Post
by Gaffer Tape » Mon Jun 17, 2024 11:41 am
Yeah, I think it should have been translated as God, although I'm not losing any sleep over it not having been. I think Viz handled stuff like this the best. When they introduce the character, they just say God, driving the point home to the audience exactly as it would have been in Japanese. Remember that a lot of characters' reactions to hearing this character mentioned for the first time is shock and awe. "Goku's going to see GOD?" That means something. "Goku's going to see Kami?" means nothing. But in general, when it came to titles like this, Viz would use both, and I think that's the best way to thread the needle. "Kaio-sama, the Lord of Worlds." Perfect.
Also, I find it interesting whenever the Eastern and Western theological divides of the word "god" is brought up. Yeah, in the greater context of Dragon Ball, Kami-sama is just one low-level god among a pantheon of diverse beings. But all of that is added in later. In his initial context? When the character is introduced, he is an old man in white flowing robes and a cane who lives in the clouds gazing down on his beings and who fights against the devil. The green alien man shenanigans aside, I argue Kami-sama is very much evocative of a distilled, theme park, Saturday morning cartoon version of the Judeo-Christian monotheistic God, just the thing a Japanese author would introduce into his fantasy story to give it an exotic but recognizable flair. That's almost certainly why he's called Kami-sama with no other modifier or specifier. He's not Lord of Worlds or God of Lord of Worlds or God of Destruction. He's just God. (Yes, he is later *occasionally* called God of Earth when it's contextually necessary, but, again, that's later, and even then it's not part of his direct address the way Kaioshin is.)
So, yeah, I definitely think translating his title is the best way to get all of that across.
