As arguably the most popular anime/manga of all time,Dragon Ballhas unsurprisingly been involved in a wide variety of brand deals over the years. One that’s particularly worth looking back on, however, are the Ford commercials produced in 2014.
Krillin and Gohan Wishing For a Car on Namek
The Two Ads Feature Classic Moments in a Bizarre New Context
The first ad to be run was for the Ford Focus, which saw Krillin and Gohanon Planet Namek, preparing to make their three wishes to Porunga. Krillin wishes for three cars with various features, all of which are offered by the Ford Focus. Always one to please, Porunga tries to point out that they could accomplish all this with only one wish, but Gohan and Krillin are getting too excited about their wishes and don’t pay him much mind. Porunga eventually gets frustrated and just gives them the Ford Focus, causing Gohan and Krillin to rejoice and the ad to come to an end.
Context-wise, it’s pretty hilarious to imagine Gohan and Krillin getting sidetracked on Namek thinking about cool cars, which almost feels like a Toriyama thing to do, given his own enjoyment of drawing vehicles over the years.It’s also always funny to see the Eternal Dragons like Porunga get frustrated with those making a wish on the Dragon Balls, especially when he’s just trying to help. An obvious plot hole here is that, on Namek, Krillin and Gohan needed Dende to translate their wishes into Namekian for Porunga, but who’s out here worried about the continuity of a car commercial?
Goten and Trunks Give a New Meaning to Fusion
The Fusion Dance Produces An Unexpected Result
The second ad in this series features Goten and Trunksperforming the Fusion Dancefor the first time on the Lookout, with a crowd of assembled characters watching. They complete the dance, there’s a flash of light, and they’ve been magically replaced by the Ford Fusion. Piccolo, Roshi, and Videl praise the look of the new vehicle, with the ad ending with Roshi calling shotgun.
The ad is once again legitimately funny, playing on the term fusion in an unexpected way. What’s perhaps most amusing about these ads is that they do feature the modern English voice actors for these characters, so you’re actually hearing the characters discuss the aesthetics and value of the car. It’s crazy enough that one of these was made, much less two. It goes to show that the reach of theDragon Ballaudience is recognized to be far more than just children, even in the US, as obviously car commercials are generally targeted at an older audience that can afford them.
Regardless of one’s general opinion on advertising, these kinds of strange promotions are worth remembering, if only as evidence of the series' seemingly endless popularity, even outside of Japan. The fact that they’re actually kind of funny just makes it more worthwhile, as there’s just something inherently ridiculous about wishing on the Dragon Balls for a car, or watching Trunks and Goten fuse into a car. For anyDragon Ballfan with a sense of humor, just give the ads a watch, and see how bizarre it is yourself.
