Japan might have trumped China 3-1 at the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in Xiamen, Fujian last week (Nov 19), but it seems a couple of posters are taking the sting out of the defeat.
Created by Chinese sports site Dongquidi, a pre-match poster showed the mythological figure Sun Wukong facing off against iconic Japanese anime character, Goku from Dragon Ball.
Sun Wukong represents the Chinese, and Goku, the Japanese.
A second artwork after the Chinese lost, showed the Xiamen Egret Stadium, where the match was held, with the phrase, “We might be defeated but we will never be knocked down”.
What many people might not know is that the Journey to the West character was the source material inspiration behind Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s inspiration of Goku.
If you ask us, we think it was a beautiful homage to Akira who passed away at the age of earlier 68 this year.
Of course, fans were quick to comment on what they thought about the posters with many approving for them.
One even wrote that the artwork made him realise that “This is the collab we all didn’t know we needed.”