If you’ve spent any time online, you may have seen images of “Taqueria Goku,” the Mexican taco place with a wall mural of Super Saiyan Goku wearing an apron and cutting al pastor meat off a spit.
Maybe you’ve seen “Los Shinigamis del Norte,” a Norteño band covering a variety of anime songs in their performances. They recently did a tribute song to Akira Toriyama wearing orange norte musician-style suits emblazoned with 亀 (Master Roshi’s Kame Turtle School symbol).
Or maybe you remember in March of 2018 when Dragon Ball Super was airing the fight between Goku and Jiren, and there were multiple public screenings throughout Latin America where thousands of fans cheered Goku on.
There is a legitimate connection between Latin America and anime, with Dragon Ball specifically being a fan favorite. People in America are also anime fans, they also love Dragon Ball and Goku, so what makes the connection different for Latin America?
Quick History of Anime in the US
When you look at the origins of anime in most countries, you land on one title - Astro Boy, or Tetsuwan Atomu in Japan. There were other series, but Osamu Tezuka’s series was the first of many “mainstream” series, and it was also the first series to really go overseas into other markets.
The series premiered in 1963, and later in that same year, NBC Enterprises bought the rights, adapting it into English just a few months later. Ultimately, the series ran until 1965, but reruns aired until the 1970s. Other series like Speed Racer came to America at this time, but only through local network affiliates instead of nationally.
These networks and their affiliates worked closely with dubbing companies like Saban Entertainment at the time. It was companies like them that licensed, dubbed, and localized anime series and then marketed them to broadcasters that were looking for programming. This was the main way anime got to “the masses” until the 2000s.
It was a semi-effective business model, but to make it work, these companies heavily censored and localized the texts, editing them in numerous ways so they wouldn’t offend Western sensibilities around sexuality, religion, and violence. It would take a few more decades before the public had access to somewhat authentic anime.
Audiences in America may have loved uncensored, unamericanized anime, but they were not the ones dictating their media consumption habits at this time - it was up to whatever executives put in movie theaters and on the TV screen. It wasn’t until later with cable TV, the home video market, and the internet that people began realizing how truly sensational anime could be.
In other Latin American markets, viewers also didn’t have a choice in what they consumed. However, executives in their locales saw anime as a way to fill empty programming blocks. Without the greatest choice, viewers in these markets turned to anime.
History of Anime in Latin America
America was and continues to be a hub for film and television production. While production still existed in Latin American countries, it was much smaller than anything like it is today. These countries were import-dependent when it came time to fill their network schedules.
They had the news, they created some live-action series, broadcast some American live-action series like Bonanza (1959-1973) and Batman (1966-1968), but something like animation was different. Creating animated works was expensive, and so was licensing American cartoons such as Looney Tunes (1930-1969) and The Flintstones (1960-1966) from Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera.
There was a need for content, and anime filled that void. I’m speaking in generalities here, but it is a pattern and behavior that’s shared over numerous Latin American countries.
In the 1970s, networks bought the rights to show anime. It was the cheapest option and perfect solution since Japan was also looking for export opportunities. This ushered in a wave of anime meeting hungry consumers. Male audiences saw the action-packed Astro Boy and Mazinger Z, while Candy Candy, The Princess Knight, and Heidi, Girl of the Alps were becoming staples for many girls, younger and older.
Going further into the 1980s, 90s, and even the 2000s, Latin-American networks like Canal 5, Magic Kids, Locomotion, ZAZ, and TV Azteca doubled down, importing more series like Captain Tsubasa, Sailor Moon, Pokémon, Saint Seiya, and Dragon Ball.
The anime market grew, and with regular programming on a consistent schedule, the whole family was getting into it. It was around this time that fans also engaged with their favorite series beyond just normal viewership. Anime was a real multimedia experience where you could buy manga, video games, trading cards, toys, and clothing to further explore your favorite series.
This trend continued into today as people began consuming more than just broadcast TV, but even with multiple options, viewers could still turn to TV networks to see their favorite series, old and new.
Why Was It So Successful?
Okay, so anime in Latin America succeeded, but what exactly got people so hooked on it while it failed in places like America for so long? There were multiple variables at play, but some were more impactful in the long run.
Relaxed Censorship
One of the biggest reasons that anime thrived in places like Mexico and Brazil, beyond the prevalence of regular programming, was that there was significantly less censorship than in America.
It makes sense that American distributors and dubbing companies needed to make changes to fit broadcasting standards, but the original anime’s tone and feel were almost completely lost during the censorship and localization phase. Alternatively, Latin American countries got most of the violence and sexual content without much compromise.
Something like Saint Seiya (1986-1989) got 32 watered-down episodes in America, episodes with blue blood and missing lore to avoid religious scrutiny. Latin America got all 114 episodes, along with the OVAs and movies, with minimal editing. Viewers got to see that whole story, which leads into the next reason why anime thrived in these countries.
Similarity To Telenovelas
Telenovelas were a fixture in the Latin American household. Coming out at the same time for a long period, entire households would sit together and keep up with a consistent and melodramatic story, wanting to see what happened to their favorite characters.
Soap operas in America ran endlessly, so you could pick it up at almost any point and get a self-contained episode. Telenovelas, on the other hand, told 100-200-episode-long stories of romance and betrayal. Gathering around the television to watch these stories was almost a family ritual, and anime’s narratives spanning dozens of episodes fit that same mold.
Whether it was Goku loving his family and fighting for them or Betty looking for love in Yo soy Betty, la fea (1999-2001) from Colombia, people loved to watch a consistent narrative with their family. Then, everybody talked with their community about what happened. Watching a TV show was a cultural ritual, and for some communities, their favorite series and characters transcended day-to-day culture, essentially evolving into mythological figures.
Anime and Latin America Today
Mexico and Latin America as a whole are one of Crunchyroll’s largest markets, and Dragon Ball specifically became one of Mexico’s favorite series. Behind Japan, Dragon Ball’s biggest markets are Mexico and Brazil.
Across Latin America, there were numerous public showings of the Tournament of Power Saga in Dragon Ball Super, with Goku vs. Jiren specifically advertised the same as a major MMA match. Something like Dragon Ball is special, but what about modern anime?
We now exist in the generation where people who grew up on anime are pushing boundaries and making decisions. There is now a newer wave of manga and anime creators who recognize that Latin American civilizations are rich in history and mythology, ripe for new stories. Onyx Equinox (2020) and Seis Manos (2019) are a couple of newer series, and even something like Dr. Stone has journeyed to South America to tell its story.
Latin America is a culturally rich group of countries, both in what they export and import. Anime is just one example of how they can gravitate to something that would soon become massively popular, helping pave the way for that popularity worldwide. The next time you see a mural of Goku holding up a Mexican flag or see a parade of Dragon Ball cosplayers walking down a rural road somewhere in Latin America, you’ll understand it’s something greater than fandom - it’s culture.
