Dragon Ball Art – The Black Goku
The Black Goku’s back, my brotha! Get your pimp suit on, don your bling and puff up your golden afro, ’cause it’s time to hit the streets!
Dragon Ball Z was at its peak of popularity in the early 2000′s. At that time, Goku and the other characters of DBZ were assimilated into African American culture.
One of the results was a transformation of the characters into “black” versions of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and the other main characters.
There was a popular website that sprung up to specifically showcase this perspective of African American Dragon Ball fans. It was called DaBlackGoku.com.
The site ran from 1999 to 2003. It stopped being updated shortly afterward and then got lost to time.
Luckily I was able to find the site in the Internet Archive and download the pictures that were still accessible. I now have over 320 Black Goku pictures.
Then I went through a selection process, picked the best ones, color corrected and cropped them into today’s art gallery.
Since I had already showcased a few in the original The Black Goku article, they won’t be repeated.You can read more about the phenomenon there.
This gallery is different from the others in the Dragon Ball Art series. It’s not about displaying beautiful art. The idea is to show people how Goku and friends were assimilated by children and teenagers in the late 90′s and early 2000′s to become “black.”
A lot of the art is really unprofessional. Some of it’s a little better. None of it is exceptional. But the quality is irrelevant. It’s the message behind its creation that matters.
The fact that it EXISTS is worth sharing. You can’t find this anywhere else on the internet. That alone makes it valuable.
The sociological message behind it makes it even more fascinating. Try looking past the technical side and into the philosophical side. Why was this art created? Where did it come from? Who made it and why does it exist?
What you see here is a time capsule of Dragon Ball fandom. A thin slice of a sub culture within a sub culture.
Anime was on the rise but wouldn’t become “mainstream” until around 2004. Yet these fans took Dragon Ball to their hearts and produced something the world had never seen…
A Black Goku.
Dragon Ball Art – Alternative
The beauty of the following Dragon Ball alternative art pieces will leave your eyes wide open. From Goku to Vegeta, Recoome and Bulma, you’re sure to see something new.
Alternative art is difficult to define and is a subject of much debate. I define it as the creative artistic license of established characters or places.
The art takes what you already know and transforms it into something new.
But how do we distinguish “alternative” art from any other fan art? To me, what makes a piece alternative is the feeling I get inside. It has to grab me and make me think, “Oh, now that’s different!”
And that’s what you’ll find in the following images.
Created by fans from across the world, each is in a unique artistic style. Even though they depict the same characters we all love, they’re done in such alternative ways that it really grabs your attention.
For example, the image above is titled “Vegeta Over 9,000″ by Sparky del Ireland, and is a modern twist of the Over 9,000 scene from Dragon Ball Z.
Remember, if you’d like to see more of these, please Like the article on Facebook (the button is at the top of the article) and leave comments at the end. Otherwise how else am I going to know?
Now let’s jump into these Dragon Ball inspired alternative works of art!
Dragon Ball Z: Saiyan Saga Interview
Goodbye, Dragon Ball Evolution. Hello, Dragon Ball Z: Saiyan Saga, the new live action Dragon Ball Z film made by a pair of brothers in the UK.
I recently interviewed the Kirby brothers of K&K Productions to learn more about this project and share it with the Dragon Ball community.
Haven’t heard of Dragon Ball Z: Saiyan Saga?
Here’s their Dragon Ball movie introduction video to bring you up to speed.
They’re running a fundraiser at IndieGogo, so be sure to contribute.
Today you’ll learn where the idea for a live action Dragon Ball Z movie came from, why Dragon Ball Evolution failed to please fans, how the brothers made their casting choices for Goku and Vegeta, and discover what it’s like to film a special effects laden film on an independent’s budget.
Now let’s turn up the heat and go Kaio Ken x4!!
Super Saiyans are Real
On Feb 14, 2012 a young boy named Jalen tried to turn into a Super Saiyan on film and then posted it on YouTube. The video instantly went viral!
The video was so popular that “Super Saiyan” trended worldwide on Twitter.
People everywhere were talking about Super Saiyan’s and Dragon Ball. Retweeting how they loved the show when they were a kid, or laughing in response to his video.
Jalen’s YouTube name is KillerKarisma, and on the KillerKarisma YouTube page Jalen has the following description. “im a very strange character, i like performing social experiments, its hard to put me in one category and im random but i always do things for a reason you never know what to expect from me……..”
This makes me wonder if the whole thing was one big social experiment. I contacted him for an interview and am waiting to hear back.
The next day on Jalen’s Facebook page he said this:
“alot of ppl ask me if i was faking or sincere……….its kind of hard to explain….i have multiple personalities, so the one in that video believed what he was saying, but a part of me did it as a social experiment just to see how ppl would react, all in all, i believe there are powers that we can achieve if we stop limiting our thinking, i believe u can achieve anything with the power of your mind, and that goes for ANYTHING, not just being a super saiyan. if not in the literal sense, we have super saiyans among us everyday, army troops that fight and die for us everyday are super saiyans, single moms struggling to raise kids on their own are super saiyan? know what im saiyan??”
I guess this means he really does have multiple personality disorder.
In any case, in the video, Jalen gives a speech about how he believes people can go Super Saiyan in real life. It is very obvious that Dragon Ball strongly influenced his life.
Jalen’s Super Saiyan Speech
Here’s his speech, transcribed from the video.
“What’s up YouTube. This is something that’s been on my heart for a long time. All I ever wanted to be in life was a Super Saiyan. Ever since I was a kid I used to always look up to Goku and Vegeta, Gohan. I used to look at them and wonder, “How come I’m just a human being? I’m so worthless. Oh, what can I do? I can run, I can jump, I can flip.” And we are just so limited as human beings. And I feel like, when I see superheroes, why can’t life be that exciting and that awesome? Why can’t I wake up, and if I’m late for school, just teleport there and just be on time?
But I feel like, during that time of meditation and just thinking about it, I realized something. All of that is possible and more. It’s in here [points to his head], it’s all in your mind. Think about anything that you ever tried to do. You thought to yourself, “Man, I could never do that.” But then when you practiced it, guess what? You got better at it and you actually achieved it, didn’t you? It’s the same thing when you look at super powers. Of course it sounds absurd when you first look at it. But if you try it! If you actually set your mind to it and believe, you can achieve it.
I saw a Chinese man set a piece of paper on fire with just the power of his hands! Now you gonna tell me that that was fake? No it wasn’t fake! He channeled that energy from within, and he believed, he channeled that energy through the creation of his mind, what his mind believed and what he spoke into existence, of the power that he had! You understand what I’m saying?
I feel like anything that you set your mind to, your mind can create that force, because your mind is just this powerful machine, and whatever you set it to, and you believe, and you work towards achieving it, you can do it! You can do it.
And I believe I can be a Super Saiyan.
So this is my first time exposing this side of me to the world. And I know a lot of you are laughing, but the people who really, who are on my level of intellect, they understand what I am saying. And thank you all for understanding.
I’m going to attempt to go Super Saiyan on film, and I’m gonna upload it to YouTube. This is my first attempt. Now I’m believing. And I’m going to create that energy and channel it through my mind.
Now I might not turn full Super Saiyan, I might turn full Super Saiyan, or you might just see a glimpse of it, of that power. But this is my first attempt, I’m going to turn the music on. Super Saiyan 3 Goku theme.
This is it. Alright.”
Jalen turns on the Super Saiyan 3 Goku Theme music, by Faulconer Productions, featured on the American Dragon Ball Z, and starts to power up!
Dragon Ball AF Explained
Dragon Ball AF. You hate it, you love it, or maybe you’ve never heard of it. In any case, I doubt you know the full story.
It’s a truth that Dragon Ball fandom is and always has been intense. Regardless of their preferred version, Dragon Ball fans absolutely love their Dragon Ball.
Just before Dragon Ball GT concluded its original television run in Japan in 1997, a rumor spread about a new official series called Dragon Ball AF. Fans wanted the series to continue.
The only problem is that it was never true.
And you might suppose we could end this article right here. But as with everything involving Dragon Ball and its impact across the world, there’s a lot more to the story.
Dragon Ball AF was originally the creation of an unknown fan that evidently had a strong desire for a fourth Dragon Ball anime series.
A single image appeared on the web of a hypothetical Super Saiyan 5 Goku with a “Dragon Ball AF” logo on it, and from there it spread like wildfire.
The rumor grew gradually over the years and took on a life of its own, spawning many fan creations, illustrations, videos, episode listings, action figures, and even high quality fan manga based on the collective rumors.
For example, who is this guy fighting Goku?
Images like this confused the heck out of new Dragon Ball fans. And those who circulated lies about Dragon Ball AF preyed on the gullible nature of fans who simply wanted to see more of their favorite characters.
The desire for a new Dragon Ball series is so strong that even today the rumor is still actively spread that Dragon Ball AF is the next official series from Toei, and that the videos and images “leaked” on YouTube will arrive in “the next year or two.” New fans continue to fall for it, and the cycle continues.
Despite all the time that it has been around, if you search online for an explanation of Dragon Ball AF, you will only find bits and pieces of info. A short wiki article here, some crudely Photoshopped images there, a guy saying it’s not real while another screams back that it is, followed by immature insults and a link to fan made manga. There are, maybe, two good sources on the topic. Unless you spend hours putting the pieces together, you’ll be confused or simply dismiss the whole thing outright.
Because of Dragon Ball Z Kai’s and Dragon Ball GT’s second syndication on TV, there is now a new generation of Dragon Ball fan looking to see what happens next.
With the realization that people are still being confused, I set out to discover the true story behind Dragon Ball AF and write the definitive article.
Along the way I found a captivating story to tell.
Please Take My 2012 Reader Survey
I want to make my blog and book more relevant to your needs and interests. To do that, I need to know more about YOU. As a result, I have created my 2012 Reader Survey.
Can you take 1 minute to fill out the survey? By doing so you’re ultimately helping yourself, because you will be helping me make my posts and content even more interesting and relevant to you.
Is there a topic you’d like to know more about? Anything about Goku, Dragon Ball or East Asian culture you’d love to explore deeper? How do you think I can make the site better? Now is your chance to be heard.
Your input is important to me and the survey is easy to fill out. Only 10 simple questions that will take less than 1 minute. The results are completely anonymous.
To say thank you, if you take the survey and then leave a comment or share this link on Facebook or Twitter and let me know about it (@derekpadula), I will pick 7 people at random to receive a FREE copy of my ebook, “Over 9,000 Explained!” A $1.99 value.
Thanks in advance for your help.
UPDATE – FEB 11, 2012: I’m still looking for more survey entries! If you want to win the Over 9,000 ebook, please take the survey and leave your name in the comments or tweet me! Do so before the deadline, Feb 28, 2012. Thank you!!
Gokuism – The Church of Goku
Dear friend, have you accepted Goku as your personal lord and savior? If not, then please listen to my Good News! The Church of Goku can help you increase your power level to Over 9,000 and follow in the sacred footsteps of lord Goku by training with King Kai, hallowed be thy name.
That’s right, there is now a Dragon Ball religion. It is called Gokuism, also known as The Church of Goku.
Gokuism is the belief that the principles of Dragon Ball provide a moral compass for one’s life, and that Goku is an ideal role model and moralistic person. By some definitions, it implies that Goku provides personal, global, and universal salvation, and that his death and resurrections were for our sake.
With so many religions already existing, why create this one based on Dragon Ball?
In today’s blog post you’ll learn where Gokuism came from, what its practitioners believe, and explore some thought provoking questions about this new faith.
continue …
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