Dragon Ball Z was at its peak of popularity in the early 2000′s. At that time, Goku and the other characters of DBZ were assimilated into African American culture.

One of the results was a transformation of the characters into “black” versions of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the other main characters.

There was a popular website that sprung up to specifically showcase this perspective of African American Dragon Ball fans. It was called DaBlackGoku.com.

The site ran from 1999 to 2003. It stopped being updated shortly afterward and then got lost to time.

Luckily I was able to find the site in the Internet Archive and download the pictures that were still accessible. I now have over 320 Black Goku pictures.

Then I went through a selection process, picked the best ones, color corrected and cropped them into today’s art gallery.

Since I had already showcased a few in the original The Black Goku article, they won’t be repeated.You can read more about the phenomenon there.

This gallery is different from the others in the Dragon Ball Art series. It’s not about displaying beautiful art. The idea is to show people how Goku and friends were assimilated by children and teenagers in the late 90′s and early 2000′s to become “black.”

A lot of the art is really unprofessional. Some of it’s a little better. None of it is exceptional. But the quality is irrelevant. It’s the message behind its creation that matters.

The fact that it EXISTS is worth sharing. You can’t find this anywhere else on the internet. That alone makes it valuable.

The sociological message behind it makes it even more fascinating. Try looking past the technical side and into the philosophical side. Why was this art created? Where did it come from? Who made it and why does it exist?

What you see here is a time capsule of Dragon Ball fandom. A thin slice of a sub culture within a sub culture.

Anime was on the rise but wouldn’t become “mainstream” until around 2004. Yet these fans took Dragon Ball to their hearts and produced something the world had never seen…

A Black Goku.

The Black Goku Art Gallery

“Mr. Popo. By most views he seems to be a pretty normal guy, but look at it another way. Mr. Popo though fragile looking has out… d after god after… and this porob… er end. Could … po is acctu… true god?”

Da Black Goku is Back!

Dragon Ball Z had a far reaching and profound impact on African American youth, and Da Black Goku website was only a single manifestation of its effect. Just the tip of the iceberg.

The series is still fondly remembered by millions of fans today, including Wu-Tang founder, The RZA, as he talks about in his book, The Tao of Wu [aff].

You can see a connection between the two in the image with Majin Vegeta, where instead of having the Majin “M” on his forehead he has the “W” symbol of the Wu-Tang Clan.

I can’t help but wonder, if Da Black Goku website were around today, what type of art do you think would be up there?

Fortunately there was so much great fan art that I couldn’t showcase them all in one post, so stay tuned for another Black Goku art gallery in the future!

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Dragon Ball Art – The Black Goku

The subject of the panel is “The Spirituality of Dragon Ball.”

Here’s the official description:

Exciting!

It’s an hour long show and there will be time at the end for questions. Plus you’ll be able to meet me in person. Who’d want to miss out on that, right?

The poem on the image above says:

“Coming…

I Am Coming Over the Mountain for You
I Am Coming Through the Stars and the Sky
I Am Coming Out From Where I Am
I Am Coming for You…”

That means I want the room packed with Dragon Ball fans. Let’s do this!!

Even if you don’t live in California, get on your Immortal Dragon and fly there!! The world is counting on you!!!

More info about the convention can be found at the AM² website, along with the other panelists mentioned on Anime News Network.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

The Spirituality of Dragon Ball Premiering at AM2 Convention

Alternative art is difficult to define and is a subject of much debate. I define it as the creative artistic license of established characters or places.

The art takes what you already know and transforms it into something new.

But how do we distinguish “alternative” art from any other fan art? To me, what makes a piece alternative is the feeling I get inside. It has to grab me and make me think, “Oh, now that’s different!”

And that’s what you’ll find in the following images.

Created by fans from across the world, each is in a unique artistic style. Even though they depict the same characters we all love, they’re done in such alternative ways that it really grabs your attention.

For example, the image above is titled “Vegeta Over 9,000″ by Sparky del Ireland, and is a modern twist of the Over 9,000 scene from Dragon Ball Z.

Remember, if you’d like to see more of these, please Like the article on Facebook (the button is at the top of the article) and leave comments at the end. Otherwise how else am I going to know?

Now let’s jump into these Dragon Ball inspired alternative works of art!

Dragon Ball Alternative Art

“Majin Vegeta” by melhell84

“Goku” by dodoithu

“Broly” by kzbulat

“Androids 18, 17″ by kzbulat

“Goku SSJ” by kzbulat

“Recoooooome” by Hellhause

“Dragon Ball Z in Manhua” by toriman-28

“Goku” by nevreme

“DBZ Heroes v2″ by c-dubbkitari5

“DBZ Villains” by c-dubbkitari5

“Bulma” by angelcano

“Goku Kaiohken vs Vegeta Ozharu” by javas

“GOKU” by kadlamalice

“Piccolo” by Pronton Liot

“Dragon Ball Piccolo” by GODTAIL

“Dragonball Tyaozu” by GODTAIL

“Dragon Ball Kamesennin” by GODTAIL

“Re Imagigne Goku” by AlexDeB

“Son Goku” by kadlamalice

“Vegeta SSJ4″ by RedVio

“Recoome” by Gold Copper

“Mirror” by Kamikaze-666

“Monkey Boy is So Tired” by rizaturker

Alternative Views

There are as many views on Dragon Ball as there are individual artists. Two artists can depict the same character in completely different ways, and yet still capture the spirit of Akira Toriyama’s original intentions.

Or maybe they purposefully go in an altogether different direction and yet we’re still able to see how Dragon Ball inspired their art.

I have too many favorites, including the big close up of Recoome’s face and the blue and green Goku. Not to mention the gender-bending Goku and Vegeta!

Which ones do you like the most? And remember, if you want more, Like the article on Facebook and leave comments, because it’s the best way to show your support.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Dragon Ball Art – Alternative

The original Dragon Ball series was inspired by ancient cultural concepts and paradigms written about in ancient China, inspired itself by Indian religions and native Daoism.

It has been logical that on The Dao of Dragon Ball blog I have focused my efforts on culture, history, spirituality and philosophy.

But with the beginning of Dragon Ball Z we are quickly introduced to aliens, other planets, space travel, evil scientists and artificial humans. The series becomes more outlandish and influenced by science fiction with every passing saga.

If I were to avoid this aspect of the series, then a complete understanding of the Dragon Ball mythos would be impossible.

There have been several scientific books written about other pop cultural series, such as The Physics of Star Trek [aff], which I greatly enjoyed, and The Science of Star Wars [aff].

Why hasn’t there been anything written about the science of Dragon Ball?

It seems I’ll be the first to do so, however, I’m not a trained scientist, so what can be done?

Instead of writing articles filled with heavy mathematical equations or argumentative posits, I will introduce the scientific elements while integrating modern technological equivalents from our real world. These will serve as stepping stones that show how the science of Dragon Ball can be found in our modern world, or is on the way to becoming more like the Dragon World every day.

Then I’ll present them in a sociological, psychological, cultural and analytical framework that makes it easy to understand and relate to.

Now what content can we discuss?

Dragon Ball and Scientific Discussions

From what I can tell, nobody else in the world has discussed these issues, and I’m happy to be the first, because there are so many wonderful subjects to delve into.

For example:

What is Ki?

What is a Scouter? Do they exist in real life and can Ki be quantified?

How does Hoi-Poi Capsule technology function?

What material is Saiyan armor made of? Is there a modern equivalent?

What is the relationship between mind and matter?

Are Artificial Humans (Androids, Robots, Cell, and Cyborgs (such as Mecha Freeza and Tao Pai-Pai)) a scientific possibility?

Do gravity chambers exist, and can human beings survive training in them?

Which is superior, Science or Spirit?

Are scientists ethically responsible for the ramifications of their scientific work? Must they create good (Bulma), or is evil (Dr. Gero, Dr. Wheelo) simply a matter of perception?

Is it likely that aliens exist, and if so, will they appear humanoid?

Will personal space travel ever be possible, ala the Saiyan Space Pod?

Is time travel possible, and what are the ramifications of doing so?

Can the body survive physical transformations?

What is the Big Ghetti Star? A robot or an organic life form?

What is Cell, and could such a creature really be given birth in a laboratory through gene splicing?

If Ki were proven to exist, how would this change our view of the world around us, and the laws of physics?

And many more, such as discovering the limits of human potential and then breaking those limits through technology.

Ground Breaking Science

When it comes to the science of Dragon Ball, what would you like to learn?

There are so many possibilities, and I want to hear from you.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

The Science of Dragon Ball

You’re in luck, because over 50,000 of them visit The Dao of Dragon Ball every month, and the site now supports advertising.

Read the advertising page to learn about your advertising options and the going rates.

For starters, we’re talking about a 91% focused demographic of young men in their late teens and 20′s that are interested in anime, martial arts, philosophy, culture, and Japanese entertainment.

Secondly, they are heavy internet users and hardcore Dragon Ball fans, having been fans of the series on average for more than 10 years.

Thirdly… well, just go and read the advertising page already, why don’t ya?

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Advertise on The Dao of Dragon Ball

The Prince of all Saiyans has awakened!

It’s time to explore Vegeta’s life through digitally painted Dragon Ball fan art.

Over the course of writing The Dao of Dragon Ball book and interacting with fans, I’ve been surprised by how much love there is for Vegeta. I had thought Goku was the most popular character.

But it turns out that Dragon Ball fans absolutely adore Vegeta’s attitude, his raw Saiyan strength, and his stylish hair line.

His transformation from a cold blooded killer to a family man over the course of hundreds of episodes is an iconic example of the power of redemption and personal change.

Vegeta now stands as one of the most recognizable characters in this or any other series. There’s no mistaking Vegeta when you see him!

Now we take a moment to look back on the life of a soul that sought the value of its self worth. A Saiyan who lost his tail and became a man.

The Early Years

“Prince Vegeta” by SD Nolan

“Demonic” by Inklingz

Saiyan Saga

“Invaders” by doomsplosion

“Nappa and Vegeta” by Big Sam

“Vegeta Sketch” by gavinslayer

“Prince Vegeta” by fluorescentteddy.

“Vegeta Oozaru” by Timsalcove

Namek Saga

“Vegeta” by raider

Artificial Human Saga

“Compulsion” by Inklingz

“Vegeta Badman” by Nenee

“Vegeta” by osiris999

“Vegeta vs A18″ by hoCbo

“Vegeta – GTA Style” by lynnember

“Stargazing” by ginkoflowers

“Vegeta and the Moon” by Tomahawk Dragon

“Eat Your Vegetables” by Rikona

“Vegeta n Trunks” by shadcarlos

“Vegeta’s Assault” by razwit

Majin Saga

“Majin Vegeta” by LucasHartes

“Majin Vegeta” by henryz

“Goku vs Vegeta” by mullerpereira

“Vegeta” by ginkoflowers

“Sacrifice” by unknown

“Gone” by Vegeta Pyscho

“DBZ Vegeta and Goku Attack” by Goldman Karee

Dragon Ball GT

“Vegeta 4 from GT” by shurikmx

“Vegeta’s Outdoor Trip” by Goldman Karee

Final Flash

Killer. Servant. Warrior. Lover. Father. To Hell and back. This was the life of Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans.

These images were found on the internet and I gave attribution where possible.

In case you’re curious, the first one was called “Vegeta, Prince of the Saiyans” by Giye.

Did you have a favorite? Please share with others and tell us why you love Vegeta so much!

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Dragon Ball Art – Vegeta Paintings

Dragon Ball art is alive and well in the Dragon Ball fan community.

The previous post about Dragon Ball Paintings displayed fine art created with a brush.

Today’s article unveils digital art created with a mouse or pen, yet equally fine.

Using the following images of fan created works I have attempted to tell Goku’s story.

There may be a few pieces missing, but the hardcore dragon ball fans know where to fill in the blanks.

The majority of images are from the Deviant Art website, and I have given credit where I could.

Enjoy…

Goku’s Story

“Gohan” by kadlamalice

“Kid Goku” by XIIINinjaRabbits

“Goku vs Piccolo” by Zuthell

“Little Goku Day” by kadlamalice

“Flying Nimbus Color Wash” by saintchase

“Dragon Ball Fan Art” by elnota

“Epic Battle” by demitrybelmont

“Goku vs Freeza” by mobius9

“Goku” by paranoidvin

“Dragon Ball Cell vs Goku” by nig6ghtmare01

“Gokusan” by osiris999

“Kamehameha” by namekianpikkoro7

“Gokou” by osiris999

“The Super Saiyan” by Fallen Eye

“Dragon Ball Z” by elbrazo

“Goku” by cangdu

“Saiyan” by angel5art

“GSS4″ by alveeus

Images and Story Telling

Isn’t it amazing how each image carries an emotional history that we associate with Goku’s tale?

And the realism of several of the paintings helps bring his story to life.

Even though the images are still, they seem to be moving.

As each image enters our minds eye, it stirs our heart.

Such is the wonder of art.

What do you think? Have a favorite image, or how did you feel as you moved through the paintings?

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Dragon Ball Art – Goku Digital Paintings