"He Didn't Back Down Even After Being Kicked from Behind": 'Real-Life Goku' Stands Up to Looters in France

Store employee protects shop alone despite being assaulted by rioters
Rushes to the scene after a colleague calls on his day off
Goes viral alongside a Dragon Ball poster

As large-scale protests against high prices and deteriorating education conditions swept across France, a video of an employee trying to protect his store alone despite being assaulted by looters has gone viral online. Netizens have praised him as the "Goku of Nice," after he stood his ground beside a poster of Son Goku, the protagonist of the popular Japanese manga "Dragon Ball."

On October 20, foreign media outlets including the New York Post reported that a man standing firm to protect a store amid looting during large-scale protests in France had drawn widespread attention. The man is Pierre, an employee at a video game retail chain in Nice, a city in southern France.

Online footage shows Pierre confronting people attempting to break into a store in front of its shattered window. A man kicked him from behind, knocking him down as he turned around. Social media

The incident took place on October 17, during large-scale protests across France. Nice’s city center was thrown into turmoil as some demonstrators and looters broke into stores to steal goods and damage property. Pierre, who was off work that day, received a call from a colleague saying that some protesters were threatening store employees. He then heard that the store’s windows had been smashed and looting was underway, and rushed to the scene.

In an interview with a news outlet, Pierre said that when he arrived, people were laughing as they destroyed the store. He entered through a broken window and drove the looters inside out of the store. But the situation grew even more violent.

A video posted online shows Pierre confronting people trying to break into the store in front of its shattered window. One man kicked him from behind, knocking him down as he turned around. People nearby jeered and cheered, and some threw objects at Pierre as he lay on the ground. Pierre got back up and stood guard in front of the store. His wife, who was at the scene, also stepped between him and the crowd. Pierre said that even as stones and fruit were thrown, he first got his wife to safety, then remained at the scene for a long time to try to prevent further break-ins. What particularly caught people’s attention was the Son Goku poster standing right beside him.

Images of Pierre standing alongside the Son Goku poster, which had been put up to promote the game "Dragon Ball FighterZ," spread online, prompting comparisons to a hero from a movie. Pierre said he had enjoyed Japanese anime, including "Dragon Ball," since childhood and had kept the poster in the store because he liked the game.

A video posted online shows Pierre confronting people attempting to break into a store in front of its shattered window. One man kicked him from behind, knocking him down as he turned around. Social media

Images of him later spread across social media, earning him the nickname "Goku of France." Unfortunately, despite Pierre’s efforts, the store was ultimately looted. In an interview with local media, he said his actions had not been carefully planned but had been an instinctive response driven by his desire to protect the store.

Messages of support for Pierre have continued since the incident. On social media, many have praised his courage in standing up to violence and protecting the store. Online in Japan, people have also rallied around him, affectionately calling him "Otaku Big Bro."

Pierre thanked people around the world for their support, while emphasizing that peaceful protests should be distinguished from looting. He said the protests themselves were legitimate social movements calling for higher wages, relief from the cost of living, and better education conditions, but that some looters had taken advantage of the chaos to commit violence and undermine the protests' original purpose.

Arson and looting incidents followed nationwide protests in France on October 17. Most rallies were peaceful, but in some areas masked rioters attacked stores and clashed with police.

According to reports by Agence France-Presse and other outlets, luxury stores, supermarkets, electronics retailers, and clothing stores were looted in major cities including Paris, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux, and Lille. Some looters appeared to act in an organized manner, disabling store security cameras before smashing windows, breaking in, and stealing merchandise.

Luxury stores including Kenzo and Celine were looted in Paris, while an Apple store was targeted in Lille. An Hermes store was attacked in Marseille, and a tourist information center was set on fire in Lyon. Some small business owners whose stores were looted complained that the police response was slow. The French government has said it will take a tough approach to violence and looting during the protests. Police are continuing to make arrests at the scene and investigate those involved in looting and arson.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.