Who is the strange caricature-esque guy in Dragon Ball chapter 32?
The guy toward the left of this specific panel in Dragon Ball manga chapter 32 is Wayan Budhiyasa, a tour guide that Akira Toriyama met while on vacation in Bali, Indonesia!
Written directly on his shirt is his family name (Budhiyasa); across from him on the Turtle Hermit’s suitcase is his first/given name (Wayan) as well as the name of the province he’s from (Bali in Indonesia).
Wayan Budhiyasa actually appears one more time in the manga, just a couple chapters later in chapter 35 (at the very bottom of the audience view, looking back toward the “camera” just like his first appearance):
How do we know who Wayan Budhiyasa is?
Each issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump featured short comments from the various series’ authors, giving fans a brief insight into their current thoughts, ranging from series-related announcements to trivial happenings in their personal lives. Toriyama mentions his trip to Bali and even Wayan Budhiyasa by name several times in his respective comments.
Alongside chapter 22 (within the 1985 No. 28 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, released 11 June 1985), Toriyama shared that he was going to travel to Bali the following week:
Alongside chapter 32 (within the 1985 No. 32 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, released 09 July 1985), the chapter in which Wayan Budhiyasa makes his appearance, Toriyama wrote:
A little bit later in his comment alongside chapter 42 (within the 1985 No. 42 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, released 17 September 1985), Toriyama mentions Wayan Budhiyasa by name:
Much later alongside chapter 125 (within the 1987 No. 25 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, released 19 May 1987), Toriyama shared that Wayan Budhiyasa even came to visit!
For his Daizenshuu 4 “Special Interview” in 1995, Toriyama was asked about reference material, and he cited Bali as the inspiration for the Tenka’ichi Budōkai scenery:
Do you not even look at reference materials for the scenery?
I basically don’t look at them. Though at first, I looked at Chinese buildings and things like that. When serialization began, I wanted to completely change the image from what I had done up until then in Dr. Slump. Since Dr. Slump had an American West Coast feel to it, this time around I wanted to completely change that and make it Oriental. At that time, my wife was interested in China, and I drew looking at the books of Chinese photographs that she bought.Afterwards, with the Tenka’ichi Budōkai grounds as well, I put a lot of effort into drawing it. Before serialization had begun, my family and assistants had gone to Bali. Papaya Island, where the Tenka’ichi Budōkai is held, is completely modeled after Bali. I consulted the photos that they had taken on the trip a lot, and was able to think up the buildings and such. Because of that, it was incredibly difficult. (laughs) Because afterwards I had to draw the Tenka’ichi Budōkai grounds countless times. At those times I had to consult reference materials. (laughs)
Does Wayan Budhiyasa appear in the anime?
Though a few aspects of the surrounding scene and its setup are altered from the original manga for the television adaptation, Wayan Budhiyasa is still shown in the anime in Dragon Ball episode 19:
Is it confirmed that this is definitely Wayan Budhiyasa?
The long-since-defunct official website for P.T. Jabato International Tours & Travel — thankfully mirrored on archive.org! — specifically lists Wayan Budhiyasa as one of their available tour guides:
“Budi” recommends checking out the town of Ubud, where you can enjoy a variety of great Bali scenery all in only half a day!
Toriyama also shared more information about his trip, as well as photos with his wife Nachi Mikami, first assistant Hisashi Tanaka, and Wayan Budhiyasa himself in the 19th volume of Bird Land Press (Toriyama’s official fanclub newsletter):
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