Is Mr. Satan a gag character?

[TheMikado]

Is he a character we should take seriously or a gag character?
Basically is Mr. Satan a gag character? A simple yes or no will suffice.

[Neo-Makaiōshin]

I would say yes since most of his screentime is either dedicated to make fun of himself or get a punchline with him (in varying degrees).

[TheMikado]

I would say yes since most of his screentime is either dedicated to make fun of himself or get a punchline with him (in varying degrees).

Great opinion, let's see what others think.

[Beek King]

Well that was the idea about him. He's a more realistic strongman (apart from still being able to survive minor blows from Cell for gag reasons) thrust into a world of crazy superpowered martial parts where he's trying to convince himself and others that it's all hooey.

[TheMikado]

Well that was the idea about him. He's a more realistic strongman (apart from still being able to survive minor blows from Cell for gag reasons) thrust into a world of crazy superpowered martial parts where he's trying to convince himself and others that it's all hooey.

You make a good point, how is it possible for him to survive a hit from Cell? He should be instantly killed due to the power gap.

[sintzu]

Toriyama said he originally thought of him as just a one time gag for the Cell games but decided to make him a serious/main character for the Buu arc.

He's like other things in the manga, he was intended as one thing but turned out to be something completely different afterwards.

[GigaDrill]

Definitely began as one but he's grown progressively more serious since the Cell arc
I'd say no for current Mark

[Cipher]

Yes, in that he's more apt to be featured in physical or situational comedy than other characters, as his role in the story is still tied to his comedic origins.

No, in that due to Toriyama treating his characters so sincerely, no one integrated into the main cast remains a one-note gag character for long. Like Oolong, Lunch, and even Kame-Sennin before him, Mr. Satan has come to have his own things going on.

This is also a little harder to answer as, outside of the very end of the Boo arc, we don't get to see Toriyama scripting much of Mr. Satan as part of the main cast. He really is pretty much solely around for gags until the final few chapters of the manga. Super and GT both bring him into slightly more serious situations, however, and I think that's right in line with where Toriyama would taken him were he to have continued scripting ongoing content himself. Even in his brief appearance in Battle of Gods, he isn't outright comedic; he's just part of the quirky cast like everyone else.

[Juub]

Arale is a gag character. Mr.Satan is comic relief.

[TheMikado]

Toriyama said he originally thought of him as just a one time gag for the Cell games but decided to make him a serious/main character for the Buu arc.

He's like other things in the manga, he was intended as one thing but turned out to be something completely different afterwards.

Do you have a quote of this? There's debate over whether Mr. Satan should be able to survive a hit for Perfect Cell.

[sintzu]

Do you have a quote of this? There's debate over whether Mr. Satan should be able to survive a hit for Perfect Cell.

I read it in one of his interviews but I don't remember which one. it's on the site somewhere.

[Ki Breaker]

Yes, he is..
He achieves things through luck

[DBZAOTA482]

Mr. Satan's character pretty much revolves around the joke that he's a regular strong man who's way out of his league dealing with superpowered beings and he gets regularly smacked by said beings in comical fashion yet survives unharmed from situations that should logically be fatal for him.... but he has genuine moments that makes us feel for him.

He's definitely comic relief but I wouldn't call him a full-on gag character outside possibly his debut. Gag characters would be ones like the Pilaf Gang, Lunch, and Arale.

[TheMikado]

Mr. Satan's character pretty much revolves around the joke that he's a regular strong man who's way out of his league dealing with superpowered beings and he gets regularly smacked by said beings in comical fashion yet survives unharmed from situations that should logically be fatal for him.... but he has genuine moments that makes us feel for him.

He's definitely comic relief but I wouldn't call him a full-on gag character outside possibly his debut. Gag characters would be ones like the Pilaf Gang, Lunch, and Arale.

I'll accept that. He certainly isn't what I would consider a gag character anymore.

[DragonBallLove]

Last episode got him coaching Boo. That's a very serious and important thing, IMHO. So no, as of now, he's not.

[floofychan333]

Of course he is. His claim to fame of being "the strongest person on earth" is a running joke that's been going on forever and is enhanced by his clumsiness, weakness, and fear of strong fighters, as well as the fact that the population is so deluded that they believe he's the strongest even after seeing evidence that he really isn't.