Football is a team sport, so what better way to celebrate a score than with an anime technique to combine two heroes?
Fans of the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns haven’t had much to smile about over the past few years. The team had an abysmal 1-15 record during the 2016 season, then lost every single one of its games in 2017.
But things are looking just a little bit brighter this year. On September 20, the Browns got their first win since December of 2016, and in their next game, versus the Oakland Raiders, rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield hit tight end Darren Fells for the first touchdown pass of his professional career, as well as Fells’ first of the season.
But while the big scoring play itself was enough to excite football fans, those who also enjoy anime were electrified when Fells’ teammate and fellow tight end David Njoku (number 85) joined him in the endzone for a two-man celebration.
Or maybe we should call that a one-man celebration, since they’re doing the Fusion Dance from martial arts anime Dragon Ball Z, which the series’ heroes use to combine their bodies and consciousnesses, like Goten and Trunks do in the comparison clip below.
Sadly, despite Mayfield’s 49-yard strike giving the Browns a 17-7 lead, Cleveland’s defense would give up 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a tying score with just 30 seconds left, which sent the game into overtime, where the Raiders would pull out a 45-42 victory. The Browns’ record now stands at one win, two losses, and one tie, which suggests it’s likely going to be another tough season for the team and fans, but at least they can always look back to the play where their players seemed superhuman, even if just for a moment.
Source: Instagram/clevelandbrowns, Twitter/@thecheckdown via Anime News Network/Lynzee Loveridge
[ Read in Japanese ]
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[ Read in Japanese ]