Hoi Poi Capsule

Hoi Poi Capsule
ホイポイカプセル (Hoi Poi Kapuseru)
Manga Anime
English Name(s)	Hoi Poi Capsule (Viz) Dinocaps (Funimation)
Manga Debut	Dragon Ball Chapter 1
Anime Debut	Dragon Ball Episode 1
Appears in	Manga & Anime

Hoi Poi Capsules, usually just referred to as Capsules, are devices which allow for the shrinking of inorganic objects down to portable size. They are some of the first technologies introduced in the series by Akira Toriyama, appearing in Dragon Ball Chapter 1. An earlier incarnation of capsules were included in Toriyama's Dragon Ball prototype manga, The Adventure of Tongpoo.

General Overview

Bulma shrinking her capsule house.

Hoi Poi Capsules are a key element to the background technology of the series. Each Hoi Poi Capsule is a numbered cylinder with a button on top. Activating the capsule is as easy as clicking the button and tossing it; the contained object will appear with a "Bom!" sound-effect. The expanded capsule can be shrunk again by pushing a button on the expanded object. For safe-keeping, capsules are often kept in a hard case when not in use. The exact process for encapsulation is unknown, but Bulma describes it as shrinking the objects into its component particles. The resulting capsules are light-weight and portable, regardless of how large of an object was placed inside. Although most capsules in the series are only shown to contain the vehicle, house, or weapon that they were designed for, Bulma designed freezer capsules that permitted the cold storage of dead bodies, such as Kuririn's after he had been killed by Tambourine.

The capsules produced by Capsule Corporation appear to be individually numbered, excepting Trunks's time machine which returned to number one. In all, the following numbered capsules have been seen in the manga series:

Bulma shops for new capsules at a store.

• Capsules 1-4: Houses
• Capsule 8: Motorboat
• Capsules 9, 12, 67: Motorbikes
• Capsules 61, 103, 115, 192, 239, 240, 339, 576, 991: Planes

According to Daizenshuu 7, Hoi Poi Capsules were invented by Dr. Brief and led to a "Capsule Revolution" around the world, contributing to the easy distribution of luxury goods and allowing for rapid technological progress. Capsule Corporation started with manufacturing capsules, but expanded into creating vehicles and electronics to go into those capsules. Their competitors included the Red Ribbon Army, although they were primarily focused on capsules and vehicles for military use. By Age 750, Capsule Corporation controlled nearly the majority of the worldwide vehicle market (48%). In addition to capsules, Capsule Corporation also sells popular clothing and electronics brands around the world.

Name

Hoi Poi Capsules are named for the sounds that are made when the capsules are deployed. In Dragon Ball Chapter 1, Bulma shouts "Hoi" (ほいっ) when she throws a capsule, with the sound effect "Poi" (ポイッ) appearing as the sound of capsule in the air. The word "Capsule" for カプセル is frequently written out in Latin characters throughout the series.

Production

Tongpoo boils a variety capsule.

The concept of capsules were initially explored in Akira Toriyama's one-shot, The Adventure of Tongpoo which premiered 29 November 1983 as one of a series of experiments culminating in the Dragon Ball story. In this science-fiction series, Tongpoo, an analog for Son Goku, explores a strange planet. By boiling specially designed "variety capsules" (いろいろカプセル), Tongopp is able to extract a jet-bike and a house to aid in his explorations, just as Bulma will subsequently do in the Dragon Ball series when meeting Goku for the first time. In Dragon Ball, Toriyama dropped the requirement that the capsules be boiled before use.

Notes

TBD

External Links

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