What is Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons?

It's a running joke comparing Norwegian striker Erling Haaland to Super Buu from Dragon Ball Z, based on their similar frames, pale skin, and tied-back blond hair.

Where did Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons come from?

X user DepalomitaOk posted the first known Haaland-as-Buu artwork on January 9th, 2021, while Haaland was playing for Borussia Dortmund.

What does Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons mean?

Fans think Haaland's build and hairstyle make him look like Super Buu, so they treat his goals like a Dragon Ball villain absorbing opponents.

How do you use Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons?

People post side-by-side edits of Haaland and Buu, or paste one character's features onto the other, usually after a Haaland goal.

Is Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons still popular?

Yes, the meme hit its biggest peak during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and Haaland's own July 2026 Instagram reply pushed it further.

Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons

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Published August 1, 2026

Erling Haaland Majin Buu Comparisons is an ongoing joke that Norwegian striker Erling Haaland looks like Super Buu from Dragon Ball Z. It started as fan art in January 2021 during his Borussia Dortmund run and hit peak virality during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Overview

The format is straightforward: side-by-side photos, digital paintings, video edits and captioned screenshots that line up Haaland's face and build with those of Super Buu, sometimes with the striker's ponytail redrawn onto the pink alien's head. Some versions splice Buu into match footage after Haaland scores, others go the other way and drop Haaland's face over DBZ frames.

The joke sits in the same lane as the Mbappé Donatello meme, another footballer-to-cartoon lookalike gag that circulated on soccer Twitter around the same period3. TikTok breakdowns of the trend dwell on Haaland's pale complexion, tall frame and flat facial expression as the pieces that make the visual comparison land1.

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Origin & Background

Platform

X (Twitter) / Instagram (viral spread)

Creator

DepalomitaOk

Date

2021

The first known post drawing the comparison landed on X (then Twitter) on January 9, 2021, when user @DepalomitaOk shared original artwork of Haaland reimagined as Buu standing in front of the Borussia Dortmund crest, with Haaland's ponytail grafted onto the character3. Engagement was thin at the time, but the piece set the visual template that later creators, meme accounts and video editors ran with over the following years.

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Instagram

How It Spread

On March 27, 2021, YouTube channel S.E.Dinostv set a Haaland Bundesliga highlight reel over a Majin Buu rap track, one of the earliest audio-video mashups on the theme2. The comparison then ticked along in football-meme Instagram and Facebook feeds for the next couple of years, with edits after milestone Bundesliga and Manchester City goals keeping the joke in rotation.

The template hit full visibility during the mid-2026 FIFA World Cup. On July 6, 2026, TikTok user @spartanicartzdxd published an explainer video walking viewers through the meme's history that hit around 160,000 views and 24,300 likes inside twelve hours1. Other TikTokers followed with their own Haaland-as-Buu edits and stitched reactions4 5.

A day later, on July 7, 2026, Haaland himself weighed in. Replying to an Instagram post from the account hidden.ny lining him up next to Buu, he commented 'I mean I don't disagree,' a co-sign that pulled over 128,700 likes in two days and pushed the joke well past its earlier DBZ and football niches3.

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How to Use This Meme

Making a version typically means pairing a Haaland photo or clip with an image of Super Buu, either as a clean two-panel side-by-side or as a fused edit (Haaland's ponytail on Buu, or Buu's pink coloring on Haaland)1. Captions often play up moments where Haaland's on-pitch expression looks especially cartoonish, or riff on Buu absorption and power-up scenes to frame a Haaland goal streak.