Japan Prime Minister Morphed Into Mario for Rio 2016 Closing

After 16 days of intense competitions, the quadrennial sporting event has finally come to an end. Rio 2016 has not been easy from the start. The game was plagued by scandals, ill-behaviors, crimes, and pain, but all those were overshadowed by a spectacular closing ceremony where Tokyo, represented by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, took over the Olympic flag. So, from here on and out, it will be all about Tokyo 2020 and given Japan’s reputation, we’d expect a lot from the games in respect to organization, logistics, quality of amenities, among other things. Already, Tokyo has won many hearts when a two-minute clip starring the Prime Minister himself (yes, the PM!), alongside iconic Japan anime and gaming characters, was broadcasted during the ceremony.

In the clip, which you can find below, Mr. Abe who was supposedly late for the Rio 2016 closing, morphed into the mushroom-stomping video game hero, Mario and dashed through the busy street of Shibuya with the Tokyo 2020’s logo, a red ball, in his hands. Obviously, eleven and a half thousand miles is a lot to cover even for the protagonist of the Mario video game series, but thankfully, the finger-less robotic cat Doraemon appeared to aid him. The blue cat pulled out a familiar green pipe out which burrows through the Earth to create a shortcut to Rio’s Maracana stadium.

Abe/Mario then took a last look at the supposed map of Rio, jumps into the pipe and moments later, appeared on the end of the green pipe in Rio. And then as quickly as ‘Mario’ appears, the overalls was tore off, signifying Mario transformation back to the Prime Minister. It was quite an entrance and probably one that many viewers will remember for years to come. the short clip also saw several iconic characters from gaming and anime cameoing, including the likes of Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, and Captain Tsubasa. So, yea, we expect a lot more from Tokyo 2020 – a lot more fun seeing these Japanese pop culture icons appearing as mascots in an International sporting event.

Image via Tokyo 2020.

via Kotaku