Ball Daima, which is successfully attempting to keep its four-decade-old franchise fresh and exciting while reincorporating what originally popularized it.
Although Toei Animation’s post is likely little more than a company joining in on a popular trend, it serves as a reminder of just how popular and enduringDragon Ballis. The series' influence reaches far and wide, and no matter what sort of discussion fans find themselves in, Goku and company probably aren’t very far away. Now, fans can thank Kendrick Lamar for reminding them of the all-powerful and mighty Mustard.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
