The Dao of Dragonball Blog

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Dragon Ball Z.  How is it pronounced?  Perhaps you never asked yourself the question, but it turns out there are a few different ways to say it.  All because of the Z.

For example, is it pronounced Dragon Ball Zee, Dragon Ball Zed or something else entirely?  The title of the show represents a linguistic problem with various answers that depend on where you live and what language you speak.

Why does it matter?  Because the show is an international phenomenon with no agreed upon standard for how to pronounce its name.  And the differences stand as another example of diversity seen within the localized versions of the Dragon Ball series.

To really understand why this is the case we have to learn a little about languages and world history from within the Dragon Ball perspective.

Read more…

The new Dragon Ball Book website

Hi everybody,

If you’ve been to The Dao of Dragon Ball’s main website recently you may have noticed the complete overhaul to the layout and design.  That’s because it’s all brand new!

I decided to go with a big, simple and easy to understand design that would help explain what the book is all about and provide enough incentive to make a buying decision.

The site now has a much cleaner layout and a beautiful color scheme that is easy on the eyes.

There are also web 2.0 functionalities involved, like the AJAX contact form, and I plan to add a few more in the future.

Perhaps you remember the old site, with a huge and lengthy index page, the bright orange color scheme and the separate pages for English and Japanese.  Well, one of the readers (who speaks fluent Japanese) mentioned that the Japanese sections were incoherent nonsense.  Thank’s Google Translate!  So that section is gone now.

And while I initially liked the long sales letter on the home page, it turns out that nobody was reading it!  A lot more people are sticking around with the new design.

I’m really happy with the way the new site looks and functions and I hope you guys like it too!

Welcome to the "Bloody Pond" from DBZ's Hell

Have you been to the Bloody Pond of Hell?  It’s a great place to visit… They have row boats.

Many fans of Dragon Ball may be aware of the Bloody Pond in Dragon Ball’s Hell, but how many of them know that you can actually visit it?

It turns out that there is a real Bloody Pond in a city of Japan, and that it was the most likely source for Dragon Ball’s version.

This Bloody Pond also has an interesting part to play in traditional Japanese culture and society.

What is the Bloody Pond and why does this matter in Dragon Ball?  And where exactly did Toriyama receive the inspiration for his Bloody Pond?

Read more…

SSJ4 Goku Leads the Animals to the Space Ship

Here’s another quick progress update on some interesting dbz blog articles I’m working on.

At my current rate of development and writing it appears I finish one article a month.  Keep in mind that each of these posts is an original creation and not a rehash of already known facts or information that can be found on the internet.  They take a long time and a lot of late nights to research and complete.

Nevertheless, I’d certainly like to do more posts as I love writing about Dragon Ball!

It’s just a matter of balancing all of the other responsibilities in my life.

I’ll be making dbz blog article posts while I make progress on the book, and now I want to reveal some of the articles I’m writing so you have something to look forward to as the book nears its release date.

Here are a few in progress…

Read more…

Vegetto Smashes Majin Buu with a Double Axe Handle

In this Dragon Ball explorative essay we’re going to focus on the martial arts technique known as the double axe handle. This iconic technique is found throughout the Dragon Ball series and has both a rich history and symbolism.

Dragon Ball is a comic book and anime filled with fighting and all kinds of different martial arts styles.  Yet many of them share similar techniques, and the double axe handle is one of the most identifiable.

These are the questions we will answer in this article:

• What is the double axe handle?
• What are its origins and history, and how does it relate to Dragon Ball?
• What are the histories of East Asian martial arts, Buddhism, and the Lightning Bolt Clasped Hands style of combat?
• How do eastern philosophies and this technique fit into the fights of DBZ?
• Why is the double axe handle used so often in Dragon Ball?
• Outside of Dragon Ball, where else can the double axe handle be seen?

Read on to find out! Read more…

Nope. It really is Over 8,000 in the original comic. Read the report to find out more.

I’ve put together a brand new special report that will help you learn all the details on the Dragon Ball internet phenomenon “Over 9,000!” that is found all over the web, and I’m giving it away for free with The Dao of Dragon Ball book.

Included in this over 9 page bonus item is an in-depth analysis of the pop cultural history of “Over 9,000!” and it’s connection to the Japanese DBZ source material as well as its connection to ancient Chinese, Indian, and Japanese cultures.

The report cannot be found elsewhere and is yours free just by giving The Dao of Dragon Ball a shot. If you decide the book isn’t for you, then you still get to keep your bonus item.

You can pick up a copy of the report at the main DBZ Book website.

The Dao of Dragonball book site is now officially bi-lingual!  For all of the Japanese fans out there, the entire site has been translated into the native language of DBZ.  If you know some people in Japan, feel free to send them the link.