If you spent any time on the "Spanish side" of YouTube during the height of the Dragon Ball Super Tournament of Power, you saw him. He was tall. He was gray. He wore the Pride Trooper uniform, but with a twist. This wasn't Jiren. It was Dragon Ball El Hermano, the fictional older brother of Jiren who somehow became a permanent fixture in the franchise's subculture.
Seriously.
It’s one of the weirdest rabbit holes in anime history. One minute you're watching Goku struggle with Ultra Instinct, and the next, you’re seeing a fan-made thumbnail of a guy who looks like Jiren but has a weirdly menacing chin and glowing eyes. People weren't just making art; they were crafting an entire, shadow-canon lore that rivals actual Toei Animation scripts in its sheer audacity.
The Origin of the El Hermano Myth
How did this even happen? You have to understand the climate of 2017 and 2018. The Tournament of Power was peaking. Jiren was this immovable object, a character defined by his strength but—let’s be honest—kind of a blank slate when it came to his backstory for a long time. Fans were hungry for more. Specifically, the Spanish-speaking community, which has always been the heart and soul of Dragon Ball’s global popularity, started poking fun at the trope of "the stronger older brother."
It started as a parody of the "Gohan Blanco" and "Calvo" memes. You’ve probably seen those too—the ones where Gohan turns white-haired or El Grande Padre (Grand Priest) becomes a final boss. Dragon Ball El Hermano was the logical next step. If Jiren is the strongest in the multiverse, surely he has an older brother who is ten times stronger, right? The logic is hilariously flawed, and that’s exactly why it worked.
Someone took a screenshot of Jiren, photoshopped it to look slightly older and more "veteran," and labeled it "El Hermano."
The name stuck.
Suddenly, he wasn't just a meme. He was a character with a move set. He had a motivation: he was supposedly the one who actually killed Jiren’s master, Gicchin, or he was the one Jiren was actually training to defeat. It was fan-fiction masquerading as leaked spoilers, and for a hot second, the internet almost believed it.
Why the Meme Actually Matters to the Fandom
You might think this is just some niche internet joke that died out. You'd be wrong.
The staying power of Dragon Ball El Hermano tells us a lot about how we consume media now. We don't just watch shows; we remix them. When Jiren’s official backstory was finally revealed in the anime—involving a generic "evil-doer" who killed his parents and teacher—the fans were actually a little disappointed. The "evil-doer" was shadowy and lacked personality.
El Hermano, despite being a total fabrication, had personality. He represented the community's desire for a villain with a personal, familial connection to the hero (or antagonist, in Jiren’s case).
The meme grew so large that it transcended static images. Modders started putting El Hermano into Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 and Dragon Ball FighterZ. You can go on YouTube right now and find "Full Fight" videos where Ultra Instinct Goku and Jiren have to team up to fight El Hermano. The production value on some of these fan animations is honestly staggering. They use the official voice lines, spliced and edited, to create entire cinematic experiences. It's a testament to the passion of the LATAM Dragon Ball community.
Breaking Down the Power Scaling (The Meme Version)
In the world of these memes, power levels don't make sense. They shouldn't.
- Jiren: Strong enough to shake the World of Void.
- Ultra Instinct Goku: The pinnacle of godly technique.
- El Hermano: Literally deletes universes by blinking.
It’s a parody of the "power creep" that has defined Dragon Ball since the 80s. If Goku gets a new form, the villain needs a new form, then the secret brother needs a super form. It’s a cycle that fans both love and love to mock. By creating Dragon Ball El Hermano, the fandom was essentially saying, "We see what you're doing, Toei, and we're going to take it to the most ridiculous extreme possible."
The Cultural Impact of the Spanish Dragon Ball Community
We can't talk about El Hermano without talking about the "DBS" viewing parties. Remember when thousands of people gathered in town squares in Mexico and Ecuador to watch the final episodes of the Tournament of Power? The governments literally had to get permission from Toei and Crunchyroll to broadcast it.
That is the environment that birthed Dragon Ball El Hermano.
This community doesn't just consume the show. They own it. They create memes like "Shaggy Blanco" (Scooby-Doo’s Shaggy with Ultra Instinct) and integrate them into the Dragon Ball mythos. It’s a shared language. If you walk into a convention in Mexico City and say "El Hermano," everyone knows exactly who you’re talking about. It’s a badge of honor for being part of the "deep" fandom.
What Real Fans Should Take Away
Is El Hermano real? No. Obviously. But is he part of the Dragon Ball experience? Absolutely.
When you’re browsing for news on Dragon Ball Super’s return or looking for leaks on the next movie, you’re going to run into these fan creations. The key is to distinguish between the "official" canon and the "community" canon.
Honestly, the community canon is sometimes more fun.
The official Jiren is a stoic, somewhat lonely warrior who learned that strength isn't everything. He’s a great character. But the meme version of Jiren’s world—filled with brothers, grand priests with hidden agendas, and Gohan reaching heights the writers would never allow—is a vibrant, hilarious playground.
Don't dismiss Dragon Ball El Hermano as just a low-quality edit. It’s a piece of digital folklore. It’s what happens when a global audience takes a story and decides they aren't finished with it yet. It represents a bridge between the corporate-owned IP and the fans who actually keep the lights on.
How to Explore the Lore Safely
If you want to dive deeper into this madness, here’s how to do it without getting confused by fake "leaks":
- Check the Source: If the video has "El Hermano" in the title and claims it’s an official leak from Akira Toriyama’s desk, it’s a parody. Enjoy it for the animation, not the news.
- Look for the Mods: The best way to "experience" the character is through the gaming community. The Xenoverse 2 mods for El Hermano are incredibly detailed and actually fun to play.
- Learn the Terms: Familiarize yourself with "Gohan Blanco," "Rolf (from Ed, Edd n Eddy) Ultra Instinct," and "Padre." It’s an entire cinematic universe of memes.
Understanding Dragon Ball El Hermano is about understanding the joy of being a fan. It’s about not taking the power levels too seriously and embracing the sheer absurdity of a franchise where aliens punch each other through mountains. It’s weird, it’s chaotic, and it’s exactly why this fandom is still the strongest in the world.
Next time you see a bald, gray alien with a malicious grin in your YouTube recommendations, don't keep scrolling. Click on it. Witness the pinnacle of fan-made madness. Just don't expect him to show up in the next official manga chapter—unless Toyotaro decides to give the fans the ultimate fanservice.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit Your Sources: When looking for Dragon Ball Super news, cross-reference "leaks" with official sites like the Dragon Ball Official Site or reputable translators like Herms98 on X (formerly Twitter).
- Explore Fan Projects: Check out high-quality fan animations on YouTube (like those from MastarMedia or various LATAM animators) to see how they’ve integrated meme characters into actual stories.
- Join the Conversation: Dive into Reddit communities like r/dbz or r/Dragonballsuper to see how these memes continue to evolve as new content is released.