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Ryan Garcia once professed his affinity for the beloved anime series 'Naruto,' citing it as an inspiration for his fight preparations.
Garcia shines as one of boxing's most promising and youthful talents. 'KingRy' adeptly utilizes social media as a promotional tool, garnering an impressive following of nearly 20 million across various platforms.
However, it's not just his online presence that defines him. Garcia's prowess in the ring is equally captivating. With lightning-fast hands and knockout power, the 25-year-old American consistently delivers electrifying moments that resonate far beyond the digital realm.
In December 2018, Garcia faced Braulio Rodriguez, securing victory with a fifth-round knockout. Before this significant bout, 'KingRy' shared an intriguing pre-fight ritual on Twitter (now X), revealing his penchant for watching 'Naruto' to psyche himself up before entering the ring:
"I watch 'Naruto' before I fight don’t ask me why but I do."
The former WBC interim lightweight champion's familiarity with the series extends deeply, as evidenced by a follow-up tweet where he delved into one of the valuable life lessons he gleaned from the anime series:
"I wanted to share something from the show that I thought was true: 'You mature through pain, learn and reflect when you feel pain, and then you come up with your answer to get rid of the pain you feel!'" [H/T comicbook.com]
'Naruto' is an immensely popular animated series, adapted from a Japanese manga penned and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The series ran in Shueisha's shonen manga publication Weekly Shonen Jump from September 1999 to November 2014, spanning across 72 volumes.
The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, a spirited young ninja driven by a desire for acknowledgment among his peers and a lofty ambition to become the Hokage, the esteemed leader of his village.
How did Ryan Garcia develop his interest in watching 'Naruto'?
During an interview with GQ Sports in January 2020, Ryan Garcia said that initially, he wasn't fond of 'Naruto' and instead, was a devoted fan of another renowned anime series, 'Dragon Ball Z.'
However, upon encountering the captivating storyline of Naruto Uzumaki, his interest was swiftly piqued. 'KingRy' disclosed that he became so engrossed in the series that he occasionally found himself becoming emotional while watching it:
"My favorite anime. Honestly, at first, I didn't how much I would like 'Naruto', just because I would see everybody talk about him, I was like, I don't know, it looks a little lame, not gonna lie. Well, I was in, of couse, ''Dragon Ball Z', but then I was like, I want something more of a storyline, so I looked into 'Naruto' and stroryline of the show was amazing."
Check out Ryan Garcia's comments below (4:21):
