UPDATE 8/8/2024: Noah Lyles Domain Expansion added.
Even after leaving the 2020 Tokyo Games, where Naruto was an official ambassador, the Uzbekistan rythmic gymnastics team performed a Sailor Moon routine and a prophetic scene from Akira was fulfilled, there’s still plenty of anime to be found at the 2024 Paris Olympics.The fastest and strongest anime fans on the planet continue to strike powerful poses, while iconic soundtrack pieces surprise and galvanize fans, so we’ve put together our own tally of all the medal-worthy references that have emerged out of the City of Light so far.Note: Linked video sources direct to replays from NBC, the official Olympic broadcaster for the United States.
When it comes to showing off anime love at sporting events, no one does it like Noah Lyles. The 27-year-old sprinter launched himself into international acclaim when he pulled a Kaiba-level boss move at the US Olympic Trials, rocking up with a duel disk and whipping out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card on the track.He then backed that up in Paris with a gold-medal finish in the Men’s 100m and an equally stunning Kamehameha victory pose.With a promising participation in the Men’s 200m still in progress, we can’t wait to see what he has planned next.NEW: Lo and behold, Lyles pulled out Gojo’s Domain Expansion before his qualifying semi-final run (Source via NBC, at 2:03:04)!
He wasn’t the only one getting into the Dragon Ball spirit, either. After winning Bronze in Fencing Team Foil, the French joined forces to do their own power move reminiscent of the Family Kamehameha.
Japan and Argentina’s volleyball teams may not be bitter rivals in real life, but their fictional representatives certainly are. Haikyu!! fans were quick to rally behind the “Ryujin Nippon” when they played their second match against the reigning Olympic bronze medallists — both out of enthusiasm for the sport and a mostly ironic disdain for Oikawa — and were treated to a thrilling win that set Japan up for qualification.The arena sensed the moment and played “Fly High!!” by BURNOUT SYNDROMES, Season 2’s second opening song, to a jubilant crowd (Source via NBC, at 2:00:12).Team Japan sadly bowed out to Italy after a devastating quarter-final comeback, but were nonetheless enthusiastically applauded by Haikyu!! author Haruichi Furudate with the illustration featured below.That game also featured “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” by Creepy Nuts, the unforgettable opening song from MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES Season 2 (Source via NBC, at 50:14), though perhaps it should’ve been saved for the weightlifting…
Illustration by Haruichi Furudate
People of all shapes and sizes can be anime fans, and the United States’ Payton Otterdahl is massive proof of that. His suuuuuuper One Piece-inspired Franky entrance at Tokyo 2020 (7:34 on the 2020 Tokyo Games replay at Olympics.com) was succeeded by the windup for Luffy’s Gear 4 transformation in Paris, which is almost too perfect with how it mirrors a shot-putter’s final position (Source via NBC, at 9:14). That, and Otterdahl finished 4th in the final.Italy’s Lorenzo Ndele Simonelli was also up to his old tricks but took it to the next level, re-enacting Luffy’s iconic Gear 5 laughing pose before his run in the 110m Hurdles semi-finals (Source via NBC, at 1:07:10).
Over at the Mixed 4x400m Relay, the United Kingdom squad were seeing Bronze and the deepest blue when they did their best to replicate Gojo’s hand sign from JUJUTSU KAISEN (Source via NBC, at 2:08:24).But there was even more anime goodness for the crowd to lap up at the event. Before the starting gun had even been fired, the stadium was rallied by the dramatic tones of what’s known by fans as the “Ultra Instinct” theme from Dragon Ball Super (Source via NBC, at 1:57:57).Finally, the Japanese Artistic Swimming (Free Routine) team made a splash with their chess-themed performance set to “A Beautiful Song” from the NieR:Automata video game soundtrack, placing 4th in the final. They claimed gold at Artistic Swimming World Cup 2024 with the same routine, which is available to watch below.
