It turns out the anime villain isn’t just a fighter, but a dancer too!

In Japan, just as surely as you’ll find folks eating fried chicken on Christmas Eve, you can be sure that many people will be tuned into the Hakone Ekiden relay race on January 2 and 3. On the first day of the race, the runners, representing the universities of their student-athlete teams, depart from Tokyo on the first leg of the 108-kilomter (67.1-mile) ascent into the mountains of neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture, stopping in the town of Hakone before making the return trip back to the capital the following day.

It’s an astounding display of strength and endurance, which draws huge TV viewership numbers each year. However, not everyone has the advanced appreciation of the sport of distance running that’s necessary to enjoy watching the entire hours-long broadcast. Thankfully, at this year’s race there was a little extra entertainment being provided by Frieza, the cold-blooded villain from anime Dragon Ball Z.

Multiple versions of the extraterrestrial martial artist, including his newest shimmering golden form, were stationed at a self-determined cheering section alongside the course in Hakone’s Ninomiya neighborhood.

This has actually become an annual tradition, as the Frieza group has been showing up to cheer on the runners since at least 2013. That doesn’t mean that they’ve gotten lazy or stuck in a rut, though, as the group appeared to be performing the Koi Dance, the infectious routine everyone from Hello Kitty to the U.S. Embassy has tried their hand at.

But really, would you expect any less dedication and considerateness from master motivator/talented musician Frieza?

Source: Jin
Featured image: Twitter/@_ban0828