Halloween is the perfect time to embrace your inner nerd, and let’s be honest, the fitness world is full of us. Behind the muscles, macros, and meticulously tracked training blocks, a lot of lifters grew up watching the same heroes: Goku screaming through another power-up, Naruto pushing through pain with nothing but willpower, and All Might reminding us that even when the odds are stacked, you still go Plus Ultra. For many of us, anime and comics weren’t just entertainment. They were lessons in discipline, grit, and transformation long before we ever picked up a barbell.
This Halloween, we’re celebrating the connection between anime and the iron, the training arcs, redemption stories, and over-the-top determination that inspire us to keep pushing. We asked a few coaches, athletes, bodybuilders and a special guest from the anime industry to share their own “anime arcs,” the stories that shaped how they see training, growth, and the pursuit of strength.
Trevor Fullbright
I’ve watched anime since I was a little kid. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting in front of the TV watching Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Then came the Toonami days with Gundam and Trigun. Anime has always been a part of my life. But instead of growing out of it like people said I would, calling it “cartoons for kids,” I found myself connecting to it even more deeply as I got older. I related to the characters’ struggles, celebrated their victories, and tried to embody their perseverance.
It’s not just about fitness or training; it’s about grit, the relentless drive to keep going no matter what. Characters like Goku, always pushing to become stronger; Asta, shouting “my magic is never giving up”; and Bakugo, whose ambition burns even when it hurts him, all remind me to chase growth with everything I’ve got.
People say anime is for kids, but if you watch with an open mind, you find stories packed with emotion, resilience, and inspiration. You start hearing those catchphrases in your head when life gets tough, realizing you’re not just watching for fun, you’re drawing strength from them.
So if anime has taught me anything, it’s this: chase your dreams, stay true to your goals, and when things get hard, remember the words of All Might: “Now, for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but I’ll teach you what they really mean. GO BEYOND! PLUS… ULTRAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Jorge Brites
The Hero’s Journey
This might sound silly, but like a lot of guys, a big reason I started lifting was because of comics.
I grew up watching superheroes. There’s nothing more powerful for a kid than seeing someone start from nothing, with no powers and no privilege, and build themselves into something extraordinary. They trained, they struggled, they failed, and through that, they transformed.
That stuck with me.
But for me, it went beyond comics. Growing up in Venezuela, a third-world country filled with chaos and uncertainty, heroes weren’t just entertainment. They were hope. They showed me what was possible when everything around you felt impossible.
I related a lot to Naruto.
If you know, you know. It’s not just an anime. It’s a story about resilience, pain, and purpose. Naruto was the outcast, ridiculed and underestimated. Yet he never gave up. He trained when no one believed in him. He fell, got back up, and kept pushing forward because he had a vision of the person he wanted to become.
That hit home for me, because at one point, I felt like that kid too.
Fitness became my version of that “training arc.” The gym was my Hidden Leaf Village, a place where I could rebuild myself one rep at a time. It gave me structure when life felt chaotic. It gave me purpose when I didn’t see a clear path ahead. And over time, it became proof that I could change my story.
At some point, I realized it wasn’t just about muscles or aesthetics. It was about becoming, choosing to rise up, take control, and fight for something better.
I came to the United States with that mindset, not as the same kid who started, but as the hero I used to look up to. The one I once imagined. The one who refused to quit.
And that’s what lifting, and life, really is.
It’s the hero’s journey, your own story of transformation.
Dr. James Hoffmann
Neon Genesis Evangelion
How does one even begin to talk about NGE? It's a show with imaginative aliens, giant robots, AI governments, deep state plots to both save and destroy the world, broken families, existential crises, human sexuality, and serious Daddy issues. At first glance this looks like a sci-fi show about big robots punching aliens, but the show is really about the human need to understand, and feel understood, by others. Each character's flaws, insecurities, and personal suffering are displayed in deeply relatable ways. The show also has a confusing, but brilliant ending. The end of the 26 episode show, and the end of the movie (The End of Evangelion) which is meant to serve as the actual ending of the series, wraps the show differently. Both are interesting and thought compelling in their own ways. It's left somewhat ambiguous for you to decide which ending emotionally resonates with you.
Although this show was released in 1995, I didn't end up watching it until well into my 30s. The show is deeply meaningful to me, and I often rewatch it while doing treadmill time during weight loss to add existential pain to my current physical pain. For me, the show brings up many questions in my life which I often struggle to answer: could I be better at trying to understand others, am I too wrapped up in my own insecurities, do I want to reject the world and all of its harshness or try to integrate the best I can, should I feel bad about feeling the ways I feel, are other people suffering the same ways I am, is the world rejecting me? One of the characters goes through an incredible 'fall from grace' process, going from the best in the world to completely useless. This character also subsequently has one of the biggest 'holyyyyyyy shit' displays of dominance I have ever witnessed. Its emotional impact is up there with 'Vegeta vs Android 19' (DBZ), 'Madara Vs Shinobi Alliance' (Naruto Shippuden), and 'Rock Lee Vs Gaara' (Naruto).
Recommended Watch Order:
First watch the 26 episode series Neon Genesis Evangelion, then watch the movie The End of Evangelion, then watch the rebooted version of the series Evangelion 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3+1.
DC Animated Universe (1992–2019)
Ok so I know this is not anime, but it is animated so bear with me. The DC animated universe holds a special place in my heart because it has spanned a length of time from my childhood (I was born in 1986) through my adulthood. The animated shows and movies during this time are all part of a cohesive interconnected narrative. These include, but are not limited to, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. Although the early shows start off in a more child friendly way, they quickly begin moving into more adult themes. It's baffling they were able to keep the storylines connected across so many shows for so many years. You can rewatch this entire catalogue, and although the animation is a bit dated, it is still incredibly compelling today. You'll find some of the most fun and interesting superhero storylines out there. To this day, I still often think about many of the movies and episodes and the emotional gut punch they often brought. In particular Epilogue of Justice League Unlimited, which served as an ending to the Batman Beyond series which never had a finale of its own, and the movie Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. These were HEAVY themes for shows aimed at children and young adults.
What's brilliant and unique about the DCAU was that I grew up with it, and it grew up with me. Twenty-seven years of interconnected and increasingly deep stories. Many popular characters of today like Harley Quinn are canon to the DCAU and not the original comic books. That's how good this series is! The DCAU also often used the same voice actors for the shows, movies, and video games during this time, notably Kevin Conroy as Batman and Mark Hamill as the Joker. The chemistry between them was absolutely legendary. So much so that after Kevin Conroy's passing in 2022 Mark Hamill retired from his role as the Joker. Their voices are forever burned in my brain as Batman and the Joker and can never be replaced. The DCAU sparked my love for comics and anime when I was six years old, and I have never been able to put them down since.
Andres Botero
Anime has had a huge impact on my life, though it took time for me to truly feel it. When I was younger, I watched Dragon Ball Z like everyone else—people always talked about how Goku inspired them to train harder and push their limits. But at that age, I didn’t really understand that mindset; I just thought turning Super Saiyan looked cool. It wasn’t until I grew older and watched Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden that everything clicked. Naruto’s story taught me about real perseverance—training not just for strength, but for purpose. His loyalty to friends, his constant self-improvement, and his belief in resolving things through understanding instead of violence reshaped how I view growth, relationships, and what it means to never give up.
Jared Feather
Growing up in survival mode while watching the people I loved struggle day to day, especially my mother, wasn’t the easiest, and there were days I didn’t know if we’d make it. But even then, even as a kid, I decided: I will carry this. I didn’t know how, but I knew I had to become strong enough to hold the weight.
Fitness became the one place I had control when everything else was chaotic—poverty, fear, uncertainty. I could at least go to the gym and “fight back.” Rep after rep, I was building something. Maybe not a body at first. Perhaps just a shield. Something to protect the people who couldn’t defend themselves.
So I worked. I worked through pain, through exhaustion, and through doubt.
By the time I made it to university, a place I never thought I’d be, I ended up with three jobs, was full-time with school, and sent everything I earned home to my family, as I had been helping since a very young age. Every day was an internal struggle and a battle, but I didn’t win it because I was special. I won (in a sense) because I refused to lose.
But even now, standing on a bodybuilding stage, with all of the business endeavors, helping to change lives, people still don’t see the whole picture. They see the physique and the success, but what they don’t see is that I still approach these things like my family’s future depends on it.
Because it did—and maybe, in some ways, it still does.
This brings me to the point of all of this. I saw such a contrast in my life compared to aura farming animes (probably my favorite kind), as it is with anyone who trains lol. The training montages, the burdens these characters hold for others, and the way it shapes these characters into who they are.
Sung Jinwoo in Solo Leveling, which is a fairly new anime, is someone I have found I fully relate to.
He started off weak, broke, and disregarded. He works as a hunter just to survive and help his sister while trying to keep his mother alive. Sound familiar?
Everyone wrote him off until he got a second chance—a “reawakening.” But the craziest part?
Even after he became powerful, he never did it for himself. He kept going, leveling up, suffering, because he loved too hard to let anyone else break the way he had.
This anime, as well as so many others, has really motivated me through some of my hardest times. Without these sorts of “role models,” I don’t know where I would be. Because I did not have any in my day-to-day, I had to look to these characters, even if it was just for motivation to keep fighting.
Anime truly is a phenomenal tool for anyone struggling with internal conflicts or anyone who asks themselves the hard questions in life. The stories lay out almost as their own magisterium—answers to the questions we ask ourselves in this life. Next time you encounter a problem that is eating at you, or you feel like giving up, I encourage you to give anime a shot.
Shawn Gann
What an amazing outlet and representation of perseverance anime can be, huh? For myself and many others, it symbolizes overcoming obstacles, believing in oneself, and knowing that putting forth everything you can (and more) is always the right choice. Anime has meant a great deal to me throughout my whole life and different shows have helped me through different stages, as well.
As a child, Robotech taught me teamwork and friendship were keys in defending what you cherished, and that giant mechs were AWESOME. In college, my friends and I watched Goku in Dragon Ball Z power up over dozens and dozens of episodes to save worlds and defeat evil, never ever giving up. We also marveled at Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop and prayed we could even be a fraction as cool as him. And these days, shows like Frieren remind me how time can be so fleeting and the value of living are in the connections you make and deeds you've done. What a great gift anime has been and continues to be.
To the fans—Anime has been a source of joy, a fulfilling professional outlet, and a way of life for me. Whether it's directing shows like Kaiju No. 8 and The Apothecary Diaries or acting in properties like One Piece and Ranking of Kings, I find so much to love and discover. And it's all only possible because of your love and appreciation. I hope all of you out there keep supporting the artform, keep adding to its beauty, and keep believing that great storytelling can shift the world. Much love and thanks to you all!
Find the contributors…
Trevor Fullbright
IG: @Trevorxgage
Jorge Brites
IG: @jorge_bfitness
Dr. James Hoffmann
IG: @rpdrjames
Andres Botero
IG: @broterotv_
Jared Feather IFBB Pro
IG: @Jared_feather
Shawn Gann
IG: @readykafka