The Black Goku
Have you ever asked yourself if Goku is black?
When people ask about Goku’s race, they tend to think Asian or Caucasian.
That’s because Goku’s skin tone appears light, even though it varied throughout the series, especially in Dragon Ball GT when he had a darker tan.
Also because of his literary and actual origins in East Asia.
But back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, American Dragon Ball fans started to connect with Dragon Ball and relate it to their own lives.
Some African American fans assimilated Goku and purposefully made him black, so as to better connect with their hero.
Today you’ll learn about this social phenomenon.
You’ll also see how FUNimation, the American dubbing company that licensed Dragon Ball from Japan, may have contributed to or capitalized on this trend, and how this then resulted in Americans further assimilating Dragon Ball into their lives.
Get ready to “Step into Da Grand Tour” of The Black Goku.
continue …
Marcus Brimage – DBZ and MMA Part 2
This is Part 2 of the Marcus Brimage interview about DBZ and MMA. Click here for Part 1 of the DBZ and MMA interview
DEREK: You stated that Dragon Ball Z is the greatest action anime of all time. Why do you feel that way?
MARCUS: Because, man! No fillers baby! They got straight to the point. The action!
They had one filler, and that was the Garlic Jr. Saga. Which wasn’t that bad! It was a nice little break, like 5 episodes, and then they got right back to Future Trunks and the Androids. They got right back on it.
And they had a little fun with Goku and Piccolo trying to learn how to drive, you know, that little bullshit, but for the most part Dragon Ball Z stayed the course, it always stayed focused on the action.
Marcus Brimage – DBZ and MMA Part 1
Dragon Ball Z is a martial arts epic brimming with legendary fights.
These fights have awed and inspired fans across the world. And there are some fans who become so inspired that they decide to pursue martial arts and make it their career.
I had the privilege of interviewing one of those inspired fans recently: Marcus Brimage, a Mixed Martial Artist who can currently be seen on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) on Spike TV.
Here is Marcus’ introduction interview on the show.
This caught my attention and I decided to reach out to Marcus on Twitter. He agreed to the interview and the results were amazing.
We ended up talking for over an hour!
How and why did Dragon Ball inspire him? As an expert martial artist, what is his opinion on the fighting styles of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z? How does spirituality play a role in his fighting? And did Dragon Ball influence his fighting style?
We also discussed his time growing up in Alabama and his desire for a greater life. His early experiences getting tough love from his MMA instructors. And the superiority of Dragon Ball over other action anime.
Not to mention another comment by Marcus for all of the Naruto fans out there!
*Warning that this interview contains occasional swear words.
*Warning that this interview contains violence and mixed martial arts content.
*Warning that this interview contains Dragon Ball spoilers because Marcus and I are super-fans and discuss the series in detail.
That’s right, kids!
So without further ado, here is The Dao of Dragon Ball’s interview with Marcus Brimage, a mixed martial artist and Dragon Ball fan!
The Kiai in Dragon Ball
In Japanese martial arts, the Kiai (気合) is commonly thought of as a loud yell that coincides with an attack. But it’s actually a method of breathing, and is so much more than a simple scream.
In Dragon Ball, the Kiai is taken to an extreme. While drawing upon ancient martial arts legends, Akira Toriyama gives a visual appearance to what used to be invisible. He also illustrates what the Kiai could be capable of when used by a supernormal martial artist.
Toriyama’s creation has inspired a lot of people to practice martial arts, and the Kiai is an integral aspect of eastern martial arts, so it’s important to understand.
From super powerful punches to shields of energy, let’s take a deeper look at the Kiai in Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball Cosplay at Anime Expo 2011
Dragon Ball was alive at the 2011 Anime Expo in Los Angeles!
My fiancé and I snapped some pictures of a bunch of the Dragon Ball cosplayers.
I also wrote an article about the Anime Expo for The Epoch Times newspaper, which includes some great pictures and an interview with Dragon Ball fan, Nick Kossman.
5 Communist and Socialist Elements in Dragon Ball
Hitler Heil's Hello in DBZ Movie 12
There are many unique aspects to the Dragon Ball series and several may contain socialist and communist elements. In this article I will introduce 5 of them.
They are the following:
- Red Army
- Stars
- Hitler
- Hooked Cross Z
- One World Government
The elements on this list are the results of watching the Dragon Ball series and seeing what is already there. I am not making any of these up.
This article is not only here to reveal what was in front of us all along, but to also help explain how and why.
Red Star Hammer and Sickle
Please keep in mind that Dragon Ball is above all else a fun and lighthearted show with a heavy dose of silliness and martial arts antics. These socialist and communist elements do not detract from the Dragon Ball experience in any way.
It’s possible you may disagree with some of the inherent meaning behind these elements within the series, and a lot has been said about one of them in particular, but that does not take away from the fact that they are there to begin with and left for us to explore and understand.
If you have any thoughts on their meaning and why the creator’s put them in, then please state your thoughts in the comments below.
Now let’s begin our adventure. continue …
9 Divine Aspects of Dragon Ball Z
Goku with Angel Wings and Halo
Have you noticed divine aspects in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or GT? How about similarities between Goku and a certain spiritual teacher? Or perhaps the way in which good always triumphs over evil?
If you did notice these it’s because they’re in there! If you didn’t, then read this to learn more.
Here are 9 specific ways in which the divine shows up in Dragon Ball:
1. Mythically Buddhist Origin’s
Loosely based on Journey to the West, a Chinese tale of pilgrims on a holy quest for the Buddhist sutra’s of India, Dragon Ball is rife with spiritual references of an East Asian perspective. Sun Wukong (Japanese: Son Goku), The Handsome Monkey King, is the character that Goku is based on, and Sun Wukong himself is most likely based on Hanuman, the Indian deity and warrior.
King Enma, lord of the afterlife, is based on a Chinese and Japanese deity that weighs the amount of virtue and karma on a person’s soul to determine where they should be sent, Heaven or Hell, and we find that same character in Dragon Ball.
There are a multitude of other examples and references to the Buddhist stories that Japanese children like Akira Toriyama (the creator of Dragon Ball) would have been taught while growing up.
2. Heaven and the Afterlife
Heaven plays a big part in Dragon Ball Z as Goku spends a lot of his time up there!
After sacrificing himself to save his son’s life (and the planet itself) Goku is sent to the afterlife where his soul is judged by King Enma. The King determines that he is pure hearted enough to ascend up to Heaven, but Kami requests a special favor of the King and asks for Goku to be trained by North Kaio, Lord of the Northern Galaxy. King Enma agrees and allows Goku to keep his physical body, now tricked out with a super spiffy halo. continue …
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