With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main cast?

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With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main cast?

Post by Jord » Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:40 pm

I think it would be a great way to freshen up the status quo and the current cast. Not only to reach a more global audience but also to break up the monotony of it basically being the Saiyan show, a problem Z already had since the Cell saga. With the exception of Trunks, it get's boring to see everyone of the main heroes having a Caucasian skin and black hair. Come to think of it, all the human warriors with the exception of Roshi also have black hair. We need something new visually.
Comparing it to One Piece, OP has a ton of characters from all different walks of life, looking distinct visually and that really helps to keep the show fresh.

Plus, we've already seen the existing cast grow and bringing in old characters becomes quite boring. I really fear that next big villain will be Cell since he's the only one that hasn't been brought back in a big way.

I think the closest we got to a minority becoming part of the cast was Uub's brief stint in GT. The moments we got with him were awesome but he was sadly underused. Don't think that was a race thing specifically since almost everybody was underused there. Actually, I think Uub was one of the characters that got a bit of growth and love from the writers. I loved his fusion with Boo. And yes, Uub has been mentioned in Super, but seeing how we know how Z ends, it wouldn't really make sense to feature Uub heavily in Super.

Super has been criticized for being the Goku and Vegeta show and to a degree I agree. Put some new fresh faces in. Let a woman kick ass as a member of the main cast. Heck, they could even use Videl for this, or perhaps Pan.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by PurestEvil » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:03 pm

Goku is coded as an Asian, dude. Even the Siayans in general are coded to be Asian. Krillin, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chi Chi, and Roshi are Asians. Gohan, Goten, and Pan are partially Asian.
Bulma and 18 are the only white characters on the show. Mr Satan and 17 are minor characters, and Trunks is half white. The rest of the white guys are RRA members and Gohan’s classmates.
We don’t need a darker skinned character to be in the main cast for the sake of itself. That is virtue signaling.

(Also, your use of the word “minority” implies that only darker skinned people are minorities, which is simply incorrect).
Last edited by PurestEvil on Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Jord » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:05 pm

PurestEvil wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:03 pm Goku is coded as an Asian, dude. Even the Siayans in general are coded to be Asian. Krillin, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chi Chi, and Roshi are Asians. Gohan, Goten, and Pan are partially Asian.
Bulma and 18 are the only white characters on the show. Mr Satan and 17 are minor characters, and Trunks is half white. The rest of the white guys are RRA members and Gohan’s classmates.
Excuse me, I never saw them as Asian due to the way in which they were drawn. That being said, the cast still has the visually samey appearance, regardless if they're Caucasian or Asian.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by MasenkoHA » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:15 pm

Jord wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:05 pm
PurestEvil wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:03 pm Goku is coded as an Asian, dude. Even the Siayans in general are coded to be Asian. Krillin, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chi Chi, and Roshi are Asians. Gohan, Goten, and Pan are partially Asian.
Bulma and 18 are the only white characters on the show. Mr Satan and 17 are minor characters, and Trunks is half white. The rest of the white guys are RRA members and Gohan’s classmates.
Excuse me, I never saw them as Asian due to the way in which they were drawn. That being said, the cast still has the visually samey appearance, regardless if they're Caucasian or Asian.

That’s cool. They’re still Asian.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by VegettoEX » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:16 pm

We'd love to see some input from more than just the three or four usual suspects. Thanks!
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Grimlock » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:33 pm

Jord wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:05 pmExcuse me, I never saw them as Asian due to the way in which they were drawn.
And you are absolutely correct in not fantasizing about fictional characters as belonging/coming from a real world geographical point. Unless we have Akira Toriyama stating he based all of his characters on real world people that I'm not aware of.

That said, my (probably only, maybe...) input here is what I said in another thread:
Grimlock wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 7:31 pm Because there's no "South Asian" characters, it's a fictional world with its own geographical map not based on the real world. They have a darker skin and some cultures would call that "black" or "brown".

Oh, and Uub should definitely be the main hero/protagonist, in part because we share the skin color. So it'd be nice to see him getting full spotlight! :)
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Nagyzöld » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:41 pm

The whole starting point of Dragon Ball was A Journey To The West but we will pretend Toriyama was racially neutral when he designed his characters?

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Kunzait_83 » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:42 pm

Setting the Saiya-jin characters completely aside (since they're a whole can of worms in and of themselves), if you read characters like Tenshinhan, Kuririn, Yamucha, Chaozu, Chi Chi (and by extension from her at least, Gohan and Goten), Muten Roshi, Tsuru Sennin, Grandpa Gohan, Tao Pai Pai, Mutaito, Yajirobe, and so on as literally ANYTHING other than Asian, if you believe that those characters I listed can in ANY REMOTE WAY be coded as "white" in even the slightest, tiniest bit...

...then at that point you may as well believe that FUNimation and Cartoon Network had both originally created Dragon Ball Z as a fully American made cartoon back in 1999 and that Toriyama and Japan at large played no role in it whatsoever. Cause that's how resoundingly, blindingly obvious and flatly unmistakable this particular issue is.

The clothing alone (never mind a lot of the names) ought to be a DEAD-ASS giveaway, never mind virtually everything else.

Nagyzöld wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:41 pmThe whole starting point of Dragon Ball was A Journey To The West but we will pretend Toriyama was racially neutral when he designed his characters?
To say nothing of almost virtually every other notable core component of the series, which is steeped to the gills in Chinese culture and martial arts.
Last edited by Kunzait_83 on Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Journey to the West, chapter 26 wrote:The strong man will meet someone stronger still:
Come to naught at last he surely will!
Zephyr wrote:And that's to say nothing of how pretty much impossible it is to capture what made the original run of the series so great. I'm in the generation of fans that started with Toonami, so I totally empathize with the feeling of having "missed the party", experiencing disappointment, and wanting to experience it myself. But I can't, that's how life is. Time is a bitch. The party is over. Kageyama, Kikuchi, and Maeda are off the sauce now; Yanami almost OD'd; Yamamoto got arrested; Toriyama's not going to light trash cans on fire and hang from the chandelier anymore. We can't get the band back together, and even if we could, everyone's either old, in poor health, or calmed way the fuck down. Best we're going to get, and are getting, is a party that's almost entirely devoid of the magic that made the original one so awesome that we even want more.
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by JulieYBM » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:42 pm

Toriyama likes to include the occasional political commentary. I would like to see a writer write a story that can reflect on how nations like Japan and the US treat marginalized people. Marginalized people exist in the entertainment industry in Japan so I would love to see those people involved in the production of such a large franchise, too. Kids like to see themselves in art!
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by PurestEvil » Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:56 pm

Grimlock wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:33 pm
Jord wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:05 pmExcuse me, I never saw them as Asian due to the way in which they were drawn.
And you are absolutely correct in not fantasizing about fictional characters as belonging/coming from a real world geographical point. Unless we have Akira Toriyama stating he based all of his characters on real world people that I'm not aware of.

That said, my (probably only, maybe...) input here is what I said in another thread:
Grimlock wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 7:31 pm Because there's no "South Asian" characters, it's a fictional world with its own geographical map not based on the real world. They have a darker skin and some cultures would call that "black" or "brown".
Should we refer to the DB characters based on Asian people as "yellow", then?
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Skar » Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:12 pm

There are no real world countries in DB but you can kinda tell what they're based on. I'm Palestinian I wouldn't mind seeing some minorities as long as it doesn't feel forced and for the sake of it. There's Mohammad Abdul in Jojo part 2 which made sense because they were going to Egypt. He would've felt a little our of place if he appeared in part 4 which was set in a Japanese town giving their demographics.

There's always an audience for it when it's a franchise popular worldwide. Maybe some studios assume there isn't enough interest since some recent inclusive or progressive attempts underperformed or lost money. I remember reading that they had demand on social media but those movies ended up losing money because apparently not enough people that were demanding them paid to watch them. Fans have to speak with their wallets and support what you want to see more of.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by MasenkoHA » Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:15 pm

I think fans cling way too much to the whole “Dragon Ball is in it’s own world” and ignore things like the Chinese influence on the story that goes beyond Journey to the west or names like Gohan and Tenshinhan and Kuririn and Yamucha. Or things like Kuririn being a shaolin monk or Goku saying a Buddhist prayer when he thinks he killed Sergeant Mettalitron or Chi Chi playing into the education minded mother archetype or the Japanese characters that are all over the place on the characters outfits or the characters saying “Itadakimasu” before eating and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by JulieYBM » Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:18 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:15 pm I think fans cling way too much to the whole “Dragon Ball is in it’s own world” and ignore things like the Chinese influence on the story that goes beyond Journey to the west or names like Gohan and Tenshinhan and Kuririn and Yamucha. Or things like Kuririn being a shaolin monk or Goku saying a Buddhist prayer when he thinks he killed Sergeant Mettalitron or Chi Chi playing into the education minded mother archetype or the Japanese characters that are all over the place on the characters outfits or the characters saying “Itadakimasu” before eating and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Yeah, it's as much it's 'own' world as it needs to be to just do whatever Toriyama wants to do. Like a DC Universe.
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by jjgp1112 » Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:19 pm

Jord wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:05 pm
PurestEvil wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:03 pm Goku is coded as an Asian, dude. Even the Siayans in general are coded to be Asian. Krillin, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chi Chi, and Roshi are Asians. Gohan, Goten, and Pan are partially Asian.
Bulma and 18 are the only white characters on the show. Mr Satan and 17 are minor characters, and Trunks is half white. The rest of the white guys are RRA members and Gohan’s classmates.
Excuse me, I never saw them as Asian due to the way in which they were drawn.
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Kid Buu » Fri Sep 24, 2021 4:11 pm

Isn't "Caucasian skin and black hair" how most East Asians look like anyways? :eh:
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Kunzait_83 » Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:25 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 3:15 pm I think fans cling way too much to the whole “Dragon Ball is in it’s own world” and ignore things like the Chinese influence on the story that goes beyond Journey to the west or names like Gohan and Tenshinhan and Kuririn and Yamucha. Or things like Kuririn being a shaolin monk or Goku saying a Buddhist prayer when he thinks he killed Sergeant Mettalitron or Chi Chi playing into the education minded mother archetype or the Japanese characters that are all over the place on the characters outfits or the characters saying “Itadakimasu” before eating and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
End thread. This really sums it up perfectly, and all those examples there really are just the barest tip of the iceberg.

Dragon Ball is steeped to its very pores in both Japanese and Chinese culture (way, way, WAY more so Chinese culture honestly), and all the main characters directly reflect that: in no small part by being clearly Asian themselves. This series is as Asian as Asian gets. If its still "too white" in your mind somehow, then you're just completely blind/hopelessly culturally insulated, and you may as well accuse most Shaw Bros. and Golden Harvest films of being "too white" and "not featuring enough minorities" as well.
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Journey to the West, chapter 26 wrote:The strong man will meet someone stronger still:
Come to naught at last he surely will!
Zephyr wrote:And that's to say nothing of how pretty much impossible it is to capture what made the original run of the series so great. I'm in the generation of fans that started with Toonami, so I totally empathize with the feeling of having "missed the party", experiencing disappointment, and wanting to experience it myself. But I can't, that's how life is. Time is a bitch. The party is over. Kageyama, Kikuchi, and Maeda are off the sauce now; Yanami almost OD'd; Yamamoto got arrested; Toriyama's not going to light trash cans on fire and hang from the chandelier anymore. We can't get the band back together, and even if we could, everyone's either old, in poor health, or calmed way the fuck down. Best we're going to get, and are getting, is a party that's almost entirely devoid of the magic that made the original one so awesome that we even want more.
Kamiccolo9 wrote:It grinds my gears that people get "outraged" over any of this stuff. It's a fucking cartoon. If you are that determined to be angry about something, get off the internet and make a stand for something that actually matters.
Rocketman wrote:"Shonen" basically means "stupid sentimental shit" anyway, so it's ok to be anti-shonen.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by MyVisionity » Fri Sep 24, 2021 5:54 pm

Grimlock wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 2:33 pm Because there's no "South Asian" characters, it's a fictional world with its own geographical map not based on the real world.
This is false. There are indeed South Asian characters in the series. There are white characters, Black characters, Indigenous characters, Chinese, Japanese and so on. It's a fictional world that is clearly based on the real world, and that includes its characters. The differences in geography are irrelevant.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by WittyUsername » Fri Sep 24, 2021 6:02 pm

When I saw the title of this thread, I assumed the OP was talking about adding a black person who doesn’t look like Mr. Popo to the cast, or some other racial or ethnic group that doesn’t appear much in anime, which would most likely never happen. As others have said, Dragon Ball is a distinctly Eastern influenced series, so it can be assumed that most of the characters aren’t supposed to be “white.” That’s why casting Justin Chatwin as Goku proved fairly controversial back in the day.

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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by Polyphase Avatron » Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:02 pm

I think OP just wants a main character with dark skin. Which would probably happen if we ever got beyond EoZ...
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Re: With DB targeting a more international audience nowadays, do you see a minority someday becoming part of the main ca

Post by MasenkoHA » Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:26 pm

Polyphase Avatron wrote: Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:02 pm I think OP just wants a main character with dark skin. Which would probably happen if we ever got beyond EoZ...
Oob doesn’t have a personality though

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