Tama
| Tama | |
|---|---|
| タマ (Tama) | |
|
Manga  Anime  | |
| English Name(s) | Scratch |
| Name Pun | See below |
| Manga Debut | Dragon Ball Chapter 69 |
| Anime Debut | Dragon Ball Episode 44 |
| Personal Data | |
| Classification | Cat |
| Occupation | Shoulder cat |
Tama is a minor fictional feline in the Dragon Ball universe by Akira Toriyama. The personal pet of Dr. Brief and his family, Tama is depicted in many scenes at Capsule Corp Headquarters. Tama is unnamed in the manga series, but received a name in the anime. Due to Tama's exceptional lifespan-- at least thirty years-- it is possible that "Tama" was more than one similar looking cat owned by Dr. Brief and his family.
Biography
Prior to Age 750, Dr. Brief began rescuing abandoned cats, dogs, dinosaurs, and other animals. When Son Goku visited that year, he discovered that the first floor of Capsule Corp Headquarters was a menagerie of dozens of pets. One of these pets, seemingly permanently attached to Dr. Brief's shoulder, was the black cat Tama.[1] Throughout the remainder of the series, Tama appeared alongside Dr. Brief in most of his appearances. At late as Age 780, "Tama" remained on his shoulder. Whether this was the same cat (now more than thirty years old) or another that Brief had picked up along the way is not revealed.[2]
Bulma's Tama
At an uncertain time around Age 753, Tama briefly lived with Bulma in her own apartment in West City.[3] This Tama was black but with a white face. While cooking dinner, Bulma paused to feed Tama when an earthquake struck the city. An oil fire broke out on her stove and both she and Tama had to be rescued by Son Goku, working as a firefighter with the Turtle Hermit, Kuririn, and Yamcha. As Bulma is later depicted living once again in Capsule Corporation, it is unclear what may have become of this Tama as he was not seen again.[note 1]
Future Trunks's Tama
In approximately Age 797, Future Trunks and Future Mai took care of a similar-looking black cat. This cat is never named in the series. During Goku Black's assault, this cat led Trunks to Mai's unconscious body and ensured that she survived the attack. He later hid in Trunks's Time Machine and emerged in approximately Age 780 where he met his predecessor. It is not revealed if this cat remained at Capsule Corp or traveled with Trunks and Mai to an alternate timeline.
Name
Tama is not named in the manga and was first named in Dragon Ball Episode 117. Tama is a common cat name in Japanese, while the expression tamatama (たまたま) means "by chance". This makes pun and an alliteration the first time his name is introduced in Dragon Ball Episode 117: Dr. Brief says <insert quote here> which means "Have you seen Tama (tama) by chance (tamatama)?
Production
TBD
Notable Skills
Cat-like reflexes and a penchant for perching on shoulders.
Performance
Tama is uncredited in all appearances.
Notable Appearances
TBD
Notes
- ↑ While it is possible that Bulma's "Tama" is intended to be the same cat as from Capsule Corp, the strikingly different character design suggests that it is a different cat. It may be that her family names all of their cats "Tama".
References