How a ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Composer Became Texas’ Next Top Lawyer
Few anime fans stop to think about who wrote the music behind the Saiyan battles that defined their afternoons. The English-language release of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ carried its own score, and the person who wrote much of it had no obvious connection to animation.
By his own account, he had never watched ‘Dragon Ball’ or any anime, and had never scored a commercial project before landing the job. That makes the gig an odd chapter in a résumé that only got stranger from there.
This week, that résumé added its biggest line yet. Nathan Johnson, the Democratic state senator who previously composed music for ‘Dragon Ball Z,’ defeated Republican Mayes Middleton in Tuesday’s election to become Texas’ next attorney general, replacing Ken Paxton. Complex Pop Culture flagged the win on X, and the internet has been buzzing about the anime connection ever since.
The scale of the music credit is bigger than a passing cameo. Johnson composed music for 67 episodes and 5 movies in the English-language release of ‘Dragon Ball Z.’ The films include ‘Dragon Ball Z: The World’s Strongest,’ ‘The Tree of Might,’ ‘Second Coming,’ ‘Fusion Reborn,’ and ‘Wrath of the Dragon.’
The win also carries real political weight beyond the trivia. Johnson is the first Democrat to hold the position of Texas attorney general in 27 years. It was one of many headline-grabbing results on a night when Democrats had a strong showing across the country.
None of this came out of nowhere, either. Johnson already went viral for the same reason back in 2018, when Anime News Network reported on the ‘Dragon Ball Z’ dub composer claiming a Texas Senate seat. He took 54% of the vote in that race.
His background reads like a character build from a very unusual RPG. He graduated magna cum laude with a physics degree from the University of Arizona and earned his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Music, science, and law all sit on the same résumé.
Once in the state Senate, he kept busy. Johnson has said he passed 134 bills into law over 4 sessions. That legislative record is the foundation he carried into the attorney general race.
Johnson has also spoken warmly about his time in the anime world. He has described the work as a creative outlet and a cultural connection that few people ever get, and he recalled his then 1-year-old son excitedly calling out Goku while explosions played on screen. It is a charming detail for a politician with a serious new job.
The coverage shows how much the story has resonated beyond politics. BroBible described his role in helping bring ‘Dragon Ball Z’ to American audiences decades ago. Outlets in other languages picked it up too, including Excélsior in Mexico, which highlighted his unexpected anime past.
For a franchise built on underdogs powering up beyond all expectations, the story feels oddly fitting. Plenty of fans will now hear those old ‘Dragon Ball Z’ cues a little differently. And somewhere in Texas, a lawyer, former composer, and newly elected attorney general is getting ready for a very different kind of power level.
