Alex Cabrera (“Kakarot”), Remembered

Alex Cabrera, known in the Dragon Ball community as “Kakarot” on Facebook, has died. Let us take a moment to remember him.

A GoFundMe has been created to help Alex’s parents and family to pay for his medical expenses and funeral. Please donate and share the link.

Most Dragon Ball fans are familiar with Alex through his popular Facebook page, TheOriginalKakarot, with its over 225,000 followers. It was on this page that Alex shared his love for the series that has touched our hearts. From funny and silly posts, to inspiring and meaningful, Alex influenced fans across the world for the last 7 years.

Unfortunately, Alex was involved in a car accident on August 16, 2018. He was making a U-turn on the interstate, and was hit by a truck. The resulting injury caused Alex to fall into a coma.

Doctors told his family that Alex’s brain stem was damaged beyond repair, and as a result, he was brain-dead. Even if surgery were performed, there was a less than 1% chance of survival. After a week of consideration, his family took Alex off of life support. Alex passed away on August 24, at the age of 25.

Alex first saw Dragon Ball when he was 3 years old, and his favorite character was Goku. A friend of Alex’s sent me this message that Alex wrote to him on September 1, 2017, about Goku’s influence on his life:

“Dragon Ball has always been there for me. I grew up admiring Goku and the way he saw the world. Of course, I wasn’t some monkey child with super powers, but I was learning about the world as I explored my surroundings too. Although lots of people say he’s selfish, I don’t think that’s all that bad, as the adjective would have you believe. He’s just what all of us would be if we had the courage to follow our dreams.”

Alex was not a YouTube star with a million subscribers. Nor was he a voice actor who signs autographs at conventions. He was an everyday fan who was influenced by Dragon Ball’s spirit to the point that he asked himself, ‘Where can I make a difference? What can I do with what I’ve got?’

Alex conveyed the Dragon Ball spirit to others through the positive messages and humor that he shared on his page. Many Dragon Ball fans know the influence that Goku has on fans, and Alex was eager to share that influence with others. He tried to inspire people to be better, to push through hardship, and to take life more lightly.

One fan expressed, “Kakarot, or rather I say Alex, has helped me so much through his content to the extent of being able to put the smallest smile and hope to my face in times of depression or anxiety, or simply allowing me to re-live my childhood. The way he stayed in character, all the way to how he posted about the show and had a community following him that were so nice and welcoming and loving, that’s not something you see very often, and being able to reach that point is not something many could do. … Rest easy, Super Saiyan.”

Alex shared his personal Dragon Ball story in my book, Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom. I have decided to make his story available to everyone at no charge. Click here to read Alex Cabrera’s Dragon Soul (PDF).

On September 23, Alex’s friends will conduct a live-stream charity game-athon for Alex’s family, held on Twitch, at the channel thedailybrief. Follow their channel for the details.

Even though Alex’s body has died in this world, every Dragon Ball fan knows our spirit lives on in the Other World. Let’s pray that Alex is enjoying the afterlife as a soul-cloud, or is training with King Kai to increase his power level.

Farewell, Alex. Just like your idol, Goku, your positive influence will continue in the hearts of all those you touched.

If you’d like to leave a message for Alex and his family, please do so in the comments below. You can also use the GoFundMe page.