Black Caricatures in Dragonball

[Maphisto86]

Yes another taboo rears it's ugly head in an unsuspecting politically correct world... Seriously this isin't a big deal for me but I am curious.
While I'm a huge fan of Dragonball and other manga/anime it has always made me wonder why Sambo or racial charicatures are used in Japanese media such as Dragonball. An example is a dark skinned character with big lips. Popular examples in Dragonball are Commander Black and Killa from the Buu saga. Some people say Mr. Popo is an example of this stereotype but he's a djinn or genie and not human.

There are other examples of this in background characters who are supposed to be black. Some dark skinned characters are not drawn Sambo style but my belief in that there ethnicity is supposed to be Arabic or Indian (ie. Uub ). Also the mannerisms of the characters have been considered racist as well such as Killa in the anime.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you believe it's intentionally racist? Is it still a popular stereotype in Japan? Or is it simply a parody of an old stereotype

[omae no kaasan]

it has always made me wonder why Sambo or racial charicatures are used in Japanese media such as Dragonball.

Because Chibi Kuro Sambo is/was a hugely popular children's story in Japan. When it was rereleased in April last year it quickly sold out and has continued to fly off the shelves at a remarkable pace.

And there's nothing racist in the least. It's a drawing that doesn't have any demeaning quality or add to demeaning any character whatsoever.

For an example of what's really racist go look up Tokio Jokio on You Tube.

[Super Sonic]

it has always made me wonder why Sambo or racial charicatures are used in Japanese media such as Dragonball.

Because Chibi Kuro Sambo is/was a hugely popular children's story in Japan. When it was rereleased in April last year it quickly sold out and has continued to fly off the shelves at a remarkable pace.

And there's nothing racist in the least. It's a drawing that doesn't have any demeaning quality or add to demeaning any character whatsoever.

For an example of what's really racist go look up Tokio Jokio on You Tube.

You got that right. I haven't seen it, but saw a clip from it in a Toon Heads special a few years back.

[DaemonCorps]

Well, if you want EX's little answer on the situation, then here ya go.

P.S. Guess who the handsome devil is who asked that question?

[The Tori-bot]

Well, if you want EX's little answer on the situation, then here ya go.

P.S. Guess who the handsome devil is who asked that question?

Since you said "handsome devil", I'd have to say that it was me.

[DaemonCorps]

Well, if you want EX's little answer on the situation, then here ya go.

P.S. Guess who the handsome devil is who asked that question?

Since you said "handsome devil", I'd have to say that it was me.

But I said handsome devil (AKA a daemon), not handsome robot based on a mangaka.

EDIT: So, back on topic, I agree with Julian's explanation of Japan "being insensitive to things like negative ethnic stereotypes (since they don't really have much diversity in their mostly-homogeneous society)." ...

And my thoughts? Well, I find it strange that they would edit Popo's lips from the manga, but not the anime. I'm guessing that's because it's easier to edit pages than animation cels. What's strange is that FUNi kept his lips but not his steriotype personality, like Viz did (Popo refers to himself in third person all the time in the manga).

Final thoughts? Like Julian, I see where Viz is coming from, especially after being forced to release those edited DBZ manga after that little incident with some kid reading DB manga in front of his mom, but I'm gonna take the fanboy route and say that if FUNi didn't change stuff like this (even in the edited version!), then Viz shouldn't either.

[Domon]

Well, I find it strange that they would edit Popo's lips from the manga, but not the anime. I'm guessing that's because it's easier to edit pages than animation cels. What's strange is that FUNi kept his lips but not his steriotype personality, like Viz did (Popo refers to himself in third person all the time in the manga).

It's not strange at all, and for the very reason you pointed out. Editing out hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of moving frames(across dozens and dozens of episodes) like that would be too expensive and time-consuming. Funimation just changed his speech pattern because it was all they could do to offset the stereotype look.

[Mr. Announcer]

I don't view Toriyama as racist at all and if the different ethnicities in his comics are drawn a little stereotypically it's only because he values diversity in character design. He can't just make them look like the other asian based charas can he? Besides Funi was actually the one who made Killa really weird in the anime. He talked perfectly normally in the original version.

[omae no kaasan]

since they don't really have much diversity in their mostly-homogeneous society

That's what everyone who takes a glance at Japan thinks but it's not the case.

Not only are Japanese people an amalgamation of races themselves, but the number of 'halves' are increasing dramatically as are immigrants from places where Japanese migrated to in the past.

In fact, in some towns it's hard to find a non-Brazilian waiting at the train stop.

Despite what it likes to think about itself, Japan is a melting pot if not in racially, then most certainly culturally.

However, their 'insensitivity' is more linked to pure child-like ignorance. Take Bobby for example. Even though people realize and know he's a remarkably intelligent individual, he plays (or played) up the role of the doofus foreigner taken up by so many before him.

However, just because he's Black, Black people are complaining that he's playing up the sambo role.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT!?

If you read the original story (BASED IN INDIA) the character is quite intelligent and even gets rewarded for his quick-thinking. Some Americans once played up this fact and suddenly it destroys an innocent story? What the Hell???

The fact is, Akira Toriyama and others have taken up images that we have assigned to be negative stereotypes. Did you ever think another culture just might possibly see the same thing a little bit differently? Believe me, if ever there was a rhetorical question...

Some Americans complain and whine to no end about how we impose our views on others, so then why are we doing it here as well? The character is seen as a humorous and above all, cute image. Who are we to dash in on a white horse and proclaim how they should view it?

Can the Japanese be racist? YES!!! Just listening to what some of my closest friends have to say about all Chinese people is quite....'fascinating'....I suppose is one word to describe it. But in recreating the sambo image, hatred and elitism is the furthest thing from their mind.

[laserkid]

Amen to that...I never DID understand what was so racist about the black sambo stories for the same reason you mentioned. People need to be less jumpy about these things.