FEATURE: The G FUEL x Dragon Ball Z Collaboration Will Give You A Saiyan Boost
When it comes to the world of supplements, the ones I’m most wary of are energy drinks and pre-workout powders. Will they taste too bad? Will they be borderline inedible? Will they do nothing or will I be left wanting to rip my own skin off after one sip? No one wants to feel like they’ve wasted their money on these big tubs, tubs that will inevitably be left taking up too much room in a sad kitchen cabinet somewhere if they’re not up to par. So you have to be careful which ones you purchase.
That said, the G FUEL x Dragon Ball Z collaboration is pretty solid. Now, full disclosure: G FUEL has been marketed to both people looking to exercise and people who want a boost for gaming and other activities. I fit firmly in the former category, so if you take these while doing something that involves a lot more sitting and/or Fortnite, your results may be different than mine. But if you A) like to work out, B) want a nice jump start and C) enjoy the heck out of some Dragon Ball Z like I do, this might be right up your alley.
There are three flavors: Kamehameha (strawberry lychee), Hidden Power (citrus freeze) and Saiyan Pride (melon sorbet). I took them in that order for a shoulder workout, a leg workout and then a chest workout, respectively. My advice is to use a half-to-full scoop with an ample amount of water to mix because these are definitely very sweet and if you get an uneven ratio, they might be a tad overpowering in that regard.
I was taken aback at first by this when I tried the Kamehameha, but just adding a bit more water fixed it up immediately. I know that’s kind of a personal preference and those using an energy drink for a workout for the first time might want something that goes down easily like that instead of diving into the murky deep end of other haphazard pre-workout mixes.
For all three, I was pleased to find a sensation that didn’t sneak up on me or make me feel like I wanted to chew through my own seatbelt on the way to the gym. Instead, G FUEL x Dragon Ball Z gave me a jolt that lasted throughout the entire workout, with some added focus that might have helped me hit a bench press record on the chest day (the closest I felt to going Super Saiyan while trying this).
There were none of the drawbacks that some lesser energy drink powders have given me, like nausea or a jittery sensation that lasts too long. Instead, it was mostly energetic concentration, even during the final set of the lift which tends to be the most exhausting or the one that is ripest for failure or losing form simply to get the repetition done. It’s what you’d want when you’re trying to get a bar off your chest, but also what you’d expect when the art on the tub features Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz.
Earlier, I mentioned Kamehameha being the sweetest of the three, but they’re not all built the same in this regard — the most muted taste comes from Hidden Power (appropriate given that the tub features Gohan and Piccolo, a pair whose relationship was initially built on harsh, distant training and a kind of mutual quest for confidence). However, my favorite is probably Saiyan Pride. I might be biased because of the aforementioned bench personal record, but it’s also the smoothest to sip casually throughout the workout. Even after trying these out for this review, I return to that flavor the most.
Overall, I find G FUEL x Dragon Ball Z easily worth recommending, especially to those that have never really tried an energy drink or pre-workout powder before and are looking to boost their performance a bit. For those that have used them for a long time, it might be a bit on the sweet side, but with enough water, it really helps dilute it and thus give your workout a consistent spark with none of the heavy aftertaste.
Obviously, if you have any questions about it and how it might potentially affect you in adverse ways, consult your doctor or a medical professional. Each tub of G FUEL x Dragon Ball Z goes for $35.99 and while some are sold out on the site, a few are currently up for pre-order. Channel your inner Saiyan and give it a try!
Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter! His book, Monster Kids: How Pokemon Taught A Generation To Catch Them All, is available wherever books are sold.
