Bourbon

Bourbon
	バーボン (Bābon)
	Anime
English Name(s)	Mr. Borbonne
Name Pun	bourbon whiskey
Anime Debut	Dragon Ball Z Episode 170
Japanese VA	Hirohiko Kakegawa
Funimation VA	John Freeman
Personal Data
Classification	Human-type Earthling
Occupation	Scam artist
	v · d · e

Bourbon is a fictional antagonist in the Dragon Ball universe by Akira Toriyama. Son Gohan encountered Bourbon and his men while visiting Chazke Village prior to the Cell Games. Bourbon is a scam artist who preys on people's fear of Cell to reap a profit. His only appearance is in an episode written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa.

Biography

Little is known of Bourbon's life, except that by Age 767 he had become a scam artist. After Cell first appeared, citizens became increasingly fearful for their lives. Bourbon preyed on these fears by building a "Shelter Dome" near Chazke Village, a location selected because it had already been the target of Cell's attacks. At the time, a rumor persisted that Cell would not attack the same location twice. He used forced labor, especially people that wanted to shelter in his dome, to built it very quickly: it was opened only six days after Cell first appeared to the world. Sometime around this period, he enlisted the aid of the assassin Tao Pai-Pai to guide him and do his bidding, for a hefty fee. As he was about to officially open his shelter, Lime shouted out that Cell had arrived! Bourbon demonstrated his true colors by fleeing into the dome and locking it, even against the people that had paid him to stay there. Son Gohan was able to destroy the dome easily, proving that it was no shelter against a monster like Cell. Nothing is described of Bourbon's activities after being evicted by Gohan.^[2]

Name

Bourbon's name is based on bourbon, a type of whiskey produced in Kentucky and elsewhere in the United States. Many of the characters featured during this section of the anime have alcohol-related names including Bourbon, Lao Chu (a type of Chinese alcohol), and Vodka.

Production

Due to the production schedule inherent in producing a weekly anime series based on a weekly comic, the writers of Dragon Ball Z interjected anime-only material both as a means of extending the runtime and to flesh out the Dragon Ball universe. Bourbon and his henchmen were created by Katsuyuki Sumisawa to provide one example of hoe people were responding to Cell's threats.

Notable Skills

Bourbon is rich and manipulates others to become richer. He uses this money to pay for a gang, bodyguards, and to hire the assassin Tao Pai-Pai to intimidate (or kill) his enemies.

Performance

Bourbon is played by Hirohiko Kakegawa, a Japanese voice actor who played several bit characters through the course of the series. His only other named role was General White in the Dragon Ball 10th Anniversary Movie.

Notable Appearances

Dragon Ball Z Episode 170 - Bourbon's introduction and only appearance to date.

Images

Bourbon's Gang
Tall hoodlum that harasses Lao Chu in his store.
Stocky hoodlum that harasses Lao Chu in his store.
Whip-wielding hoodlum that forces the inhabitants to work harder.
One of Bourbon's bodyguards.^{[note 1]}
One of Bourbon's bodyguards.
One of Bourbon's bodyguards.
One of Bourbon's bodyguards.
Tao Pai-pai, a world-famous assassin hired by Bourbon.

Notes

↑ Although Bourbon is consistently shown to have four bodyguards (even if all are not in frame at one time), the character designs on the "Men in Black"-style guards differ from scene to scene.

References

↑ FIXME: Verify this.
↑ "The Relaxation of the Fighters... The Girl, The Lie, and Gohan's Decision". Dragon Ball Z. Episode 170. Japan: Fuji TV, 13 January 1993.

[3] Although Bourbon is consistently shown to have four bodyguards (even if all are not in frame at one time), the character designs on the "Men in Black"-style guards differ from scene to scene.

[1] FIXME: Verify this.

[2] "The Relaxation of the Fighters... The Girl, The Lie, and Gohan's Decision". Dragon Ball Z. Episode 170. Japan: Fuji TV, 13 January 1993.

[1]

[2]

[note 1]