http://www.kanzenshuu.com/press-archive ... the-majin/
Here we have Toriyama saying that Boo was designed as not only a "majin", often translated to genie in English, but specifically a genie (I presume he used the English word?). Seemingly using them interchangeably. I had always noticed the djinn/genie influences in Boo's design, particularly in his introduction where he materialized from smoke, but I had never made the connection before that this was what he was supposed to be. I just assumed he took design cues from one while being his own thing; similar to how Darth Vader's outfit is based on samurai armor, and he also uses a sword and has a title of nobility, but he himself is not literally a pop culture depiction of a samurai. Or how Saiyans turn into hairy, rampaging, humanoid beasts after looking at a full moon, but weren't literally supposed to be werewolves. But reviewing Boo's attributes, him being just an outright genie does seem to fit and makes me feel stupid that I haven't made the connection before now:Is the appearance of Majin Boo inspired by the Arabian-style majin, or “genie”? His clothes seem to have a sort of Arabian fairy-tale style. Or were you thinking of a different kind of “majin”?
Right. I saw The Arabian Nights when I was a kid, so I have this set image of what a majin, or genie, should look like. So that’s how I came to put him in that costume.
-Boo is introduced as being extraordinarily long-lived, millions of years old at the least. Djinns are supposed to have extremely long lifespans compared to humans, which makes them useful for revealing information from the past.
-As noted earlier, Boo is introduced as sealed in a ball and materializing from smoke when released, much like a djinn/genie.
-As noted, his appearance and clothing are stylistically Arabic, especially in his first form. His clothing is also similar to the "majin of the teapot", a more explicit genie, from Toriyama's earlier work Dr. Slump.
-Boo is initially summoned by an evil sorcerer to do his bidding. In Arabian tradition, a djinn could be summoned by a sorcerer via witchcraft and forced to perform orders. Sometimes they'd be bound via incantation, similar to how Babidi binds Boo to his will by threatening to seal him with his own "paparapapa". They'd often tell the djinns to use their magical powers to inflict harm on a chosen victim, like how Babidi compels Boo to go after his own enemies. It may also be a reference to how Ifrits can be defeated by someone reciting a Du'a.
-In Arabian folklore the Ifrit, the most powerful of the djinns, are summoned to Earth by the life-force (or blood) of a murdered victim seeking revenge on the murderer. Babidi's method of reviving Boo is centered around making his demon-like warriors kill or wound morally good people, effectively draining the life-force (chi) of them to summon his djinn. In Arabian Nights, one story features a being referred to as both a djinn and an Ifrit who has powers of transmutation and shapeshifting, but is easily tricked by the protagonist.
-In another bit of Arabian Nights influence and reference to genies, Babidi's incantation is based on "Paparapah", which was featured in the Japanese version of the American cartoon Shazzan, in which the titular demon would say that before using his magic. (as an aside, maybe Buu's head tentacle was based on Shazzan's pony tail?)
-Boo, in addition to being conventionally powerful, has very potent magic allowing him to do things other characters cannot despite their power, such as transmutate objects (e.g. turning people into food), shapeshift, and heal people (including curing blindness). These are all abilities typical of djinns in Arabian folklore; and, consistent with Boo being naturally extremely powerful independent of his magic, djinns were supposed to be stronger and faster than humans (though by nowhere near as much as Boo, obviously).
-Boo's grey "evil" form calls to mind images of a ghoul, which in some folklore is a corrupted djinn.
-In Arabian tradition, djinns were created by God before the humans, but were eventually corrupted. This goes along with Toriyama's new explanation of Boo, who is now a creature that has existed since time immemorial and has been corrupted by the evil thoughts of humanity.
-Despite their immense magical powers and nature as spirits, djinn are not completely immortal, and in Arabian Nights can be done-in by physical means. This is also true for Boo even if he's considerably harder to kill.
Would you call Boo a genie, or just a creature unique to Toriyama's work who has the attributes of one? If, for example, someone was writing a paper about the representation of genies in fiction, would Boo be a valid example to cite? I don't think anyone would hesitate to call Baba's fighters a mummy, a vampire, and a devil, for instance, even if they don't perfectly fit the profile.
