Why Is "Eat Salmon on Christmas" Trending in May? Japan's Legendary Tokusatsu Episode Sparks Early Summer Buzz

In late May, as the early summer breeze set in, the phrase "Eat salmon on Christmas!" suddenly started trending on Japanese social media, painting timelines entirely pink with salmon-related posts. Why did this bizarre phenomenon occur more than six months before Christmas? The reason lies in the free release of a "legendary episode" highly revered among tokusatsu (special effects) fans.

The buzz centers around Episode 45 of the Super Sentai series Kaito Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger (often abbreviated as Lupapat), which recently became available for free on the Toei Tokusatsu YouTube Official channel. In this episode, a villainous Gangler monster named "Samon Shakingstantin" appears. He commits the unprecedented villainy of stealing all the chicken from the city at Christmas and forcing salmon upon the citizens—an act fans affectionately call "Salmon Harassment" (or Shake-hara).

On social media, users flocked to laugh at the highly out-of-season arrival, posting comments like, "The rainy season is just around the corner, so why is Samon here?" and "This is way too early." Many fans also took the opportunity to praise the original writing team for successfully inserting such an incredibly absurd, wacky episode right as the show's main storyline was reaching a highly serious and tense climax—all without derailing the overall plot.

Since its original broadcast, this "Salmon Episode" has had a surprisingly massive impact on both internet communities and the food industry. With this recent free streaming, the premature chorus of "Eat salmon on Christmas!" is set to keep the internet lively once again this year.

The Context: Japan’s Unique Christmas Traditions and the Rise of a Salmon Meme

To understand why this episode resonates so deeply, it helps to look at how Christmas is celebrated in Japan. Unlike in Western countries where turkey or ham is standard, Japan has a highly popular modern tradition of eating fried chicken (largely popularized by KFC marketing campaigns) on Christmas Eve. The villain in this Super Sentai episode, Samon Shakingstantin, acts as a direct, absurd counter to this culture by aggressively replacing all the chicken with salmon.

What started as a wacky gag in a kids' show quickly became a massive cultural phenomenon. In the years following the original 2018 broadcast, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) actively joined in on the meme, posting on social media on Christmas Eve to encourage citizens to indeed "eat salmon on Christmas" to support the local fishing industry. Supermarket chains across Japan have also used the character and the catchphrase to promote seafood sales during the holiday season, turning a quirky tokusatsu villain into a genuine marketing icon.

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