Get ready for this: On November 27, Japan's University of the Ryukyus dropped a bombshell, announcing the discovery of a brand-new goby species. What makes this fish an instant legend? Its absolutely wild, eye-popping fin patterns that immediately screamed "Super Saiyan" to the research team, straight out of Akira Toriyama's iconic "Dragon Ball." So, naturally, they went all-in and officially named it Vanderhorstia supersaiyan (ヴァンダーホルスティア・スーパーサイヤン). The news blew up online, with everyone losing it over the fact that even fish are now tapping into their inner Saiyan!
▼ The "Super Saiyan" goby became a trending topic on X.
This "Super Saiyan" is actually a new species within the Vanderhorstia genus, reeled in from the "twilight zone" depths (roughly 100-300 meters) off the coast of Ishigaki Island. After lab analysis, it was officially confirmed as a brand-new species.
The research team also proposed the Japanese common name "Eleki Haze" (エレキハゼ), or "Electric Goby," because its coloration looks like "electrifying, explosive" light – totally chuunibyou, totally awesome. This new species description was jointly published by Dr. Keita Koeda and Dr. Mao Sato from the University of the Ryukyus.
Naturally, this name instantly grabbed tons of netizens' attention. Who knew a newly discovered fish could get such a chuunibyou-level name? Turns out there really *are* undiscovered Saiyan populations out there! LOL.
Turning the scientific name into "supersaiyan"? You'd think that's something only foreigners would pull off, but nope, it was the University of the Ryukyus! (Laughs)
And hey, if they find more similar species in the future, the naming convention is already set – Akira Toriyama-sensei already showed them the way! LOL.
While it's definitely a fun name, it's also the official scientific name for this fish. Who knows, maybe in the future, we'll actually see "Super Saiyan 2" or "Super Saiyan 3" pop up in scientific literature! XD