The Dao of Dragon Ball Blog

The Kiai in Dragon Ball

nappa mouth blast dbz

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.

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Hammer of the Gods – Dragon Ball Martial Arts and the Double Axe Handle

Vegetto Smashes Majin Buu with a Double Axe Handle

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! continue …

Dragonball Book Review – The Dragonball Z Legend: The Quest Continues

The Dragon Ball Z Legend

The Dragon Ball Z Legend

The Dragon Ball Z Legend: The Quest Continues says right on the cover “An essential source for every anime fan”. To that, book cover, I say you are wrong. Entertaining perhaps, but certainly not essential, even for Dragonball nuts.

The books design is a series of Q & A. Fifty-Four (54) questions related to series’ trivia are posed and then answered in a couple of pages each. Unfortunately while the answers tend to be fairly on target, more hardcore fans will recognize numerous errors, and this gets frustrating after a while. Luckily the questions are varied and the answers are comical. continue …