Race in Dragonball

[mister yummy]

The Uub and "Black character" topics got me thinking...what do you guys think the race of some of the characters is? Here's my stance on the subject.

Goku and Vegita, as well as Nappa, Radditz, Bardock-tachi, Tullece, Paragas, and Brolli are Saiya-jin, and thus likely quite different-looking than any earth-based race.

Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Yajirobi, Gyumao, Tao Pai Pai, and the Crane Hermit are obviously(to me) East Asian, probably Japanese. Tenshinhan, Kamesennin, and most of the background characters are probably Japanese too.

Bulma and her parents, Lunch, #17 and #18, Commander Red, General Blue, and Mr. Satan are White. Quite a few more minor characters and backgrounds too, such as Sno, Lime, and Mint.

Dr. Gero is Slavic, likely Russian.

Adjuctant Black is Black.

Uub is Polynesian.

Nam and Kurillin are East Indian.

Bora and Upa are American Indian.

Videl, Gohan, and Goten are half Japanese. Gotan and Gohan are, obviously, half Saiya-jin, while Videl is half white.

I'm having trouble thinking of more characters. What do you guys think?

[The Time Traveller]

Wouldn't the Son's be Chinese?

I mean, their clothes usually look more Chinese, their shrine looks more Chinese than Japanese, and Goku and Chichi's family backgrounds are connected to a Chinese novel slightly.

[Olivier Hague]

Adjuctant Black is Black.

Controversial!

We agree that there are no such things as Asia, Africa, etc (not really, anyway) in Dragon Ball, so it's really about what the characters would be / look like "in real life" (or, y'know, a good live action movie), right?

Er...

I'd think the Saiyans are Asian.
For one thing, before Gokû became a Saiyan, he was just based on the Monkey King. He had an Asian name (Japanese version of a Chinese name). Black hair. Main character of a Japanese comics.
So yeah. Japanese or Chinese.
(and I don't want to hear the "oh, but he has big eyes so he obviously can't be Asian!" argument... we're not new to this "manga" thing, here, are we?)
And even after, with the Saiyans... Toriyama thought of them as all having black hair. And just look at Nappa's stache.
I guess Mongol could work, too? Heh.

Anyway.

Kulilin, I guess I'd go with Chinese.
Same thing for Yamcha, Taiopaipai, Tenshinhan, Chaoz and Tsuru Sennin.

Mu Taito, probably Japanese. That's the vibe I get from the character and his name.

Kame Sennin... Hawaii? ^_^;

Bulma, Lunch, No. 17, No. 18, Mr. Satan, Videl, etc... Well, caucasian.

Yajirobê, Japanese. Obviously.

I think it's all no-brainers from here?

[Mr. Announcer]

First of all, I think this is a pretty bad idea for a topic considering the mess that racial topics usually are, and secondly, I don't think that in an unrealistic manga that doesn't even take place in our world like Dragonball you would really be able to pin down a race for each and every character. Plenty of them are simply raceless and don't have normal human characteristics at all.

Also, you realize that the majority of "asian" characters in the story (Chichi, Yamucha, Roshi etc.) are intended to be Chinese, not Japanese right? Yajirobe is the only "major" character I can think of that seems based off Japanese people.

[Olivier Hague]

First of all, I think this is a pretty bad idea for a topic considering the mess that racial topics usually are

We'll just have not to be morons about it. :þ

and secondly, I don't think that in an unrealistic manga that doesn't even take place in our world like Dragonball you would really be able to pin down a race for each and every character.

Well, the Dragon Ball world does have a lot in common with ours. Funny where Upa lives, for example. Or that Bulma is from the "Western Capital".

Plenty of them are simply raceless and don't have normal human characteristics at all.

"Raceless"? I really wouldn't go that far.

Also, you realize that the majority of "asian" characters in the story (Chichi, Yamucha, Roshi etc.) are intended to be Chinese, not Japanese right?

What's so obviously Chinese about Kame Sennin?

[The Time Traveller]

Also, you realize that the majority of "asian" characters in the story (Chichi, Yamucha, Roshi etc.) are intended to be Chinese, not Japanese right?

What's so obviously Chinese about Kame Sennin?

Wearing that Kung Fu outfit, Jackie Chun/Drunken Master, and there's some other things that point towards it, but he really hasn't had an actual name appear in the series to indicate a race.

[Mr. Announcer]

Well, the Dragon Ball world does have a lot in common with ours. Funny where Upa lives, for example. Or that Bulma is from the "Western Capital".

I know what you're saying and actually I enjoy a lot of Toriyama's strong references to cultures in our world, but seriously, I really doubt that Toriyama thought to draw all his characters in a way that adhered to a particular race. Many of them are just designs he thought would look cool based on generic human features possessed by all pretty much. I mean, do characters like Lunch, #17 and #18, not to mention countless generic background characters really have any defined racial features? I'd say no.

And yeah, I'd put Roshi down for Chinese since he's pretty much the stereotypical, mythical hermit in appearance. His clothes, history, and fighting style also seem to hint in that direction

[Dayspring]

We agree that there are no such things as Asia, Africa, etc (not really, anyway) in Dragon Ball

Not sure what you mean here. Do you mean they don't have our exact version of those continents? If so, I agree, but I have to point out that the Dragonworld has lot of our countries in similar conditions to our own versions.

[Olivier Hague]

seriously, I really doubt that Toriyama thought to draw all his characters in a way that adhered to a particular race.

I agree. I just think we can still try and discuss those.
Not that I'd want to discuss this for pages, myself (in fact, I think I'm pretty much done already, here), but... Well, again, if you consider the question from the "what would the characters look like in a live action movie?" angle, I think it has some value.

I'd put Roshi down for Chinese since he's pretty much the stereotypical, mythical hermit in appearance. His clothes, history, and fighting style also seem to hint in that direction

I dunno, I think "Hawaii" rather than "China" when I see the guy...
But there is the "Juckie Chun" alias, I guess. I had forgotten about that detail...

Do you mean they don't have our exact version of those continents?

Yes.

If so, I agree, but I have to point out that the Dragonworld has lot of our countries in similar conditions to our own versions.

I'm not sure you really have to point that out, as I've already said as much both implicitly ("not really, anyway") and explicitly ("the Dragon Ball world does have a lot in common with ours. Funny where Upa lives, for example. Or that Bulma is from the "Western Capital"").

[Adamant]

Bulma and her parents, Lunch, #17 and #18, Commander Red, General Blue, and Mr. Satan are White. Quite a few more minor characters and backgrounds too, such as Sno, Lime, and Mint.

Sno is clearly Russian, #17 and #18 look very Asian.

[Herms]

The only problem with the Saiyans being Asian is that Toriyama said in the Daizenshuu 4 interview that he thought of English attack names as suiting Vegeta.

[Olivier Hague]

#17 and #18 look very Asian.

Blonde hair?

... You're saying that because of the eyes, aren't you?

The only problem with the Saiyans being Asian is that Toriyama said in the Daizenshuu 4 interview that he thought of English attack names as suiting Vegeta.

Well, they were working for Freeza the Evil Gaijin. ^^

[Herms]

Which brings up what race Freeza would be.

[The Tori-bot]

Which brings up what race Freeza would be.

German?

[DNA]

Mr. Satan looks western European to me, either Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. I said that because of the hair and facial hair... and body hair... and hairy hair.

[Dayspring]

The only problem with the Saiyans being Asian is that Toriyama said in the Daizenshuu 4 interview that he thought of English attack names as suiting Vegeta.

But that could just be a monarchy nod. Also, I think that would just refer to the English language, not English as in British.

[Herms]

But that could just be a monarchy nod. Also, I think that would just refer to the English language, not English as in British.

Yeah, it's English as in the language (eigo), I certainly never thought it meant Vegeta had British names for his attacks. I'm not even sure what a British attack name would be (Big Ben Attack?).

[Dayspring]

But that could just be a monarchy nod. Also, I think that would just refer to the English language, not English as in British.

Yeah, it's English as in the language (eigo), I certainly never thought it meant Vegeta had British names for his attacks. I'm not even sure what a British attack name would be (Big Ben Attack?).

HAHAHA! I can just see "Big Bengu Attack" being the original. "Bengu? Clearly he meant to write 'Bang' here." **Insert accidental censorship**

If it's English as a language then, it wouldn't affect the Saiyans being of Asian descent (or rather, looking like those on Earth who are of Asian descent).

EDIT: Damn me and my accursed tysop!

EDIT2: Damn me and my ironic typos!

[SonGokuGT]

Mr. Satan looks western European to me, either Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. I said that because of the hair and facial hair... and body hair... and hairy hair.

Italian!

And I think that Kuririn would be Chinese, not Indian. Other than that, Good analysis.

[rereboy]

Mr. Satan looks western European to me, either Portuguese, Spanish or Italian. I said that because of the hair and facial hair... and body hair... and hairy hair.

I would laugh so hard if he was portuguese . But his name is Mark, an english name.