Death in Dragon ball

[smiley]

Why do characters in part II have the same attitude towards death as we do when they know it's just their soul passing into another realm?

For example, why did Goku get mad when Freeza killed Krillin?

Sometimes, the dubbed version is mocked because of their 'passing into another dimension' language used to describe death, but like it or not, that pretty much is what death is all about in DB.

[Herms]

Sometimes, the dubbed version is mocked because of their 'passing into another dimension' language used to describe death, but like it or not, that pretty much is what death is all about in DB.

It's not that they described death that way, they used the phrase "pass into another dimension" to entirely replace any mentions of death during the early part of the dub.

[Bussani]

For example, why did Goku get mad when Freeza killed Krillin?

What should Goku have felt? This alien jackass just blew up his best friend in a frightening and presumably painful way, and since he could (supposedly) never be wished back, he wouldn't get to see him again until his own death. That's plenty of reason to be mad. Hell, I'd be mad if someone took my best friend away and said I couldn't see them again for years.

That said, even the people in the afterlife seem to treat early death as a tragedy. I suppose it's because there are things you're meant to experience in life that you can't experience in death. Afterlife or no afterlife, taking away the life someone potentially had to live is a huge waste. Kuririn would never get to experience having a wife, having children, watching them grow, etc.

[Fox666]

Remember most people don't get bodied and are merely limbless souls that will eventually expire.

[smiley]

Remember most people don't get bodied and are merely limbless souls that will eventually expire.

Eventually expire? I don't think that was ever said.

[caejones]

DB afterlife seems to operate on a highly adapted Buddhist version of the afterlife. When people die, they go to an alternate plane until they are ready to be reincarnated elsewhere. Piccolo explains as much to Vegeta when Vegeta asks what will happen after he dies.

[rereboy]

DB afterlife seems to operate on a highly adapted Buddhist version of the afterlife. When people die, they go to an alternate plane until they are ready to be reincarnated elsewhere. Piccolo explains as much to Vegeta when Vegeta asks what will happen after he dies.

That only happens with evil people.

DB's afterlife is like a mix of different beliefs. If you are good you go to Heaven (catholicism?), if you are bad you go to hell (catholicism?) where your soul is cleansed and you wait to be reincarnated in the living world (buddhism?), and if you are a hero you get special treatment like keeping your body as such (norse mythology? Vahalla?).

[vegetaslegacy15]

DB afterlife seems to operate on a highly adapted Buddhist version of the afterlife. When people die, they go to an alternate plane until they are ready to be reincarnated elsewhere. Piccolo explains as much to Vegeta when Vegeta asks what will happen after he dies.

That only happens with evil people.

DB's afterlife is like a mix of different beliefs. If you are good you go to Heaven (catholicism?), if you are bad you go to hell (catholicism?) where your soul is cleansed and you wait to be reincarnated in the living world (buddhism?), and if you are a hero you get special treatment like keeping your body as such (norse mythology? Vahalla?).

Actually the part were you get special treatment if you are a hero is in Greek and Roman mythology also. Its called the isle of the blessed.

[Coola Yagami]

well... I also assume Goku and such also kept their bodies cause they were tight with Kami and Kaiou and such. There's probably a lot of great heroes that were still just clouds, but Goku met Kami directly so...

[Fox666]

If I remember it correctly, it was mentioned that Goku was allowed to keep his body because he saved the Earth many times.

[Bussani]

Kuririn trained under Kami and helped save the world from Vegeta and Nappa, but he didn't get his body after dying on Namek.

[Fox666]

Hmm, we saw Goku's body disappear after he died and Piccolo said it was Kami's work...

[caejones]

Kuririn trained under Kami and helped save the world from Vegeta and Nappa, but he didn't get his body after dying on Namek.

Well, he was out of the territory of both Kami and Kaio, and Saichoro wasn't alive, assuming he could have counted as Namek's god and have given people ghost-bodies.

[Bussani]

Kuririn trained under Kami and helped save the world from Vegeta and Nappa, but he didn't get his body after dying on Namek.

Well, he was out of the territory of both Kami and Kaio, and Saichoro wasn't alive, assuming he could have counted as Namek's god and have given people ghost-bodies.

That could be the case, but does that mean the afterlife doesn't grant heroes bodies if their area doesn't have a god? You'd think Enma could do it. I mean, he gave Vegeta one.

[Fox666]

Perhaps Kuririn had no interest in training, like he did in the time-skip before Boo saga.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Kuririn trained under Kami and helped save the world from Vegeta and Nappa, but he didn't get his body after dying on Namek.

Well, he was out of the territory of both Kami and Kaio, and Saichoro wasn't alive, assuming he could have counted as Namek's god and have given people ghost-bodies.

That could be the case, but does that mean the afterlife doesn't grant heroes bodies if their area doesn't have a god? You'd think Enma could do it. I mean, he gave Vegeta one.

If that's the case, then it's pretty sucky for heroes that have died and then don't get to keep their bodies. But I assume that most planets have gods, apart from those whose inhabitants perhaps don't need one (Namekians on Namek) or those whose inhabitants can't be controlled and would probably kill their god (Saiyans on Vegeta).

And Enma only gave Vegeta a body in case Earth needed him if all hell broke loose and Boo was about to destroy the entire universe, including the afterlife.

As for Kuririn, I don't know why he wasn't given a body. Just a retarded plot device, I guess. Which fits in with the cluster of fix-all asspulls towards the end of the Freeza arc.

[Bussani]

Perhaps Kuririn had no interest in training, like he did in the time-skip before Boo saga.

So he turned it down? Damn Kuririn. If he'd had a body, wishing him back would have been simple.

If that's the case, then it's pretty sucky for heroes that have died and then don't get to keep their bodies. But I assume that most planets have gods, apart from those whose inhabitants perhaps don't need one (Namekians on Namek) or those whose inhabitants can't be controlled and would probably kill their god (Saiyans on Vegeta).

Speaking of Namek, Saichourou faded away as though he got to keep his body. So did Kami. Maybe for certain people--like gods--keeping your body is an automatic and sure thing. It seems like it takes more paperwork for normal hero folk.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Perhaps Kuririn had no interest in training, like he did in the time-skip before Boo saga.

I doubt Kuririn, who's still an active martial artist at this time, would turn down the opportunity to train with Kaio, who trained Goku and his friends. Just because he's had all his latent power drawn out doesn't mean he can't improve. Even Kuririn knows that, and if he, by some chance, didn't, he still wouldn't pass up the offer to be trained by a higher god if he had a chance to better himself--a desire that all true martial artists have. I can't see God asking Kuririn if he wants to be trained by Kaio and then Kuririn saying, "Ehhhhh...nah, you're all right. The Great Elder unlocked all my power, so I don't need any more training."

He's not Gohan.

If that's the case, then it's pretty sucky for heroes that have died and then don't get to keep their bodies. But I assume that most planets have gods, apart from those whose inhabitants perhaps don't need one (Namekians on Namek) or those whose inhabitants can't be controlled and would probably kill their god (Saiyans on Vegeta).

Speaking of Namek, Saichourou faded away as though he got to keep his body. So did Kami. Maybe for certain people--like gods--keeping your body is an automatic and sure thing. It seems like it takes more paperwork for normal hero folk.

Yeah, I would assume that being a god is an automatic key to keeping your body. However, the Great Elder wasn't a god; he was just a wise old Namekian who was the father of all the living Namekians on the planet and, as such, earned respect. Perhaps, since he was on Earth, God had him keep his body in the afterlife. Although it would suck having to "live" in the afterlife with that bloated old body. Perhaps Enma did a little god thing and turned his body back to when he was last healthy.

[SSJFrogGinyu]

One thing that I think the anime filler really screwed up on was having Freeza and Cell in the afterlife. Not only does this completely contradict the way death works in Dragon Ball, it creates a problem later when Piccolo tells Vegeta that when he makes his sacrifice, he won't get to keep his body because he is evil and has killed too many innocents. Freeza and Cell are both VERY evil (Freeza is pretty much evil personified) have killed many, yet they retained their forms? Not only that, both their bodies would've needed to be regenereated (because of the whole 'blasted to atoms' thing) and Freeza's afterlife body is pre-cyborg. This is one reason I wish Kai had covered the Boo Saga, so all that contradictory crap could be knocked into the sun.

To add insult to injury, when Goku is about to kill Kid Boo with the Genki-Dama there's a cut to Freeza looking on from hell and commenting. Okay... so Freeza now has the clairvoyance to see a battle occurring on another planet? Freeza can sense Ki? What's going on here? Oh yeah, not to mention FREEZA HAS HIS BODY, so the whole thing is just a big burrito of stupid.

[jjgp1112]

Yeah, I would assume that being a god is an automatic key to keeping your body. However, the Great Elder wasn't a god; he was just a wise old Namekian who was the father of all the living Namekians on the planet and, as such, earned respect. Perhaps, since he was on Earth, God had him keep his body in the afterlife. Although it would suck having to "live" in the afterlife with that bloated old body. Perhaps Enma did a little god thing and turned his body back to when he was last healthy.

I actually think that's what happened to the heroes when they all passed on from old age. King Yemma restored their bodies to how they were in their physical peaks so they could train for the rest of eternity (though I'd imagine that, barring GT, Piccolo outlived the rest of the heroes by a significant length).

To add insult to injury, when Goku is about to kill Kid Boo with the Genki-Dama there's a cut to Freeza looking on from hell and commenting. Okay... so Freeza now has the clairvoyance to see a battle occurring on another planet? Freeza can sense Ki? What's going on here? Oh yeah, not to mention FREEZA HAS HIS BODY, so the whole thing is just a big burrito of stupid.

They were clearly shown watching from a crystal ball.