LOS ANGELES — “Dragon Ball” may be a Japanese-born anime, but the series has become a major pop culture influencer for years. Rappers sprinkle references in their rhymes, athletes channel the character’s super powers when making big plays and the franchise’s star even made a towering appearance at November’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

That influence stateside is likely to grow Wednesday with the theatrical release of “Dragon Ball Super: Broly,” the 20th film in the “Dragon Ball” franchise that spans video games, six animated spinoffs and more than 500 television episodes. It all started in 1984 when Akira Toriyama created the best-selling comic book series, known as a manga in Japan.

“‘I’ve been a fan for so long, and I know a lot of others are too. It’s like a cult following,” said De’Aaron Fox, the 21-year-old Sacramento Kings guard who owns a pair of Dragon Ball Z-themed basketball shoes. Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen and Golden State Warriors player Jordan Bell are also fans of the anime who have worn custom Dragon Ball-themed shoes in games.

The franchise stars Goku, an alien who lands on Earth as a child and trains in martial arts through his adulthood, venturing across the globe to find seven orbs, known as Dragon Balls. He and other human-looking aliens, known as Saiyans, occasionally transform into Super Saiyans with enormous power that unleashes a glowing aura and random arcs of electricity around them. The transformation turns their black SPIKEY hair blonde.

“‘Dragon Ball’ really made an imprint on the world, particularly in entertainment,” Fox said. “You hear so many references in songs, mostly from hip-hop and rap. Athletes are coming out as fans as well. Like People are saying they want to become like Goku. It’s a big deal.”

Its crossover appeal was evident during the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade , when a 56-foot-tall, 70-foot-long Goku balloon floated above Manhattan, making the front page of The New York Times.

Many have followed “Dragon Ball” since they were kids, and the more famous fans incorporated it into their work, too.

Chris Brown posted an image on social media of a Dragon Ball tattooed on his leg and Goku’s face painted on a red Lamborghini. Chance the Rapper has mentioned the anime in two songs. Before a wrestling match, Ronda Rousey wore a shirt with her favorite character and “cartoon crush” Vegeta, the prince of the Saiyans who is an ally of Goku.

The Super Saiyan form is popular in the hip-hop community. Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball along with Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert, The Weeknd and Childish Gambino has rapped about achieving Super Saiyan status in their songs.

After Cleveland Browns tight end Darren Fells scored a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders this season, he and David Njoku performed the fusion dance . In the anime, the fusion dance merges two or more bodies together to form a powerful entity.

The self-professed “Dragon Ball” experts practiced the dance during training camp on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

“We worked on it in camp and we do it here and there in practice,” Njoku said. “If I score or he scores, we’ll do it. We put it all together in the Raiders game.”

When Fox reaches a higher level on the basketball court, he uses the phrase to compliment himself.

“When I’m ballin’ like crazy on the court, they say I’m going Super Saiyan,” he said.

Artist Jake Merten has created several murals dedicated to “Dragon Ball” characters in several cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City and Denver and plans to create a new one to celebrate “Dragon Ball: Broly” this week in LA.

“As a kid, I liked the good-versus-evil story, but I was drawn in through the different aesthetics that were used,” said Merten, 30. “It was completely different than American cartoons. Even as a child, I appreciated the art direction and the way the TV show took on a different form than other cartoons, animes or movies.”

The “Dragon Ball” franchise has been criticized for sometimes having flawed animations and story inconsistencies between its anime and manga.

But Sean Schemmel, who has voiced Goku in the English version since 1999, said “Dragon Ball” will stack up better than other anime. Other popular ones include “One Piece,” ”Naruto,” ”Case Closed” and “Golgo 13.”

“I believe a hundred years from now, there will be no anime bigger than ‘Dragon Ball,'” Schemmel said. “There’s a bunch of anime coming out of Japan, and we work on a lot of them. But in terms of the epic scope, and the crossover mass appeal, it’s going to be hard to beat ‘Dragon Ball.’ It’s a special show that inspires those who don’t have a voice.”

Story: Jonathan Landrum Jr.

HAIFA, Israel — An art exhibit in Israel featuring a crucified Ronald McDonald has sparked protests by the country’s Arab Christian minority.

Hundreds of Christians calling for the removal of the sculpture, entitled “McJesus,” demonstrated at the museum in the northern city of Haifa last week.

Israeli police say rioters hurled a firebomb at the museum and threw stones that wounded three police officers. Authorities dispersed the crowds with tear gas and stun grenades.

Church representatives brought their grievances to the district court Monday, demanding it order the removal of the exhibit’s most offensive items, including Barbie doll renditions of a bloodied Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

Museum director Nissim Tal said that he was shocked at the sudden uproar, especially because the exhibit — intended to criticize what many view as society’s cult-like worship of capitalism — had been on display for months. It has also been shown in other countries without incident.

The protests appear to have been sparked by visitors sharing photos of the exhibit on social media.

Christians make up a tiny percentage of Israel’s Arab minority and say they face unique challenges.

“We need to understand that freedom of expression is interpreted in different ways in different societies,” said Wadie Abu Nassar, an adviser to church leaders. “If this work was directed against non-Christians, the world would be turned upside down.”

Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev, who has been accused of censorship for pushing legislation mandating national “loyalty” in art, also called for the removal of the “disrespectful” artwork.

The museum has refused to remove the artwork, saying that doing so would infringe on freedom of expression. But following the protests it hung a curtain over the entrance to the exhibit and posted a sign saying the art was not intended to offend.

“This is the maximum that we can do,” Tal said. “If we take the art down, the next day we’ll have politicians demanding we take other things down and we’ll end up only with colorful pictures of flowers in the museum.”

But that did little to placate those who want the artwork removed. A protester remained camped out in a tent at the museum on Monday with a sign reading “Respect religions.” Police watched closely as local Christians complained to reporters in front of street signs spray-painted with crosses and windows still shattered from last week’s clashes.

“This is very offensive and I cannot consider this art,” Haifa artist and devout Christian Amir Ballan said. “We will continue through peaceful rallies and candle vigils… We won’t be quiet until we reach a solution.”

Jani Leinonen, the Finnish artist behind “McJesus,” has also asked that it be taken down — but for a different reason.

He says he supports Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, or BDS, a Palestinian-led movement aimed at pressuring Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinians. The group has made significant gains in recent years, persuading a number of foreign artists to cancel performances in Israel.

Tal said the museum won’t bow to religious or political pressure.

“We will be defending freedom of speech, freedom of art, and freedom of culture, and will not take it down,” he said.