Mai's age

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ZeroNeonix
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Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:15 am

So when Super Hero released, the movie tells us Trunks and Goten have had a massive growth spurt, to the point that Piccolo is shocked when he sees them. We're told that it's because of Saiyan biology, that they remain small longer than Earthlings, then suddenly grow up. Okay, whatever. Alien biology explains why they were little for so long. What about Mai?

How has Mai's growth matched the boys? If they only looked that little before because Saiyan DNA, what explains Mai's sudden growth spurt? Is this an oversight? It feels like they only made her a teenager because she's supposed to be Trunks' girlfriend, and they just...forgot she made a wish to make her a little kid (not just look like one, like Trunks), and by the logic presented in the series, she should have been significantly younger than Trunks.

Also, if Goten and Trunks are going to public school, did none of their classmates wonder how these tiny kids suddenly caught up with them? I guess Earthlings are generally pretty stupid in Dragon Ball, so maybe "simultaneous sudden growth" was enough explanation for them.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by JulieYBM » Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:40 am

Mai's growth matched Trunks' because in grand Toriyama fashion he needs to treat his female characters as fuck holes.
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Re: Mai's age

Post by Xeogran » Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:04 am

This is pretty much a plot hole, yeah. Unless Mai is a half Saiyan now :lol:

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Re: Mai's age

Post by TobyS » Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:07 am

It could be that Mai started a human growth spurt right after we last saw her.

The boys stayed small for a while longer but shot up really fast since Piccolo last saw them, catching up to Mai. There's a big enough window of time for Mai to grow slower and the boys to grow faster is there not?
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He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
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Re: Mai's age

Post by Trouser » Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:08 am

Another plot hole.
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Re: Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:17 am

TobyS wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 9:07 am It could be that Mai started a human growth spurt right after we last saw her.

The boys stayed small for a while longer but shot up really fast since Piccolo last saw them, catching up to Mai. There's a big enough window of time for Mai to grow slower and the boys to grow faster is there not?
I'm not sure what the timeline is in Super (manga in particular). When was the last time we saw Mai as a child, and how much time passed in-universe since then?

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Re: Mai's age

Post by Magnificent Ponta » Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:31 pm

ZeroNeonix wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 11:17 amI'm not sure what the timeline is in Super (manga in particular). When was the last time we saw Mai as a child, and how much time passed in-universe since then?
Prior to the Super Hero arc, the last time we see Mai is in Chapter 67, in the aftermath of the fight with Moro (she's among the group invited by Mr. Satan to celebrate the victory), and she looks much as she did previously. The timeline of Super is left quite fluid/vague - there are "a few months" between the Moro arc and the Granolah arc, and probably about another month across the span of that arc.

Mai is in the same teenaged state as Trunks 6 months prior to the events of Super Hero proper (which is itself no more than a couple of years after the events of the Moro arc), so it seems her physical growth pretty much tracks that of Trunks.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by theherodjl » Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:47 pm

Perhaps the Pilaf Gang are aging a little faster than normal as a result of having been biologically-older before? That could also explain why Bulma looks older at the EoZ despite having been using the DBs to make herself look younger(and potentially why SSJ4 Goku in GT transforms back into an adult), the magic of the DBs can gradually wear off when it comes to restoring youth unless the user wishes specifically for eternal youth.
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Re: Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:13 pm

theherodjl wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 12:47 pm Perhaps the Pilaf Gang are aging a little faster than normal as a result of having been biologically-older before? That could also explain why Bulma looks older at the EoZ despite having been using the DBs to make herself look younger(and potentially why SSJ4 Goku in GT transforms back into an adult), the magic of the DBs can gradually wear off when it comes to restoring youth unless the user wishes specifically for eternal youth.
I thought about that, but this would be the only case of the Dragon Balls' power waning over time. Wish someone back to life? They don't suddenly die a few months later. Wish to erase everyone's memory of Buu? Their memories don't come back to them over time. Wish for money? It doesn't poof away if you don't spend it quickly enough. The Pilaf gang maybe could have made a wish to become a little older, but every time we see them trying to get close to the Dragon Balls, Bulma catches them.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:22 pm

JulieYBM wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:40 am Mai's growth matched Trunks' because in grand Toriyama fashion he needs to treat his female characters as fuck holes.
This is more Toyotaro's doing, isn't it? I mean, she appears to be about Trunks' age in the Future Trunks arc, but she had a lot more time to grow in that time. So I...think it lines up? But the first (and so far only) time we see Present Mai as a teenager is in the manga, which I think is a Toyotaro original. He at least portrays Mai as more mature and intelligent than Trunks, and as of this moment, she doesn't really seem to be into to Trunks. She seems to consider him to be a bit of an idiot. lol

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Re: Mai's age

Post by JulieYBM » Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:41 pm

ZeroNeonix wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 1:22 pm
JulieYBM wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:40 am Mai's growth matched Trunks' because in grand Toriyama fashion he needs to treat his female characters as fuck holes.
This is more Toyotaro's doing, isn't it? I mean, she appears to be about Trunks' age in the Future Trunks arc, but she had a lot more time to grow in that time. So I...think it lines up? But the first (and so far only) time we see Present Mai as a teenager is in the manga, which I think is a Toyotaro original. He at least portrays Mai as more mature and intelligent than Trunks, and as of this moment, she doesn't really seem to be into to Trunks. She seems to consider him to be a bit of an idiot. lol
As series creator Toriyama is consulted on and oversees the comic, going as far to also plot out the storylines of the series or suggest changes. Toriyama's plots continuing to pair Trunks and Mai up—including in the Future Trunks arc—suggest exactly which role Toriyama sees for her. It's just following the same pattern with all of the protagonists' love interests.
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Re: Mai's age

Post by PerhapsTheOtherOne » Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:58 pm

I chalk it up to the typical notion of characters not showing overt growth in general until their mandated "aged-up look" is meant to settle in, to avoid needing to re-draw/animate characters differently over time-skips until the time is right.

Saiyans have a built-in lore excuse; everybody else is just adhering to manga/anime tradition.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by Jackalope89 » Sat Apr 22, 2023 8:15 pm

PerhapsTheOtherOne wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:58 pm I chalk it up to the typical notion of characters not showing overt growth in general until their mandated "aged-up look" is meant to settle in, to avoid needing to re-draw/animate characters differently over time-skips until the time is right.

Saiyans have a built-in lore excuse; everybody else is just adhering to manga/anime tradition.
To be fair on the Saiyan end, we Goku go through the process as well. It wasn't until the, what, 23rd Budokai? that Goku was actually noticeably taller (as well as 18). So, Goten and Trunks remaining tiny until late teens, checks out at least.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by Jord » Mon Apr 24, 2023 6:28 am

Her age is seperate from how her body is. She got a younger body but retained all her memories etc. like how King Piccolo retained his. (And Goku in GT)
Basically a super face lift. A body reset.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:18 am

Jord wrote: Mon Apr 24, 2023 6:28 am Her age is seperate from how her body is. She got a younger body but retained all her memories etc. like how King Piccolo retained his. (And Goku in GT)
Basically a super face lift. A body reset.
I'm asking about her physical age and how she's been able to keep up with the Saiyans, rather than being left behind when the Saiyans got their sudden growth spurt. According to the lore, Saiyans take longer to grow. Their young appearance is deceiving. But Mai isn't a Saiyan, so she didn't just look like a child, but was one. So how did she suddenly go from being a child to being a teenager?

Also, it does seem like the wish to make her young did affect her mind, so she's not exactly an old mind with a young body. Her thinking patterns are consistent with her physical age. She had to mature all over again.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by Jord » Tue Apr 25, 2023 1:52 am

Well if you're asking about physical age all bets are off since you don't know what lasting effects the wish specifically has.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by Hugo Boss » Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:35 am

Don’t female humans mature faster than males due to quicker process of puberty? I remember most girls in my age looked like older than me and I only caught up in my 17s.

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Re: Mai's age

Post by ZeroNeonix » Tue Apr 25, 2023 7:56 pm

Hugo Boss wrote: Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:35 am Don’t female humans mature faster than males due to quicker process of puberty? I remember most girls in my age looked like older than me and I only caught up in my 17s.
That is a good point. I don't remember what Pilaf and Shu look like now. She's definitely taller than them, but they were both always small anyway. If they used the "girls mature faster" explanation, I'd take it. It's still a bit sudden, but you know. Realistic growth rates have never really been a thing in the series, or in manga in general.

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