New Texas Attorney General reveals little

The new Attorney General of Texas has opened up about his unusual route to politics: including his time composing the score for popular 2000s anime series Dragon Ball Z.

Democrat Nathan Johnson, who is currently a member of the Texas Senate, defeated his Republican rival Mayes Middleton in yesterday’s midterm election to win the race and become his state’s next Attorney General.

Prior to his political career Johnson worked as a lawyer, and he also owned a music production company that worked with Funimation Entertainment on the English-language dub of the Japanese series.

In the caption of a video posted to his social media prior to the election, Johnson wrote: “If you grew up watching Dragon Ball Z, you might know me better than you think: I composed the musical scores for 67 episodes and five movies, and had a great time doing it.”

Johnson also reportedly wrote the scores for spin-off movies The World’s Strongest, The Tree of Might, Broly – Second Coming, Fusion Reborn, and Wrath of the Dragon.

In the accompanying clip, Johnson explained: “In the 2000s, I wrote the musical scores, wall to wall, of 67 episodes of Dragon Ball Z and five of the movies. It was a lot of fun. I had a one-year-old at the time, and I remember him sitting on my knee and stuff blowing up. He’s like, ‘Oh, Daddy, Goku!’ He thought it was super cool. Even then, it got me street cred with my kid’s friends.”

He added: “It gave me a creative outlet and a cultural connection that very few people have had the opportunity to have.”

Dragon Ball Z first debuted on Japanese television in 1989, and was adapted for the United States audience in 1996. The series follows the adventures of the heroic Son Goku as he defends the Earth from various monsters and villains.

The show went on to become wildly popular around the world. In 2024, it was announced that a Dragon Balltheme park is being constructed in Saudi Arabia.

Johnson, who campaigned under the slogan “Nathan For Texas,” was one of many Democratic candidates who declared victory in the state last night.

Texas Democrats achieved historic victories up and down the ballot across statehouse and congressional districts, dealing a major blow to the state’s Republican stronghold.

Gina Hinojosa defeated three-term governor Greg Abbott in a seismic political upset, while James Talarico celebrated a victory against Republican Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate.