Dragon Ball Culture Volume 3: Battle
By Derek Padula
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About this ebook
Goku begins a new adventure, and this time the quest is to conquer thyself.
In Dragon Ball Culture Volume 3: Battle, you’ll discover the origin of Goku’s training mentality. You’ll see how Akira Toriyama combines thousands of years of martial arts history and modern cinema together to create the Tenkaichi Budōkai. And you’ll hear how Dragon Ball almost gets cancelled, but then changes its format to become the world’s most recognized anime and manga series on the planet.
Travel alongside Goku as he becomes the disciple of the world’s greatest martial artist, meets his new training partner, and competes in the largest tournament on Earth. Will this wild monkey boy gain the discipline he needs to become the champion?
Let the battle begin!
Derek Padula
Derek Padula is the Dragon Ball Scholar. He writes non-fiction books about the culture, history, and fandom of Dragon Ball, the world's most-recognized anime and manga.Derek has been a fan of Dragon Ball since 1997 when he first watched the anime, and has seen every episode and read every chapter of the manga dozens of times. His love for Dragon Ball inspired him to begin martial arts training in Shaolin Gong Fu, and then Taiji Quan, Qi Gong, San Sau, Shotokan Karate, and Falun Dafa meditation. Derek earned his B.A. in East Asian Studies and a minor in Chinese from Western Michigan University. He studied abroad in Beijing, China where he trained with the Buddhist Shaolin Monks and a Daoist Taiji Sword Master.He loves to design video games, speak at anime conventions, and wants to share his understanding of this profound series that continues to influence the lives of millions.
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Dragon Ball Culture Volume 3 - Derek Padula
Dragon Ball Culture
Volume 3
Battle
Derek Padula
thedaoofdragonball.com
Legal Disclaimer
Copyright © 2015, by Derek Padula
Written and published by Derek Padula in The United States of America, all rights reserved.
Cataloging In-Publication Data
Padula, Derek.
Dragon Ball Culture / Derek Padula
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 978-0-9831205-0-6
1. Fantasy comic books, strips, etc. – Japan – 20th century – History and Criticism. 2. Martial arts – Comic books, strips, etc. 3. Spiritual life – Buddhism. 4. Spiritual life – Daoism. 5. Good and evil. 6. Imaginary wars and battles. 7. Ethics, ancient. 8. Heroes.
PN6790.J33 – P2 2014
741.5952 – 23
LCCN: 2015901493
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Notice of Liability
The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author nor its dealers or distributors will be held liable for any damages to be caused either directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.
Trademark Notice
Rather than indicate every occurrence of a trademarked name as such, this book uses the names only in an editorial fashion and to the benefit of the trademark owner with no intention of infringement of the trademark.
License Information
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Kai, Dragon Ball Online, and all other logos, character names, and distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of TOEI ANIMATION, Akira Toriyama, BIRD STUDIO, SHUEISHA, FUNIMATION, VIZ MEDIA, BANDAI NAMCO, ATARI, and all other respective license holders unmentioned.
This book was not prepared, licensed, or endorsed by any entity involved in creating or producing the Dragon Ball series. It is an independent, unofficial work that has no connection to the official license and is written within fair use guidelines.
Image Information
The illustrations in this book and on the cover that are rendered in the Dragon Ball style are original works, created through work for hire contracts with independent artists unaffiliated with the official Dragon Ball license. They are not licensed images, nor official artwork owned by the Dragon Ball license holders. All rights to the images are owned by Derek Padula, and may not be reproduced without his express written consent. The Dragon Ball license holders in the United States (FUNIMATION and VIZ MEDIA) recognize these as independent and wholly owned works, and do not claim ownership of them, nor claim that they infringe upon their official licenses, nor that they are equal to an official license.
Cover Art Illustration by Javier Secano.
Version 1.0
Web: http://thedaoofdragonball.com
Contents
Introduction
Batoru Manga
Batoru Manga Philosophy
Changing Emphasis
Changing Art Style
The Battle Begins
Battle
Discipline
Deshi and Shishō
Gathering his Belongings
The Master Awaits
The Master’s Test
Pichi-Pichi Gyaru
Pichi-Pichi Gyaru Round 2
Kuririn
Offering to the Master
Origin of Kuririn
Etymology of Kuririn
Kuririn’s Appearance
Body Breathing
Kuririn’s Shaven Head
Jièbā
Kuririn’s Purity
Ranchi
A Peculiar Girl
To the Rescue
Discipleship Declared!
Greeting the Young Lady
Etymology of Ranchi
Easy Offer
Official Uniforms
Ranchi’s Transformation
Two Ranchi’s, One Body
Kyōbō Ranchi
Kame House Family
Shugyō
Etymology of Shugyō
Origin of Shugyō
Martial Arts Shugyō
Shugyō Island
100-Meter Dash
Beer Run
Intuition Shugyō
Gokū versus Kuririn
Reward and Punishment
Shugyō Education Model
Rise and Shine
Rōshi’s Budō
Milk Delivery
Rōshi the Rōshi
Setting the Goal
Balance on the Log
Walk through the Quicksand
Wade through the Rapids
Run from the Dinosaur
Early Morning Shugyō
Plow the Fields
Study the Books
Unorthodox Orthodoxy
Take the Naps
Build the Roads
Push the Boulders
Swim the Lake
Dodge the Bees
Wear the Turtle Shells
Master the Basics
Graduation Day?
Graduation Day!
Ki Shugyō
Changing Your Heart
To the Tenkaichi Budōkai
Tenkaichi Budōkai
Suit Up
Departure
Arrival
Toriyama’s Trip to Bali
Tenkaichi Budōkai Grounds
Registration
Wayan Budhiyasa
Receiving Their Dōgi’s
Etymology of Dōgi
Origin of Dōgi
Kame-sen-ryū Dōgi’s Appearance
Symbolic Importance of Gokū’s Dōgi
Origin of the Tenkaichi Budōkai
Etymology of Tenkaichi Budōkai
Preparing for the Preliminaries
Origin of the Tenkaichi Budōkai in Traditional Culture
Ancient Fighting Platforms
Léitái
Twentieth Century Léitái
Cinematic Léitái
Ancient to Modern Fighting Platform
The 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai Preliminaries
Gokū’s First Match
Hajime!!
Gokū versus Ōotoko
Ōrin-ji Monks
Kuririn versus Ōrin-ji no Senpai
Kuririn’s Confidence
Kuririn versus Kanfū Otoko
Gokū versus Shishiga-ryū Kenpō-ka
Yamucha’s Back!
Yamucha versus the Wolf Man
Advancing as Friends
Action and Intensity
Reunion
Over the Wall
The 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai Quarter-Finals
Tenkaichi Budōkai Jōnai Anaunsa
Reading the Roster
Opening Ceremonies
Bubutai
Eclectic Crowd
Bakuterian
Bakuterian versus Kuririn
Jakkī Chun
Jakkī Chun versus Yamucha
Ranfan
Namu
Namu’s Appearance
Etymology of Namu
Namu’s Motivation
Ranfan versus Namu
Kaijū Giran
Gokū versus Giran
Opposites in Conflict
The 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai Semi-Finals
Manzai Routine
Jakkī Chun’s Song and Dance
Kuririn versus Jakkī Chun
Play-by-Play
Panty Trap
Iron Head
Breaking the Wall
Zanzō-ken
Gokū versus Namu
Kaiten kōgeki
Tenkū peke ji-ken
Chō-tenku peke ji-ken
Jakkī’s Big Reveal
The 21st Tenkaichi Budōkai Final
Opposite of the Opposite
Jakkī Chun versus Gokū
Kamehameha versus Kamehameha
Zanzō-ken versus Zanzō-ken
Sui-ken versus Kyō-ken
Saru-ken
Yoiko minmin-ken
Jan-ken Tactics
Bankoku bikkuri-shō
Ōzaru Awakens
Makkusupawā Kamehameha
Gokū’s Fate
Jakkī Destroys the Moon!!
Time-Out
Body against Body
Tenkaichi Declared
Toward Higher Mountains
Celebration Dinner
Parting Ways
Conclusion
Next Steps
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About the Author
Glossary
Introduction
Gokū says goodbye to his friends and soars through the sky on his magic cloud. He begins a new adventure by flying toward the great Muten Rōshi’s home to become his disciple, in pursuit of greater strength.
Dragon Ball Culture Volume 3 will serve as your cultural tour guide along Gokū’s journey. Together we’ll explore his discipleship, training, and the ultimate test of what it means to be a martial artist.
Let’s start by catching up with Dragon Ball’s author, Akira Toriyama, and his own ongoing adventure to make the series a success.
Batoru Manga
Despite the exciting events that occur in Gokū’s first adventure, readers aren’t as interested in Dragon Ball as they are with Dr. Slump. Toriyama recalls in the Mens-non-no (2014) interview, It wasn’t received well. At the very beginning, there were something like
anticipation votes" in connection with Dr. Slump, but right away my ranking in the reader surveys went toward the lower end."
His editor, Torishima Kazuhiko, tells Toriyama that it’s because Gokū’s character is too plain and isn’t developed enough. Torishima-san says in his Kazé (2014) interview, "Dragon Ball didn’t get the expected success from the get-go. At this rate, the serialization was set to cease. The series was in big trouble. And after analysis, the problem boiled down to one thing: Gokū’s character didn’t leave a strong impact on children. So we sat down and thought about how to make Gokū more charismatic for the kids."¹
Remember that the original idea of the Dragon Ball manga is to provide Toriyama with a showcase for gōngfu battles and exciting fights like those he watches in the movies, and Gokū is supposed to be the ‘Sūn Wùkōng mixed with Jackie Chan’ type of character who gets into a lot of battles. However, so far there haven’t been many battles, and the few that do exist are over quickly. Torishima-san wants Toriyama to take the series in a new direction and make it more exciting.
Toriyama is aware of this as he’s writing the story, but still prefers to write manga where nothing inherently exciting or meaningful happens. He says, I knew that it would probably be popular if I increased the fight scenes. Even so, I’m a contrarian by nature, so it would rub me the wrong way to go that way immediately. In spite of that, I wasn’t in any position to say so.
He respects his editor and listens to his suggestions. It is here where Toriyama changes the Dragon Ball series from a gyagu manga (ギャグ漫画, "gag manga") to a batoru manga (バトル漫画, "battle manga").
Batoru Manga Philosophy
The Shōnen Jump philosophy for batoru manga has three principles:² yume (夢, dreams
), yūjō (友情, friendship
), and batoru (バトル, battle
).
The main characters have a big yume (dream
) and challenge themselves to be the best. The road to success is difficult, but they’ll make yūjō (friends
) along the way and come to rely on them to push through hardship. Their challenges will come in the form of batoru (battles
) with characters who have different motives than their own, and who represent external goals to overcome as they climb the ladder toward their highest internal level.
A batoru manga places special emphasis on this last point, and centers the story around the idea of the main character and his friends getting stronger. As they gain strength, their mind and body continue rising upward into multiple dimensions. They must improve themselves through training, let go of selfish mentalities, make sacrifices, learn perseverance, and ultimately conquer themselves. As the reader, you travel alongside them during this adventure. As a result of watching them grow, you gain the lessons of optimism, self-confidence, and discover how to unlock your inner potential.
Dragon Ball goes on to almost single-handedly define this genre by representation. It does it so well that it serves as the model that other authors use for their work. Dragon Ball becomes the most quintessential shōnen batoru manga of all time.
Changing Emphasis
The emphasis shifts to Gokū. Toriyama removes the ensemble cast and writes the story around Gokū’s quest for greater strength. He says in the Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide: Story Volume (2009), "My interest gradually shifted towards the growth and growing strength of the boy Gokū, and it diverged more and more from the original concept based on Saiyūki."
Toriyama has the option of following the standard Xīyóujì (西遊記, Japanese: Saiyūki, "Journey to the West") story track, where they interact with demons, Buddhists, Dàoists, and different Chinese cultural elements along the standard timeline of events until the cast reach India. But he doesn’t do that. Instead, he borrows bits and pieces from Chinese culture and interweaves them into a story that becomes increasingly modern and futuristic, yet still always couched in traditions. However, in choosing to make a batoru manga in the setting of ancient China, Toriyama also chooses to connect his characters to a wellspring of Buddho-Dàoist mind-body martial arts concepts. This gives him the best of both worlds. He can borrow from whatever genre he wants in order to make his impromptu story work.
A batoru manga’s story usually begins with a shift in tone or sudden catastrophe. Then, it gradually leads up to a big battle followed by a resolution of friendship. For the characters involved, it goes as follows: train for the challenge at hand, fight, lose, train more, fight, win, and repeat. This is how most of the hen (編, Chinese: biān, part of a book,
or arc
) sub-stories are delineated. Along the way you get to see how each of these events serves as a stage of development for the characters and the story.
Throughout his journey, you’ll see how Gokū’s yume of gaining greater strength causes him to run into conflicts with other characters, who are either defeated in batoru and (or) become his yūjō. We’ve already seen it happen with each of the characters in our adventure so far, and this trend will continue forever. It becomes a common aspect of the story, but not everyone realizes that this emphasis is deliberate. It’s part of the editing style at Shūeisha and reflects Torishima-san’s influence on Toriyama.
This change may also occur because Torishima-san recognizes that his star author isn’t an endless joke machine and can’t keep doing gags forever. Toriyama already felt tapped out of humor when he decided to end Dr. Slump. So while it is Torishima-san who changes this lighthearted gyagu manga into a batoru manga, this may have been a kind gesture for the author’s sake. Without that change, the pressure might have been too much for Toriyama to continue, and we wouldn’t have as grand of a story as we do.
He says in the Terebaru (1986) magazine interview, "I made it a rule not to play around this time. I reduced play-things as much as possible. When I wrote Dr. Slump, I really played with my stories. For instance, I myself appeared in the manga… . But this time the story is important."³ As a result, you might think that there will be more exposition and dialogue. But in classic Toriyama fashion, it’s the opposite. There is less use of the Narēshon (ナレーション, Narration
) as the story veers away from the Xīyóujì source material. Likewise, the humorous tone in the first hen of Dragon Ball shifts toward continual action, undercut by occasional jokes.
This changing emphasis gains Toriyama more fans and cements Gokū’s place in the annals of history. Toriyama says in the Mens-non-no interview, So I started the Tenkaichi Budōkai and shifted toward fighting, and it started to gain in popularity. Once it actually started to get a good reception, I got feedback even as I drew, which was nice.
Changing Art Style
Toriyama’s gradual shift of the story toward battle causes him to change the art style of his manga. It goes from the soft and round style he made famous in Dr. Slump, to hard lines and square edges. It doesn’t occur overnight, so Gokū is still cute for a while longer, but as he ages and the action intensifies, his cuteness is replaced with a serious martial artist who moves at incredible speed. It’s the speed that warrants the change.
Toriyama may prefer gags and word jokes, but he is a great director when it comes to fight scenes and flow of action. He says in Terebaru, "I want to see movements, colors and sounds harmonize with each other in anime. As for manga, koma-wari is important." Koma-wari (コマ割り, panel layout
) is the art of arranging panels of manga to elicit a particular feeling.
Toriyama is taught by Torishima-san to make his manga easy to understand.
In addition to the writing and character designs, he teaches Toriyama the art and science of koma-wari. Torishima-san says in his interview with Kazé, "Koma-wari is essential. It’s a characteristic aspect of Japanese manga. If an author is taught how koma-wari should be, then the quality instantly gains a level. The important thing is that everything happens through motion. It’s this speed that characterizes manga. It was Tezuka Osamu who discovered this.⁴ And today, still very few editors know what to do to achieve this. So I studied this extremely hard and taught Toriyama-san. He quickly assimilated my teachings, and his work quickly got better."
Pay special attention to Toriyama’s ability to layout his action and you’ll notice how talented he is. He keeps his koma-wari simple, with the majority of the panels being rectangles. As the panel’s progress from the upper right to the bottom left, your eye glides across the page and you get the meaning and excitement of the moment in a millisecond, without reading the words. You don’t have to study the page, with your eyes darting all over the place. Instead, you’ll notice ‘Z’ patterns, ‘reverse Z’s,’ and eye movement from top to bottom that place an emphasis on the action and the resulting sound effects. Combine this flowing action with the easy to understand dialogue, and you can blast through volume after volume of Dragon Ball in no time. This ease of reading is part of why the series has such a big following. Everybody can read it, and it’s a joy to do so.
Toriyama’s art is easy to understand because he works hard to make it easy for you to grasp. As a result, his battles are fast and the action stays intense as you turn the pages.
The Battle Begins
Toriyama says in Daizenshū 2 (1995), I initially thought that I’d end it after they finished collecting the dragon balls.
As you can tell, he doesn’t do this, and instead transforms Gokū’s story into a batoru manga. I suspect it’s the momentum of the manga’s serialization, and Torishima-san’s belief in its potential, that propels them to transform the series and create further adventures, just as Gokū propels onward in his quest to become stronger.
So let’s turn the page and discover how the next saga of Gokū’s journey begins.
1 Kazé is a French licensor of the Dragon Ball series. In 2014 they published an exclusive 7-part interview with Torishima-san on their Bluray release of Dragon Ball Kai (2009). Here is Part 4 of 7, from which I quote him on the importance of making Gokū more charismatic: http://youtu.be/pXQ5sAdHXzg
2 Weekly Shōnen Jump (週刊少年ジャンプ, Shūkan Shōnen Janpu) is the manga anthology that Dragon Ball is published in, alongside other shōnen manga (少年漫画, young boys comics
). The philosophy for batoru manga is found in other manga as well, but Dragon Ball becomes the most iconic example in the 1980s and early 1990s, and remains so to this day.
3 Toriyama’s interview in Terebaru (1986): http://www.furinkan.com/takahashi/takahashi4.html
4 Tezuka Osamu (手塚 治虫, Handbuilt Mound Snake Governor,
November 1928 – February, 9, 1989) is the father of manga. Tezuka’s work has a great influence on the work of Toriyama and his editor.
Battle
Gokū begins a new adventure, and this time the quest is to conquer thyself.
When people think of Dragon Ball, they often think of the battles. This is because of how the series is both defined and then marketed as a batoru manga. The action is what sells, so it’s always described with action-oriented words. In this book, instead of focusing on the externals that are plain to see, I want to emphasize the inner battles that Gokū experiences. This is where the deeper aspects of East Asian culture are found. Once you discover the richness of these beliefs, you’ll understand why Gokū has his outer battles.
This volume is subtitled Battle
because it consists of inner battles and outer battles. I define the word battle as a struggle or tenacious fight to achieve or resist something. It’s a difficult conflict born from within, that manifests without. Oftentimes in stories, these battles come about through a villain who challenges the hero, or forces them to take action and resist their violent methods. But these battles only occur because the hero is ready to be tested at his current level of mind and body. The villains are manifestations of the hero’s inner quest to reach the next level. They’re threshold guardians who require the hero to overcome hardships, let go of attachments, and make sacrifices. As a result, the battles keep increasing in intensity. But in truth, the battle is with the self, rather than with others. It’s as spiritual as it is physical.
So as Gokū experiences these battles over the course of his life, I’d like you to ask yourself why these battles occur. What is the lesson that Gokū is supposed to learn? And while you’re enjoying the fights, take time to look within yourself, and ask what it is you can learn. There’s a lot that Dragon Ball can teach us. Not just about culture, but about ourselves.
Discipline
Like every great man who seeks to conquer thyself, Gokū’s battle begins with discipline. As Toriyama transitions from adventure to battles, Gokū transitions from a wild mountain boy to the disciple of a strict martial arts master.¹ A young warrior needs a master if he’s to become strong, and in traditional Chinese culture, this starts with a sacred initiation process.
Think Toriyama will keep it sacred? I have a feeling that he won’t.
Deshi and Shishō
Gokū seeks to become the deshi (弟子, Chinese: dìzǐ, disciple
) of the great master Muten Rōshi (武天老師, The Exalted Master of Heavenly Martial Arts
). The word deshi carries the connotation of a child (子) being reared by a master as if they were their son or junior (弟).² In traditional Chinese and Japanese culture, a young student will seek the discipleship of a master who will take them in as their child. This can be in the martial arts or any other craft, from swordsmithing to pottery.
In Chinese language, the shīfu (師父, master father
) serves as the dìzǐ’s father and instills them with the discipline of their ways so that they can attain greatness in life. The Japanese corollary of the shīfu is the shishō (師匠, master artisan
) who accepts the deshi into their family.
Shishō is a term of great respect used to address masters, consisting of shi (師, teacher,
master,
or specialist
) and shō (匠, artisan,
or craftsman
). It’s likely derived from the Chinese shīfu (師傅, master of teachers
); a homophonic term alongside shīfu (師父, master father
). The two terms become blended together in China and then the Japanese end up using shishō.
For example, in the martial arts a karate-ka (空手家, empty hand practitioner
) is a member of the karate shishō’s ka (家, family,
or household
) as well as all karate practitioners at large, forming a global family.
Students under a shishō or shīfu are referred to as deshi or dìzǐ because the emphasis is on refining their character and discipline; not just knowledge and techniques. This is also used in a religious context. For example, shīfu is the honorific used to refer to the real-life Táng Monk, Xuánzàng, in Xīyóujì, and denotes his high level mastery of the Buddhā Law.
A master can have several deshi. In the Buddhā School they welcome everyone, while in the Dào School they only accept one, two, or a handful of students. This is because the Dàoist masters are strict and must ensure their students can pass muster, while the Buddhist masters offer salvation to everyone and let each student enlighten according to their own volition.
Every great man is a disciplined man. It’s important to find an upright but strict master who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. What Gokū finds is a man who appears to have no discipline at all, but in Gokū’s innocent eyes is a great master. As we saw earlier with his kamehameha, the old man carries a hidden power. Could he be the perfect master to train our young adventurer?
Gathering his Belongings
Gokū flies over his home on Paozu-yama (パオズ山, Paozu Mountain
). He’s never seen it before from on high. He says to himself, "I’m gonna’ be staying at Kame-sennin Jī-chan’s place now. I’d better take a futon and stuff." Gokū stops at his hermit hut and grabs the futon (布団, sleeping cushion
), which is a thick mattress that can be folded up and stored away. Futon’s are a bedding that emulate the Chinese pútuán (蒲団, cattail cushion
), filled with the flowery fluff of a kabana (蒲, Chinese: pú, cattail
) plant. Gokū’s futon only consists of the bottom mattress called a shikibuton (敷き布団, diffused sleeping cushion
) and not the quilt that goes on top. He also grabs a traditional tatami (畳, folded pile
) block headrest, shaped like a rectangle and made with woven soft rush straw. These are both traditional and light Eastern sleeping aids, in contrast to modern Western pillows and heavy mattresses. He piles the futon and tatami onto his kintōun, and they stay afloat. I guess these beddings are pure of heart?
In traditional East Asian concepts of life, there is no distinction made between organic and inorganic. These distinctions are a product of Western dualism. So in Eastern thought, everything is alive. This may explain why physical objects can float on the cloud. It could also be the result of Toriyama being lazy.
Gokū changes into a new pair of clothes to replace Ūron’s trousers, consisting of a white sleeveless T-Shirt, some wristbands, a simple pair of pants tied together with an obi (帯, sash
), and a new pair of his gōngfu xié (功夫鞋, kung fu shoes
). Along with these he brings a knapsack of personal belongings. He’s ready for his new adventure!
The Master Awaits
Dragon Ball is a story inspired by the Chinese legend of Xīyóujì, and Son Gokū is inspired by the main character, Sūn Wùkōng. Both stories are filled with fighting from this point onward. So Toriyama borrows a page from the classic, and has Son Gokū seek out a master to learn the physical and spiritual arts that will help increase his strength.
Gokū begins his quest for greater strength as he soars across idyllic Chinese mountains and holds his hand over his eyebrow like his simian predecessor. But unlike Sūn, who has to travel for over 10 years across great seas and jungles before he finds his master, Gokū already knows where the old-timer lives. So he just has to gather his belongings and knock on the front door.
"Hey, Jī-chan! I’m here! Gokū lands at the front door of Kame House and announces his arrival, but no one responds. He hears music coming from inside, and a woman’s voice saying,
Wan tsū, wan tsū (ワンツー, ワンツー, One two, one two
)."³ When he looks inside he sees a pair of beautiful aerobics instructors on TV, spreading their legs and exercising.⁴ They’re both Western women wearing leotards and leg warmers, representing the hippest fashion of the 1980s. Televised aerobics is a popular trend at the time this manga is written, in 1985, and Toriyama is showcasing the TV programs that a Westerner would see broadcast.⁵ People usually watch the show and perform the exercises to get fit, but that’s not the case here.
Kame-sennin (亀仙人, the Turtle Hermit,
Muten Rōshi’s perverted persona) kneels on a square zabuton (座布団, floor pillow cushion
) similar to a futon, but made specifically for kneeling.⁶ His face is super close to the TV, and he stares at the women with absolute focus, repeating, "Wan tsū, wan tsū (One two, one two
). A bit of drool drips out of his mouth.⁷ Below the TV is a record collection that includes an album called
Nudist Beach," with a naked lady on the cover, and behind him is an open beer can and a pack of cigarettes. A disciplined master indeed.
Gokū climbs in through the window and says, "Jī-chan (じいちゃん, gramps,
or old man
)!! But he doesn’t hear Gokū because he is transfixed by the women’s beauty. Gokū stands next to him, takes a deep breath, and shouts into his ear,
JĪ-CHAAAAAAAN!!"
The sound goes off like a gong, and the old man is rudely awaken from his heavenly trance. Gokū giggles and says, "Jī-chan. I’ve come to do shugyō…" But the shugyō will have to wait until Kame-sennin’s happy time is over. He points Gokū to the refrigerator.
Gokū walks into the kitchen and says, Hmmmm, he sure puts his food in a weird box.
He opens it up. Whoa, it’s so cold! It’s like winter inside here!
Gokū’s naïve nature is entertaining all by itself. He grabs the food and scarfs it down: raw steaks, vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, milk, fried chicken, and everything else. Kame-sennin finishes his afternoon delight and turns around to see an empty fridge! He’s shocked to see how much Gokū eats, saying, "Even the batā (バター, butter
)… That was a week’s worth of food for me…"
Gokū stands up and says he’s done hunting for the dragon balls and has come for the shugyō that Kame-sennin promised him.
The Master’s Test
Seeking discipleship under a master is considered sacred. A master can’t just train anybody. They first have to give the prospective student a test to determine if their character is worthy. If they can’t pass this first test, then there’s no way they’ll pass the tests that follow. And there are times when the master is reluctant to take on a new deshi. For example, in Shàolín dòu lǎma (少林斗喇嘛, "Shaolin versus Lama," 1983) the hero spends over half the movie trying to become the master’s student.
These tests are as varied as imagination allows, but they usually test a student’s endurance. For example, a new prospect will have to wait outside the temple gate for days on end, being ignored or treated poorly on purpose, to test their patience. In another example, a student will be accepted but will not be taught anything of value for the first 10 years, to test their determination. Only once they have shown that their heart is genuine, will they be accepted by the master and taught the true arts.
Toriyama makes his test the opposite of sacred. Kame-sennin cracks