Dragon Ball

Some ideas from Journey to the West are borrowed later in the series. Bud Grant coached four Vikings losses in the 1970s, Marv Levy coached four consecutive losses with the Buffalo Bills in the 1990s, and Dan Reeves coached four losses between two teams (three with the Denver Broncos and one with the Atlanta Falcons). There are many parallels between Journey to the West and Dragon Ball. Don Shula, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Dick Vermeil, and Mike Holmgren all took more than one team to the Super Bowl. Most notably, the character of Bardock (Gokū 's father) was originally an anime-creation. And recently, Bill Belichick won three with the Patriots. Backstory added in the anime was accepted in the manga. Joe Gibbs also won three Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins.

In a very small number of cases however, the inverse was true. Bill Walsh won three with the San Francisco 49ers. There are many instances in the anime where back-story which was filled in by the anime writers was directly contradicted by backstory written later in the manga. Chuck Noll won four in the 1970's with the Pittsburgh Steelers. While this led to getting the episodes released rapidly, the pacing resulted in a large amount of "filler" material needing to be added to the anime to flesh out the episodes to keep them from catching up. Tom Landry also coached two winners and three losers with the Dallas Cowboys. Throughout most of the writing of the manga, the anime was being written and produced just behind the point where the manga was being concurrently published. Don Shula coached two different teams: a loss with the Baltimore Colts and two wins and three losses with the Miami Dolphins.

It is notable that the "Z" of Dragon Ball Z is pronounced "Zed" in the Japanese opening, WE GOTTA POWER.. Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers won the first two. Another interpretation is that Toriyama hand-wrote its title as Dragon Ball 2 and somebody misread the figure 2 as a Z. Super Bowl wins and losses tend to cluster around a few head coaches. Other, fan-given "Z" theories include the naming of the ensemble group of main characters as the "Z Warriors" or "Z Fighters" in episode titles and promotional materials (they are never referred to that way in the anime itself) or based on the "Detekoi Tobikiri ZENKAI Power" theme song in the ending credits.
. The official meaning, as stated by the author, is that the letter was chosen because it was at the end of the alphabet, echoing Toriyama's desire that the series soon end. Following their 48-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003, the Raiders posted a 4-12 record in the 2003 NFL season, the worst post-Super Bowl record, and as of the end of the 2005 NFL season, have not recovered.

The "Z" in Dragon Ball Z is rumored to have many meanings. The most glaring example is the Oakland Raiders. In general, the translation of the manga is considered to be closer to the translation of the anime as factors such as mouth movement are not taken into consideration. The most recent is the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost Super Bowl XXXIX to the New England Patriots in the 2004 season (played on February 6, 2005), who posted a 6-10 record in the 2005 season. Similarly, the names of "Gokū" and "Gohan" lack the family name "Son" in the anime. There are notable exceptions to this pattern, such as the Buffalo Bills who went to the Super Bowl and lost four years in a row, from XXV to XXVIII. For example, the character of "Lunch" in the manga is retranslated as "Launch" in the anime. This effect can be traced to the loss of momentum a team has built up, accumulating injuries, losing successful free agents between seasons, and the aging of talented players.

There are additional differences between the US edition of the manga and the US edition of the anime, but those are primarily due to differences in translation. The season after a Super Bowl loss, a team usually returns with a losing, or mediocre at best, record. Dragon Ball GT is the sequel to DBZ but is not based on any manga (unlike Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, Akira Toriyama was not directly involved with the production of Dragon Ball GT, though he did create many of the character designs and a few of the plot ideas in the series). Commentators and sports analysts note a tendency for teams that have made it to the Super Bowl and lost, to collapse the following season. DBZ takes up the story 5 years after DB leaves off, with the introduction of Gokū's young son and the arrival of a new, more powerful foe. While most home teams in the Super Bowl choose to wear their colored jerseys, only the Cowboys in XIII and XXVII, the Washington Redskins in XVII, and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL have worn white as the home team. DB follows Gokū's adventures as a 12 year old up to his marriage as an 18 year old-- roughly the sagas that had the most fantasy and humor elements. The Dallas Cowboys wore their rarely used blue uniform tops in Super Bowl V, and lost to the then-Baltimore Colts, which has led to the widely held belief that the Cowboys do not play well in their blue shirts.

Both Dragon Ball (DB) and Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) anime are based on the same original Dragon Ball manga. Prior to that, the home team always wore the dark jerseys. The Dragon Ball Z manga remains censored, although many volumes (prior to volume 17) are technically uncensored since they did not contain any objectionable material. The home team is given the choice of either wearing their colored jerseys or their white ones; this started with Super Bowl XIII. Popo's lips were removed), including rereleases of the previously censored volumes 1 through 3. The designated "home team" alternates between the NFC team in odd-numbered years (the Philadelphia Eagles in 2005), and the AFC team in even-numbered years (the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006). By the end of 2004, all Dragon Ball manga had been released almost uncensored (Mr. For instance, cruise ships made up the discrepancy in hotel rooms for Jacksonville in Super Bowl XXXIX and cold-weather cities such as Minneapolis and Detroit have been awarded Super Bowls because the stadium had a roof.

Originally, both of these releases were censored for nudity and some graphic content. Exceptions are at the discretion of the NFL. As previously mentioned, the Dragon Ball manga is published as both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z in American editions. A potential venue currently must meet these qualifications in order to be a Super Bowl host: ^{[citation needed]}. Furthermore, the downfall of most of the antagonists is their own self-importance, their belief that because of their power, they are untouchable. Neither of these stadiums has ever been a home to an NFL team. Son Gokū remains the very strongest martial artist, and he trains for no other reason than for self-improvement. However, Super Bowl XIV (which involved the then-Los Angeles Rams) was played at nearby Pasadena's Rose Bowl stadium; and Super Bowl XIX (which involved the San Francisco 49ers) was played at the nearby Stanford Stadium on the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto.

Throughout the series, the protagonists never cease in their martial arts training. Coincidentally, no NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl on its own home turf. Dragon Ball is also significant in its theme of self-improvement and piety. Louis, Missouri. This style of redemption is not unique to Dragon Ball (it is often seen even in American comic books), but it is significant that it persisted even through other major shifts in style and tone. The last time the Los Angeles area hosted the game was Super Bowl XXVII in 1993; the area is currently not considered a possible venue after the league's two teams vacated the city in 1995: the Raiders moved back to Oakland, California, and the Rams moved to St. Boo). After Hurricane Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome and the city, the game might never return to New Orleans.

This theme was evident from the beginning (with the conversion of Yamcha, Oolong, and Pu'erh) and continued even to the last saga (with the acceptance of Mr. Miami has been selected to host two future games: Super Bowl XLI in 2007 and Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. Nearly every major character in the manga entered the series as a villain but was, through one method or another, converted to the side of good (often, this would entail a temporary team up to defeat a greater foe, but somehow the former enemies rarely found the motivation to begin fighting again). Over half of the Super Bowls have been played in one of the following three cities: New Orleans, Louisiana (9 times), Miami, Florida (8 times) and the Greater Los Angeles Area (7 total, 5 times at Pasadena's Rose Bowl stadium and twice at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum). For all its martial arts bravado, the story of Dragon Ball centers primarily around a theme of redemption, generally through exposure to the "pure" ideals of Son Gokū and Son Gohan. Cities compete to host the game in a selection bidding process similar to ones used by the Olympic Games and soccer's World Cup. The Majin Buu saga features more of the humor and fantastic plot elements that were present in the very early volumes of the manga. The location of the Super Bowl is chosen by the NFL well in advance, usually 3 to 5 years before the game.

The Majin Buu saga (volumes 36-42) is the last arc of Dragon Ball manga. True to the hopes of the NFL and the networks, McCartney turned in an enjoyable but uncontroversial performance. It was between this series and the last series that creator Akira Toriyama stopped measuring characters' power levels in the stories, deciding that it limited the stories. The following year, the NFL chose Paul McCartney to perform at halftime of Super Bowl XXXIX. The Cell Saga (volumes 29-35) introduced the Jinzôningen, a mysterious Saiyan called Trunks, and the enigmatic Cell. This also led to the FCC cracking down on indecency and fining CBS $225,000 for the incident, as well as fining each of CBS's then twenty owned and operated stations. After two subsequent transformations, he reveals that he is still at only 1% of his "full power.". The NFL, embarrassed from the incident, permanently banned MTV from doing another halftime show in any capacity.

He then transforms into a more powerful fighter, at which point his power level is over a million. It also didn't help matters that the game was airing on CBS, and their then-corporate sister company within Viacom, MTV, produced the halftime show. humans are 5) of 500,000. Timberlake and Jackson have maintained that the incident was unintentional, hence the term "wardrobe malfunction". For example, the antagonist Freiza has a "power level" (the series' futuristic measure of a fighter's speed and strength, i.e. Many conspiracy theorists think that this was done intentionally to get everyone's attention, possibly so that Janet could get the attention away from her brother Michael Jackson, who was facing child molestation charges at the time. It also set the tone for more and more awesomely powerful characters. In 2004, it was during halftime at Super Bowl XXXVIII that Janet Jackson had her now-infamous wardrobe malfunction after Justin Timberlake ripped off a piece of her top, exposing her right breast with a star-like ring surrounding the nipple.

The Freiza saga is noteworthy for introducing the first Super Saiyan, now a staple of the series. John performed the national anthem; and The Rolling Stones played during the halftime show. This begins the Freiza saga (volumes 21-28). Super Bowl XL in 2006 featured Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, and John Legend during the pregame ceremonies; Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin, and Dr. After the defeat of Vegeta and the conclusion of the Saiyan saga, the survivors of the vicious Saiyan assault head off to the Planet Namek to resurrect their friends who were killed by the Saiyans. Because of the large number of viewers that the Super Bowl generates, a number of popular singers and musicians have performed during its pregame ceremonies, the halftime show, or even just singing the national anthem of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner". Space travel, alien threats, and powerful cyborgs take center stage instead of more fantastic villains. With the new television contracts beginning in 2006, NBC, which last telecast Super Bowl XXXII in 1998, will take ABC's place in the network rotation starting with Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

Many of the characters which previously had fantasy origins (Gokū, Piccolo, etc.) are recast as aliens from other planets. Super Bowl XXXVIII was shown on CBS, Super Bowl XXXIX was shown on FOX, and Super Bowl XL was shown on ABC, which will be the final NFL game broadcast on that network for the foreseeable future. Starting with introduction of Gokū's first son, things begin to take a much more serious and harder sci-fi approach. In the United States it is currently shared among three of the four major television networks: ABC, CBS, and FOX. Dragon Ball fully transformed into an action based shonen manga at the onset of the Saiyan saga (volumes 17-20). The television network showing the game changes from year to year. This began the Piccolo Daimaô saga (volumes 13-17) in which the manga enters a darker tone compared to its earlier volumes. [5].

A subtle but significant change in mood began after Goku's best friend Krillin was killed. If the television show Las Vegas stays on the air when NBC gets their next Super Bowl Broadcast (which will be Super Bowl XLIII in 2009), they may not be allowed to promote the series during the entire block of programming. The overall mood of the title is light with very few deaths and an emphasis on adventure and humor. Many groups are denied the chance to run Super Bowl ads on various grounds, but Las Vegas is the only city to be denied in such a fashion; the NFL has stated that it does not want the Super Bowl to be associated with the perception of Las Vegas as a gambling mecca. Despite the fantasy elements, the world does contain advanced technology including space-saving capsules which are pocket sized but can expand into almost any object, flying cars, and similar "near future" trappings. The ban includes the game, as well as the pre-game and post-game shows. Notable fantasy elements include not only the monkey boy Gokū and the balls themselves, but also many talking animal characters, unlikely martial arts techniques, and characters identified as gods and demons. In recent years, the NFL has denied the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority the opportunity to run Super Bowl ads for the city as a tourist destination.

The earlier volumes of the manga (volumes 1-12) are primarily humorous fantasy stories, but containing some minor sci-fi elements. Many people tune in to the Super Bowl solely to watch the very creative commercials. During those years, the tone and the style of the stories gradually changed to reflect the tastes of the readers and the editors of Japanese Shonen Jump. Prices have increased each year, with reports citing a record $2.5 million (US) for a 30 second spot during Super Bowl XL in 2006. The story of Dragon Ball unfolded gradually over 11 years of publication. Famous commercial campaigns include the Budweiser "Bud Bowl" campaign, and the 1999 and 2000 dot-com ads. . Following Apple Computer's 1984 commercial introducing the Apple Macintosh computer, directed by Ridley Scott, the broadcast of the Super Bowl became the premier showcase for high concept or simply extravagantly expensive commercials.

In the beginning of the story however, A 16 year old genius girl named Bulma has created a "Dragon Radar" to detect the balls and making the process far easier than it was intended to be. [4] Although the proliferation of cable and satellite television has undercut broadcast ratings somewhat in recent years, the game is still so popular that a number of networks actually schedule original programming, such as independently produced halftime entertainment, during the game, simply to take advantage of a large audience already in front of the television. In times past, it would take generations to search the world and gather the balls. Super Bowl XVI is #4 on Nielsen's list of top-rated programs of all time, and 3 other Super Bowls (XII, XVII, XX) made the top 10. After the wish is granted, the balls are scattered again across the landscape and become inert for a year. The highest rated game according to Nielsen was Super Bowl XVI in 1982 which was watched in 49.1% of households (73 share) or 40,020,000 households at the time. When assembled together, they can be used to summon the dragon Shen Long (Shenron) who will grant one wish (within limits). ^{[citation needed]}.

The Dragon Balls are seven magical spheres which are scattered across the world. ^{[citation needed]} According to NFL Films...these are the ultimate Lost Treasures. The titular Dragon Balls are one component of the universe, but are not the focus of most of the plot lines of the title. ^{[citation needed]} But the NFL has put out a $1,000,000 bounty on either one of the tapes, and experts say that there is still a chance that one of the network affiliates taped the game off the live feed and saved it. He is not without help, however: the comic boasts a large ensemble cast of martial artist heroes and villains which provide the conflict that drives the story. ^{[citation needed]}) According to Steve Sabol, both networks taped soap operas over the game tapes, which are presumably lost forever. During his life, he fights many battles and eventually becomes (arguably) the strongest martial artist in the universe. (Merv Griffin once said that a ninety-minute blank tape cost $750.

The story of Dragon Ball follows the life of Son Gokū, a monkey-tailed boy loosely based on the traditional Chinese folk tale Journey to the West (西遊記), from his life and adventures as a child all the way up to being a grandfather. Another reason was that videotape in those days was prohibitively expensive. Viz titles the second part of the manga Dragon Ball Z to reduce confusion for American audiences. According to Sports Illustrated, the only footage of the first telecast known to exist is a two minute clip of the first game.^{[citation needed]} From the early days of television into the 1960s, copies of TV broadcasts were routinely erased, mainly because nobody thought anyone would want to watch the same show they had just seen. In parallel to these releases, VIZ Media is in the process of releasing the 42 volumes (nearly matching the first Japanese set) in English. This is especially shocking for Super Bowl I, which was covered by both NBC and CBS. The Dragon Ball Z manga was transitioned into a launch title for the new US edition of the Shonen Jump anthology, starting in January 2003. Given the immense popularity of the Super Bowl, it may be surprising to discover that videotapes of the telecasts of the first two Super Bowls are said not to exist.

This style of release was unsuccessful due to its large size and expensive cost ($2.95 for an issue of 2, later 3, chapters), and both series were cancelled in 2002. [3]. See below). Approximately half of the remaining 2 million worldwide viewers watched from the United Kingdom. In the US, the manga was first released as two American-style comic books: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z starting in 2000 (the split corresponds to the two different anime series, though the original Japanese manga does not distinguish between them. In actual fact, Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 was watched by 93 million viewers in total, of which 98 percent were in North America [2]. In 2004, the manga was re-released in a 34 volume collection (called Kanzenban) which included a slightly rewritten ending, all new original covers, and original color artwork from its Weekly Jump run. There is a popular urban myth regarding the Super Bowl — that the game is watched in 234 countries by 1 billion people [1], a fact unlikely to be true considering the time of the event, and the lack of popularity American Football has outside of the United States.

Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) (Doragon Bōru) is a Japanese manga by Akira Toriyama serialized in the weekly anthology magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 1984 to 1995 and originally collected into 42 individual books called Tankōbon. It is also estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game. So he vented his feelings in manga format. This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. He recently found out that Tenma like Karasuma. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). He was fighting Karasuma in a DBZ-like fight. The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e., on average, 40 percent of all U.S.

In the anime School Rumble, an episode had Harima turn Super Saiyan in a manga he was writing. By any measure, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television programs of the year. Also, Cosmo accidentally released two Kamehameha attacks from his hands. Following his death in September 1970, the trophy was named the Vince Lombardi Trophy, first awarded at Super Bowl V in Miami. Also, the character's drawing style were a direct reference to Toriyama's early style, and while Timmy wears a white gi similar to Gokū 's orange gi, Vicky wears a black cape with shoulder protection, similar to Piccolo's. The winning team gets the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for the coach of the Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowl games. The series was called Maho Mushi, and there, a Tenka-ichi Budōkai-like tournament was being held, with the announcer being almost the same as in Dragon Ball. The game remains his crowning achievement and was an important factor in him being selected by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.

The Fairly OddParents TV movie Channel Chasers featured a fictional series parodying Dragon Ball. His leadership guided them into the merger agreement and cemented the preeminence of the Super Bowl. In an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door, Number 4 relates his fight with the delightful children from down the lane to Gokū 's fight with Freeza in a flashback. The NFL commissioner at that time, Pete Rozelle, is often considered the mastermind of both the merger and the Super Bowl. Many similarities to Dragon Ball can be seen in the One Piece manga. As of Super Bowl XL, former AFL teams have won 11 Super Bowls, pre-1970 NFL teams have won 23 games, and two games have been won by teams created after 1970. Toriyama is a self-professed fan of One Piece, which he was introduced to by his children. Since then, the Super Bowl has featured the champions of the AFC and NFC.

He stated that it was Toriyama that influenced him and that he holds Dragon Ball in high-esteem. When the NFL and AFL merged into one combined league for the 1970 season, three NFL teams joined the 10 AFL teams to form the American Football Conference (AFC), and the other 13 teams became the National Football Conference (NFC). Eiichiro Oda, the author of One Piece, stated in an interview that he was a big fan of Dragon Ball. One year later, the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the NFL Minnesota Vikings 23-7 and won Super Bowl IV in New Orleans, the last World Championship game played between the champions of two leagues. Also, in one volume of the manga, a mask resembling the face of the Dragon Ball character Chaozu can be seen in the background. That all changed with perhaps the biggest upset in American sports history, the AFL's New York Jets defeat of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III in Miami. This can also be seen in the fact that the titular character wears an orange gi (martial arts robe) similar to Goku's. After the NFL's Green Bay Packers convincingly won the first two Super Bowls, some team owners feared for the future of the merger, since many doubted that AFL teams could compete with their NFL counterparts.

Kishimoto included a picture of Arale he drew in elementary school. Starting with the third contest in January 1969, the name "Super Bowl" became official. Masashi Kishimoto states in his manga Naruto that he was influenced by Toriyama. Not surprisingly, fans and media tended to use the shorter, unofficial name. In another chapter of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, while facing Kanemaru, Bo-bobo states something about a high wind air-pressure technique, it turns out that Bo-bobo had a picture board of Kulilin, Gokū and Piccolo with Dragon Balls spread over the board. Not having thought of one, the owners named the contest the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. It had Jelly Jiggler (Tokoro Tennosuke) and Don Patch/Poppa Rocks (Don Patch) recreating the first battle between Son Gokū and Vegeta respectively, but the order and development is messed up. Hunt only meant his suggested name to be a stopgap until a better one could be found.

The manga series Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo had many references to Dragon Ball and a one-off chapter making a parody of it. The name was feasible because postseason college football games had long been known as "bowl games" (the term originates from the Rose Bowl Game, which was in turn named for the bowl-shaped stadium in which it is played). In Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, the hero Goemon after finishing a certain training, goes to the "Sudden Impact" state, in which his hair grows bigger and its color becomes yellow. The ball is now on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Mandy is shown to eat a Chicken Ball which makes her transform into a Super Saiyan. ^{[citation needed]} During the discussions to iron out the details, AFL founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt had jokingly referred to the proposed interleague championship as the "Super Bowl." Hunt thought of the name after seeing his daughter playing with a toy called a Super Ball. Many people consider this to be a plagiarism of DBZ but it was actually suggested to Katsura by Toriyama himself. According to NFL Films President Steve Sabol, Then NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to call the game "The Big One".

In Masakazu Katsura's manga DNA², the main character can turn into a Super Saiyan-like state, gaining golden hair and the ability to use special abilities. One of the conditions of the AFL-NFL Merger was that the winners of each league's championship game would meet in a contest to determine the "world champion of football". In an episode of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, Sasshi fights in a martial arts match while dressed as Bruce Lee, and near the end, transforms to a Super Saiyan and performs the Kamehameha. The intense competitive war for players and fans led to serious merger talks between the two leagues in 1966. Also, in the anime version, there is a dragon ball shown on a poster. After its inception in 1920, the NFL fended off several rival leagues before the AFL began play in 1960. In the manga, Yu-Gi-Oh!, the main character, Yûgi Mutô, relates the Millenium Puzzle's power with wishes granted by the dragon balls. The Super Bowl was created as part of the merger agreement between the National Football League (NFL) and its rival, the American Football League (AFL).

In the OVA, Puni Puni Poemy, Poemi is shown with a collection of Dragon Balls. . In the manga, Eyeshield 21, Yukimitsu performs the Taiyō-ken while dressed as Tenshinhan. food consumption day next to Thanksgiving. They also must use a technique called the Nabehameha, a direct parody of Muten Rōshi's Kamehameha. This is the largest U.S. In the anime, Excel Saga, Nabeshin teaches Pedro and Sandora to reach a certain powerful afro level, similar to the level of Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the Super Bowl's pre-game and halftime ceremonies.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog series, both the Chaos Emeralds, and Super Sonic are nods to Toriyama's work. The last true day game (which ended before local sunset) of the series was Super Bowl XI in January 1977. Gokū finds himself in a place reminiscent of the pillars of Buddha’s palm, the location which Sun Wukong's rampage was finally put to an end. This has caused the starting time of the game to be pushed back later and later, to ensure the Sunday night prime time audience on the East Coast. Son Gokū's Nyoi-bô (or Power Pole) comes from Sun Wukong's magic staff that can change to any size anytime he sees fit. The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched American television broadcasts of the year, attracting many companies to spend millions of dollars on commercials. The equivalent to Niu Mo Wang of the original texts is Gyuumao in Dragon Ball. Since then, the game has been played annually on a Sunday following the playoffs, originally early to mid-January, then late January, and in 2002, the first Sunday in February.

The equivalent to Sha Wujing of the original texts is Yamcha in Dragon Ball. After both leagues merged in 1970, the Super Bowl became the NFL's championship game. The equivalent to Zhu Wuneng of the original texts is Oolong in Dragon Ball. The game began in January 1967 as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game in which the NFL championship team played against the champion of the younger, rival American Football League (AFL) for the "World Championship of Professional Football". The equivalent to Xuanzang of the original texts is Bulma in Dragon Ball (though later, it can be argued to be the role of Kulilin). The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday (sometimes "Super Sunday"), which over the years has almost become a de facto American national holiday. The equivalent to Sun Wukong of the original texts is Son Gokū in Dragon Ball. In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States.

In Dragon Ball, Bulma and her company search for the legendary dragon balls. New Orleans Saints. In the original story, the priest, Xuanzang and his company search for the legendary Buddhist scriptures in the West. Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston Texans. Detroit Lions - NFL championship in 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957.

Cleveland Browns - NFL championship in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964
(This refers to the team that the league officially views as one continuous franchise that began in 1946 but suspended operations from 1996-1998, and resumed play in 1999.). Arizona Cardinals - NFL champions in 1925 and 1947. NFL league champions prior to Super Bowl I