"Rabbits belong on the moon, of course!" - What?!

Amiable-Akuma · Post by **Amiable-Akuma** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:48 pm

I have some questions about episode 9 of the original DB series. This is probably a filler episode but I don't care - I just want to know what your opinion/theory is on this...

This is the episode were Goku and the gang run into the Rabbit Gang in the desert town and face the gang's "boss" - the "Rabbit-Carrot Transformer".

Anyway, at the end of that episodes, Goku ties up the three members of the "gang" and extends the Power Pole so high that he ends up leaving them all on the moon of Earth. When Goku comes back down Bulma asks him "What did you do with them?" - and Goku responds "Rabbits belong on the moon, of course!".

What the hell do you think the meaning of this line is? Why would Goku say this?

Also, the last shot of the episode is the Rabbit Gang on the moon and their are some stuffed rabbit dolls laying around - then you see the two human rabbit gang members hammering into a moon crater with white goo while the "boss" watches over them/encourages them.

What's the story about this part? Any ideas here?

Finally, is it the opinion of all that these "Rabbit Gang" members are all killed with Master Roshi destroys the moon at the end of the First Tournament saga? Would this also mean that the Rabbit Gang members are one of the few people in the entire DB/Z/GT series that is permanently killed and never resurrected?

Thanks for any replies/thoughts...

landoku · Post by **landoku** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 11:51 pm

Its an old asian fairy tale.

Payne222 · Post by **Payne222** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:07 am

Correction, it's a Japanese Fairy Tale.

aarondirebear · Post by **aarondirebear** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:08 am

Its the same reason Sailor Moon is named Usagi Tsukino. "Rabbit of the Moon"
Its a reference to a Japanese fairy tale about rabbits who make marshmallow candies on the moon. It came from the fact that when the Japanese saw the moon they saw a vague rabbit shape.

Eclipse · Post by **Eclipse** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:31 am

It's definitely not filler, that's for sure.

Eh, I've always thought of it as some little adventure they all had, that Toriyama forgot about ages later. Nice to see that it's adapted from a fairy tale (Makes sense considering how specific DB was in legends-lore in the earlier parts of the manga).

And of course, who can't love it? It's got Bulma in the bunny suit!

kvon · Post by **kvon** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:50 am

Payne222 wrote:Correction, it's a Japanese Fairy Tale.

Actually, it's more like a fairytale that originated from China. Read more here. (Read about the Jade Rabbit, one of my favorite stories when I was a kid.)

gohanku · Post by **gohanku** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:03 am

That tale is also why there are rabbit sweets, you know thoose little white candy... I think they did die when the moon blow up, you don't survive blowing up, do you?

Maker777 · Post by **Maker777** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:19 am

gohanku wrote:That tale is also why there are rabbit sweets, you know thoose little white candy... I think they did die when the moon blow up, you don't survive blowing up, do you?

Cell survived his Blowing up.

Endishiki · Post by **Endishiki** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:31 am

Maker777 wrote:
gohanku wrote:That tale is also why there are rabbit sweets, you know thoose little white candy... I think they did die when the moon blow up, you don't survive blowing up, do you?
Cell survived his Blowing up.

True, but Cell was Cell. Cell could regenerate, thanks to Piccolo. Cell could breathe in space, thanks to Freeza. Finally, Cell could teleport back to Earth, thanks in part to Goku using the ability on the two of them moments before Cell blew himself to bits.

The Rabbit Gang, two men and one humanoid rabbit, were of normal human strength. They lacked Namekian regeneration, thus they wouldn't be able to pull themselves back together. They couldn't breathe in space due to the fact that they... erm... didn't have space suits? Given this, even if they somehow survived the destruction of the Moon by Kamehameha, they would die from exposure to space.
They also lacked the ability to IT back to Earth.

So, yes, they died. Just another oversight on Toriyama's part.

Kendamu · Post by **Kendamu** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:34 am

They were surviving exposure to space by being on the Moon in the first place.

Endishiki · Post by **Endishiki** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:38 am

Kendamu wrote:They were surviving exposure to space by being on the Moon in the first place.

Well, obviously the Moon was in fact a magical oxygen sphere with a candy-coated rock in the middle.

chibi_goten · Post by **chibi_goten** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:44 am

Lol, I remember reading that and not quite understanding it myself. It never occured to be though that they were still on the moon when Roshi blew it up.

DB_Fan · Post by **DB_Fan** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 9:18 am

It is not a filler episode, it happened in the original manga.

Pedro The Hutt · Post by **Pedro The Hutt** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:31 pm

And let's not forget, the japanese see a rabbit in the patterns of the craters on the moon. (in an arguably feutal position)

Taku128 · Post by **Taku128** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 12:39 pm

I take it that was from the FUNi dub? In the Viz manga Goku says something like "Haven't you heard the old story?" and then the narrator says something like "Ah yes, who could forget the old tale about rabbits on the moon?" and there's an Editors note saying its an old Japanese fairy tale. I can't really blame FUNi for changing that since most people wouldn't get the refrence.

Rocketman · Post by **Rocketman** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:09 pm

Endishiki wrote:Well, obviously the Moon was in fact a magical oxygen sphere with a candy-coated rock in the middle.

Actually, we can guess what DB's Moon is.

Note here:

Earth fills the sky of DB's Moon.

In the real world:

Earth is pretty small when viewed from the Moon.

DB's Moon look to be at least twice as close to Earth as our Moon is, probably much closer.

Since it's not raising disasterous tides and its destruction didn't set off an apocalypse on the Earth, the DB Moon is hollow and filled with oxygen.

Conan the SSJ · Post by **Conan the SSJ** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:09 pm

Taku128 wrote:I take it that was from the FUNi dub? In the Viz manga Goku says something like "Haven't you heard the old story?" and then the narrator says something like "Ah yes, who could forget the old tale about rabbits on the moon?" and there's an Editors note saying its an old Japanese fairy tale. I can't really blame FUNi for changing that since most people wouldn't get the refrence.

Don't automatically point the finger at FUNi, that could've been a manga-exclusive thing, similar to the Tori-bot suddenly popping up during Fusion training for that classic bit about using the same panel twice or something. Sadly, with the whole retarded issue of Lion's Gate being more stingy than Shenlong to Goten, only the Japanese released original DragonBall Dragonbox and the R4 "Saga of Goku" release contain how it really goes down in the anime confines. Hurry up already, FUNi, we want those 13 episodes NOW!!! Stop screwing around with wide-screen that NO-ONE asked for and get to what matters!

Mr.Piccolo · Post by **Mr.Piccolo** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 1:20 pm

That whole plot seems like filler but it isn't. I remember fighting that group in the first GokuDen and seeing how that game followed the manga, I guess it was a plot by Toriyama himself. In theory, Roshi killed that gang?
-Rick

aarondirebear · Post by **aarondirebear** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:40 pm

Isnt it already established Fanon that DB Earth and its moon share an atmospheric "air bridge" of some kind?

Well, if there was life on the moon before, there certainly isnt any more after the 21st Tenkaichi Budoukai :twisted:

Amiable-Akuma · Post by **Amiable-Akuma** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 3:12 pm

Couple things:

1. The lines I qouted are a direct translation that I did myself from the Japanese audio in the actual episode itself (Watching the Dragon Boxes here. Oh, and actually what Bulma asks in Japanese is: "Where did you go?" to Goku, after he comes back down. Was trying to recite that part from memory in my OP.). So that's where that came from - not the Funi dub. And in the actual Japanese episode that "Rabbits belong on the moon, of course!" line is the last line of dialogue that is said in the whole episode. No narrator comes on to help explain. Goku says that line and then for the rest of the ep there is just music and that final confusing shot of the gang on the moon.

2. I appreciate all the comments here - it cleared up a lot of the mystery surrounding the whole thing and was interesting.

3. Rocketman, - that was one of the most amazing/crazy posts I've ever seen. LOL! But thanks to your comments and the others - I am now going to forever consider what was said here (about hollow moon, closer to earth, air bridge, gang dying, etc) to be actual DB canon, in my mind. It'll help me rationalize some of the wierder things that happen in the series and hey, it just sounds good to me!

Kanzenshuu

"Rabbits belong on the moon, of course!" - What?!

"Rabbits belong on the moon, of course!" - What?!

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