His favorite character was Piccolo from “Dragon Ball Z,” and his mom remembers making him a … Leave me alone. I’m trying to enjoy my shows,” he said. Until then, he's going to continue to bring anime to the playing field. He was originally named as an alternate, but he was able to go after Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle. Why are people, like, trying to push me in the mud?”. Why is everybody just mean to me? Daniels still loves the Dragon Ball franchise, but he's also drawn to Hunter X Hunter, Attack on Titan and Tokyo Ghoul, among others...Daniels estimates owning nearly 1,000 DVDs and VHS copies of anime series. • permalink; embed; save; give award; Quesly 93 points 94 points 95 points 1 year ago . During the NFL season, he preps before any given Sunday with a very specific routine: walkthrough, team meetings, dinner, and watching anime. With the Packers signing Muhammad Wilkerson to the roster this offseason and Kenny Clark having a productive 2017 season, Daniels has a chance to have another Pro Bowl-type season in 2018. • Battlestar Galactica cast share their favorite scenes, which still turn on the waterworks, Terminator: Dark Fate and the American tradition of dehumanization, La Voisin, France's murderous fortune teller, Share NFL star Mike Daniels is a cosplaying anime superfan — and says the league is filled with otaku [Fandom Files #21] on Facebook, Share NFL star Mike Daniels is a cosplaying anime superfan — and says the league is filled with otaku [Fandom Files #21] on Twitter, Share NFL star Mike Daniels is a cosplaying anime superfan — and says the league is filled with otaku [Fandom Files #21] on Reddit, full Naruto cosplay to San Diego Comic-Con last summer. Anime taught him it was OK to be himself, to like what he liked and to not try to conform to what was popular, he said. Even if you’re not into anime — or aren’t even sure exactly what it is — a new short documentary on defensive tackle Mike Daniels’ passion for it is a must-watch for Green Bay Packers fans. "There's a hero, and he has to go through a lot of rough training, put his body through the unthinkable so that he can save the world or do his task. He’s been known to give his oldest child a temporary pass on homework so they can watch “My Hero Academia” together. Why are people, like, hitting me upside my head for no reason? His teammates, of course, will definitely understand it. Different stakes, but nonetheless we understand, ‘I need to get ready for this big deal going on in front of me.'". Since 2013, Daniels has recorded at least four sacks in a season and he has notched 27 career sacks. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Granted, few are quite as devoted as O'Bryant and Daniels. But as much as Daniels loves football, there's something else he loves a little bit more. Submitted for the approval: Everything you didn't know about Are You Afraid of the Dark? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. It's run by Lawrence Guy, a defensive end who, no surprise, played with Daniels during the 2011-12 season. “He Was Anime,” a 12-minute film from Crunchyroll, gives insight into how Japanese film and television animation has been Daniels' passion since he was a little boy growing up in New Jersey, how it powered him through being bullied as a child and how it continues to drive him on on the field as a 29-year-old professional athlete. Mike Daniels loves football and he's emerging as one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. "My favorite thing is we play on Sundays, and Saturdays are Toonami. Don’t call me. Daniels is a lifelong fan who had his interest piqued as a kid when he watched Pokémon and Sailor Moon, then got hooked when he laid eyes on Dragon Ball Z — especially once he got pirated episodes from Japan from the dude behind the counter at his local comic book shop in Voorhees, New Jersey. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. Daniels was in elementary school when he first got hooked on anime. Visionnez He Was Anime (NFL's Mike Daniels) Épisode 1, He Was Anime (NFL's Mike Daniels), sur Crunchyroll. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Your IP: 97.79.236.99 By high school, Daniels was extremely fit and just as passionate about anime as ever — “a nerd with muscles,” a friend called him. Sign up for our FREE Packers newsletter now. As Daniels describes it, NFL locker rooms are now filled with guys who grew up rooting on Vegeta and getting hooked on other long-running Japanese imports; you could put together a Pro Bowl-caliber roster with athletes who have Crunchyroll subscriptions. Mike Daniels has arrived. Me, Eddie Lacy, and Chris Banjo — they play on two different teams now — we all went to see Battle of Gods when it came out in the theaters.". Here's what you should know before you go, Lombardi's Packers: Legendary players were part of Green Bay's social, neighborhood life, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. NFL star, Mike Daniels, has been elected to the Pro Bowl two years in a row and leads the Green Bay Packers as Defensive End. “And from then on, he was anime,” his dad said. The Green Bay Packers' defensive lineman has spent two decades obsessing over Japanese animation, otherwise known as anime, and now he has finally reached the mecca. Daniels’ love of anime has rubbed off on his wife, Heaven, and their three children. I’m like why is everybody just treating me like crap? • Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. And while Daniels has not forced a ton of fumbles in his career or made too many big plays, he is always around the football as he has recorded 218 tackles since 2012. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Plus, it really should come as no surprise that anime fandom has become so ingrained among NFL players, given the pure demographics. Daniels was drafted by the Packers in the fourth round in 2012 and after his rookie season, he started to take off. During the off season, he takes the kids to school, gets in a workout and then goes off the radar to do some serious anime binge-watching. "A lot of Shonen Jump anime, you see a lot of battles, a lot of aggression, and it's very relatable to players," he explains. That puts their childhoods firmly in the post-Pokémon and Dragon Ball era, when Cartoon Network began running its block of imported cartoons. "I know Gerald McCoy watches some anime. As a kid who didn’t fit in — “I was different, best way to put it,” he says — he dealt with significant bullying. Raikage, a character for the anime series Naruto. But as much as Daniels loves football, there's something else he loves a little bit more. Mike Daniels is a professional football player who began his career in 2012 with the Green Bay Packers and who at the time of this writing plays as a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati& When he presented on stage at Crunchyroll's Anime Awards earlier this month, he got jealous DMs from players across the league, wondering how he got on stage with their favorite voice actors and creatives. Performance & security by Cloudflare, Please complete the security check to access. Listen to Mike Daniels talk about anime: As Daniels describes it, NFL locker rooms are now filled with guys who grew up rooting on Vegeta and getting hooked on other long-running Japanese imports; you could put together a Pro Bowl-caliber roster with athletes who have Crunchyroll subscriptions. "Anime is part of the process," Daniels says. A whole generation of young kids, unbiased by perceptions of what's cool or what they'd do for a living, got hooked on the genre, and long before they developed into pro athletes. • Daniels admits that it may seem incongruous, a legion of "big tough football players," as he says, obsessing over a cartoon genre that's generally been associated with… well, not big tough football players. Cloudflare Ray ID: 5e50548dcd6ee376 I get to watch some of the best series I've seen in recent times. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. His or her challenge is saving the world, our challenge is winning the game. It was out of the mainstream, something he could take joy and pride in. Can't judge a … Daniels embraced the label. "I know Geno Atkins is a big anime fan, Cameron Jordan, Larry Warford, my boy Adam Gettis is a big anime fan," Daniels says, just beginning to rattle off some of the guys who would have opinions on the great dubs vs. subs debate. • Michael Wayne Daniels Jr. (born May 5, 1989) is an American football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). When you're in grade school, being a pro athlete is way more of a fantasy than coming home to watch some cartoon heroes kick ass on a daily basis. Update your browser for more security and the best experience on this site. Cloudflare Ray ID: 5e5054406bfd2f31 “All right, I’m going to toughen you up,” his dad told him, and he signed him up for wrestling, football and baseball. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. I love to slam people around. “He was Anime” was filmed in Green Bay and shows aerial shots of the city as well as such locations as Lambeau Field, the Packers fences along Lombardi Avenue and Flow Yoga Studio in De Pere.