The Dao of Dragon Ball Blog

Jackie Chun, Immortal Master. Original Artwork from Atari.

The rough draft of Immortal and Invincible has been completed. This means that there is only 1 chapter of the book left to be written, (currently) titled Divine Combat.

The Immortal and Invincible chapter discusses the practices of martial arts masters on their quest for immortality.It focuses on Daoist masters and sennin hermits, like Master Roshi (aka Jackie Chun).

The chapter measured in at 28 pages (at 11 pt font), so it may be many more in the actual book. Though of course it will be edited down and made more concise.  Even so, that chapter was extremely difficult to write and I am glad the rough draft is complete.

Thank you to those who have written in with their support. I know you guys are looking forward to the book’s release. For those that are eager to read more about this chapter, here are the first 3 paragraphs of the rough draft:

“Dragon Ball is filled with martial artists that employ the use of supernormal abilities to do battle or heal the wounded. The characters fight against themselves, against those with ulterior motives, and in some cases against outright demons.

With the Ksatreya warriors and the path of the Vajramukti well established in Indian culture the concept of an invincible and noble warrior became intertwined into the martial arts on its voyage across nations.  Spreading to both Western Europe and the Orient the draw of the martial arts and the spiritual path were adopted by various cultures.  In this chapter we learn how the belief systems and cultural traditions of ancient China affected the creation of Dragon Ball in Japan.  By the end of the chapter it will be very evident how Toriyama borrowed, was inspired by, or makes light of these beliefs in his comic.

The culture of ancient East Asia was a world of men and monsters, heaven and hell, and the cultivated spiritual warriors that overcame the demons on their path to immortality or enlightenment. The worlds of men, gods, and demons were interwoven. The life of a man was intricately linked to the heavens, and for those who walked the spiritual path of cultivation they would often experience demonic interference. The more one overcame these demons (whether internal or external) the more one would awaken their own potential. From this ideology sprang forth a culture of cultivation, and one such form of cultivation was the martial arts.”

Onward, to the next chapter!