Interview With Justin Chatwin!

[Savage68]

Kinda late for a response, but whatever.

The fact that he is revealed as a Saiya-jin is worth nothing, if you are speaking about features

I'm not. I honestly couldn't care less what he looks like, or what you think he looks like, because he's not a human. Therefore, he cannot be Asian. Or American. Or Mexican. And he isn't meant to be, either, by attribute of...well, being an alien.

your definition of him looking Caucasian doesn't hold up that well.

I never said he looked Caucasian.

And really? "Everyone in Toriyama's world speaks Japanese" is an argument? So Freeza and Buu now have a little Asian in them?

[The Time Traveller]

That reminds me, I remember some hispanic and latino fans saying Bulma is meant to be hispanic or latino. Anyone remember where that's from?

[Bura]

That reminds me, I remember some hispanic and latino fans saying Bulma is meant to be hispanic or latino. Anyone remember where that's from?

Perhaps from the early rumors that Camilla Sodi, a Mexican actress, would play Bulma?

[Travis Touchdown]

I get what Godo is trying to say with those pictures, however, the way Krillin's and Yamcha's eyes were drawn later in the series is completely the opposite.


Notice his eyes are no longer drawn so horizontal.


The same goes for Krillin.

Tenshinhan and Yajirobe remained the same, curiously.

Anywho, it seems like this argument is just going around and around in circles. Can't we agree to disagree? It's Dragon World; where there are no nationalities, and a character's appearance and skin color can change depending on the anime (DBZ->DBGT) or whatever colors Toriyama feels like using at the time.

[Godo]

Kinda late for a response, but whatever.

Better to think things through than blurting out stuff, right? It's also a good thing to think through what someone else has written before disregarding it.
I simply tried to give your theory/opinion a chance, but I found out that our both theories hold firm ground.

Therefore, he cannot be Asian. Or American. Or Mexican. And he isn't meant to be, either, by attribute of...well, being an alien.

I am not saying that he is Asian.
It seems like you don't know the word phenotype. Here is an explanation:

phe·no·type (fn-tp)
n.
1.
a. The observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both genetic makeup and environmental influences.
b. The expression of a specific trait, such as stature or blood type, based on genetic and environmental influences.
2. An individual or group of organisms exhibiting a particular phenotype.

What I am saying is that they look like being Asian in other words, not that they are.

I never said he looked Caucasian.

Sorry, I must have mixed you up with some other user then.

And really? "Everyone in Toriyama's world speaks Japanese" is an argument? So Freeza and Buu now have a little Asian in them?

Hmm...maybe not.

But you said something previously:

This line of reasoning can only make sense if the supporting characters were actually Asian, or if there were good enough reason to assume that they are. Until then, your argument is nothing less than fallacious.

I proved that just recently in my previous post. This means that my argument isn't fallacious.
Where are you really going at, good sir?
So far I have included images as proof and also segments of the story as proof and facts that can hold up for my theory.
All you have done so far is to state "nope, he is a Saiyan and therefore can't be Asian, and he doesn't even look like one".
Do you think that your opinion is so much more important that you shouldn't have to debate on the same level and at least show some respect and try to back your argument up by something weighing more as an argument?
See, my opinion on how I thought that Goku looked like wasn't enough for you, and I had to bring all these posts ahead, but you still think that you just stating "no,no that's impossible!" is enough to back your thought up?

[Savage68]

Pretty much, yeah. Regardless of what he looks like, or what his upbringing was based around, he can't be Asian. No matter what. It doesn't really matter how much the these things are sugarcoated, because his race has already been set firmly in stone. And it sure ain't Asian.

[Innagadadavida]

Yeah, he can't be Asian. That's a fact. You'd have to be born in Asia to be Asian. But he's just as likely to look Asian than Caucasian.

[Savage68]

Exactly, save for a few posts I noticed in this topic who find Goku to be Caucasian, most people were just trying to explain how claiming Goku should be Asian is silly, because there's no evidence to support that considering he's just an alien and how his lifestyle has nothing to do with what race (or what race he may seem like), especially considering he's adopted. Hence Godo's implication of Goku being played by a Caucasian in DBE is wrong and that he should have been played by an Asian is moot when they can go either way.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Exactly, save for a few posts I noticed in this topic who find Goku to be Caucasian, most people were just trying to explain how claiming Goku should be Asian is silly, because there's no evidence to support that considering he's just an alien and how his lifestyle has nothing to do with what race (or what race he may seem like), especially considering he's adopted. Hence Godo's implication of Goku being played by a Caucasian in DBE is wrong and that he should have been played by an Asian is moot when they can go either way.

I think he was just pissed that Goku was played by a white guy in DBE.

[Innagadadavida]

I don't care either way, but if it were my call, I'd probably pick a Japanese dude. Just to give some credit to the origins.

But Hollywood would never cast an Asian man in a lead role. Save for a few Jackie Chan and Jet Li movies. Look at the show Kung Fu. They casted a white male who looks kind of Asian instead of the better martial artist, Bruce Lee. Say what you will about the times, not much has changed.

[Godo]

I think he was just pissed that Goku was played by a white guy in DBE.

Instead of talking about me in a thread where I am present and make assumptions over and over again about my opinion, you can actually ask me to explain myself why casting Justin Chatwin was so bad, y'know.

We have Emmy Rossum (playing Bulma), and they tried to make her look Asian.
We have Jun-Fat Chow (playing Kame Sennin), who indeed is Asian.
We have Jamie Chung (playing Chichi), who is Asian.
We have Joon Park (playing Yamcha), who is Asian.
We have Eriko Tamura (playing Mai), who is Asian.
We have Randall Duk Kim (playing Grandpa Gohan), who is Asian.
And then we have Justin Chatwin (playing Goku) who is the only non-Asian one of the supporting cast.

It's not that I'm pissed about him being played by a white guy, rather than that FOX thinks that an Asian guy can't be fit as a hero. When they have so many of the supporting cast being Asian, and only the hero isn't (in a part of the story where him being Asian wouldn't be odd to believe), it's an eyesore.
But the most probable answer must be that no one but Chatwin wanted the role in the end, knowing how horrible the script was.

But DB:E doesn't have much to do with my theory though. I have always thought that Goku looked like an Asian like much of the other supporting characters in Dragonball.
I think it has to do with which part of Dragonball you started with. I started with the first volume of the manga.

But I wouldn't have gone this far if I hadn't missed Innagadadavida's previous post:

Well...that's the thing. Superman has those features. He looks white. Maybe it's just me...but Goku doesn't look Asian at all to me.

Does Krillin look Chinese (I think he's supposed to be Chinese based on his back story)? Does Yajirobe look Japanese (confirmed)? How about Yamcha (First normal Human fighter)? Tenshinhan (Clearly not white)? Roshi (Not white, he's a martial arts master)?

Dude, no anime characters look the way Caucasians stereotypically see Asians. But they are.

Kuwabara? Japanese. Sailor Moon? Japanese. Light Yagami? Japanese.

Another example is Samurai Champloo. The characters in that show do not have the over exaggerated features Asians typically have in Western animation, and there's a scene toward the end of the series essentially mocking that depiction. An American asks the reporter guy where he's from, the guy then uses his fingers to open his eyelids further vertically and with an accent says "I'm from America!"

It's funny.

He pretty much owned with that post.

[Xyex]

Nice interview. Do you mind to post a scan of the page so we know it's authentic?

J:"A lot, of course! because I'm a role of a incredible fighter. so I have to give the image that looks exactly like the real person, including the looks. I studied make-up and styling hair like Goku's. it's have to be look the same , although it's impossible to look the same on the series."

I would say that Justin is so full of crap here. He didn't look a bit like Goku at all, except for his Gi.
When Goku is supposed to come from Asia, they can't cast someone from the west as the actor.
Imagine "My Name is Khan" with someone Chinese, or Brad Pitt. *Pukes*

Except that Goku isn't supposed to come from Asia. Not only is there no Asia in Dragonworld, Goku is a space alien.

Yeah. We did. But the most plausible thought should be that he is from that particular area of the continent. I doubt that anyone thought of him being dropped from a plane nor coming from outer space to be found in the forest.
Which is why no one really thought of him being adopted, since he looked like everyone in that area.

Says who? Did anyone ever say "oh, you look just like everyone else who lives in this area of the world" to him? Nope. For that matter, he looks nothing like the giant Bear Bandit that attacked Bulma, or Sea Turtle, or Olong, or most of the villagers from that village, or Shuu, or Pilaf, and all of those places/people were pretty close to where Goku lived.

Thinking of that the story started with Journey to the West as an inspiration, it shouldn't be that unreasonable to think that Son Goku was initially thought of having an Asian heritage. Unless Toriyama thought of adding a twist into it and do a "Journey to the East", which I don't think it's implied.
So initially, all the characters we meet until Goku goes to the Desert City (with the Boss Rabbit) can be thought of being Asian.
After that, the races more and less mix, but Goku was from the beginning thought of being Asian.

The origins of something have nothing to do with the races of the characters. Star Wars is set in a distant galaxy and everyone's a space alien. Yet Luke still looks like your average American. Yes, the early bits of the series had more of an Asian flare, but nowhere was it ever implied that anyone was at all Asian.

Heck, you even pointed out earlier that West City could be more western in nature, which would make Bulma western looking, and no one comments about a difference in appearance between her and Goku. Or Goku and anyone else on the entire planet, for that matter. The only thing you have to go with to say "Goku is Asian" is because he grew up in, and his first adventures occurred in, an Asian like setting.

I think the earlier example of Superman in Mexico was quite valid.

I'll repeat myself. In the first volume of Dragonball, Goku wasn't an alien. He was a human boy. Toriyama hadn't yet thought of Goku being a Saiya-jin.
Goku was derived from Sun Wukong from Journey to the West. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong has to travel from China to India.
Since the story is derived from Journey to the West, thus Goku's character should indeed be thought of being Asian.
He lived in a Chinese-esque house, and he practiced Kung-fu. I think it was really clear that the story was intended to occur in China or some other Asian country in the beginning, like the inspiration of Dragonball.
This, however, changed later, but we can't ignore the roots of Dragonball.

The problem is the roots of something do not define it or its characters. Yes, it was based loosely on JttW. No, that doesn't mean every character based on an Asian from JttW has to be Asian in Dragonball. No, growing up in an Asian setting in an Asian looking house doesn't make you Asian.

Or is King Yemma Asian? He lives in an Asian looking house, too. The fact that Goku wasn't revealed to be an alien, that Toriyama didn't make that plot choice until later, does not magically make him an Asian mystical monkey-boy for Dragonball and a space alien for DBZ only. Just like Piccolo's Namekian heritage doesn't magically turn him from Demon to Alien in Z.

Really? What you are basically saying it that Saiya-jins are not looking like normal people. For all I know, no one ever reacted over how Goku looked, except for his tail. Noone asked him from where he was from. This dictates that he looked alike his fellow humans.

Except we see quite clearly that everyone in Dragonworld is spread out everywhere. Why would anyone make any comments about his race when he lives in the same place as a bear that walks on its hind legs, talks, and wears clothes? Or when he lives relatively near a shape-shifting pig pretending to be a Demon? Why was no comment made about anyone's race anywhere in the series, even those clearly not like Goku? You can't use the "Well, no one said anything" argument as any sort of proof because no one said anything about anyone. Going by the "No one said anything" would also mean that Assistant Black, Nam, Uub, etc are also Asian.

Instead of talking about me in a thread where I am present and make assumptions over and over again about my opinion, you can actually ask me to explain myself why casting Justin Chatwin was so bad, y'know.

We have Emmy Rossum (playing Bulma), and they tried to make her look Asian.

Ummm... what?

It's not that I'm pissed about him being played by a white guy, rather than that FOX thinks that an Asian guy can't be fit as a hero. When they have so many of the supporting cast being Asian, and only the hero isn't (in a part of the story where him being Asian wouldn't be odd to believe), it's an eyesore.

Ummmmmmmmm... What?

Anyway, I've never seen Goku as someone who physically looks Asian. He grew up in an Asian like environment but he himself was never hinted toward being Asian at any time in the series, ever. The only reasons anyone assumes he is is because initially he was based on Sun Wukong and the there were Asian themes all around. But I don't see anyone arguing that Bulma has to be Asian even though she was introduced that the same time and into the same environment and from the same source.

[Savage68]

He pretty much owned with that post.

Owned what? He already said that he doesn't care about it either way.

[MR.Mark]

Should we just change the name of this topic to "Is Son Goku a white dude?"

yes he is btw, hehe

[Ludwig]

Nice interview. Do you mind to post a scan of the page so we know it's authentic?

J:"A lot, of course! because I'm a role of a incredible fighter. so I have to give the image that looks exactly like the real person, including the looks. I studied make-up and styling hair like Goku's. it's have to be look the same , although it's impossible to look the same on the series."

I would say that Justin is so full of crap here. He didn't look a bit like Goku at all, except for his Gi.
When Goku is supposed to come from Asia, they can't cast someone from the west as the actor.
Imagine "My Name is Khan" with someone Chinese, or Brad Pitt. *Pukes*

Except that Goku isn't supposed to come from Asia. Not only is there no Asia in Dragonworld, Goku is a space alien.

I agree with anyone could have acted Goku since yes he doesn't have any physical Asian traits. But I agree with Godo, for the simple fact cosplayers are able to recreate the characters oh so much better with simple wigs make up and effort and Hollywood can't with its huge budget. Not only that but the environment look like your typical American background, while in the series it's self had much more of a fantasy/Asian feel. I'm sorry but I never recall seeing Goku go to a party to impress a girl he found hot.

[alakazam^]

Does anyone really thinks that interview is real? I mean... some foreign magazine calls Chatwin and he aggres on giving an interview and at the end the magazine thanks him for calling? C'mon...

[The Time Traveller]

Does anyone really thinks that interview is real? I mean... some foreign magazine calls Chatwin and he aggres on giving an interview and at the end the magazine thanks him for calling? C'mon...

Yeah, I've been doubting its validity since it was posted, and I wouldn't be surprised if Goku100xKamehameha pulled it out of thin air.

[Xyex]

Does anyone really thinks that interview is real? I mean... some foreign magazine calls Chatwin and he aggres on giving an interview and at the end the magazine thanks him for calling? C'mon...

Why wouldn't Chatwin give an interview to a foreign magazine? And why wouldn't they thank him for calling, if it was pre-arranged that he would call them for the interview? I'm not saying it's absolutely legit, but there's nothing here to suggest it isn't.

[Goku100xKamehameha]

Does anyone really thinks that interview is real? I mean... some foreign magazine calls Chatwin and he aggres on giving an interview and at the end the magazine thanks him for calling? C'mon...

Yeah, I've been doubting its validity since it was posted, and I wouldn't be surprised if Goku100xKamehameha pulled it out of thin air.

No! that interview is real XY call JC but he's not answering it! so JC call them back! the interview start!

[SSJSteve]

Does anyone really thinks that interview is real? I mean... some foreign magazine calls Chatwin and he aggres on giving an interview and at the end the magazine thanks him for calling? C'mon...

Yeah, I've been doubting its validity since it was posted, and I wouldn't be surprised if Goku100xKamehameha pulled it out of thin air.

No! that interview is real XY call JC but he's not answering it! so JC call them back! the interview start!

Did it say that in the magazine?