It is known to fans that the official currency of Dragon World is ZENNY. In films such as Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', both written by Akira Toriyama, the currency is referenced.
However, when reading Jaco: The Galactic Patrolman, a prequel to the original series written by Toriyama at the same time as the films mentioned above, I discovered that the YEN is the currency used in that story.
The Dragon World as we know it does not usually make reference to real-life elements such as languages, places and currencies.
What do you think?
Did the currency change within the universe after a period of time or was it just Toriyama who didn't pay attention to this?
Dragon Ball's currency
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Magnificent Ponta
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Re: Dragon Ball's currency
Saw there wasn't any reply to this, so figured I'd chip in briefly.
Jaco does indeed mention Yen, but also notes the equivalent in Zeni - Dr. Omori is given 100 Billion Zeni (１０００億ゼニー) by Capsule Corp, and notes "That's 150 Billion Yen (１５００億円) over here!" So, it doesn't seem Toriyama forgot anything but simply added a detail, and Earth in Dragon World simply has more than one currency - we even therefore have an exchange rate (as of around AGE 739, at least).
While we don't get other languages to the best of my recollection, we certainly do get other signifiers of cultural diversity (e.g., differing kinds of clothing, architecture, etc.) that perhaps reflect the time when Earth was divided into multiple countries rather than just being the unified Earth of 43 regions that is shown in Dragon Ball's story. Perhaps the currency difference is such a detail (perhaps vestigial, lingering around the Easternmost parts of Earth).
Jaco does indeed mention Yen, but also notes the equivalent in Zeni - Dr. Omori is given 100 Billion Zeni (１０００億ゼニー) by Capsule Corp, and notes "That's 150 Billion Yen (１５００億円) over here!" So, it doesn't seem Toriyama forgot anything but simply added a detail, and Earth in Dragon World simply has more than one currency - we even therefore have an exchange rate (as of around AGE 739, at least).
While we don't get other languages to the best of my recollection, we certainly do get other signifiers of cultural diversity (e.g., differing kinds of clothing, architecture, etc.) that perhaps reflect the time when Earth was divided into multiple countries rather than just being the unified Earth of 43 regions that is shown in Dragon Ball's story. Perhaps the currency difference is such a detail (perhaps vestigial, lingering around the Easternmost parts of Earth).