The poster was created by a Chinese page for the China-Japan football match during the AFC Asian Qualifiers for FIFA World Cup 2026. A further example of how manga, anime and video games are increasingly present in sport.
The mix between sports, video games, anime and manga has been an incredibly successful one in recent years. We saw it at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Now a new striking example: the Chinese poster depicting Sun Wukong vs Goku to represent China vs Japan on the occasion of the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026. The poster went around the world for the peculiarity of uniting two characters taken from oriental pop culture.
One in fact is Sun Wukong, the monkey hero protagonist of Black Myth: Wukong, the Chinese video game by Game Science which achieved astonishing success for having brought it into videogame form “Journey to the West”the famous novel from the 1500s belonging to classical Chinese literature. This year Black Myth: Wukong is nominated for best game of 2024 at The Game Awards, the international video game Oscars. The second, much better known globally, is the protagonist of Dragon Ballthe iconic manga by the late Akira Toryiama that changed Japanese comics forever. Curiosity: the character of Goku is actually inspired by Son Wukong from “Journey to the West”. Not surprisingly, Saiyan warriors all have monkey tails and are even capable of transforming into an enormous primate when the Moon is full.
We may be defeated, but we will never be knocked outsays the poster created by Chinese Football King page. It seems like a premonition: the match, held last Tuesday at Xiamen Egret Stadium, has ended 3-1 for Japanwhich remains unbeaten with 16 points in first place in Group C of the AFC Asian Qualifiers. Beyond the match itself, it is interesting here to reflect on how the icons of the younger generations are increasingly penetrating the collective sporting imagination. The last two editions of the Olympics have been clear proof of how the most modern forms of entertainment inspire many male and female athletes. Furthermore, these mixes could bring young people accustomed to these types of products closer to traditional sports, such as football, which for years have been looking for a solution to capture the attention of a younger audience. The future looks interesting.
