About a strange gesture (no, not the finger...)

kenisu3000 · Post by **kenisu3000** » Sat May 28, 2005 2:20 pm

Considering my recent luck in starting threads, a stupid question like this is probably going to be locked up before you can say "HIT THE DECK!!", but what the hey, I'll give it a shot anyway.
I've noticed something strange in DragonBall and whatnot. I'm not sure if it's just an anime thing, or what, but there's a gesture characters sometimes make that just puzzles me.
During the Kid Boo Saga, Vegeta tries to distract Boo, to stall for time so Goku can gather up energy. After a slap-around battle, Boo smirks at Vegeta, and then holds one of his arms out, and swings the forearm slightly, as if it were broken. Vegeta cries something like "Are you mocking me?!" and the battle resumes.
Now perhaps I'm just sheltered, or something, but can somebody tell me WHAT in the world this gesture means, and where it came from?? I used to think it was just an anime-thing (some culture reference I was unfamiliar with), but then I've also seen it in a fan-made animation from Lord of the Rings, where Gollum reclaims the Ring (Gollum makes this gesture at Frodo and Sam and says "Tricksy hobbitses! Couldn't trick Smeagol!"). So I'm not really sure what I'm dealing with.

El_Diablo · Post by **El_Diablo** » Sat May 28, 2005 2:46 pm

Do you have a picture of this "gesture"?

Fuujin · Post by **Fuujin** » Sat May 28, 2005 2:48 pm

After reading the manga I was sure that it was kind of a warm-up, Buu was slowly, ostentatiously building up the momentum of the punch just to show he can take his sweet time when fighting Vegeta. I'm not sure about the anime, don't remember the episode.

kenisu3000 · Post by **kenisu3000** » Sat May 28, 2005 5:05 pm

El_Diablo wrote:Do you have a picture of this "gesture"?

Here's a pic from the corresponding scene in the manga (vol. 42, pg. 178). Sorry about the low quality -- I was in a hurry to scan it, and on top of that, the most important portion of the panel is fuzzed-over because it's placed at the innermost point, where the page meets the crease. Hopefully though, you can figure it out well enough.

Just so you know, the balloons at the top (hera-hera) are Boo chuckling (I think), and the balloon at the bottom (puran-puran) shows the swinging motion of his forearm.

Also, try this page for the "Gollum" sequence I mentioned: http://fan.theonering.net/art/multi_animations.html
and click on the Mt. Doom animation.

Dayspring · Post by **Dayspring** » Sat May 28, 2005 10:21 pm

Vegeta says nothing. The gesture is Boo playing around w/him, exaggerating how he needs to swing his arm back and forth to accumulate energy to smack him extra hard (look at the following pick where Boo buries the same fist deep in Vegeta abs). It would be as if he did a windmill motion with his arm before uppercutting Vegeta; it's not an actual movement, just mockery.

The S · Post by **The S** » Sat May 28, 2005 11:32 pm

Actually, I've seen the gesture in many anime and video games (the only one that comes to mind is Andy Bogard in King of Fighters '99). If I remember correctly (and I probably don't, but I'm trying to recall), my friend Rumi told me it means basically that the person performing the gesture is "loosened up" and ready to stomp the other person. It's just another one of those fighting-only things like shouting "Osu!" before a battle.

Ultimate Saiyan Trunks · Post by **Ultimate Saiyan Trunks** » Sun May 29, 2005 12:13 am

The S wrote:Actually, I've seen the gesture in many anime and video games (the only one that comes to mind is Andy Bogard in King of Fighters '99). If I remember correctly (and I probably don't, but I'm trying to recall), my friend Rumi told me it means basically that the person performing the gesture is "loosened up" and ready to stomp the other person. It's just another one of those fighting-only things like shouting "Osu!" before a battle.

Really? I always took it as, "your so weak I can beat you by letting my arm sway with the wind".

Vaeran · Post by **Vaeran** » Sun May 29, 2005 4:23 am

Just looks like a warmup movement to me, like cracking one's knuckles. I don't think there's any deeper meaning to it than that, other than the fact that if he has time to stand around and do that, he's obviously not taking Vegeta seriously.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Sun May 29, 2005 4:28 am

Yup, it's just a warm-up movement, loosing one's muscles. Gokuu has such a taunt in Dragon Ball Z Budokai [and 2, dunno 'bout 3]

Pilgrim Sun · Post by **Pilgrim Sun** » Sun May 29, 2005 10:29 am

Warm up, stetch, just to show Vegeta he is nothing more than a little warm up. This is just like how Buu loves to click his neck, left, right, left, right.

Actually I am suprised he has bones to click ....

Fuujin · Post by **Fuujin** » Sun May 29, 2005 10:40 am

Well, when Vegeta and Goku looked for their friends and family inside of Buu he was shown having different, well, "organs"... And Mr Satan checked for a heartbeat to see if Buu was alive or not. He seems to have some advanced body structure at least somewhat similar to human, despite looking like a pile of bubble gum given form.

Akira · Post by **Akira** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:42 pm

I always thought he was mocking Vegeta when he did that. I mean when one flexes his muscles he holds his arm up and flexes in such a motion. But here Buu let his arm sag and drift back and forth. Since he is just crazy at that point and devoid of much thought, I assumed he was saying Vegeta was a weakling with the gesture.

Interesting question and discussion though.