Getting animated Why Japanese cartoons are firing up sports stars

The Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke twice thought he had scored the opening goal against Brentford on 11 May.

- Lanre Bakare

Each time he wheeled away to celebrate, he put on an orange mask with a spiral pattern and one eyehole before posing in front of the cameras.

The goal was ruled out by VAR, but the celebration went viral, as journalists wrote about "masked mayhem" and others wondered what this "bizarre" celebration could mean. It was the latest in a string of hand gestures and poses Solanke had struck that were inscrutable to the uninitiated.

But for fans of anime - Japanese animated dramas - it was obvious the mask was a character, Obito Uchiha, from the Naruto series.

With its roots in 80s manga comics and animated films such as the 1988 cyberpunk epic Akira, anime has become a worldwide phenomenon in the past two decades. It has grown from children's entertainment to a medium for any kind of story.

Shows including Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and Naruto have hundreds of episodes and are watched by millions on streaming platforms, with the industry including comics, video games, merchandise, TV shows and films worth about $30bn (£24bn) in 2023.

Shōnen, a form of anime primarily aimed at 13- to 18-yearold boys, has proved particularly popular with the current generation of sports professionals.