me: what if post-apocalyptic folk religion that’s a syncretic fusion of Latin American Catholicism and the entire Dragon Ball canon because Goku is at least as popular as Jesus.
me: I mean, the overlap is so obvious that people already make jokes about it - the narrative of redemption and transformation through suffering, constant divine tests of moral worthiness… giving Goku your energy for a spirit bomb is genuinely just the power of prayer.
me: wait hang on this actually ticks all the anthropological boxes of ‘what needs are an organized faith supposed to fulfill’ - the emphasis on protection and brotherhood becomes a hospitality network with ingroup signals, mutual obligation, and a ritual template of feasting and training. The stories themselves have culture-heroes and villains who provide a moral framework for communities. The running theme of “people who announce that they are the strongest and put on airs are Bad Guys” acts as a check against petty tyrants trying to establish a hierarchy: you do not get to decide your reputation, you must let your deeds speak for you.
me: there would be regular debates and arguments between ‘originalists’ (ki is an innate but dormant power that must be unlocked through effort and discipline) and ‘Ultra Instinctivists’ (ki is a zen-like state, it’s what remains when all distractions have been removed)
me: I am genuinely kinda sad that these people aren’t real because I would give anything to chill with them at their Sunday asado.