Many of the characters seen in Dragon Ball were inspired by pop or traditional culture. It’s well known that Goku was inspired by the Monkey King from Journey to the West, as well as martial arts actor Jackie Chan. Likewise, there are characters throughout the series who were visibly inspired by the Terminator and Aliens films.

But not all of the characters’ points of origin are as easy to see.

In this article I will reveal for the first time the original inspiration for Kame Sennin.

You’ll learn who Kume Sennin is, hear his legend, and see how his transformation into a Japanese pop cultural figure was later emulated in cinema and then once again by Toriyama in Dragon Ball.

You’ll also learn why this legend is so essential to the Dragon Ball story, and how it’s so well integrated that you may never have realized it.

Who is Kume Sennin?

Who is Kume Sennin and how is he related to Kame Sennin?

First let me briefly describe the Japanese term, “Sennin.”

Sennin (仙人, or せんにん) translates as “Mountain Man,” but generally refers to hermits, sages, or immortals who live alone in the wilderness. The term comes directly from Chinese Daoism, where the equivalent Xianren (仙人) originates.

Daoists were known for leaving society behind, with all its illusions and false concepts, and turning to nature in order to unlock supernormal powers, become one with the Dao and attain immortality. They usually lived alone or at most with a few disciples.

Since they lived on mountains, rivers, and islands, “Xianren” was coined to describe these people. The Japanese inherited the Daoist and Buddhist concepts from China, and transliterated the term as “Sennin.”

Kume Sennin (久米仙人) was one of these Daoists who chose to live in the wilderness and cultivate his heart.

From the results of his cultivation he gained the ability to fly on a magic cloud, just like Kame Sennin’s Kinto’un in Dragon Ball, known in the American dub as the Flying Nimbus.

In traditional Chinese culture, people that could fly through the air, such as Buddhist or Daoist deities or powerful cultivators, were illustrated as having clouds underneath their feet. It was believed these people could travel extremely quickly along the skies or mists, or teleport through space and time.

Sun Wukong’s magic cloud in Journey to the West (late 16^th century) is based on these beliefs, and therefore so is Goku’s Kinto’un in Dragon Ball.

Everybody attributes Goku’s magic cloud to Sun Wukong. But it actually goes farther back than that. Much farther back.

As you may remember, Goku was not the first to own the Kinto’un.

Kume Sennin’s Legend

Kume Sennin’s legend is recounted in classical works, such as Book 11:24 of Konjaku Monogotari (今昔物語集) a 12^th century collection of Buddhist Parables, and Essay 8 of Tsuregurekusa (徒然草), a collection of thoughts on life by the Buddhist monk Yoshida Kenko (1283 – 1352).

The legend says that Kume was traveling on his cloud when he suddenly noticed a young woman near a river washing her clothes. He curiously watched the woman and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of her white leg under her raised kimono.

Kume’s mind became filled with desire and he immediately lost the ability to fly. Heavy with lustful thoughts, Kume fell to the earth and crashed in front of the lady!

Smitten, Kume chose to marry the maiden. They made love for many years and started a family. Yet one day Kume realized the error of his ways, repented and set off to achieve the ultimate goal of immortality all over again.

According to the legend, Kume worked hard to redeem himself, regained his powers, and built (or inspired the building of) Kumedera Temple (久米寺)in Kashiara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan. This temple dates back to the time of Prince Shotoku Taishi (574 – 622 AD) and still exists today.  This tells us that the Kume legend goes back at least 1,400 years.

Kume’s legend is well known in Japan, and his story has been considered part of pop culture for centuries, just like Journey to the West, the primary inspiration for Dragon Ball.

The Perverted Sennin’s

Kume Sennin was not the first Sennin to fall prey to temptations of the flesh. The lesson of his story was most likely inherited from China, along with other Buddho-Daoist beliefs.

Certain types of Sennin in China also had the dubious reputation of being lustful because of their infamously detailed sexual practices involving “Jade Girls.” The Sennin’s believed that through ritual sex acts these young virgins could help transform their “vital essence” into immortality elixirs.

Since this culture and concept of ‘perverted Sennin’ already existed, and because Kume’s legend existed for so long and was so popular in society, I surmise that his tale, along with similar stories, became synonymous with a certain type of Sennin in general. A type that is, shall we say, weak to women.

That means alongside the classical “8 Daoist Immortals” that were found in homes and worshipped with deep respect, there was also this type of Sennin, a lecherous old man who was always looking for his next young lady.

In other words, even if they had special magic powers and could perform amazing feats, this type of Sennin became a joke.

Kume Sennin’s legend was an iconic example, and it took root in Japanese folklore.

Thus these Sennin became common, formulaic characters.

The Cinema Influences Toriyama

By now you may be starting to see where this is headed in relation to Kame Sennin, but it gets even more interesting.

When Akira Toriyama decided to create Dragon Ball, did he receive all his inspiration for Kame Sennin’s character from this classic legend, or was there something else that played a role?

Consider for a moment that Toriyama was born in 1955 and was a huge fan of cinema, both domestic and abroad.

In 1963 a major cinematic feature was released in Japan called Dai Tozoku (大盗賊, The Great Bandit) known internationally as Samurai Pirate and in America as The Lost World of Sinbad.

Dai Tozoku was developed by Toho Co., Ltd., the makers of Godzilla (ゴジラ, Gojira) and other giant monster movies, Akira Kurosawa samurai films, and many Tokusatsu superhero films; All of which Toriyama has cited as inspirations for Dragon Ball. Toriyama grew up watching Toho’s movies, and they greatly affected his later work.

This particular action adventure film stars Samurai film legend Toshiro Mifune as Sukeza, a brave man who fights to regain his lost treasure from pirates and defeat a corrupt chancellor trying to overthrow the king. Along the way he meets many companions, including bandits, a princess, and a nameless Sennin.

This Sennin looks and acts shockingly similar to Kame Sennin in Dragon Ball. He’s an old Japanese man with no hair, a classic white beard and mustache, dressed in traditional Chinese hermit clothing and carrying a staff. The stereotypical Sennin outfit, actually. He also smokes from a long pipe and is missing several teeth.

When Sukeza encounters him for the first time, it’s on a beach, with the Sennin sitting in front of a giant clam shell. Sukeza says, “Who the hell are you?” The Sennin replies, “My ancestor was Kume Sennin! Haven’t you heard of him?!” Sukeza says, “Oh, it’s the man who fell to earth from the clouds when he saw a nude woman, isn’t it?” The Sennin smiles slightly and says, “That’s right. That’s the weakness that has run in my family for generations.”

The Sennin stands up to follow Sukeza, and as he crosses a bridge he sees a beautiful woman washing her clothes in a nearby river, copying the story of Kume Sennin. The camera zooms in on the woman’s cleavage and then cuts back to the widened eyes of the Sennin (just like a scene out of Dragon Ball). He becomes stiff as a board, facing the woman at a sharp 45 degree angle, as if his whole body were erect.

The Sennin suddenly screams as he realizes he’s fallen into the trap of lust. Sukeza runs back to help him, but the Sennin regains his composure and says, “Hey, don’t look at me with such contempt. It’s the blood of my ancestor at work.”

He tells Sukeza, “There are different classes of Sennin, you know. When my ancestor fell from the clouds tempted by a woman, he was demoted from the Heaven Sennin class to the Earth Sennin class. Since then, the Sennin of Kume family have devoted our lives to being promoted back to the original Heaven class.” He then sits down and crosses his legs in the full lotus meditation position. “To make up for the mistake I’ve just made, I need to train for three days.”

Like other Sennin’s, this Sennin has mighty powers. He has the ability to transform into a fly or even into other people, just like how Oolong and Puar can transform in Dragon Ball. Once, while transformed as a fly, he purposefully landed on top of a woman’s breasts in order to do some “research.” Keep that point in mind as we continue.

And to make the comparison to Dragon Ball even stronger, the Sennin fights against an evil old witch named Baba.

That’s right, Baba the Witch. She’s a fortune teller who performs magic and can fly, just like Kame Sennin’s older sister, Fortuneteller Baba (占いババ, Urunai Baba), the witch in Dragon Ball. Baba the Witch in Dai Tozoku looks somewhat similar to and even talks like Fortuneteller Baba. In Dragon Ball she’s made more comedic by wearing a stereotypical witches hat, but otherwise these two Baba the Witch characters are strikingly similar.

There are a lot of other similarities between Dragon Ball and Dai Tozoku, such as bandits, Sun Wukong’s giant red staff, and more, but that will have to wait for another post.

Suffice to say it’s my belief that Toriyama must have seen this movie as a child and was heavily influenced by it.

Toriyama had always been into comics, fantasy, animation, giant monster movies and action adventure films. He grew up on these films and soaked up their influences like a sponge. Dai Tozoku was a blockbuster with well known stars and cutting edge special effects. Since he was 11 years old at the time, it seems very likely that he would have seen this movie and then later used it as inspiration in his comics.

In this case, to create Kame Sennin.

How Was Kame Sennin Created?

This is conjecture, but I can very easily imagine the following scenario when Toriyama was creating Kame Sennin.

Toriyama had read Journey to the West and wanted to create a similar story, as advised by his first editor, Kazuhiko Torishima. He had already turned Sun Wukong into Son Goku and now he needed a “master” character like Subodhi, who taught Sun Wukong the sacred arts, in order to teach Son Goku the higher level martial arts.

Just like Subodhi, he had to be a hermit who possessed mystical Buddho-Daoist powers. But because Toriyama is such a comedic fellow, he didn’t want him to be exactly like Subodhi, as that would be too boring. Subodhi was rather strict and unkind.

So instead he based him on Kume Sennin, the well known pop culture figure. By doing so, Toriyama would be free to make all the funny, perverted jokes that he loves so much.

But a direct clone of Kume would be boring as well, as he’d have to stick too close to the already established model. So he changed one letter and turned Kume to Kame.

The name made perfect sense. Daoist Sennin’s always had some type of unique characteristic or single animal familiar anyway, such as a fish, ox, toad, donkey or dragon, so basing him on turtle’s (亀, Kame) was a nice coincidence. Turtle’s also have great significance in East Asian culture, so it would serve as a rich source of ideas and symbols. For example, long life and immortality, which is what Kame Sennin exemplifies.

Like many of Toriyama’s creations, Kame Sennin fit within traditional culture while still being outlandish and funny.

It was also easier for his young audience to understand, since they could relate Kame Sennin with Kume Sennin.

Who is Kame Sennin?

Let’s take a moment to look at Kame Sennin (亀仙人, the Turtle Hermit), otherwise known as Muten Roshi (武天老師, or Master Roshi) and see how he compares to Kume Sennin.

As we all know, Kame Sennin is the old perverted master of martial arts that lives on Kame Island in the Kame House. Like other Sennin’s, he lives alone except for his acquaintance, Turtle (海亀, Umigame), a slow yet honest talking sea turtle that comedically represents his Sennin familiar.

Kame Sennin is very much a cross cultural creation. He teaches the boys martial arts in a Zen Buddhist style of self comprehension amidst physical suffering. Meanwhile, he dresses like a Daoist Taiji master when fighting or teaching. He knows Taiji Chuan and Chinese boxing styles, and helps strengthen his disciples’ ability to use Ki (Qi). On top of that, he emulates Jackie Chan as Jackie Chun, a traditional Chinese martial arts film star. He’s a mix of Buddhist, Daoist, Chinese and Japanese.

Kame Sennin is an immortal. It’s never explained exactly how he became immortal, but he is over 300 years old by the time Goku meets him as a child, and he never ages during the progression of the story.

Visually, like Kume Sennin, Kame Sennin is a bald man with a classic white beard and mustache, and carries a classic Daoist style Chinese staff. Like the Sennin from Dai Tozoku, he occasionally smokes from a long pipe and is missing several teeth.

Kame Sennin sometimes wears traditional Chinese clothing, but the first time he’s introduced he’s humorously wearing a modern tropical Islands shirt, shorts, flip flop sandals and a pair of sunglasses. Not the typical Sennin outfit you would expect a great master to be wearing!

This is Toriyama’s comedic style at work. A fusion of cultures across different time periods.

Let’s now turn our attention to the bigger links between the two.

Kame Sennin’s Magic Cloud

Just like Kume Sennin, Kame Sennin has a magic cloud, which he calls the Kinto’un (筋斗雲), and which shares similar Kanji to the one in Journey to the West, where it’s called the “Somersault Cloud.”

Kame Sennin is unable to ride the cloud, because like his predecessor Kume Sennin, his thoughts are impure and heavy, licentious and perverted.

In chapter 4 of the manga , Kame Sennin decides to thank Goku and Bulma for saving Turtle’s life (in the previous chapter), by giving Goku a gift.

He says, “COME TO ME, IMMORTAL PHOENIX!!!”

But nothing comes.

Turtle says, “Umm… the immortal phoenix died of food poisoning.”

Kame Sennin says, “Really?! Oh yeah, now that you mention it…”

Bulma asks, “It died even though it’s immortal…?”

Kame Sennin continues, “Hmmm… I was planning on summoning the immortal phoenix and granting you eternal life… Alright! Instead of that I’ll give you this…!”

“COME TO ME!!! KINTO’UN!!!”

Off in the distance a puffy cloud appears in the sky and with super speed zips toward the group. It stops on a dime in front of them.

Goku asks, “How do I eat it?” Kame Sennin responds, “Don’t eat my treasured cloud!!!”

Bulma says, “But why do YOU have this cloud? It has nothing to do with turtles…” He says, “It’s unbecoming of children to pay attention to such details…”

He tells Goku that it can be used to fly in the sky, but that “Only those with a pure heart can ride on Kinto’un!”

Kame Sennin tries to show him how to do it, jumping with both feet above the cloud. But he falls right through and hits the sand below!

“ARRRRGGGGH, m-my back!!!” Turtle asks, “A-are you alright? “Wh-what happened…?” Bulma points and laughs. Kame Sennin says, “Mumu… th-that’s strange…”

Goku jumps on top and becomes happy. “Yaaaay, I can ride it, I can ride it!!!” He then zooms around on the cloud at breakneck speeds, performing loop-de-loops in the air as if he already had years of experience.

Since Kame Sennin can’t ride the cloud anyway, he offers it to Goku as a gift. But then Bulma asks for a gift too.

Kame Sennin says, “Unfortunately there is only one Kinto’un. But I can give you something else in its place…….. As long as… y… you… SHOW ME YOUR PANTIES FIRST!!”

Turtle screams at him, “HOW CAN A SENNIN LIKE YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!”

He responds, “WH-WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?! Even Sennin’s want to see some panties once in a while!!!”

Turtle says, “Now I know why you couldn’t ride Kinto’un…” Kame Sennin glares at him, “SILENCE!!”

Bulma is shy, but decides to lift up her dress and show her panties in exchange for another great gift. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t aware that Goku had innocently taken the panties off of her while she slept, just out of curiosity to see if she had boy parts like he does.

That means Kame Sennin and Turtle got an eyeful of the goods!

As a result, blood shoots out of Kame Sennin’s nose! Why? In manga this signifies that a man has an erection. The blood pressure becomes so high that it literally shoots out of their nose! It’s the same idea as the Sennin in Dai Tozoku standing erect at a 45 degree angle, but much more pronounced and visual.

In exchange, Bulma requests his Dragon Ball, the Three Star ball.

Kame Sennin gives it to her and then thinks to himself, “I should’ve brought my camera…”

He hops on to Turtle and rides back to his Island. He says to Turtle. “Wow, I still can’t believe what I saw today… I’m gonna live a long life!”

It’s as if Kame Sennin is implying his life is going to be extended because he saw Bulma’s naked body. Toriyama is basically presenting a child-like version of what the Daoist Sennin in China sought after, with their virgin “Jade Girls.” That is, the immortal elixir created by invigoration of their own “vital essence.”

Since the source of Kame Sennin’s immortality is never explained, perhaps this is how he became immortal in the first place!

And perhaps that is why he’s always looking for more pretty girls.

A Pure Heart and a Dirty Heart

Why was Goku able to ride the Kinto’un, while Kame Sennin was not?

Goku was pure hearted and simple minded, so the cloud supported him.

The ultimate goal of Daoism is to return to your original, true self. To return to the simple, pure hearted nature that we have as children, what Daoists refer to as, “The Uncarved Block.” Goku was already at this state, so he was able to ride the cloud.

Kame Sennin obviously no longer met that standard.

Consider the following question. Why would Kame Sennin have a flying cloud that he can’t ride?

To answer that, we also have to ask, how did Kame Sennin receive the Kinto’un in the first place?

It’s not explicitly shown, but it’s mentioned he got it from Karin, the Senbyō (仙猫, Hermit Cat or Immortal Cat) that lives in Karin Tower, the midway point between earth and Kami’s Lookout. Note that Senbyō and Sennin share the same first character, both referring to their hermit like nature.

Kame Sennin climbed up the impossibly tall Karin Tower, doing something that few people were ever strong enough to do. He also defeated Karin in combat and acquired the Super Holy Water. We are then led to believe that Karin gave it to him as a reward.

Why is this likely? Because in the original Dragon Ball series we see that Goku receives his own Kinto’un from Karin after performing the same feats. He had to replace the one that Kame Sennin gave him because it was killed by Piccolo Daimao’s child, Tambourine, a member of the Mazoku (Demon Clan).

Karin gave the Kinto’un to Goku because of his purity of heart and great inner qualities. That is the requirement for receiving it and also riding it.

Karin’s primary responsibility is to prevent the unworthy from going higher up and meeting Kami. The Kinto’un is unable to take a person higher than Karin’s Tower. To go higher, you need the Nyoibo staff that connects the top of Karin Tower to the bottom of Kami’s Lookout. But to even get the Kinto’un you first have to prove to Karin that you are pure of heart.

How did Kame Sennin ever get it? As a young man while training under Master Mutaito (alongside Tsuru Sennin (Crane Hermit)) he was already chasing after women and peeking at them through the bushes. Why would Karin give it to him if he was impure and couldn’t ride it?

The most likely reason is that at some point in his long life Kame Sennin climbed the tower, cultivated a pure heart and received the cloud from Karin. Karin tells Goku that it took Kame Sennin 3 whole years to defeat him. It took that much time to purify his heart and calm his mind.

Then later in his life he became licentious all over again, falling to the earth just like Kume Sennin!

Makes sense when you consider the inspiration for his character, doesn’t it? He cultivated well, received the blessings, then became lustful and lost his powers.

We never once get to see Kame Sennin ride the cloud that he rightfully earned.

But unlike Kume Sennin, Kame Sennin did not renew his cultivation. He stayed on his Island, living in comfort, watching the exercise girls on TV and reading pornographic magazines.

As a lonely old man unable to let go of his attachments, he continued to chase after every pretty girl he could find, for the rest of his life.

Forever alone.

Pervy Sage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MswXUj1UoCc

Kume Sennin’s story represents a transition point between showing immortals in a respectful way and showing immortals in a lustful and comical way. I surmise that over time, perhaps centuries, this then created a formulaic concept of Daoist Sennin’s being dirty old men who live in the wilderness and chase after pretty girls.

Meanwhile, Japan had a long history of slightly risqué art, depicting men peeking at women from a distance, or seeing underneath their skirts.

Toriyama then took these two humorous concepts to the extreme (as he tends to do) and made Kame Sennin, a blatantly lecherous immortal.

Kame Sennin is now such an iconic character that I would argue he is one of the most well known manga and anime characters of all time. Definitely not the most popular, but certainly well known. He is the martial arts master of Son Goku, after all.

Kame Sennin represents all the perverted, dirty old men of the world who also happen to be martial arts masters!

Of course there may not be many of those in real life, but just as Kume Sennin was iconic enough to inspire the creation of Kame Sennin, Kame Sennin was iconic enough to inspire the creation of Gama Sennin.

Who is Gama Sennin?

Toriyama’s Dragon Ball directly inspired manga author Masashi Kishimoto to create the Naruto series of Manga, often described as the spiritual successor to Dragon Ball. In Naruto, he created a character just like Kame Sennin, known as Gama Sennin (蝦蟇仙人, The Frog Hermit), also known as Jiraiya. And the titular character Naruto is a lot like Goku.

Toriyama’s influence on Kishimoto was profound, as Kishimoto has even stated that, “Toriyama is like a god to me.”

Kishimito, just like Toriyama, mined traditional Japanese legends for inspiration of his characters, while also having modern influences.

Going back in time to traditional culture, the Gama Sennin in Naruto was directly inspired by a 10^th century Sennin alchemist who learned the secrets of Immortality from a 3 legged toad. Like the Kame Sennin legend, Jiraiya is also the name of another Japanese legend, called Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari (The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya), a man who was a master shape shifting ninja associated with toads. He was one of three master ninja’s, the other two being Tsunade (associated with snails / slugs) and Orochimaru (associated with snakes). Together they made up the Sannin (Three Ninja’s). The giant toads and ninjutsu techniques in Naruto are a representation of his ancient background and Sennin powers.

In the modern sense, Naruto’s Jiraiya is directly inspired by Toriyama’s Kame Sennin, as a dirty old man who chases skirts, gropes women whenever he has the chance, and ogle’s girls from a distance through his telescope. Jiraiya takes Naruto on “research” expeditions, which involve hanging out at brothels, or peeking at women through the bushes, like Kame Sennin did as a young man, and like Kume Sennin’s descendent depicted in Dai Tozoku.

Jiraiya’s licentious ways are so obvious that Naruto gives him the nickname Ero Sennin, translated as “Perverted Hermit,” or the shorter, “Pervy Sage.”

Pervy Sage is now a term all its own, and refers to these types of formulaic characters: The super powerful old man who can kick butt and dispense wisdom, but also has an inherent weakness for the ladies.

These characters, Kame Sennin from Dragon Ball and Gama Sennin from Naruto, are regarded as two of the most iconic pervy sage’s in Japanese pop culture. They define the term.

After reading this article you can now see they had a predecessor in Kume Sennin. And the interplay between the three offers a fascinating look into ancient and modern Japanese culture.

A Popular Legend, Retold

Why was Kume Sennin a popular tale for thousands of years? Because he was a mystical, yet perverted hermit who finds redemption.

Kame Sennin is also a super powerful being who is human yet has relatable flaws. Plus he’s endearingly funny.

Successful in their cultivation or not, both of these perverted Sennin had this weakness of the heart and were relatable to the human condition.

Kume Sennin was an iconic Japanese Sennin figure, even though the majority of Sennin were inherited from the Chinese. And just like Journey to the West, where in Japan it became known as Saiyuki (西遊記) and received Japanese flavor, Kume Sennin was the Japanese representation of Chinese traditional culture and Buddho-Daoist beliefs. A cross cultural Chinese Daoist figure written about by Japanese Buddhist monks. That is to say, Chinese culture with Japanese characteristics.

Kame Sennin represents the same mix.

Let’s trace the path of inspiration. Ancient cultural beliefs in spiritual cultivation via Buddha and Dao led to Kume Sennin and Journey to the West. Then for Toriyama, Journey to the West’s Sun Wukong led to Son Goku, and its’ Subodhi figure led to Kume Sennin, which led to Kame Sennin. This then led Kishimoto to Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, which finally led to Naruto and Gama Sennin.

In all three cases the dirty old man became an iconic figure, and in all three stories the legend became popular among the masses.

The Kume Sennin story is extremely popular. The Kame Sennin story is extremely popular. The Game Sennin story is extremely popular.

Maybe the secret to success is being a dirty old man.

Returning to the Way and Ascending

The Kume Sennin legend tells of a man who achieved great heights, stumbled, and then found the Way again.

His legend shows the dangers of lustfulness, revealing that it will weigh you down in illusion and prevent you from rising to higher levels. It also shows the moral importance of remaining virtuous and returning to your true calling.

Unfortunately Kame Sennin was unable to do this. He fell down and stayed down, basically giving up on his cultivation after attaining immortality. He was undisciplined and succumbed to comfort and pleasure. Routinely failing the test of lust, he stayed fixed at the same level for the rest of his life.

Goku on the other hand, never had this problem. This is why he surpassed his master so quickly. Simply by being a pure hearted little boy, he did what Kame Sennin could not.

In the end of Kume Sennin’s story, he leaves his wife and kids behind. He decides that his own cultivation is more important. Through this action he lives up to the standard of a dedicated cultivator of those times. He cut his ties to the mundane world and let go of his attachments.

As harsh as that may sound, from a traditional cultivation perspective it was the right thing to do for his own salvation. He had to let go of sentimentality for family in order to escape from the cycle of life and death. All attachments had to be eliminated.

Goku, just like Kume Sennin, flies on a magical cloud, has supernormal abilities, and fell into the mundane world as he was essentially pushed into marriage by Chi-Chi.

Yet Goku is ultimately more focused on his own cultivation than he is on his wife and children. He prefers to train and refine his abilities rather than play the role of a family man. He fulfills some of his familial responsibilities, but at his core it’s not what drives him and truly makes him happy.

I honestly think that Goku would be happier living alone as a hermit, maybe with a single disciple, just like each of his martial arts masters. Goku is not concerned with staying around family for sentimental reasons. He doesn’t have that attachment. Like a true Saiyan (a true cultivator), he just wants to train. He understands that this is the purpose of his life.

In fact, this is exactly how Dragon Ball Z ends, with Goku finding his one disciple, Uub, among all the people of the world. He tracks down the reincarnated Majin Buu, unlocks his incredible power, and then flies away with his new student, leaving all of his family and friends behind. He even gives Uub the Kinto’un, and Uub can ride it.

Goku returns to the Way that makes him truly happy. He passes the magic cloud onto the next generation, and the two of them soar off into the distance to begin their training!

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Kame Sennin and Kume Sennin – The Perverted Hermits

In Part 1 Olivier and I discussed the French comic scene, his career of broadcasting Dragon Ball in France, and his personal comic book interests.

Today you’ll discover why Olivier chose to write about Akira Toriyama, hear what it’s like to collaborate with Shueisha, learn how he conducted interviews in Japan, and understand why Akira Toriyama truly is a master of manga!

Will there be an English translation? Does Olivier have insights into Toriyama’s personality? Read the rest of our discussion to find out!

Why Write About Akira Toriyama?

DEREK: Why out of all the shonen manga authors did you choose to write about Akira Toriyama? Are you a fan of Toriyama’s work, or do you just find him to be a fascinating figure?

OLIVIER: I chose to write about Toriyama because I have been following his work for more than 20 years, and I think he is one of the most interesting mangaka, because he’s very popular, because I also like his work, and because I think he produced something very interesting.

This is because Toriyama’s manga is very Japanese, but he is inspired by western movies and comic books. So in the end you have something that is very unique.

Toriyama belongs to the shonen genre. He’s one of the main founders of the shonen genre. But he’s beyond that. So I thought he was very interesting.

And the other reason was that I was looking for information about his latest works, and it’s difficult to find good information. You have to go on the internet. Some blogs are good, others are not. So I said to myself, “Okay, I’m going to see if there’s a book about him. After all, the man has sold around 250 million books.”

And I found there was no book. I was surprised. I decided to write a book about Toriyama so that people who are looking for information will have all of it compiled in one book, so it will be easier for them [laughter].

DEREK: Absolutely. Why do you think that despite his enormous success, nobody had written a book about Toriyama? Why did it take such a long time for him to be recognized in such a way?

OLIVIER: Before mine there were two Japanese books. Akira Toriyama: The World, the art book, published in 1990, and the exhibition catalog.

But I think so far no [biographical] books have been published because Shueisha, the publisher, is very careful, and they don’t want material to go out without approval. And people are afraid to ask for permission.

Collaborating with Shueisha and Toei

OLIVIER: Since I had worked with Toei and purchased Dragon Ball and One Piece, and also worked with people who published Japanese manga, I was aware of the way they think. They want you to behave. So I sent a request for materials and interviews.

But they did say okay you can publish some pictures. So later I sent a letter explaining what I wanted to do, why I wanted to write about him, and what the content would contain, the summary. Also a sum up of what I was going to say about Toriyama. I sent my request and waited for a long time before getting the approval to publish the pictures.

All of this before I knew it was possible to do the book. That’s how it happened.

DEREK: So you didn’t start writing until you received approval from Toei and Shueisha?

OLIVIER: No, no. I had already written the detailed summary, and I knew what I was going to write because I had followed his work for 20 years. I had detailed the contents. And I had traveled to China and taken pictures of Sun Wukong. I had almost everything I needed to do the book. But I chose to wait for approval, because it would have been terrible if I would have written a book and wouldn’t have been able to publish it.

DEREK: Yeah, definitely. Were you living in France when you wrote the book, or did you go to Japan as well?

OLIVIER: I was living in France, but I also went to Japan to interview people. Most of the people I interviewed were in Japan. The only Japanese person I met with in France was Shiro Sagisu, because he sometimes lives in Paris.

DEREK: Right, in the back of the book you have interviews with a lot of notable people in the industry. How did you choose these people to interview?

OLIVIER: First, I asked Toei for three people, but two of them were unavailable. The one I have is the only one who was available during my visit to Japan. The idea was to interview as many people in touch with Toriyama as possible.

For journalists, I wanted it to be three or four people. I work with a French publisher who has a correspondent in Tokyo, working in the manga business for almost 30 years. I told them I needed to get in touch with people who worked with Toriyama, so they suggested that I meet these people. For example, Mister Oshiguchi from Manga No Mori, I visited his book store in Shinjuku.

For the outsider professionals, it’s because I sent requests to their companies. Most people were unavailable or didn’t want to speak, you know? But I asked. It’s a request. You ask for 10 people and you never get 10 people, but even if you only have 3 or 4, it’s good because they are there.

DEREK: Do you speak Japanese, or did you need a translator for the interviews?

OLIVIER: I needed a translator. I’m only able to say survival phrases in Japanese, like, “A Japanese beer, please!”

DEREK: While we’re on the subject of publishing, did you have to get the final version approved by Shueisha, and if so, did they change anything in your book before it was published?

No, they were very open minded. Because I sent a precise list of contents they didn’t ask for the definitive version. I know sometimes they ask for the final.

Toei asked to see the book, so I went to Toei in Paris because they wanted to check the copyright. But it was okay. Usually, if you know you’ll have to see people, it’s okay.

Of course if you expect the process to be at your pace it could be frustrating. If you know the Japanese, you have to be patient, because that’s where they work, and then everything will go smoothly.

The Master of Manga?

DEREK: So let me ask you, where did the title The Master of Manga originate?

OLIVIER: Oh, the title? Because the Shueisha people, when they speak of Toriyama, they say Toriyama-sensei. And sensei means master, so I thought, okay, Master of Manga. I thought it was a good title because it is what he’s called by his colleagues.

DEREK: Ah, I see. What are your thoughts on him being a real master? After your book came out, some English speaking fans have now questioned whether Toriyama can really be considered a “master,” given his tendency to make things up as he goes along, forgetting about his characters and so on.

OLIVIER: Yeah, of course I understand their point of view, but to me he is a true master. The first master is Osamu Tezuka, but Toriyama is a master because his work is very huge and very good.

DEREK: When I first heard about your book and went on the internet to find more information, I saw the title said “Akira Toriyama: The Living God of Manga.” Are you familiar with that? Was that an alternative title or something else?

OLIVIER: Yes, I’m familiar with it. It was the working title. Obviously it wasn’t supposed to be released, [laughter], but it was, so, okay.

DEREK: I saw a picture of it, the book cover.

OLIVIER: Yeah, because the first cover we made bore this title, and it was given to commercials, you know, who are going to see it in libraries before the book is released, to explain to bookstores how beneficial it would be for them to take the book, and so we made this cover for them, and unfortunately this cover went out on the internet. It’s not a big problem, of course.

You could say it was the first title, but it was only a working title.

DEREK: Okay, so you changed it to match more of the Japanese respect for Toriyama. You changed it from Living God to Master, is that the idea?

OLIVIER: Yeah, I changed it because when they asked me for a title during the meeting for the commercials, we didn’t have one.

DEREK: I see. I understand now.

Making the Book

DEREK: So, what was the book making process like? How long did it take you to write the book, and were there any difficulties you had to overcome?

OLIVIER: I started to work on it in late 2009, and it was released in early November, 2011. In the mean time I worked on other projects. So it’s difficult to say if it was 6 months or 1 year. Of course by the end I was only working on this, to write and check the pictures with the publisher. It was quite a long process. And you don’t only work half-time on it.

The difficulty is always the same for a book, no matter the topic… you have to wait for people to reply to you. So you wait and you are hoping they say yes, and sometimes you can’t work until you have their answers. That’s the most difficult part of the job for me.

DEREK: There are a lot of American fans who would love to read your book, but they don’t speak French. Do you have any plans for translations of your book, perhaps into English? And if so, when can they be expected?

OLIVIER:

DEREK: Oh, no way, really?

OLIVIER: Yeah, really. Of course we asked for the authorization for the book to be published outside the French speaking market, but right now it’s not possible. Maybe later. But for now, you have to tell your American fans to learn French. [laughter]

DEREK: Okay, well they’re going to be disappointed to hear that, but French is a good language to learn, so maybe this will inspire them to do so.

OLIVIER: I hope! [laughter]

Insights into Toriyama

DEREK: If you were to write a second edition of the book, what would you like to include?

OLIVIER: A Toriyama interview.

DEREK: If you could interview Toriyama, what would you ask him?

OLIVIER: Oh, many things, many questions. Because he is such a shy man, and he almost never speaks, you have too many questions. The list would be too long. Many things about the way he did what he did.

As many as you would have, I guess. I’m sure you would have lots of questions to ask him. Same with me.

DEREK: Well if you were to have coffee with him, and had maybe 10 minutes, what would be your most important question?

OLIVIER:

And if I had to ask him about the past… boy, I would have so many questions, I don’t know. Sorry.

DEREK: No, I completely understand. I would have a hard time coming up with some questions as well.

You mentioned that Toriyama is known as being shy and reclusive. Why do you think that is?

And during your research were you able to find any insights into Toriyama’s private life or information that is not publicly available or that fans might be curious to know about?

OLIVIER: No, because I put everything into the book.

Of course I would be glad to ask him if he gets drinks once a week with his publishers, or whatever. But I think he wouldn’t want to say. It’s not his character.

DEREK: He has been enormously successful though. People have compared Toriyama’s success in manga with Steven Spielberg’s success in directing.

Do you know how well Toriyama has done financially? Some fans are curious to know if he received the same wealth that his publishers did for all of his hard work.

OLIVIER: I don’t have any figures, but I think he’s okay. [laughter]. Because you see, he owns the copyrights of the series.

DEREK: It’s not owned by Shueisha?

OLIVIER: As far as I know, it seems both Toriyama (or Bird Studios) and Shueisha own the copyrights. because when you look in the books it says, “copyright Bird Studios,” and “copyright Toriyama,” not just “copyright Shueisha.”

It’s not like the old Marvel comics or DC comics. For example, the artists or writers, for a long time, completely sold their works to the companies. When the company made a movie, they usually didn’t get money. Now in the last 15 or 10 years, it has changed.

But the Japanese artists, they usually kept their rights. This was not the case for most of the Americans.

DEREK: Yeah, I bet he’s doing okay. [laughter]

Toriyama’s Influence Today

DEREK: How would you describe Akira Toriyama’s influence on the world?

OLIVIER: I think it’s overwhelming. Thanks to him, many kids in America or Europe, opened up to Japanese and Asian culture.

In France, when the animated series was broadcast for the first time, there were only 5 or 6 TV stations, and only 3 broadcast programs for kids and teenagers.

DEREK: What time period was that?

OLIVIER: Between 1990 to 1996.

DEREK: So you guys got it before we did?

OLIVIER: Yeah, yeah, of course, yeah. The big question in the 90’s, the big thing… Dragon Ball Z was very huge in Europe, Italy and Spain… Everybody is aware of the American market, it’s very difficult to enter.

Because usually, at the time you didn’t get many anime series, and some of them which worked well in Europe, like Saint Seiya, didn’t do that well in America. But even in America, Dragon Ball succeeded.

But of course we got it before you because we had the tradition since ‘78 of the Japanese series on the French networks.

DEREK: That is very fascinating. When it came to America they made a lot of changes to the show, to Americanize it and make it appeal to the American audience. Did they do the same thing in France to make it appeal to the French?

OLIVIER: No, they kept the program.

However, sometimes in Dragon Ball Z it’s very violent. The show was broadcast on Wednesday mornings, and kids in France, the small kids, don’t go to school on Wednesdays. Some of the fights are very bloody, so the French version, the first one, was cut. Most of the gory scenes.

And we added a stupid French song in the opening credits. Terrible song.

DEREK: Yeah, I’ve seen it on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ1NcxAZUYk

OLIVIER: Awful song. [laughter]

DEREK: Well, what are your thoughts about the American version of DBZ?

OLIVIER: I think it’s American. It’s what you could expect from America. [laughter]

But at least they see the show, you know? They see it on TV and if they really like it they will buy the DVD’s and the original version. It’s better to have it that way than not have it.

DEREK: Did you see Dragon Ball Evolution? And what did you think?

DEREK: Why do you think it turned out the way that it did?

OLIVIER: I don’t know, because the studio wanted to make money, and they’re happy with it, you know? I think it’s bad, but I don’t know, maybe it turned out that way because the studio felt that it was such a big license that it was simply enough to put Dragon Ball on a poster and attract people to the theaters. It happened that way, unfortunately.

And the Japanese had a contract, and I guess somebody sent his [Toriyama’s] comments, but when you have such a bad, bad, bad movie, what can you do?

Even the poor Stephen Chow, who had directed in Crazy Kung Fu some very good Dragon Ball type scenes, wasn’t listened to by the studio execs, because I think it’s a cultural… I don’t know, I don’t know.

I think when James Cameron shoots his GUNNM version, it will be something that is very different and very good, but which will respect the original manga.

DEREK: Right, and that’s a shame. I would agree with you.

I have a question from an American Dragon Ball fan. He wants to know, from your perspective, which modern anime series holds the title of Dragon Ball’s successor?

OLIVIER: In terms of success, it’s obviously One Piece. One Piece is bigger than Dragon Ball now, in terms of sales.

DEREK: What about in terms of spirit?

OLIVIER: Naruto, One Piece, maybe Fairy Tale. Lots of, almost every shonen manga, has pieces of Dragon Ball in it.

Dragon Ball and Chinese Culture

DEREK: You said that you went to China to get pictures of Sun Wukong. Are you familiar with the Chinese legends that inspired Dragon Ball.

OLIVIER: Yes, yes, yes, of course, yes. I’m kind of familiar with the religion, and wherever you go in China there are places where the Monk and Monkey King are said to have passed. You have statues and wall paintings. And so wherever you travel in China, even in North China, you might encounter some art.

DEREK: Yeah, I traveled to Beijing and Xi’An, and they had the White Horse Temple there, and they also had statues of the Monkey King and Tang Monk.

OLIVIER: Yes, and in Beijing’s Summer Palace there are paintings on the walls of Sun Wukong.

DEREK: Yep, yep, I actually saw that in person. Speaking of which, has Dragon Ball been successful in China?

OLIVIER: Yeah, it’s very popular! But you know in China there are many bootlegs. So, many people read unofficial comics.

And we also had lots of Cardass produced in Hong Kong. Many people had to inspect if the cards were Japanese or Chinese, because they wanted to have the official products.

DEREK: Dragon Ball was inspired by these Chinese legends, at least in the beginning, and those Chinese legends are very much involved in religion, spirituality, legends and fables and things. Do you see any of those aspects in Dragon Ball?

OLIVIER: Yes. It’s very subtle, but when you read it, not every time of course, but in many episodes, there are references to the Japanese legends or Asian legends. So it’s like the watermark, it’s like the background of the series.

Toriyama’s Talent

DEREK: You mentioned that Dragon Ball has Japanese, Asian components to it, but was also influenced by American cinema in Hollywood, and also by Hong Kong, Jackie Chan and Kung Fu. The result could have simply been a mish-mash of a bunch of different things, but it worked out really, really well, and it’s extremely successful. Why do you think that is?

OLIVIER:

Of course he is influenced by Terminator 2, Chinese movies, many things. And in the end you have something which is very unique, even though you could spot some [references], or identify things that inspired him.

Most of the bigger artists are like this. If you look at Star Wars, the first ones at least, it’s heavily influenced by the old Flash Gordon. Speaking of designs, there are many starships, or the Stormtrooper’s uniforms, you could say they were influenced by the science fiction magazines of the mid ‘70’s, especially Heavy Metal. You could track George Lucas’ influence.

There are also influences in Star Wars from the Indian legends, like the Ramayana. You could say that the Padawana inspired the name, he calls (the young Jedi disciples), one of the two families of the Ramayana, you know.

Lots of big artists are inspired by many big things, and in the end it’s not a mish-mash, it’s something unique.

For example, if you look at Avatar, when you watch Avatar, many people are reminded of Princess Mononoke, from Miyazaki.

So for me it’s not a problem when you read Dragon Ball and you can identify what inspired Toriyama. It’s enjoyable because you can see how he took the werewolf, and many things from everywhere, to produce something that is unique and coherent.

DEREK: Yeah, I agree.  I think that is a big reason why it was so successful. I also think it just appeals to people’s… you know we grow up hearing about legends, like you said about werewolf’s, and vampires and witches, and monsters, and heroes who grow up to defeat these monsters. And that has been the case for thousands of years, and even today. So I think there is something in human nature, especially as kids, that draws us, we’re attracted to that, and Toriyama manages to depict all of that, while at the same time being funny and action packed, and he managed to find a worldwide audience. It’s really incredible.

OLIVIER: Yeah, and everybody speaks of his talent, saying he is a talented artist, but he’s also a talented writer, a very gifted writer.

When you start to read the story, if you dig those kinds of universes, you don’t want it to end, it’s very good, like a good serial, very incredible, it takes you by your neck and you can’t stop, you know?

Of course, in episodes 14 to 72 it starts to be tournaments, fighting, fighting, fighting, if you’re not interested in fighting, okay, you’ll start to feel it’s repetitive.

But if you are interested in action and sci-fi, it’s incredibly rich. Especially because it’s written and drawn by the same person. When you look at the American comics, which I like a lot, when you look at 10 years of Spiderman, it’s not that good.

DEREK: Oh, is that because there are different people involved?

OLIVIER: No, it’s because they don’t have Toriyama!

DEREK: Wow, that’s a big statement.

OLIVIER: Yeah, speaking of comic books, of course.

DEREK: So you have a lot of respect for manga and anime.

OLIVIER: Yes.

Dragon Ball is for Everyone

DEREK: Some people might say manga is just for kids. What do you think?

OLIVIER: Japanese comic books are not like in some countries, because they are aimed at different targets. Japanese manga could be for kids, it could be only for adults. It’s very rich.

Still, in France we still have people saying that it’s industrially produced by workshops of slaves who want to invade the western civilization with their low quality products. Those people, thankfully, their numbers are diminishing and everybody now appreciates good comic books, like graphic novels, the best American comics, or European comic books.

Like I said, even the government, who is not known for being avante garde in speaking of comics, gave a medal to Otomo Katsuhiro.

DEREK: That does say a lot.

Your book covers Toriyama’s entire life, from his childhood up until now. Dragon Ball was obviously his most successful, but Dr. Slump made his career, at least that’s what gave him his initial success after getting a few manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump and things like that. What do you think is his best work?

OLIVIER: I like Dr. Slump and also Dragon Ball because they are very different. But it’s difficult to say because they are different genres. One is a comedy and one is an action fantasy. They are both good, different styles and genres.

OLIVIER: What do you think Dragon Ball is? What is the essence of Dragon Ball, if you could describe it? It’s a huge epic series so it’s hard to describe succinctly, but what it is that people are attracted to, why do they like it so much?

OLIVIER: Most people like it because they can identify with a hero, they grew up with a hero. One of the peculiarities of the series is that in the end the hero is like a teenager. Not only a teenager, but he grows up, gets married, has kids, and you grew up with the series. So it’s very… you can relate to the hero if you met the series when it was released, you grew up with the series.

And if you meet the series later, it’s such a classic hero, very naïve, very pure, he’s irresistible. If you are sensitive to action, heroes, and the classic values of good versus evil, it’s like a synthesis of every good thing.

DEREK: It appeals to who we are as human beings.

OLIVIER: Yes, yes, that’s it!

DEREK: Well, that’s all my questions. Thank you very much for your time, I know that was a long interview. I could talk about Dragon Ball all day!

OLIVIER: Thank you very much for the interview, and if we have an English version that comes out, I’ll let you know. The approval was only for the French speaking markets. I’m sorry for the English speaking readers! I’ll let you know anyway if something happens with the book, if there is a new edition with more information. And keep me informed with what’s going on with your book too.

DEREK: Yeah, absolutely, and maybe you can interview me one day for the French speaking audience.

OLIVIER: Haha, you bet!

Concluding Thoughts

What a great interview! As you can see from our discussion, Olivier made a big impact in France by bringing Dragon Ball and other shonen titles to television, and he clearly knows his stuff about Akira Toriyama.

That’s a shame there won’t be an English translation though. What do you guys think about this? Will you pick up the French version?

And do you believe that Toriyama should be called a master? Is he the living version of Osamu Tezuka?

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Interview with Olivier Richard – Author of Akira Toriyama Book – Part 2

Olivier Richard at the Shueisha headquarters in Tokyo, Japan

Join me for a conversation with Olivier Richard, the French author of the book, Akira Toriyama – The Master of Manga.

Olivier Richard was an integral figure in the French manga and anime industry during the 80’s and 90’s. As a long time fan of Japanese comics, he wrote the world’s first biography about Akira Toriyama.

This is Olivier’s first interview about the book conducted in English, and thus represents his premiere to the North American and international English speaking audience of Dragon Ball fans.

Read on to learn about Dragon Ball’s popular explosion in France, hear Olivier’s personal feelings about comics, and gain international insights into Toriyama’s success!

Manga and Anime in France

DEREK: When did you first become interested in manga and anime?

OLIVIER: I was first interested in Japanese manga, actually, anime, by the end of the 70’s, when I was very young.

The first Japanese anime’s were broadcast on French TV in ‘78, with Mazinger. Everyone saw it on TV when it was broadcast.

Also around those years I was reading some fanzines about science fiction and fantasy movies. Those fanzines dealt with all kinds of movies from America and Great Britain, but also from Asia. So we were aware of what took place in Asia, and of course Japan.

Sometimes we were able to write reviews about Japanese anime, like the first movies of anime inspired by Space Cruiser Yamato. When it was broadcast in the Cannes film market there was a review about it, so we knew that it existed, and those films being made by the same kind of people who produced the anime we were watching on TV. And sometimes there were movies.

So I’ve been interested in Japanese manga and anime for a long time.

DEREK: Did you have a role in bringing these films to France?

OLIVIER: Later I had a job at French TV channels, like MCM, which is a kind of French MTV. We have MTV in France, and MCM is the same type of music channel. We also used to broadcast for the tweens and teenagers, so I used to purchase anime’s like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, Paranoia Agent and Bleach.

DEREK: Yeah, on the inside jacket of your book it said you helped to distribute Dragon Ball in Europe, along with One Piece and Bleach. How exactly were you involved?

OLIVIER: Dragon Ball premiered for the first time in France in the late 80’s. It was very popular at the time, so years later when I had the job of being the Head of Programs, I bought Dragon Ball and reran them, and it was the first time for ages that the channel broadcast the complete three series. So we had very, very high ratings.

Speaking of Fullmetal Alchemist, I broadcast the whole series.

Regarding One Piece, I purchased 150 episodes which were broadcast for the first time in France.

Speaking of Paranoia Agent, it was the first time it was broadcast in France.

DEREK: That’s great! Obviously you saw an audience there that would appreciate it.

How do French people, the youth, or whatever the target demographic is for anime and manga are, how do they view international Japanese manga and pop culture? Is it something that’s really popular? Is it understood well? Or is it just seen as some kind of oddity that people are curious about?

OLIVIER: It’s very popular. But of course we still have some people thinking Japanese only produce hentai or things like that. Now almost everybody is aware that it’s very big, and it’s read and screened by people from the core target of 12 to 24, but you can even read good reviews about Japanese manga in Newsweek type magazines in France.

It’s very, very popular. For example when Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli, releases a new movie in France, everybody talks about it on TV or in Newspapers.

DEREK: Really? That’s good.

OLIVIER: Yeah, really, really. For example, we had Otomo Katsuhiro, he got an artistic award by one of the members of the government, like 5 or 6 years ago. He got a medal in Paris.

DEREK: That’s an impressive amount of sales.

OLIVIER: I was told France is the second market in the world for manga.

DEREK: Is that right? I didn’t realize that.

OLIVIER: I think so, yeah. And there are a lot of manga and anime conventions in France. The biggest one, Japan Expo, takes place in the Paris area and attracts almost 200,000 people in 4 days, every year.

Personal Tastes

DEREK: It seems that based off of your work that your focus is on shonen manga, is that correct?

OLIVIER: Yeah, because the channel I was taking care of was reaching this 15 to 24 year old demographic. We also broadcast some seinen and kids manga, but we mostly broadcast shonen manga.

DEREK: Is that your favorite genre as well?

OLIVIER: No, no, no, not my favorite. It’s one of the genres I like, but I also like seinen, and all types of comic books, actually.

DEREK: Do you also appreciate western comics?

OLIVIER: Yeah. Right now I’m reading a lot of DC Comics.

DEREK: Oh, yeah, they are going through a lot of changes right now, with The 52, right?

OLIVIER: It’s very good. Right now I’m following the Justice League. It’s very good stuff. I also like a lot of American and British comics. I’ve done interviews with writers or artists like Jack Kirby. So to me it’s the same kind of thing.

Of course there are differences between shonen manga, French comics and American comics. But what I like are comics books, sci-fi and fantasy, so of course Japanese manga are one of the most interesting comics produced.

DEREK: I see. I think that’s good, because it gives you a broader perspective. It’s entertaining, too.

Comics in France

DEREK: I recently just finished reading The Little Prince, which I understand is very popular in France. Are you familiar with that story?

OLIVIER: Yeah, yeah. Everybody hears about it. It’s been one of the books you’re supposed to read when you go to school.

DEREK: Oh, is that right? I bring it up because I’m curious, and see some parallels between that and Dragon Ball, in terms of innocence and things like that. And I wonder if Manga is so popular in France because of the culture that existed there already. Seems like maybe it was primed for that type of illustrated art that was targeted to children.

OLIVIER: You know, from Paris there is a long tradition of comic books. Since we are very close to Belgium, and half of Belgium speaks French, everybody has the opportunity to read them. Classics like Tintin, Spirou, whatever.

Speaking of Japanese manga, shonen manga is very popular in terms of sales. But of course the high brow people would prefer a seinen manga. Taniguchi Jiro is very popular with high brow people in France, and Miyazaki of course. But Shonen manga is not that well regarded. Some people think it’s basic stuff, you know. It’s read, it’s very big in France, but it doesn’t have a good reputation amongst high brow people.

But a good point is that, for example, when a new Naruto or One Piece volume is released in France, it’s one of the top 10 books sold in all of France, in all categories.

And I don’t mean one of the most successful comic books, I mean one of the most successful books of all types. [For example] Number 1 is Steve Jobs’ biography. Number 2 or Number 3 is One Piece.

It’s very, very big. Some people don’t like it, but they have to witness the facts.

DEREK: Yeah, you can’t deny that.

Toriyama Inspires

DEREK: How has Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama’s work influenced your life in particular?

OLIVIER: My life? I know I wrote a lot about it! [laughter] Since I used to work in a video game magazine, at the apex of the Dragon Ball manga, we used to write a lot about it, so it’s one of the topics I’ve worked on the most.

DEREK: So for years you’ve been writing about Dragon Ball?

OLIVIER: Yeah, because I used to work at a video game magazine called Player One. Every month we had reviews about the new manga and animes. Between 1992 and 1995, 1996 maybe, there were at least 2 Dragon Ball movies a year, plus the games, plus the new manga, and since it was successful we did a lot of articles about Toriyama and the Dragon Ball series. It was one of the topics I worked the most on!

DEREK: From a professional perspective it sounds like Dragon Ball played a big part in a lot of people’s lives.

OLIVIER: Yes.

DEREK: From another perspective, did Dragon Ball ever inspire you to change your life in a positive way, such as practicing the martial arts, or working harder at achieving a particular goal?

DEREK: Did that happen while you were working on this book?

OLIVIER: Yes, it did. [laughter]

DEREK: Toriyama did work really hard!

The Right Man for the Job

As you can see, with Mr. Richard’s extensive career in the French manga and anime industry, he was the perfect man to write a book about Akira Toriyama and his life’s work.

This interview was particularly engaging, as we’re both big Dragon Ball fans, so check out Part 2 of my interview with Olivier Richard, where I ask him in-depth questions about his book, why he chose to write about Toriyama, difficulties during the development process, and why he believes that Toriyama is an under-recognized writer.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Interview with Olivier Richard – Author of Akira Toriyama Book – Part 1

If you’re going to Anime Expo this year and want to get together, then drop me a line on the contact form or via facebook.

I’m going as a journalist for The Epoch Times, and also because it’s a good opportunity to be nerdy and have some fun.

For those who don’t know, Anime Expo is the largest anime and Japanese pop culture conference in North America. Hundreds of thousands of people come every year during the 4th of July weekend. Next year I want to be there to promote my Dragon Ball book.

I’d love to meet with you so we can talk about Dragon Ball or simply hang out, play games and become friends.

And it will also be interesting to see what type of a presence Dragon Ball has at this years conference. The last two years have been rather sparse, aside from an occasional cosplayer.

Hope to see you there!

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Attending Anime Expo

Mr. Shu. Gohan's Tutor

Hey everybody. I made a decision that will take the book one step closer to completion. I hired a pair of professional editors.

The first is Marta Tanrikulu at TanMar Editorial Services, as the developmental editor. It’s her job to help shape and focus the book, restructure it accordingly, and cut whatever gets in the way of the primary message. Which, by the way, is this:

The message of The Dao of Dragon Ball is to convey the true history of the Dragon Ball series, its connections to ancient Indian, Chinese and Japanese cultures, Hollywood pop culture, futuristic science fiction, and the underlying meaning of life discovered through spiritual cultivation via the martial arts.

The second editor is Elissa Rabellino at StyleInSites, and she is the copy editor. After I finalize the content with Marta’s guidance, Elissa will help refine the prose and deftly say more with less.

Both editors are from the San Francisco Bay Area. They each had an interest in anime or manga as well as a ton of experience in their craft. I imagine that their expertise will enable the book to reach the next level.

It required several weeks of interviews and a lot of soul searching to make the final decisions, so here’s hoping for the best!

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Editors Chosen

The Potara Earring in Dragon Ball Z

The Potara earrings are a device in Dragon Ball Z introduced near the end of the Majin Buu Saga. They allow one character to fuse together with another and increase their power level dramatically.

Everybody knows and loves them. But is there more to these simple earrings than meets the eye?

When all hope seems lost, Goku is given a Potara earring by Eldar Kai (Japanese: Rou Dai Kaioshin) that allows him to fuse with another person. They look like spherical ball earrings suspended by silver beads attached to a hoop that is placed in the earlobe.

Goku and Vegeta Fuse Together

Goku convinces Vegeta to wear one of the earrings while Goku wears the other. Immediately they are drawn to one another and their two bodies slam together, creating a new superhuman warrior.

The pair combined has the best of Vegeta’s pride and Goku’s rage, creating Vegetto, self-named after the combination of Vegeta and Kakarotto (Goku’s birth given Saiyan name).

According to Kanzentai.com, in The Super Exciting Guide: Story Volume, “On p.63 it describes the Potara fusion as being closer to multiplication rather than simple addition in the way it increases power. Supposedly, Vegetto’s battle power is equivalent to Goku’s battle power multiplied by Vegeta’s. Also according to the introduction of the Super Exciting Guide’s training section, all the information in it is based on data that was supervised by Toriyama, though we have no idea how extensive this supervision was.”

This makes Vegetto the strongest character in the entire manga.

But where did Akira Toriyama come up with the idea of Potara? What’s the story behind them?

Toriyama’s Explanation

Eldar Kai Hands Goku the Potara

In Daizenshuu 6: Movies & TV Specials guide (December 9, 1995), Toriyama is asked about the Potara in an interview.

Interviewer: “Fusion” is another way to power up, right? How was that concept born?

Toriyama: That, I think, as a concept, came out of a discussion with Katsura-kun [Masakazu Katsura, a manga creator] that ‘There is nothing stronger than Super Saiya-jin.’ We usually just fool around with each other, and he jokingly said at the time, ‘In that case, maybe the only remaining way to become stronger is to fuse together.’ I replied, ‘Hey, that’s a great idea! You do say good things sometimes. This is the first time you’ve helped me.’ (laughter) That’s how that idea was born.

The interviewer then asks him how he came up with the concept of Potara.

Toriyama: Well, that was just because fusion was being used up in the movies, and I was thinking, ‘What should I do?’ Since I had been drawing earrings, I wondered, ‘Can I use these somehow?’

Interviewer: So, you didn’t draw the earrings as a way to fuse together from the beginning?

Toriyama: Nope. They were initially just decorations.

Interviewer: Then it was a product of the circumstances.

Toriyama: I’ve long been walking such dangerous fine lines (laughter). However, when I’m cornered, my brain waves seem to sharpen, and somehow ideas start to flow. In addition, I’m good at forceful finagling (laughter).

And that’s all Toriyama is recorded as saying about the Potara’s origins. So he was drawing earring designs and decided to use them in Dragon Ball. Perhaps it was as simple as that. Many of Toriyama’s explanations for things are surprisingly simple.

But where did the word Potara come from? Toriyama does not mention this specifically.

My theory is that Potara actually has a cultural and historical origin.

Potala Palace of Tibet

Potala Palace of Lhasa, Tibet

The most likely source of the word Potara in Dragon Ball stems from the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet.

The now 13-story high Potala Palace in Lhasa was founded in 1645 AD. It served as the previous residence of many Dalai Lamas throughout history. It is the political seat of the Tibetan Government and house of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, also known as the “Yellow Hats.” The Gelug is the most politically powerful and well known of Tibetan Buddhist practices, and the Potala served as a Winter Palace for the Dalai Lama of that generation. In 1959 the Dalai Lama was forced to retreat from Tibet in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s assault. It has since been turned into a museum.

The Japanese refer to Potala as Potara. This is because in Japanese the R’s and L’s are often pronounced as opposites or both simultaneously, as a sort of R, L and D sound altogether. Other examples of this reversal in Dragon Ball include Shen Ron (instead of the Chinese Shen Long) and Porunga (instead of Polunga), the Divine Dragons that come out of the dragon balls.

Furthermore, the earrings designed by Toriyama are similar to a traditional Tibetan drop earring, which have a spherical shape embedded in a cap.

More than a Name – Dual Cultivation

A Male Tibetan Deity Holds a Female Consort

But there’s more to this theory than just a single name.

Tibetan Buddhism is an esoteric (secret) practice of Buddhism that is taught behind closed doors. It involves many ritualistic experiences of the Tantric order. One of these is known as “dual cultivation of male and female.”

This is a practice of dual cultivation, meaning that more than one person’s body is used to refine a practitioner. It is a Tantric act where two bodies become one. The male partner will hold the female in physical union. The female partner chosen is one of utmost purity, and the entire act is overseen by a master monk to ensure that the two are able to maintain their virtue and follow the ritual accordingly.

The union brings together the highest qualities of each practitioner and sends the pair into a higher state of awareness. Their enlightenment to higher states allows both of them to reach a plane of ultimate bliss.

The artistic representations of these acts are often seen in Tibetan Thangkas (Scroll paintings). They depict different male gods in physical union with female consorts. They are paintings of dual cultivation that are symbolic of the duality of the Tibetan Dharma.

The male wraps the female with his arms and holds the Bell (Female aspect) in the left hand and the Dorje (aka Vajra) (Male aspect) in the right hand. The two elements together balance the positive and negative and bring one to enlightenment. The two people essentially become one person, and with more ‘power’ than the original, as they can enter a higher level of Heaven. It is considered a sacred practice and one is that not disclosed to a lay practitioner.

Tibetan Earrings That Look Like Potara

From a Daoist perspective they would say this type of practice is one where “The Yin supplements the Yang, and the Yang supplements the Yin.”

In Dragon Ball Z anime episode 268, Goku places the earring on his left ear and Vegeta places the earring on his right. The two beings are forcefully drawn toward one another. When their bodies make contact a huge explosion of light and energy erupts from that point. Their bodies and minds fuse together and form a new being with a higher state of awareness and incalculable power that is even stronger than the gods.

At this point they are neither Goku nor Vegeta. With the voice of two beings united as one he says, “I wondered what was going to happen, but it appears as if they successfully combined together. Now then, let’s continue!”

Potaraka Island and Guan Yin

Bodhisattva Guan Yin

It is also possible that Toriyama referenced Journey to the West for this name, as the book serves as the literary wellspring from which Dragon Ball came forth. This is because in Journey to the West there is a mystical location known as Potaraka Island.

In Chapter 22 of Journey to the West, Monkey, Pig and the Tang Monk Sanzang experience difficulty in capturing the Sand Demon who guards the sandy river. Despite their best efforts at defeating the monster they still need to ask for help from Bodhisattva Guan Yin (the Buddhist Saint of Compassion).

“‘If you’re going to ask the Bodhisattva to come,’ Sanzang said, ‘don’t waste a moment, and be back as quickly as possible.’

“Monkey then somersaulted off on his cloud towards the Southern Sea, and before an hour was up he saw Potaraka Island. An instant later he landed outside the Purple Bamboo Grove, where the twenty-four devas came forward to greet him with the words, ‘Why have you come, Great Sage?’

“‘Because my master is in trouble,’ Monkey replied, ‘I have come for an audience with the Bodhisattva.’ The deva on duty that day asked Monkey to sit down while he went in to report, whereupon he went into the Tide Cave to announce that Sun Wukong was seeking an audience on business. The Bodhisattva was leaning on a balcony looking at the blossoms in the Precious Lotus Pool with the Dragon Princess Peng Zhu when she heard the news. She went back in her cloudy majesty, opening the door and summoning Monkey to her presence. The Great Sage greeted her with grave reverence.”

Jade Earrings Modeled After Potara Used for Cosplay

Outside of Journey to the West, there is a “Little Potala Palace” (Chinese: Putuo Zongchengzhi Si) in Chengde City, China, that was constructed in 1771 of the Qing Dynasty. As the largest temple of the Eight Outer Temples, the Little Potala Palace was constructed to commemorate Emperor Qianlong’s birthday. It emulates the original Potala Palace’s design.

The Little Potala Palace is also known as the Temple of the Potaraka Doctrine, as it is a Mayahana Buddhist School that studies the Fa of Bodhisattva Guan Yin.

So there is a temple in Tibet and a temple in China. But no temple in Japan named Potala. This means Toriyama most likely borrowed the word from somewhere else.

Also noteworthy is that there is a Potara in India. The Potara Kund is located in the city of Mathura in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Kund is the Hindi word for “tiny lake.” Potara Kund is a stepped red sandstone artificial water tank in which Krishna’s baby clothes were believed to be washed. Krishna is the highest level deity worshipped in India, and the Potara Kund is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana and also the Bhagavad Gita, a Vedic tale of war and theology that recounts Krishna’s childhood.

So it’s equally possible that Toriyama found this word while researching the Vedic texts.

Conclusion

It’s unknown where Toriyama came up with the word Potara. But it is probably from one of the above named sources. The concept of dual cultivation and unification is also intriguing.

Maybe Toriyama will state the source of his inspiration one day.

In either case, now you know a little bit more about the Potara earrings.

Resources:

• http://blog.t2world.com/2009/06/potala-palace.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna
• http://www.chengdetour.com/chengde-attractions/templeofpotarakadoctrine.htm
• http://www.kanzentai.com/bp.php?id=guide
• http://monkeyking.lewisoft.net/MKW/en/journeytothewest_22.php
• http://www.tamashop.com/DragonballKaioshinPotaraEarrings.htm
• http://talesofwisdom.com/2009/07/09/an-allegory-of-cultivation-a-stubborn-water-bottle-2/
• http://www.toranahouse.com/BJthangkacat1.html

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Potara, Potala, Potaraka

Piccolo Meditates

The Full Lotus position is a seated cross legged position employed in meditation practices throughout the world. In anime and manga it is often depicted incorrectly. But so far nobody on the internet has seemed to notice.

The Full Lotus position has a rich cultural background, many purposes and benefits, and is sometimes depicted in anime and manga… Though rarely in the traditional way. This is especially true in the Shonen (Young Boys) genre, such as in Dragon Ball.

In Dragon Ball there are martial artists and individual styles of martial arts based cultivation practices. Some of the practices involve meditation. For example, there are scenes where Piccolo meditates in a cross legged position as he levitates above the ground using his own internal energy. Meditation is the primary way in which Piccolo increases his power level. In this practice he strengthens and refines his supernormal abilities. While Yamcha, Tenshinhan and Chaozu engaged in North Kaio’s special training methods during the Saiyan Saga, Piccolo only sat in meditation. Yet in this simple process he became more powerful than all of them.

But the seated position that Piccolo maintains is not the proper Full Lotus. Instead it is a general cross legged position, with one ankle loosely crossed in front of the other. He supposedly sits like this for hours at a time.

However, it is nearly impossible to sit like this for extended periods of time. The body is too tense and a practitioner cannot enter into tranquility. The Full Lotus is a remedy to this problem.

What is the Full Lotus?

What exactly is the Full Lotus position and what makes it different from a regular cross legged sit?

The Full Lotus Position is a special way of sitting that is taught primarily in spiritual or meditative practices, and is historically attributed to practices in India. From India, the practice of Buddhism spread into China (and elsewhere), then Korea and finally Japan, where it took root and became distinctively Japanese.

There are different terms for this practice. In Indian Sanskrit the yogic practice of seated meditation is called Asana (to sit down), while in Chinese meditation it is called Da Zou (Big Sit), and in Japanese meditation it is called Zazen (seated wordless).

Full Lotus position brings both legs up in a cross so that the ankles of both legs are turned over and the soles of both feet are turned up. This allows for all “Five Centers to Face Heaven” (so that the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands, and the top of the head each face up).

Another traditional seated position for cultivation exercises in meditation is the Half Lotus.

Half Lotus involves bringing one leg up in a crossed position so that the sole of the foot faces up and rests in a straight line across the other leg. For males the left leg will be on top while for females the right leg will be on top, though this can vary among practices, and is sometimes performed in such a way in order to bring balance to the different amounts of yin and yang between the genders.

Why Full Lotus?

Falun Dafa's Fifth Exercise in Full Lotus

There are several benefits for and reasons behind the Full Lotus seated position.

The first is stability. Having both ankles above the lower legs causes the upper legs to make more surface contact with the ground. This prevents the practitioner from swaying back and forth in uncomfortable states that might be found in the general cross legged position. It also removes stress from the hip-flexors, pelvis and lower back, and allows the practitioner to fully relax their body, a state that is necessary to achieve in practices of both mind and body.

I’ve also heard it said that because of the increased stability of the Full Lotus, a monk who falls asleep during the practice will not tip over. While this may be true, it is also misleading as the true purpose is to allow the monks to enter into a trance or transcendental state of heightened awareness where they leave the body. The Full Lotus position ensures that the practitioner’s body will remain upright upon their return.

On another level, the Full Lotus position promotes the full rotation of energy through the practitioners’ energy channels, from the entire yin side of the body to the entire yang side of the body. This position is necessary for a practitioner to fully refine and transform their innate body in all dimensions.

So Then, Why Not Full Lotus?

Naruto's Shadow Clone training

With all of the cultural, physical and metaphysical rationale and meaning within the Full Lotus, why do Japanese comic books and cartoons almost always depict this practice inaccurately? Even in the case of deliberately spiritual or martial arts based characters, they still don’t perform Full Lotus.

I scoured the web for an answer and it seems nobody has talked about this (at least not in English.) Therefore, I have a few theories.

The first is that Full Lotus is a difficult position to enter into for those without special training or with a relatively inflexible body. It’s possible there was concern in the Japanese manga and anime sectors that young children would emulate their favorite hero’s and hurt themselves in the process. For this reason, such depictions were changed to the general cross legged position, with the same basic understanding implied that the person sitting down was spiritually inclined.

To get closer to the truth I asked an expert in anime and manga for their opinion – Jason Thompson, the once head editor at VIZ Media in charge of Dragon Ball’s North American comic release. On May 9^th, 2010 via email Jason said “I don’t know much about the subject, but I’ve never heard of any restriction or taboo’s about depicting the lotus position, either for religious reasons or bad for children reasons. Perhaps the cross legged position is just easier to draw.”

The easier to draw theory might be the case, but I can’t help but think that the mangaka are well versed in human anatomy and clearly have no trouble depicting advanced martial arts techniques. Why would this position pose a problem?

In that same train of thought, the reason may be one of religious tolerance or concern for the actual forthright depictions of spiritual cultivators in meditation practice in a cartoon based medium. Jason suggested that perhaps Buddhists in Japan might find it offensive, though he followed the hypothetical with “But it seems unlikely, considering that manga and anime make fun of Buddhism as often as they make fun of Christianity, which is a lot.” I could not find examples of this type of humor in English to confirm if this is true, though I figure if modern jokes that deal with Buddhism were commonly approved by the producers and directors that green light a series, then a seated leg position would not be an issue as it is rather minor in comparison.

There could also be fears of fringe spiritual practices becoming popular in Japanese society at large, in recoil from such movements as Aum Shinrikyo and their 1995 sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo subways. This event changed the perception of any practice that involves Full Lotus meditation, though not as much in regards to the generally accepted religions of Japan, which includes Buddhism.

Naruto trains in sennin mode

This stigma still exists in Japan and may explain the post 1995 depictions of the seated position, as even today we see the general cross legged form in new episodes of anime.

In Naruto Shippudden episode 156 (Surpassing the Master, April 15^th 2010) we see Naruto endure his training in the sennin arts (aka hermit arts, or sage arts). In this episode he learns how to still his body and mind in order to draw in the nature chakra that surrounds all living beings. Naruto sits on top of a piece of stone tile which is carefully balanced on top of a large stone spire hundreds of feet in the air. Of course he does not sit in Full Lotus, even though this would provide him with the most balance and stability.

Likewise, in Naruto Shippudden episode 159 (Kakashi vs. Pain, May 5^th, 2010) we see Lady Tsunade in this same position as she uses her Katsuya summon to help heal the villagers inside Konoha and to protect them from further devastation.

In other series, even characters that are blatantly supposed to be Buddhist monks don’t sit in Full Lotus, such as Chichiri from Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play (1995-1996).

However, this stigma would not explain the pre 1995 incidents, such as in Dragon Ball Z episode 208 (Welcome Back Goku! The Whole Z Team is Gathered!, November 24, 1993) where we see Goku train in deep meditation on top of a mountain in preparation for his oncoming fights in the Tenkaichi Budokai tournament.

Another possibility is that a decision maker at TOEI (TV), Shueisha (comics), or some other large publishing house made a decision to not depict Full Lotus in its traditional form (for whatever reason), and this is how it has been ever since.

Lady Tsunade sits cross legged

The final explanation, and the one that I believe is most likely, is that the mangaka simply don’t understand true cultivation practices of mind and body. They have a basic understanding of the principles or physical positions as well as the philosophy behind them, but not the actual reasons or rationale of how they work.

Maybe somebody in the creative community knew that people were supposed to sit in meditation in order to develop supernormal abilities or superhuman strength, but they didn’t actually know how it was done. Then the next artist came along and copied the first person.

There are exceptions of course, such as L, from Death Note.

In any case, this appears to still be the trend and has been for over 20 years.

A Rising Lotus

Goku Meditates atop a mountain

There are running gags and themes that surround the Full Lotus position in anime and manga and the physical posture is symbolic of a character’s personality.

In some cases you’ll see the character sitting there with legs slightly crossed and then they will levitate into the air. This is supposed to show that they are spiritually inclined characters or serve as a joke that they are holier than the other characters.

Though as mentioned, the general legs crossed position would be incredibly difficult to maintain, especially while suspended because all of the pressure would be on the hip-flexors. There would be no way to attain a meditative state.

So in conclusion I’m not really sure why the Full Lotus position isn’t depicted correctly, even when the situation calls for it or the character in question is a professional martial artist or spiritualist.

It’s also possible I’ve put way too much thought into this, as I tend to do. But why hasn’t anybody else out there noticed? Don’t you think it’s interesting?

If anyone in the anime or manga fan community has an idea of why this is or has a comment on the situation, then please let us know.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_position

http://japanese-religions.jp/publications/assets/JR31_2_a_Repp2.pdf

http://www.onemanga.com/Death_Note/4/03/

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LotusPosition

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

The Lotus Position in Anime And Manga