Many of the characters seen in Dragon Ball were inspired by traditional or pop 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.

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

Today 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 Akira 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 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 that 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 fighting, 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.

Akira 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 Toriyama 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 popular 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 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 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?

Akira 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 Kume 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 man who has relatable flaws. Plus he’s endearingly funny.

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 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 Gama 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

Even after more than 30 years in the industry, and after creating the #1 selling shonen manga series of all time (at 300 million copies), there was until now no book about Akira Toriyama, one of the most influential manga authors in the world.

Written in French by author Olivier Richard, it’s clear that Richard gives respect to Toriyama and other shonen works, and that he understands the genre.

From the foreword, “In fact, as a best seller of the highest caliber, Dragon Ball falls into the same category as Star Wars, the cultural phenomenon. Like George Lucas’ space opera, Akira Toriyama’s manga has captivated millions of children, adolescents, and young adults who followed with almost religious fervor the adventures of Son Goku, the fascinating and charismatic hero of a true modern myth.”

[Note that the preceding quote and all others in this review were translated by Derek Padula.]

The books inside jacket says, “Olivier Richard has been interested in manga and Japanese animation for over twenty five years. He has written on the BD [comics in French], the cinema, animation and music in Rock & Folk magazine, Player One, The Show and Manga Player.”

Richard also worked in European television as a program director at MCM and helped distribute the Dragon Ball trilogy, One Piece, Full Metal Alchemist, and Bleach in Western Europe.

Akira Toriyama – The Master of Manga is 144 pages in total, divided into 13 chapters, plus the appendices and post content.

The book primarily talks about Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, but also mentions many of Toriyama’s lesser known comics published in Japan, such as Wolf, Pola & Roid, and Kajika.

Unfortunately there is no table of contents or chapter titles, so you don’t know what you’re getting into before you invest the time to read it, and you’ll have to memorize the location of content if you want to reference it again later. There’s also no index, which is a shame since it’s non-fiction.

The book is very historical and follows a timeline of events, but it doesn’t tell much of a story. It’s a biography without really being a biography. Filled with What, When and Where, but not much of How, Who or Why. Some people might prefer that, but be aware that there are few quotes or original thoughts.

That said, there are occasional insights into Toriyama’s life that paint a nice picture of what his perspective might have been like during his rise as a manga author. For example, in Toriyama’s early years when his submissions were repeatedly rejected by Weekly Shonen Jump, and then finally accepted. And the powerful influence his editor, Torishima-san, had on his work.

In Chapter 7, Richard writes, “The editor feels that the character [of Goku] is not sufficiently developed, his potential is not operating at maximum, and is boring. He thinks Toriyama is too far from the original idea and that at present there is not enough fighting in Dragon Ball. …  As always, Toriyama listened carefully to his mentor.”

At the end of the book is an appendix, which contains 13 interviews with notable industry figures talking about Toriyama and his work.

Interviewees include editors in chief’s of many manga magazines, the head producer at Namco Bandai (Daisuke Uchiyama) who made the video game Dragon Ball: Ultimate Tenkaichi, a Bandai Toy developer, a professor of manga, journalists, manga authors, a children’s television director, and others.

The interviews are perhaps my favorite part of the book because they provide original content, even if they are mainly opinions and anecdotal experiences.

After the appendices there is a chronology of Toriyama’s life and career, followed by a timeline bibliography of Toriyama’s work referenced in this book. These can be useful as reference material.

The book is thoroughly researched and up to date, with a short section for the series’ latest incarnations, including the Dragon Ball SD manga, Bardock Super Saiyan Special manga, Dragon Ball Heroes carddass game, and Dragon Ball Online.

The book design is simple, clean, and easy to read, with detailed, full color pictures of Toriyama’s work and related merchandise. This adds greatly to the books value.

Should this book be purchased if you don’t speak French? Being unable to read the content will obviously have an effect on your enjoyment of the book, but if you’re familiar with any of the Romance languages, then you may be able to understand a bit. If you don’t speak French or don’t want to type the content into an online translator, then wait until your preferred translation is available.

It’s hard to find fault with Akira Toriyama – The Master of Manga. It is perhaps too simple, but less is more when you’re trying to achieve a specific goal, and this book achieves it.

Is Akira Toriyama – The Master of Manga worth buying?

If you’re a huge fan of Toriyama, then you probably already know about his life and career and won’t get much more out of this summary, as there’s sparse new content.

But for those who want a beautiful and concise reference manual on Toriyama, one of the most monumental figures in the manga industry, this book is it.

Dragon Ball Book Information

Author: Olivier Richard

Publisher: 12 bis

Price: EUR 19.00

Pages: 144

ISBN: 978-2-35648-332-4

Further Resources

Amazon France Book Page

Publisher Book Profile Page

Publisher Author Profile Page

The Dao of Dragon Ball Interview with Olivier Richard

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Dragon Ball Book Review – Akira Toriyama – The Master of Manga

In Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama incorporates spirit possession as a way to propel character development and plot.

This article explores how Toriyama was inspired by ancient belief systems and spirit possession traditions.

What is Spirit Possession?

Wikipedia defines spirit possession as “A paranormal or supernatural event in which it is said that spirits, gods, demons, animas, extraterrestrials, or other disincarnate or extraterrestrial entities take control of a human body, resulting in noticeable changes in health and behavior.”

In eastern Buddhism, Daoism, Korean Shamanism, Shinto and Japanese new age movements, spirit possession can also include the summoning of a spirit into an inanimate object, such as a sword, medallion or statue. In Japan, Shinto priests imbued samurai swords with foreign spirits (called Kami, 神) to increase their battle power or provide otherworldly protection.

In Dragon Ball Z we have many cases of spirits entering or being forced into inanimate objects. For example, using the Mafuba technique to seal a demon in the Denshi Jar; Tapion playing his ocarina to seal Hildegarn in the music box; and Rou Dai Kaioshin being trapped inside the Z Sword for millions of years, only being set free after the blade broke.

But in this article we’re going to focus on the spirit possession that affects people who are controlled by a foreign spirit unwillingly, or willingly ask a foreign spirit to control them in exchange for something else.

The History of Spirit Possession in Asia

Spirit possession is found in many world cultures, including Christianity. But the majority of Dragon Ball’s inspiration stems from East Asian belief systems, including from India, China and Japan.

The Anunka warriors of ancient India purposefully sought spirit possession to gain greater power. They would chant, enter into a trance, and plead foreign spirits to attach themselves to their bodies or take over their minds. In this manner they were said to become super strong in battle, going far beyond the limits of normal men.

The martial arts practices and religions of India were the precursors to many of the Chinese belief systems. They were inherited by the Chinese through the Ksatreya style of martial arts, and Buddhist and Brahmin systems.

Around 475 BC in Northeastern China there was a group known as the Fang Shi (Esoteric Magic Masters, 方士) who practiced shamanistic spirit possession. They were somewhat of a pre Daoist religious group of ascetics, with beliefs in the Five Elements, a Supreme Ultimate (Tai Ji), exorcisms, divination and alchemical immortality.

Primarily consisting of hermits and wanderers, the Fang Shi used magic arts to seek everlasting life, summon demons or spirits, predict the future and gain supernormal powers.

Considered technicians of magic, their practice grew in popularity and even courtroom influence until the government considered it a dangerous cult and outlawed it, ending the practice in approximately 569 AD.

The belief systems and physical practices of the Fang Shi were inherited by the Daoists, whom, in some of their organized forms, would become the literati immortality cults of China. The Daoists attempted to turn ignoble metals into gold, create immortality elixirs, give birth to ephemeral dragons in their own bodies, communicate with spirits in other dimensions and gain everlasting life through physical exercises.

Across centuries the Daoist and Buddhist martial arts became interwoven with the beliefs of the immortality cults, which then became replaced with elite sectarian religions and the continuation of earlier practices, such as shamanistic rituals.

The Fang Shi “magicians” were the precursors to many of the Daoist and Buddhist magical abilities and rituals of common belief. These became the sources of myths and legends which would find their way into novels like Journey to the West and Great Water Margin.

Dragon Ball is directly inspired by these epic stories, and so we also find them in Dragon Ball.

Virtue and Vice

There have been many different cultivation practices throughout history. Some practices teach honesty, compassion and the letting go of desires, while others promote greed, power and the satisfaction of worldly desires. Some are freed by virtue, while others are controlled by vice.

But no matter the principles, at some point a teacher needs to find a disciple.

In ancient China there was a phrase attributed to Daoism that says, “The master looks for a disciple, not the disciple looks for a master.”

It implies that when the time is right, the master looks for a particular quality within a person to see if they would be a good fit to inherit their practice. In the case of the Daoists, what they were looking for was virtue (Chinese: De, 德).

They had to find somebody with high level inborn quality and a large amount of virtue attached to their spirit. With that, the disciple would have an easier time enlightening, and their cultivation practice would meet with success. Without it, the practice would be very difficult and they may fail.

But masters of unrighteous practices sought just the opposite. They looked for disciples with wicked hearts and selfish minds. They wanted people who desired self validation and externalities.

In other words, those with weak hearts; something the Chinese referred to as “e” and the Japanese as Aku (悪).

In addition to the master seeking a disciple, there are sacred possessions and demonic possessions aligned with a person’s level of character.

In religious systems across the world, such as Christianity and Buddhism, it’s taught that exceptionally good people who are aligned with virtue can have their bodies possessed by ‘angelic’ life forms. They are used by heavenly forces to transmit the holy Law, complete important missions or physically receive marks, such as stigmata, as manifest proof of divinity. Their bodies are taken control of, they receive genius inspiration or they are guided along a fortuitous path to do sacred things.

Similarly, those who seek to achieve worldly desires and perform evil acts are essentially inviting things such as foxes, snakes, demons and ghosts, low level spirits, onto themselves. Because their thinking is the same as these creatures, their weak minds are pushed aside and their bodies are possessed.

So let’s take a look at these two different scenarios. One good. One evil.

First the good.

Kami and Shen

In Dragon Ball episode 139, Piccolo has entered the 23^rd Tenkaichi Budokai to fight and kill Goku.

Kami also enters the tournament so that he can confront Piccolo and defeat him. But he does not do so directly. Instead, he tries to surprise Piccolo by possessing the body of a human being as a disguise.

He chooses a man with the ring name of Shen (シェン), called Hero in the FUNimation dub. Shen is a homonym for Shen (神), an originally Chinese word meaning God, Divine, and Holy, but Shen’s name is written in Katakana instead of Kanji.

Shen is a nerdy, skinny middle-aged man who does not seem like the best choice for a martial arts tournament. Kami said in a later episode that he chose Shen because of his good nature.

Yamcha fights against Shen in the semi-finals and they have a conversation.

Shen says, “This is just between you and me, but I’m not really human.”

Yamcha laughs and dismisses the comment. “Don’t tell me you’re some sort of space alien or something.”

“Maybe, maybe not. All I can tell you is that I’ve borrowed this person’s body for a little while. Simply put, I’ve transferred my spirit into this body.”

What’s funny is that Kami actually is a space alien, but this hasn’t been revealed yet in the series.

Shen defeats Yamcha after a dramatic twist, and Goku realizes that Shen and Kami are the same person.

Goku thinks to himself, “Competitor Shen… Shen… Shen Long… Shen! That’s it! That middle aged man is actually Kami-Sama!”

While Shen and Yamcha are recovering from the match, Shen realizes there is blood on his chin. “Oh my, I’ve gone and injured my host body.”

With blood also running down his chin, but a smile on his face, Yamcha says, “I never had a chance of winning against someone who could take a direct hit from my Soukidan.”

Shen was able to survive Yamcha’s most powerful Ki attack, despite the fact that Shen was a weak, untrained, skinny middle-aged man completely unfit for the Tenkaichi Budokai.

Shen seemingly had all of the powers and abilities of Kami. This implies that it’s not the body that matters most; it’s the spirit that controls it.

Piccolo and Kami

In Dragon Ball episode 142, Kami, inside the body of Shen, faces off against Piccolo.

Shen attempts to use the Mafuba (魔封波) technique against Piccolo, sealing him in the jar for eternity.

Piccolo realizes Kami is in control of the body. He screams, “Kami, what are you doing in the Lower Realm?!”

Piccolo figures out how to win, and the Mafuba technique doesn’t work because he reverses it against Kami!

Trapped inside the Mafuba’s wave, Kami screams, “Dammit, it wasn’t supposed to turn out like this. At least let this human body go!”

And then the human body drops away and Kami’s true form appears inside the Mafuba’s spiral.

Piccolo, with great satisfaction, traps him inside the jar.

Shen’s body lay on the battle stage, and Piccolo Daimao holds the Mafuba jar in his hand that contains his former self and counterpart, Kami.

Piccolo’s father, Piccolo Daimao, the Demon King, had once been sealed in the Mafuba jar before, and he grew old and weary while inside. Now Piccolo Daimao Jr. had enacted his revenge.

In Dragon Ball episode 143, Piccolo laughs, “I’ve sealed Kami-sama, who had taken control of his body, inside this!”

Shen fails to get up during the 10 count, and Piccolo wins the match.

The announcer runs over to Shen to see if he’s okay. He says, “Shen-san! Shen-san!”

Shen wakes up, blinking his eyes in total confusion. He looks around, puzzled at what’s going on. The crowd cheers for him because of his performance up to that point of the Semi-Finals.

He asks the Announcer, “Um, this wouldn’t be where they’re holding the Tenkaichi Budokai, would it?”

“Eh? Yes, that’s right. Did you happen to hit your head or something?”

Shen looks around at Piccolo, Goku and the others, and is completely baffled. “Ah, silly me!” Then he embarrassingly runs off the stage.

He says to himself, “How strange. When did I get up there? Did I have a couple drinks or something?”

Then Shen’s son comes out from the crowd. “Daddy! I never knew you were so strong, Daddy!”

Shen had absolutely no recollection of the event, and his conscious mind had been completely repressed by Kami’s presence.

Kami took control of a human’s body and did what he felt was necessary for the greater good of mankind, fulfilling his role as Guardian of earth in a way that is very similar to the role of deities in traditional culture: Indirectly, and through the body of a human.

Now let’s take a look at an evil example of spirit possession in Dragon Ball.

The Majin

Much later in the series, in episode 228 of Dragon Ball Z, a higher level deity named Kaioshin has descended to earth in order to defeat the evil sorcerer, Madoshi Babidi.

Madoshi Babidi has the ability to possess the hearts of wicked men. The more evil their hearts, the easier it is to control them.

The beings Babidi possesses gain superhuman strength. Some are filled with intense anger and lose control of their personalities. They become maniacal slaves that are not only more malicious, but also seemingly invincible and impervious to pain.

In the 25^th Tenkaichi Budokai, two fighters named Spopovich and Yamu willingly allow themselves to be possessed by Babidi in exchange for more power.

Like the superhuman warriors possessed by foreign powers in the ancient legends, they have become fearful, almost unstoppable warriors. They violently fight their way up the tournament ladder.

When Videl (Gohan’s girlfriend) fights back against Spopovich’s endless assault, she kicks him in the head and breaks his neck. But he simply twists his head back into place and continues the fight, beating her to the brink of death.

Majin (魔人) is a label in Dragon Ball given to anybody that is possessed in such a manner. You can tell they are possessed because they have the mark of the Majin “M” on their foreheads or elsewhere on the body.

In colloquial Japanese, Ma (魔) has come to mean magic, or enchanted, while Jin (人) means man, or being, so Majin is commonly translated as “magical being.” In some ways this makes sense, but this is a shallow understanding of the original Kanji.

Likewise, Madoshi (魔道師) is a word that is often translated shallowly as Magician.

Ma (魔) means demon, evil spirit, witch, or describes an evil influence, power, enchantment or ability.

Do (道) is the Japanese pronunciation of Dao. It means the way, path, school, or practice, and is the same Dao from Daoism.

Shi (師) means teacher, master, or expert.

When put together, Madoshi means “Demon Way Master,” or “Master of the Demonic Way.”

So you can see that Madoshi Babidi is much more than a simple magician. He’s a genuine master of the dark arts. Similarly, a Majin is more than just enchanted. They are demons.

The Kanji for Ma (魔) suggests that all beings given this label are the antithesis of upright beings, driven to threaten humanity or overthrow the heavens.

In fact, Madoshi Babidi is the son of Madoshi Bibidi, an evil sorcerer who once did battle against the Kaioshin’s (界王神), the deities of the Dragon Ball cosmos.

In order to fight the gods, Madoshi Bibidi conjured up an evil demon that he named Majin Buu (魔人ブウ).

Buu (ブウ), written in Katakana, is also a homonym for Bu (武), meaning martial arts, warrior, war, or martial. Majin Buu thus essentially means “Demonic Being of War.”

Then why is it written as Buu instead of Bu? Because humorously, their names together are Bibidi, Babidi, Buu. This is the same magic incantation used by the Fairy God Mother in Disney’s Cinderella (1950), and is also called “The Magic Song.” Toriyama used it here as a verbal joke. Wikipedia states that “Most Japanese merchandise spells Buu’s name in the proper “Boo,” just like the song.”

Madoshi Babidi seeks to awaken Majin Buu from the egg-like cocoon he was sealed inside by the surviving Kaioshin’s, ages ago. Like Piccolo Daimao, this great evil had been sealed away.

Realizing the threat this poses to humanity, Kaioshin arrives on earth. One planet out of the countless he oversees.

Kaioshin meets with and convinces Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta to attack Babidi’s ship. He wants to destroy Babidi and his spirit possessed slave, Dabura, the King of Demons, before they can awaken Majin Buu.

Dabura is the King of the Demon Realm (Japanese: Makai, 魔界), a world in an inverse dimension to that of earth, where everything is dark, evil and populated by demons. Babidi is an incredibly powerful sorcerer to have been able to possess Dabura. Toriyama named Dabura after the second half of the magical incantation, “Abracadabra.”

Dabura fights against Gohan and in the midst of battle witnesses a moment of impatience and anger in Vegeta, who tires of their drawn out conflict and is disappointed by Gohan’s relative weakness after the 5 years of peace following the Cell Games.

Dabura immediately withdraws from the battle, saying, “I myself do not need to fight. I’ve found a good warrior [to do so for me].”

Babidi and Vegeta

Vegeta is frustrated and wants to end this stupid adventure so he can finally challenge Goku in a fight. He decides he’s going to blast a hole through Babidi’s spaceship, straight down to the lowest level.

Kaioshin stops him, shouting, “If you do such a thing, Majin Buu will be revived! Majin Buu is a monster who does nothing but create destruction and slaughter again and again. He is quite literally a demonic being, as four of the Kaioshin were no match for him! If Majin Buu is revived, then mankind… no, all living things will be put to death, and the earth will unmistakably be turned into a planet of death.”

Just as Kami sensed the goodness in the heart of Shen, Dabura senses the evil in Vegeta’s heart. He advises Babidi to attempt spirit possession on Vegeta.

Goku and Gohan were untouchable, but Vegeta’s impatience and tolerance hinted at flaws in his character.

Babidi looks at Vegeta through his crystal ball, talking to Dabura. “You’re right, he’s different from the others. It’s just as you said. His heart is filled with wickedness. He hasn’t come here for any just cause at all!”

Babidi casts his spell, saying “We’re going to have you serve us.”

Vegeta’s head is filled with pain. He writhes in agony as Babidi fights for control of his body.

Kaioshin tells Vegeta, “Babidi is attempting to use the evil in your heart! That’s right! Madoshi Babidi can manipulate the evil-hearted at will!”

He advises Vegeta, “Vegeta-san, empty your mind! You must not think of anything!”

Perhaps if Vegeta could, at that moment, empty his mind and become peaceful, there would be nothing for Babidi to latch onto. No attachments. No gaps.

Babidi gleefully continues, “All right, while we’re at it, let’s also draw out his hidden power, beyond his limits!”

Vegeta floats into the air, screams in anguish, and red lightning bolts arc throughout the room. The power of his energy causes a small earthquake in the surrounding cliffs around the ship.

Goku shouts, “What a Ki! I can’t get near it!”

The light recedes. Vegeta falls to the floor, crashing to his knees.

A moment of pause.

Vegeta slowly rises, with a Majin M on his forehead and a wicked grin on his face.

Majin Vegeta

Babidi successfully possessed Vegeta.

He chants an incantation, “Papparapa!” and they are transported to a new battleground: the Tenkaichi Budokai stage. Babidi and Dabura want Vegeta to fight against Goku and Gohan so that they can collect the dispersed energy from their battle and use it to awaken Majin Buu from his slumber.

Babidi tries to control Vegeta, telling him to battle and “even kill the others, if you like.”

“Silence!” Vegeta shouts. “My only objective is Kakkarot! I don’t care about anyone else!”

Babidi is in shock. “What a guy! He still isn’t completely under my control. This is a first.”

After calling Goku out in a challenge, Vegeta fires a Ki blast directly into Goku’s face, which Goku blocks, but he cannot redirect the beam. It flies into the crowd, killing over a hundred people immediately. Then the beam flies through the arena wall, burning through the city for more than a mile, finally erupting in a giant mushroom cloud.

Total death count? According to Babidi, 200 people.

Goku realizes what’s going on. “Vegeta! Don’t tell me you fell under Babidi’s spell on purpose. … Answer me, Vegeta!!”

Vegeta fires another blast into the stadium, killing dozens more. He then grimaces at Goku like a psychopathic madman.

Goku fills himself with rage and transforms into a Super Saiyan.

Goku says, “Vegeta. You let yourself fall under Babidi’s spell and lost your self-control, and did all this in order to get me serious? Am I wrong?”

Vegeta replies, “If I hadn’t done all this, you wouldn’t have fought me! In only one day, you’ll disappear from this world. And yet all this gets in the way!”

Kaioshin rebukes him, “So for that… just for that, you’ve done this foolish thing?”

Vegeta is insulted and shocked. “Foolish thing?! FOOLISH THING, YOU SAY?!!”

He powers up, sending dust everywhere.

“This is everything to me! It does not matter to me what happens with Majin Buu or anything else!”

Pointing at Goku, “He… He surpassed my strength! He is a Saiyan, same as me, yet he outpaced me! Me! The Prince, at the height of his overwhelming power! I… I’ve even had my life saved by him! I cannot forgive him for that! Absolutely not!!”

At the request of Goku they are transported by Babidi to a desert battleground away from civilians. Babidi tries to control Vegeta again, ordering him to kill everyone.

Vegeta’s mind is split in two and he writhes in pain. “Do it! Do them in!” The Majin symbol on his forehead pulses with red light.

“I refuse!”

Babidi orders him to do it once more, and Vegeta’s body spasms in pain.

Vegeta speaks to Babidi, “Like I said, all I want to do is fight Kakkarot. I… I am the proud Prince of the Saiyans! You think I would allow myself to become your serf?! You may control my body and my heart, but at least you will not have your way… with my PRIDE!!”

Vegeta screams in anger, powering up, sending a huge golden aura out of his body, while lines of white serpentine energy course out of him. Mountains collapse as the earth quakes.

Kaioshin is in shock, “Unbelievable! To think there’s a person that could defy Babidi while being controlled by him!”

Goku, almost in disgust, says, “So this is how badly you wanted to settle things between us, Vegeta?”

“I’ve waited. I’ve waited so long, Kakkarot!”

The Pride of a Man

In this scenario we see the extent to which Vegeta would go in order to enact revenge against Goku. He would even allow a foreign being to take control of his body and heart in exchange for more power.

Why? For a chance to feel complete once again. And a chance to restore his pride.

Vegeta explains in the following episodes that he willingly let Babidi possess him so that he could remember the feeling of only caring for himself… the simple freedom and joy that this brings. The satisfaction of being a ruthless, cold hearted warrior, and of being the best.

He had tried Goku’s way… the way of kindness and family. The way of protecting others.

But what did it get him?

In Vegeta’s mind it only brought comfort and weakness. Sentimental rubbish! An unfitting way of life for a warrior!

Most importantly, it did not increase his power and it did not satisfy his ultimate desire.

When Vegeta had the opportunity to let this all go and return to his former self, he took it.

After an intense and exhausting battle, the two warriors were evenly matched.

During a moment when Goku offered his kindness, Vegeta attacked with a sneaky blow from behind, knocking Goku unconscious.

Vegeta betrayed Goku’s trust and won the fight.

But shortly afterward he lost his life against the recently awakened Majin Buu… in the ultimate self sacrifice.

He also lost his soul, and was sent to Hell.

Vegeta’s spirit possession resulted in short term satisfaction from a battle with Goku, and the long term death of millions.

Was it worth the cost?

In Vegeta’s eyes, it was. Satisfying his pride is all that mattered.

Such is the price this man paid to achieve his desire.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Spirit Possession in Dragon Ball

Anger and pain narrow the mind. Compassion and tolerance broaden the mind.

Pain and anger drive one to take immediate actions. Comfort and pleasure pacify the mind to linger in non-action.

In Dragon Ball, villainous forces run amok. Different beings vie for power and control of planets.

Both the Guardian named Kami and North Kaio are passive deities, wrapped in idyllic comfort. They are supposed to protect the people within their domain, but most of the time they don’t do anything.

Placed above the living world in stations of authority, they look out with a broad view at the sentient beings below. Yet they are more dedicated to watching events unfold then changing them. They pass time with voyeurism.

They do not use their vast powers and supernormal abilities. Laws are in place that state how they can interact with the lesser beings. Thus, with restraint in their heart and a broad long term perspective that things will work out on their own, they do not act. They only lament the current state of affairs. The beings below are left to fend for themselves.

Goku’s life is uncomfortable. Whether under attack or in training, Goku is forced to become angry in order to ascend. Goku is a genuinely nice person, but when he is pushed to the limit he becomes filled with rage. He is a true spiritual warrior who directs short term anger in explosive waves.

There were only a couple cases in Dragon Ball when Kami became angry enough to act.

The first was when he descended to earth to fight Piccolo Daimao in the Tenkaichi Budokai martial arts tournament. Filled with rage against his spiritual lesser half, and frustrated with himself for his lack of previous actions to solve the problem, Kami sought to kill his other self.

But even while taking action it was through indirect means, as Kami possessed a pure spirited human’s body to enter the tournament.

In the end, he wasn’t strong enough to win the battle, and Goku had to finish the job.

The second was in the Dragon Ball Z movie called Dead Zone. Kami fought against Garlic Jr., a being who sought to usurp the throne of Guardian. Kami became angry, gained focus, and descended to the earth once again.

But even with his holy powers, Kami was too weak of a fighter to offer a serious challenge.

If Goku and his son Gohan weren’t around to defeat this villain, then Kami’s old age and lack of battle power would have meant the destruction of the world.

The responsibility is repeatedly left to Goku to fight, sacrifice, and endure in order to overcome increasingly greater challenges. As a result, Goku grows in power exponentially and surpasses all the gods, including his martial arts masters.

Burst Through Limits

Goku’s masters do not help him ascend. They only provide the environment and means to do so.

Goku learns by doing. Because Goku is a self-enlightening student, his teachers cannot help him enlighten through lecturing. Rather, they passively provide him with difficult external situations. The training consists of physical suffering amidst external stimuli.

His masters only take direct action after Goku passes one of their challenges and are therefore forced to set up another. Eventually they have no more to offer and he moves onward.

The few martial arts techniques they do teach are ultimately self-taught anyway. Goku’s painful martial arts training forces him to focus on the higher states of mind required to perfect each technique.

His masters are ensconced in comfort, have no focus, and do not grow. They do not cultivate themselves. For ages they stay in their positions and fulfill their roles. Yet as time cycles onward, their lives come to an end. Soon they are replaced by another, who again maintains the status quo.

Goku’s continual progress is the combined result of deadly external circumstances and an internal drive to burst through limits. Even when external scenarios do not provide a barrier to overcome, he finds one within.

This is why Goku is #1.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Anger and Focus in Dragon Ball

Derek Padula at the Shaolin Summit 2011

I attended the 1st Shaolin Summit as a reporter for The Epoch Times Newspaper and interviewed the Head Abbot of the Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin.

As a practitioner of Shaolin Gong Fu for over 12 years, and a student of East Asian studies, I thought it would be a lot of fun to go there, learn some new things and meet some good people.

The result was mixed.

The summit took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on May 21. The day was a combination of Shaolin culture and business motives, indirectly fueled by the Chinese Communist Party’s religious affairs and tourism departments, as well as American martial artists and businessmen who admire Shaolin martial arts.

Aside from the standard Shaolin Gong Fu demo’s, there were also two panel discussions.

The first was called “Zen, the Power of the Mind and Martial Arts.”

The panel was moderated by Jonathan Blank and guests included Mark Dacascos (actor and host of Iron Chef), Lucia Rijker (world champion kick boxer), Shi Yanfan (a Caucasian Shaolin monk and head of the Shaolin Temple Los Angeles), Gene Ching (Associate Publisher of Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine), and Dr. David Rapkin (Director of the Mind-Body Medicine Group at UCLA). They talked about the importance of proper breathing and mind-intent, and how they can heal the body or lead to different outcomes in life.

The second panel included the Head Abbot and 5 master Shaolin monks. The monks talked about traditional Chinese medicine, proper breathing techniques, Shaolin culture, and what it means to be enlightened and live properly.

These were the most interesting parts of the day for me, even though they were fairly shallow. However, it’s understandable, given that the casual guest to the summit might not be an expert in these fields. Still, it would have been nice to hear a discussion with more substance.

Underlying the entire event however, was business and finance.

You can read the details in my Epoch Times article on the CEO Monk, Shi Yongxin.

Culture or Commercialism?

Abbot Shi Yongxin - Photo by Deborah Yun (www.deborahyun.com)

In short, the Shaolin Temple has become a monetized external shell of its former self. The current abbot has commercialized the temple and transformed it into a den of tourism and profit seeking financiers.

I traveled to the Shaolin Temple in 2003 while studying abroad in China. I was heartbroken to see such a stark contrast between the Shaolin Temple I read about in books and the reality that lay before me. The true cultivators of that temple were gone.

Unfortunately it has only become worse with the passage of time. The head of the United Studios of Self Defense, the largest branch of martial arts schools in the country, told me so while at the summit. He visits the temple with his students on a semi-yearly basis.

It saddens me to say this, but the Shaolin Temple and the martial arts I loved have been corrupted at the source.

The Cultural Revolution of the 1960′s and 70′s caused irreparable damage to not only the temple walls, but more importantly, the Shaolin culture. The true monks fled the temple so that they would not be polluted by Communism and politics, and those who stayed were the younger monks that are now the older generation. The higher level teachings were lost.

The head abbot that replaced the former is so focused on profiting from the interest in Shaolin that he is blind to this important principle: No matter how much he rebuilds the walls or adds new gymnasiums to support the influx of fresh students, he can never buy back the true Shaolin spirit!

The traditional teachings and the current reality could not be any further apart then they are right now.

My hope is that the CCP affiliated abbot that they have installed at the head of the temple is replaced by a genuine cultivator that can restore the reputation of Shaolin. They need to return to the true teachings.

You can see here a powerful comparison between Shi Yongxin and the monk’s of the Dabei Temple. The Dabei monks are another Buddhist sect in China. But they have chosen to follow their traditional ways of life, while the Shaolin have become business oriented.

What do you think of this issue? It’s by no means simple, and I can understand the perspective of both sides. Without proliferation of the art, then perhaps less people would be aware of it or have a chance to practice. On the other hand, what exactly is it they are buying into? In the end, where it will lead them?

When it comes down to it I have to take sides with being genuine and true, because no amount of money can buy you the truth.

Post from: The Dao of Dragonball Blog

Shaolin Summit 2011

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