Whether you’re a fan of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super, the first images that come to mind are the abilities shouted by our heroes during their endless battles. “Kamehameha”, “Genkidama” and even “Final Flash (laughs)” are some of the names of this movement. So many shouted Saiyans, echoing in schoolyards and continuing to spark our heated debates about our favorite manga.
But as we sipped our cocoa in front of the TV after school, we had to admit that the bizarre names of the many anime characters made us laugh. We’re not just talking about the Red Ribbon Army and their color-coded soldiers. The unimaginative blases of some fighters, such as Draculaman will not be revisited either.
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No, what Kame Sennin has to tell you today is the influences of the vegetables and underwear that were used to name the many characters of Dragon Ball. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? Well, you’re going to have to get used to it because as the saying goes, “The truth always hurts when you choose to live in denial” Let’s go for a Top 5 of the most ridiculous names!
N°5 : VEGETA : A name with a good smell of soup
Do you know what fallacies are? Those arguments that seem to be completely false despite their apparent rigor? Let’s see how Vegeta got his name. “Vegeta” is the origin of Vegeta’s name. If we all agree that Vegeta is the prince of the Saiyans, we can safely conclude that Saiyans are… all vegetables! A completely illogical but intriguing reasoning. As if the Dragon Ball super-fighters were really the components of a grandmother’s recipe for a great soup… Oh wait!
On closer inspection, it turns out that Akira Toriyama and his companions were, in fact, gardening enthusiasts. If you change the definition of “Saiyan” to “vegetable garden” (in Japan)! It is obvious. Many characters are named after food products. Let’s take the example of Goku. His real Saiyan name is Kakarot, which can also be called “Cacarotte”, since his pseudonym is directly derived from Bugs Bunny’s favorite meal.
What about Broly, who will be the centerpiece of Toei Animation’s next movie (if you’re interested, Awesome Turtle has a full review of the DBS Broly movie)? Could someone please inform him that his Japanese name “Burori” means “broccoli”? We never intended to debunk the legend; we just want to acknowledge that his preconceived notion of the huge villain (aka the legendary Super Saiyan) just took a significant hit.
N°4 : BIBIDI, BABIDI and BUU : When Walt Disney gets involved
Who would have guessed it? Cinderella was the inspiration for Dragon Ball, according to her creator. But yes, you know her; she’s the crazy girl who turns a pumpkin into a carriage by chanting the magic incantation “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo”. It’s thanks to the use of the same magic wand that Bibidi, Babidi and Buu came out of the Japanese writer’s hat. Think of the anger your enemies will feel just by hearing the name of your opponents.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the writers of DB and Dragon Ball included power incantations in many fights. But if they like this kind of approach so much, it is not only because of Walt Disney. Yakon derives from “Tekumaku Mayakon”, which can be heard in the Japanese anime series Himitsu no Akko-chan. It is a series in which a ten-year-old girl takes control of various objects by shouting the order “Little powder keg, little powder keg, transform me” This incantation, although devastating, can also be used to save you by parrying a Genkidama.
N°3 : FROM PICCOLO TO CARGO : Let's go to Namek
Namek has recurring appearances in the Dragon Ball Z story. Piccolo, the best representative of the planet, is part of Goku’s group and is an important part of their story. It is the names given to him and his fellow creatures that interest us today, first bad guy and then good guy.
Piccolo is a little Italian flute, in addition to being Akira Toriyama’s favorite character. He has nothing to envy to the flute when it comes to instruments that undoubtedly do not impress. However, the character of Piccolo can not stand the altitude or whistles are only a step away from irony. From there, it is only a step to say that the creator of Dragon Ball, Masaaki Yamamoto, and Ma Junior have a relationship of tough love.
By naming the inhabitants of the planet Namek, a step has been happily taken. Piccolo is forced to face a slew of mollusks if he’s surrounded by “Tambourine”, “Piano” and “Cymbal” This doesn’t mean that Katas, Moori, Cargo or Nail are soft headed, it just does. Meanwhile, Lord Slug can claim to be the “Lord of the Slugs”, which is quite an achievement!
N°2: BEERUS : The guy who saves the night
We often remember the Gods of Destruction, divine beings at the opposite of the Kaio-Shins. However, the phrase is well known: opposites attract, and these two beings are indeed linked since in Dragon Ball Super, if one died, his counterpart would also die. Another key point to grasping the story is that all the Gods of Destruction are known by alcoholic beverages.
The first one we saw on screen was Beerus, who is known for saving his entire species by murdering Zamasu. But Beerus is also a derivative of the English word “beer”, which simply means beer. Is there any chance that this anti-hero saves everyone and is named after an alcoholic drink? We no longer have to make it clear that we have a nefarious friend who comes to a party to refill his reserves (which were clearly starting to run out) and drown us in gallons of alcohol!
N°1 : BULMA : It's the party of the underwear !
The last but not least, the most beautiful! The biggest one at the end! Bulma’s family, who are known for their little underpants. Given the scientific last name of this line of wacky scientists, they don’t just keep their white coats if you ask us. After all, Bulma’s parents are none other than the Briefs, a lofty English term meaning… a brief. The end of the chorus is marked by a vibrant rhyme and clever wordplay: “One lady’s name was Panchy, a very cleverly placed pun on ‘Panties'” (Mr. and Mrs. Panties). As for Bulma, the logic holds since Mr. and Mrs. Slip’s daughter has a name derived from the mini gym shorts used by girls in Japan.
When you allow boundaries, they become real. So one has to wonder what was going through Akira Toriyama’s head when he created the character of Mister Popo to stay in the “butt and underwear” category. The protagonist seems to have a reasonable explanation: “I called him that because it felt good.”
That concludes our list of the most outrageous titles in the Dragon Ball universe. There are many more that you’ll want to stop and watch, and we promise you even more laughs if you read their names.
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