Nyoi-Bō

Nyoi-Bō
如意棒 (Nyoi'bō)
Manga Anime
English Name(s)	Nyoibo or Nyoi-bô (Viz) Power Pole (Funimation)
Manga Debut	Dragon Ball Chapter 1
Anime Debut	Dragon Ball Episode 1
Appears in	Manga & Anime

Nyoi-Bō is Son Goku's staff which serves as his primary weapon from the introduction of the series through the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budōkai. It had been handed down from master to student over many years, having previously been owned by Karin, the Turtle Hermit, and Grandpa Gohan before being gifted to Son Goku. The pole features the magical ability to extend to nearly any length on command. The primary purpose of the staff is to connect Earth at Karin's Tower with the Heavenly Realm and God's Temple, above. The design of the weapon and its use by Son Goku are derived from the original Chinese story Journey to the West which also inspired many other elements of the early Dragon Ball series.

General Overview

Prior to the history recorded by the series, the Nyoi-Bō was kept in safekeeping by Karin at Karin's Tower. It was to be used to allow the worthy to travel from the top of the tower itself to God's Temple above. Around Age 450, Karin was pestered by his student, the Turtle Hermit, and he eventually was permitted to borrow the staff as there was no one in the world at the time worthy to meet God. Some time later, the Turtle Hermit passed the staff down to his pupil, Son Gohan, who in turn passed it down to his adopted grandson, Son Goku.

Throughout the early part of the series, Goku uses the Nyoi-Bō as his primary weapon. Even prior to chapter 1, Goku has mastered extending and retracting the staff in combat and used it to defeat a flying dinosaur in mid-air. Although Goku did not have the staff with him the first time he climbed Karin's Tower (leaving it below with Upa), Goku subsequently discovered the staff's intended use while recovering at the Tower after defeating Demon King Piccolo. He was then able to use it to ascend to God's Temple, the first person to do so in hundreds of years, and receive training from God. Goku retrieved the staff and carried it with him to the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budōkai, but he had stopped using it as a weapon by the time of the arrival of Raditz.

For the remainder of the series, the Nyoi-Bō was placed back between the Tower and Temple several times, always off screen. Often, but not always, it was removed during major threats. When Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Goku's other friends trained with God to prepare for the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa, it was in place, however it was not in place during the battle itself. It remained in place during the battles against the Artificial Humans. Years later, it was still in place until just prior to the arrival of Babadi, but was disconnected before the battle with Boo and remained so for the remainder of the manga story.

Powers and Abilities

Murasaki is unable to break Goku's Nyoi-Bō with a sword.

In regular use, Goku wields the Nyoi-Bō like a standard Bō staff. Although the exact mechanism is unclear, Goku is able to extend the length of the staff for a distance strike. Frequently, this is done while he yells "Nobiru, Nyoi-Bō" (伸びる如意棒!) or a variant. The limits of this ability have not been confirmed; the farthest it was seen to extend in the manga was when it was connected to God's Temple. An earlier depiction where the Bō stretched all the way to the moon may have been a gag; see below. The Nyoi-Bō also appears to be unnaturally strong, able to deflect sword-strikes and other attacks without damage.

Connecting to God's Temple

Son Goku attaches the Nyoi-Bō to the top of Karin's Tower

A key function of the Nyoi-Bō is to make a path from the top of Karin's Tower to God's Temple, high above. This connection is spiritual as well as physical as the Temple is actually located in the Heavenly Realm. Son Goku and other worthy individuals could place one end of the Nyoi-Bō in a receptacle at the very top of the tower. By extending it from there, it connects to a matching receptacle on the underside of the Temple. Goku was able to use this method to ascend to the Temple to train with God and Mr. Popo after defeating Demon King Piccolo.

Anime and Movies

Karin antes up the Nyoi-Bō in a card game.

• In Dragon Ball Episode 30, written by Keiji Terui, Son Goku is able to extend the Nyoi-Bō from a distance by yelling.
• In the second Dragon Ball Z film, written by Takao Koyama, Son Gohan appears to have inherited the staff from his father. He uses it in combat against Dr. Uiro.
• In the Garlic Jr. Saga, an anime-only Dragon Ball Z arc written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Karin is depicted as having possession of the Nyoi-Bō once again. He and Yajirobe nearly lose the staff to Maron as a wager in a card game.
• At the end of Dragon Ball GT, a spectral Son Goku attends a Tenka'ichi Budōkai with the Nyoi-Bō a hundred years after the events of the series.
• In Dragon Ball Super Episode 86, written by Toshio Yoshitaka, Dende is able to retract the Nyoi-Bō into God's Temple and fly the entire platform to another location on Earth.

Name

Nyoi-Bō is the Japanese reading of 如意棒, Rúyì Bàng, a shortened form of 如意金箍棒 (Rúyì Jīngū Bàng), Son Wukong's staff from the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Depending on the translation, it is variously rendered as "As-One-Wishes Rod" or "Compliant Rod".

Production

Connection to Journey to the West

Son Gohan, dressed as Son Wukong, holding the original Nyoi-Bō. Note the gold tips not present on the Dragon Ball version of the staff.

Like many elements of early Dragon Ball, the Nyoi-Bō took its inspiration from Journey to the West, a classical Chinese folk novel. In that novel, the Monkey King Son Wukong (孫悟空), seeks a weapon to match his skill from the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang (敖廣). When he arrives, he finds that none of the Dragon King's weapons are strong enough to match his strength. After searching through all the weapons in the treasury, all that remains is a giant barrel-sized iron pillar. Son Wukong lifts the pillar and commands to be smaller. It becomes the staff that he wields throughout the story and in popular depictions of the character. Removing the pillar also causes the world's oceans to shake, creating the tides.

The staff of Journey to the West differs from its later adaptation in Dragon Ball in many ways. The original is heavy, weighing 13,500 jin (斤), approximately 17,550 pounds. Son Wukong was one of only a few being strong enough to lift and wield it. In addition to growing and shrinking in length, the staff could also adjust its width. When originally discovered, it was the width of a barrel. Son Wukong was able to command it down to be small enough to wield as a staff. Unlike Son Goku who kept the Nyoi-Bō on his back, Son Wukong frequently shrunk it down to needle-size and hid it behind his ear. The original also had the power to duplicate itself as commanded. Finally, the original featured golden hoops or loops on the ends while the Dragon Ball version appears to be completely straight.

Dragon Ball prototypes and drafts

Two early illustrations of Son Goku, both wielding the Nyoi-Bō

While developing the Dragon Ball manga, Toriyama drew a pair of prototype stories followed by drafts of early sequences in Dragon Ball. The first of these prototypes, Dragon Boy, released in two chapters in August and October 1983, featured a Chinese setting and other elements which would be later adopted in Dragon Ball. The Son Goku analogue in that story, Tangtong, was depicted as wielding Chinese weapons on the two cover pages: a guandao ("reclining moon blade") and a pair of crescent moon knives, respectively. Tangtong was not depicted wielding a weapon in the story itself.

Between the prototype publications in 1983 and Dragon Ball's first publication in November 1984, Toriyama developed drafts of the Dragon Ball stories with his editor Kazuhiko Torishima. The early drafts elaborated on the original Dragon Boy concept, incorporating elements from Journey to the West. One early draft depicted Son Goku as a more direct analogue of Son Wukong including a monkey-like appearance and a Nyoi-Bō with golden bands on the end. This is the first time that the Nyoi-Bō appeared in any of the pre-Dragon Ball material. A subsequent draft eliminated the monkey-like traits of the character, but the Nyoi-Bō was retained. This version of the staff more closely resembles the one from the final work, without the golden bands on the ends. The Nyoi-Bō was retained into the final version of the manga and appeared in Dragon Ball Chapter 1.

External Links

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