Does Cartel Activity Go Down When 'Dragon Ball' Content Releases? The Viral Meme About The Cartel Loving Goku Explained

A viral meme with Goku on it purports that Cartel activity drops significantly for about two days when new Dragon Ball content releases.

Since its virality, users on TikTok and Twitter / X have been posting countless memes about the Cartel loving Dragon Ball. The memes imagine that a Cartel member wouldn't do anything if it disappointed Goku.

However, do the memes have any truth to them? Does Cartel activity actually drop when new Dragon Ball episodes are released? Let's explain.

Where Did The Meme About Cartel Activity And 'Dragon Ball' Come From?

The original meme was posted to iFunny in December 2023. It shows Goku telling a "Fun Goku fact!" which is that Cartel activity drops significantly for about two days when new Dragon Ball content is released. The post gained viral engagement on the app and it was quickly reposted across social media.

Does Cartel Activity Drop When 'Dragon Ball' Content Releases?

Unfortunately, there is no solid correlation between Cartel violence and Dragon Ball releases. So, it is most likely that the meme is just a funny joke, riffing on Latin America's apparent love for the Dragon Ball universe, more than other regions of the world.

However, giving the meme creator the benefit of the doubt, they could have been referencing the decrease in murder and Cartel violence in Mexico roughly ranging between 2012 to 2015, as evident in data and graphs released by Statista.

The dip vaguely correlates with the release of two Dragon Ball films in 2013 and 2015, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F.' Could this be the data that the original meme creator was referencing? It's unconfirmed. Regardless, it's fun to speculate.

Why Do Mexican, Latin American And South American People Love 'Dragon Ball?'

Dragon Ball has been a staple of the Latino and Hispanic world for some time now. Many have tried to describe why, like LA Times writer JP Brammer, who likened Goku to an icon in the Latino world. Why? because Dragon Ball appeals to the "steady diet of telenovelas" and offers a language-fluid alternative to the stereotypical media often created for Latino viewers.

Thinking less historically, the internet has identified funny scenes in Latin and South America where Goku is depicted. Most notable is the Taqueria Goku which went viral across social media a couple of years back.

Plus, even a Redditor recently alleged that their uncle in the Cartel has a Goku tattoo. So, maybe the meme does have some truth to it after all.

For the full history of "the Cartel Loves Dragon Ball," be sure to check out Know Your Meme's entry for even more information.