CHEERCLAW COMMISSIONS! again

carrd — twitter — ko-fi

My comms are updated once again! Come here and grab something from your favorite rat! Contact me here, on Twitter or Discord (cheerclaw).

There are a lot of things off menu right now, so if you want something specific that isn't here check ko-fi/carrd first or DM me.

I do other things besides cats btw! (ask about furries and anthros)

LMFAO PLAYING THE DBFZ STORY BC IVE BEEN PROCRASTINSTING ON IT AND CELL AND FRIEZA RLLY LOOK AT EACHOTHER LIKE "dude are we absolutely certain we made the right call" AFTER YOU RESCUE MAJIN BUU IN THE SECOND ARC

I GOT THE BABY!!

After days of trying to hatch that stubborn egg, the baby finally came home!

Hello, little baby Snapdragon!

Get ready to meet your dad!

And I just need to get Capsaicin (5 soulstones left)!

Rewatching The Buu Saga And Remembering That Vegeta Has Internalized Homophobia He's Working Through Cause He Realizes That He's Crushing HARDCORE On Goku Lmao

this dragon ball shit is good

I've been watching a bunch of people on YouTube reacting to Team Four Stars Buu Bits. (Basically them doing the abridged highlight reel for that season of Dragonball Z) and I'm convinced anime fans in general have -2 brain cells.

I've seen almost all of them groan at the moment the parody brings up pronouns. And none of them seem to make the connection between old man roshi saying "you kids and your silly pronouns." 1 second before getting bitchslapped, and their own behavior/attitude.

Always funny to me they treat the spirit bomb like the end all be all when it only ever killed one villain.

I fucking love this idiot

Gohan after casually walking off getting hit in the head with a baseball with the people around him shocked

*mysterious cottagecore witch vibes*

I watched the garlic Junior Saga and I think is very good, I really liked gohan getting his first big bad guy even if he was recycled he really earned that win

help theyr beating me up

Super is a horribly made cash grab. Something like the Dragon BallZ multiverse would've been a lot more interesting to watch.

Especially the early chapters were we see universes with diffrent "what-if's" like Friza taking over, Planet Vegeta still around, Cell or Buu winning, Goku being raised as sayin, introducing the games etc.

I especially hate how super ignores Vegeta's already established character development and makes him regress. Either they just didn't know how to write a Vegeta like that or simply didn't care.

And god Gohan got the worst treatment ever. I understand the man doesn't fight, it's not what he does and that's a great point to his character but not keeping up with his training especially after cell and buu? Is out of character. The man is smart and knows that a bigger threat can come in at any moment.

Just wanted to leave that, drink some water

Perfectly valid opinion! Nevertheless, I disagree with you, and you’ve given me an excuse to ramble on at length about Dragon Ball, so ramble on I shall.

Super is a horribly made cash grab.

I think you’re thinking of the Z movies (which, for the record, I like). A cash grab’s supposed to be something you make quickly just because you know it’ll sell, and while I’m no economist, I do know you have to follow appreciably current trends when you’re trying to make one. While you may be right, it’s hard for me to feel that something is a cash grab when there was a ten year dry spell between GT ending and anything important that was DB-related coming out—and it wasn’t even Super, it was a little festival special that a bunch of people don’t know about because it never came overseas. Battle of Gods didn’t drop until five years after that, after the first half of DBZ Kai had already wrapped up, and Super didn’t start properly until the second half of Kai finished two years later. You don’t spend seven years feeling out if people are still receptive to something after a ten-year hiatus if you’re trying to make money quickly, is all I’m saying.

Something like the Dragon BallZ multiverse would've been a lot more interesting to watch.

I’ve never read Multiverse so I leafed through the first 400-ish pages to see if I agreed with you, and I don’t. A common complaint about the Tournament of Power is that it’s the most dragged out 48 minutes in existence, and from the looks of it, Multiverse is like if Super was nothing but the Tournament of Power. To me, one of the best things about Dragon Ball is that it doesn’t have to be all high-stakes head-to-head all the time. You get things like the Orange Star High arc, or the filler episode where Piccolo and Goku have to get their driver’s licenses, or the one where Goku doesn’t quite have control over his ki for a day or so because he essentially shorted out the wiring fighting Hit (which is a cool fucking concept that I wish they had done more with). It’s just fun. It opens the door for questions that are more entertaining—and more importantly, more varied—than arguing until you’re blue in the face about who would win in a fight between X and Y.

Especially the early chapters were we see universes with diffrent "what-if's" like Friza taking over, Planet Vegeta still around, Cell or Buu winning, Goku being raised as sayin, introducing the games etc.

Sure, I’ll give you that, Multiverse does knock that concept around a little. The problem is it doesn’t do much of anything with it. The setting is a character too, in its own way—arguably the most important one, since it’s the one that every other character has no choice but to interact with. You’re right, all of those what-ifs would be interesting—if they were set in the what-ifs.

Here, I’ll share one of my favorite what-ifs as an example to try and explain. What if, instead of being able to retreat back to his lab, Dr. Gero was destroyed along with 19 by Vegeta’s attack? There would be no reason to go check his lab out if the android threat is eliminated, so 17 and 18 would still be asleep. Cell would grow unhindered for 17 years, and when he hatches, he could simply go up the ladder and attain perfection without a fight. Goku wouldn’t have died at the end of the Cell Games. There would be no training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for anyone. Does Vegeta become an issue again, since his character arc stalls at the part where he’s reveling in his own power? If so, how does that resolve? How would the struggle against Cell play out if they had no warning at all that he even existed? What role would Gohan play in it—or Goten or Trunks, since they’d be old enough to be a factor? These questions and any number of others you could pose don’t even account for the fact that it entirely upsets the timeline—Buu arc would occur before Cell, if it occurs at all. Assuming it does, would they stand a chance in hell against Buu without the power they gained in Cell arc and the seven year gap? Could Cell somehow end up coming into conflict with Buu? In short—how does this change things?

Multiverse answers this with ‘who cares, where does it put you in the power-scaling?’ and that’s not compelling to me in the slightest.

I especially hate how super ignores Vegeta's already established character development and makes him regress. Either they just didn't know how to write a Vegeta like that or simply didn't care.

Define regress. If you’re referring to Vegeta retaining his determination to get stronger than Goku after the ‘you are number one’ speech, that’s. Pretty integral to his character, frankly. Just because he’s learned and accepted it’s not the end of the world if he isn’t stronger doesn’t mean he has to drop the competition entirely. I read it less as a set-in-stone declaration of Goku’s superiority, more like a concession of his own defeat. ‘You’re number one forever because you’re better than me’ vs ‘You win for now, but when the next fight rolls around, I’ll outdo you’, you feel what I’m getting at? He does show up to fight Goku in the tournament during the very end of Z, after all. My point is that it shows Vegeta’s worldview and perception of himself is more malleable now—and so, confines him far less.

As it turns out, that concept of ‘freedom’ is the direction Super chooses to develop him in, and I feel that it pairs very well with what he goes through in Z (spoilers incoming). In Z, Vegeta is restricted by The Way Things Are Supposed To Go. In Super, especially later on during Moro and Granolah, this has a natural continuation in how his past actions in the name of TWTASTG weigh on him in ways that hamper his growth. This has been one of his biggest stumbling blocks for forever—he thinks so goddamn much, he can’t get out of his own head.

His defense of the Namekians and Earth against Moro is motivated in part by Vegeta feeling obligated to right the balance, so to speak—and he says as much, even going so far as to ask Moori if he bears a grudge against him for his actions. He still considers himself a villain bound for hell. In effect, this idea that he has to atone for his sins via being the one to save the day (which essentially amounts to being stronger than Goku on some given day) has snuck in and made itself into the new Way Things Are Supposed To Go without him realizing it.

Beerus realizes, though. I couldn’t think of a way to eloquently get across what Beerus does for him short of copying down the dialogue wholesale, so fuck it, that’s what I’m gonna do, since not everyone has access to the official translation. (From ch 69)

BEERUS: How many planets have you Saiyans destroyed? VEGETA: ? Hard to say. Fighting was the only way of life for my people, so we had a way of racking up sin after sin. B: Sin, huh? V: However, it wasn’t until Freeza’s clan came along and began using us that the destruction and invasions became business as usual. B: You trying to lay all the blame for your wicked ways on Freeza and his people? V: Not in the least. In his pursuit for power, my father built his own kingdom atop countless deaths. Freeza’s clan taking control didn’t help, but the seeds of the Saiyans’ destruction were sown before that. B: So it was the Saiyans’ destiny to be wiped out, then? V: I’d say so. B: Hmph… Ridiculous. V: But never mind that. My people’s problems aren’t your concern. B: I’m saying it’s ridiculous! V: ! W-what? What do you mean? Weren’t you going to show me a technique used by Gods of Destruction?! What could that possibly have to do with the history of the Saiyans? B: Plenty. […] As long as doubt weighs down your soul, this power’ll never be yours to wield. V: D-doubt, you say? B: Your own crimes aside, you’re feeling guilty for the sins of all Saiyans. That’s awfully self-centered of you, mortal. Here’s a fun fact. The one who suggested that Freeza eliminate the Saiyans… was me. V: W… what? B: You still think it was destiny? You’re just gonna accept that? […] Everything those Saiyans did in the past… what’s it got to do with you now? As long as you’re trapped by the past, you’ll never manage to grow past this point. My mind’s always on destruction and nothing else. That’s why there’s no limit to my power. Listen. If you really want this power, you’re gonna have to destroy any stray thoughts and recreate yourself from scratch. Before creation comes destruction. Get it?

Yeah. He takes this and he intentionally divorces his efforts to get stronger from his tendency to dog Goku’s heels in leveling up. Ultra Instinct isn’t a power suited to him, so he gives it up instead of torturing himself over it and works on what eventually becomes Ultra Ego instead. Here’s the thing though. The biggest indicator of Vegeta’s growth to me is that he can’t tap fully into that power because he’s no longer callous and unfeeling, and he knows it. He identifies too much with Granolah to simply destroy him. And he tries to lead Granolah off the path that ruined him for so much of his life. That doesn’t sound anything like regression to me.

The way things stand with Goku and Vegeta right now, the next step seems to be adapting their Ultra forms to them personally, so I’m curious to see how Vegeta will bend that power to the person he is now.

And god Gohan got the worst treatment ever. I understand the man doesn't fight, it's not what he does and that's a great point to his character but not keeping up with his training especially after cell and buu? Is out of character. The man is smart and knows that a bigger threat can come in at any moment.

You could be right, but no amount of kvetching is going to change what the writer wrote, so you may as well stretch your critical thinking legs and ask yourself why the writer thinks this is in character. Speaking from the perspective of a person who makes a hobby of examining these pieces and spackling them together into something cohesive (fanfiction. I write fanfiction, in case that was somehow unclear), this is the more fun option for me. I’m not saying it’s really That Deep (‘don’t put more thought into something than the creators did’, yak yak yadda yadda) or that my personal interpretation is correct and canon or anything, I just know that writers rarely write something a certain way without a reason.

Because you’re right, Gohan is a smart person. I don’t think he did stop training after Buu in the way you’re thinking of, for two reasons. First, he mentions at the end of Super Hero that he’s been practicing the Makankosappo in secret, and the Makankosappo took Piccolo presumably several years nonstop (between OGDB and Z) to make from scratch. Gohan may have prior knowledge to base his experimentation off of, but he has a lot less free time too, between his family and his father’s tendency to one-track-mind the things he’s passionate about—Videl says he’s been in his room working on his ant project for several days. So how long has Gohan been practicing it?

That’s rather theoretical though so, second, Gohan was ready for the Tournament of Power with 48 hours of training, which I don’t think would be possible if he wasn’t at least keeping himself physically in shape. Indeed, when Piccolo is training him (DBS episode 88), his problem is not with Gohan’s practical technique—it’s with his attitude. Freeza notices this and mentions it earlier in Resurrection F as well, that Gohan is going out of his way to leave the people he beats alive. Piccolo describes it as a failure to ‘close the deal’, in the sense that Gohan needs to be able to win in a way that leaves no room for a rematch or a sneak attack at the last second. This doesn’t necessarily mean killing, mind, especially since the Tournament of Power has a no-kill rule. What Gohan has let go to rust is his willingness to be ruthless enough to remove an obstacle that has to be removed. That, I think, is the true meaning of the ‘training’ that everyone in universe harps on him for. Gohan’s always been softhearted, after all.

I will concede that it is very stupid that he apparently doesn’t recognize Piccolo’s ki when by all rights he’s probably the person most familiar with it. I consider that ‘out of character’, in that I have no clever explanation for it, but given that it isn’t load-bearing so the story functions, I mainly shrug and ignore it. That’s the healthy thing to do.

completely forgot to say... I *hate* how bulma is now. Nothing to the bulma we saw in Z, even at her most vexing she was never like the one we see right now. Genuinely massacred her

Personally I would be angrier about Videl in your position, because boy does she just not exist in Super. More to the point, I don’t know exactly what you mean by this. Unless I’ve misremembered/misread something, Bulma is still doing what she’s done from day one. She’s still smart. She’s still willing to try using her charm to get what she wants. She still builds things that are plot-crucial (Goku Black arc couldn’t have happened without her replicating her own time machine! Which she couldn’t have done had Future Bulma not counted on her and left her own notes!) She still wants to get a look at every would-be destroyer of Earth du jour, even though it’s really not a good idea. If you’re referring to her occasional shallowness/bitchiness/pettiness, that never went away, you know. That’s a pretty big part of Bulma.

Just wanted to leave that, drink some water

Cute, but I’ve been on the internet too long to get upset when a random stranger boos something I enjoy. Thanks for the opportunity to write way too many words about it though! 2500 of them, in fact! I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts on them.

Well, last night I finally finished Dragon Ball GT

Aaaand that does it. Between 2022 where I watched "Dragon Ball" properly and in full for the first time, through 2023 where I completed the first full rewatch of Dragon Ball Z in like, over a decade (with a loooong gap inbetween certain arcs. Z is a long series) and now into 2024 where I watched GT all the way through for only the second time.... That's it. Throw in the Super marathon my partner and I did a couple of years back and... Yeah. I've seen all of Dragon Ball to date. (Not counting Heroes or the OVAs or such). It's a bit bitter sweet for me. I'm glad I did it, although I am reminded that my enjoyment of GT is mostly just nostalgia (I was watching it not long after I met my partner, like, 11 years ago) - But there's no more Dragon Ball! It'll be a good few years before I can justify re-watching it all again, and that means that until Daima comes out (something of which I have mixed feelings about in general). And of course, no more Dragon Ball means no more Bulma so how am I meant to survive!?

(Dear god, this is absolutely her best look - I love her so much.)

Anyway - My Partner has me watching Inuyasha at the moment, another long runner and one I have never actually seen - like, at all - so that'll be fun. It's decent so far.

Lack of Bulma in my future aside (I'll just go look at fan art of her, a lot of the best bondage artists have done some pretty hot fanart of her - Including her Buu Saga and Super looks so yay for that), I'm really happy I watched the whole thing. Dragon Ball has always been one of my favourite series and I've only appreciated it more and more as I got older. It's probably in my top favourite things of all time these days. Right up there with Transformers.

I should really post a couple of my more long winded theories, rants or speculations on the series (I have a whole ramble about why Bulma and Vegeta are perfect and why he works for her when Yamcha didn't - and it's not for the reasons people think) but all that aside... It just feels cool to finally be able to say I've watched all those DVDs I had on the shelf!

What a series!

(I'm referring to Dragon Ball overall and not specifically GT. GT is... yeah well that's one of the aforementioned rants)

That was fun!!!

thoughts on supreme kai (shin or any tbh)

i'll answer this in two parts!

THOUGHTS ON SHIN SPECIFICALLY:

i think shin is great. i love shin, ive always loved shin, and i hate how much shit he gets from fans :( he's trying his absolute best and he has to deal with UNIVERSE 7's bullshit all the goddamn time. he has to deal with beerus being his lifelink. he has to deal with GOKU. he has trauma from his fellow supreme kais being slaughtered and absorbed by majin buu. he got beat the fuck up by majin buu as well, and in future trunks' timeline he was killed himself!!! GIVE HIM A BREAK CMON

his design is so nice as well, i love his colors and his hair and man his introduction was great. it always tickles my fancy. introducing him as this mysterious tournament contestant that intimidated PICCOLO into forfeiting b/c he knew he was some kind of god, and not just any god but the fucking SUPREME KAI, which after being introduced to the four cardinal kais and the grand kai was a major "holy shit" moment, at least for me!

idk i just think he's neat :)

THOUGHTS ON SUPREME KAIS IN GENERAL:

supreme kais are really cool as a concept tbh, i love the idea of god hierarchies and having them being born from fucking fruit is adorable and neat. and i love the connection between them and the destroyers--creation vs destruction, one unable to exist without the other, their lives forever connected.. its so neat

also i wish they didnt (supposedly) do away with there being a grand supreme kai and then four lower supreme kais. i use that idea for my own oc universes still bc i thought it was neat and made sense--one supreme kai for each quadrant of the universe and then a grand supreme kai to watch over the lower ones and keep things organized. i like it! its like how the grand kai watches over the four cardinal kais but on a grander scale. having said that i think the supreme kais existing, while cool, kind of defeats the purpose of the lower cardinal kais and the grand kai? not that i want them gone or changed! i just think theyre a little redundant as a concept actually..like take out the cardinal kais and just keep the supreme kais yknow? they both do the same damn thing apparently except one is connected to the destroyer. OR ACTUALLY maybe the cardinal kais are just there to watch and then report to the supreme kai who actually does the work of creation? so the cardinal kais are just there to make sure what the supreme kais have created all goes smoothly??? thats just a theory though. a game theory

anyway sort of going off this i really enjoy the idea of an evil kai. im looking at zamasu directly. not to make this about him suddenly but i ADORE "break in the chain" type characters, so zamasu really hit me. supreme kais are supposed to be good! theyre gods! theyre supposed to be benevolent beings that watch over and nurture the universe. but zamasu wasnt like that. he wanted to destroy all mortal life AND the gods he deemed unworthy of their power. he was so fucked up i love him so much

thank u for allowing me to ramble <3

A Saiyan's regrets 

Goku took a moment to reflect on his choices. He thought about everything he did right but also his mistakes. "Looking back at my life, I've realized I've made many mistakes," Goku said to himself. "Mistakes I can never take back. I've done things I wish I'd have done differently. "He continued to reflect as he continued to vent to himself, unaware that someone might be hearing him.  "I wish I had done more. Wish I was there more often for Chi-Chi, for Gohan, Goten, my friends... instead of being dead... for seven damn years…"

The last part got to him as he originally thought he was making the right choice at the time he made it. Buu proved him wrong. 

"If I had known, it wouldn't have mattered if I was around... That Earth would still be in danger without me..." He said to himself. Clear regret could be heard in his voice as he said all of that. With all of the pain he unintentionally caused, the grief, and the self-inflicted suffering. He thought deeply about his past. "... I would have come back that day after Cell…" He then thought about his other mistakes.

"I should have come home sooner... I should have been with my family more often. I should have been more careful, more considerate, and more active. More involved. But I wasn't....." Tears of regret started forming in his eyes as he tried to hold them back. "I wish... That I could... Take it all back..... But I can't....."

The more he thought about all of this, the more his guilt was evident. All the time he missed, all the mistakes he made gnawed at him, even when no one hated him or faulted him for most of his decisions. Everyone else could rely on him to make sure they were okay in every way. For him to make sure that they were feeling okay. But he couldn't really open up about how HE was feeling. What he was really going through. Part of them felt that he deserved it for all of his mistakes and every traumatic experience he went through. There were times he actually thought that maybe coming back to life was a mistake but he knew deep down that no matter what he did in that situation it would only cause pain to his friends and family. How happy they were to see him again.

He couldn't help but wonder if whatever be able to truly make up for all the lost time, all of the mistakes. And the truth was he felt that he couldn't make up for any of it. He was unaware that Chi-Chi was watching the entire thing and hearing him ramble about all of this. But he says next really caused her heart to sink. "No matter what I do, I hurt the people I love," he said to himself, and the clear pain in his voice was like a steak through Chi-Chi's heart. "I try to be strong for them, try to brush all of my problems off, carry all the weight on my shoulders, cuz I don't want them to worry about me. But… Part of me feels like I failed all of them…. And that's all I've ever done… That I should have died on Planet Vegeta..."

It was at that moment the Earth Saiyan was on the verge of just breaking down. The insecurities and guilt truly get to him. Gnawing at him. All the regrets that he had. The guilt, the shame, the anger towards himself. The guilt for hurting the ones he loved. All he wanted was for his family to be safe and happy but he felt he caused only pain. He didn't realize that he had done more good for them than he knew. He thought he was a bad father when in reality he wasn't. Sure he wasn't perfect, but if it wasn't for him, Gohan would not have been able to survive a lot of the hell he went through. If it wasn't for him, Earth wouldn't have been saved time and time again. If it wasn't for him, he and his family wouldn't have the life they have now.

He looked at the night sky out his window in his home, sitting on his living room couch as he couldn't help but remember all of his past mistakes. He figured Chi-Chi would be asleep. He figured she wouldn't really care or even know about this. After all, he did always try to be the one that always smiled. The one that tried to be strong. Having this type of guilt visible always hurts him to know that people would find it hard to see him like this. They never wanted people to worry about him. It was at that moment he then slowly did what most people didn't normally see him do. After staring at the stars for a little bit, he then slowly laid down on his couch before he covered his eyes with his arm and started to cry. It was clear depression was making him feel this way.

Chi-Chi teared up as well. Seeing Goku like this made her heart sink as she watched the man she saw overcome the very definition of a living hell itself, and break down into tears. To feel the way he was feeling. She had to reach out. She has to get through to him. To help him. To remind him of the joy he brings to those who love him. His mistakes wouldn't change that. Slowly, she walked up to her husband, and she could tell he was dealing with some long-lasting emotional pain. Kneeling down next to him, Chi-Chi softly whispered into Goku's ear. 

"Goku….." she softly said, causing Goku to realize that she was listening in. He quickly got up as he sat up. Thinking she would be angry at him, he tried to apologize. But before he could even say anything, Chi-Chi sat on his lap and just wrapped her arms around him. "Goku," she started in a comforting manner. "You know that I love you, more than anything. You shouldn't be dwelling on your mistakes." Her touch and voice began to slowly become gentler with each word she spoke.  "I know how much it gets to you, but you forget all the good you have done. I know you have suffered. I know you've been through a lot, but you have done so much. Achieved so much. You're a wonderful father. Even with your faults. Gohan and Goten love you. They admire you. They look up to you." She then made him make eye contact with her.

Slowly wiping the tears from his eyes, she then gave him that smile that he usually saw. "You also try to keep your promises," Chi-Chi then continued. "Even when you can't, you try to make up for it. You always try to do better and that's one of the many reasons why I'm always going to be here for you. Especially times like this, when you need me the most."

Goku stared into his wife's eyes and it was easy for her to see the tears and pain in his eyes. The regrets, the guilt, the shame. It was clearly gnawing at him to deal with his mistakes in the past and he couldn't help but wonder why she was still with him. She could tell he felt that he didn't deserve her. He then built the courage to actually ask her what he had been wondering for a while now. "Even after everything I've done," he started as tears continued to fall from his eyes. "Every mistake I've made, you are still here. You chose to stay by my side…. What did I do to actually deserve you? What made you love me? How could I have been so lucky to have you in my life, despite everything?"

Chi-Chi only continued to wipe away his tears as she showed her compassion and love for him. "Because you're the strongest man I know," she told him bluntly. "You always find a way to keep fighting for what you believe in. Always striving to do better, and always trying to keep us safe. You never truly gave up on us."

"But…." The Earth Saiyan took a deep breath and sighed as he took time to reflect on life. Something was clearly on his mind. So what she wanted to say and Chi-Chi could tell that something was bothering him. "I have done things, I'm not really proud of in my life," he finally said. "Made a lot of mistakes." As he said, she could tell that there were clearly signs of regret there. "And if I could do things differently…. If I could go back in time with all the knowledge I have of each mistake I've made, maybe I would do things differently. But I can't change the past." This acknowledgment made it very clear that he took a lot of time to reflect on those choices. All those mistakes he made as he took the time to really reflect on himself. "All I can do is accept the fact that I made those choices and try not to make them again."

"Goku…." Chi-Chi said as she just stared into his eyes with a dead serious look. “Please! Stop being so hard on yourself! You didn’t know!” Tears started to fall from her eyes as she said that. “How could you have known…? And you’re ignoring EVERYTHING that you have done right. You saved us more times than we can count… You LITERALLY mixed work into your training. You spend time with both Gohan and Goten, train with both of them.”

At the end, I don't have any other place to ramble long texts aside here; It took me a while but I think I'm finally ready to put into words what Toriyama-sensei meant to me.

I was very young when DBZ was airing over here, I don't think I was even alive when DB aired and thanks to my great grandma dementia antecedents, I don't find it odd that I have a hard time trying to remember my childhood but I have this tiny bit of memory when I was about 5 or 6, watching the DBZ Majin Buu arc, specifically when Goten and Trunks were training to fuse, I was so excited and maybe I was trying the fusion dance by myself too and after the episode (episodes? can't recall if we got more than 1 ep per day) I was tired and took a nap with the good memory of the episode, when I woke up I found that my mom put a blanket on me and closed the curtains, it was nice.

On school, I had a hard time getting along with girls and instead, had boy friends who liked Dragon Ball and we would play we were DB charas and me despite being a girl would often pick Gohan or Mirai Trunks (don't ask me how the roleplay went because don't remember).

Between Digimon and Dragon Ball, I began to draw when I was about 7-8 years old and by then, I was already aware of kid Goku from the original DB series but never had the chance to watch the anime, instead it was another fun story:

Don't remember my age but by then I probably already watched all DBZ and I was shopping (probably at Walmart) with my mom and I saw a magazine (Manga of course, didn't knew what manga was back then xD) with kid Goku and Krillin on the cover, it as very cheap so my mom gladly bought it for me.

When we came home, I quickly took off the envelope and opened it the wrong way (as the baby I was, didn't knew how to read manga) but read it very happy, it was the first Dragon Ball thing my mom bought for me and I would even bring it to school to read it over and over again, it was the volume of the beginning of the tenkaichi budokai where we meet Tenshin-han and Chaozu and of course, I still have it in my hands and treasure it with all my heart.

Then, around the age I began to draw, colectionable cards were released and everytime I was given my allowance, I would buy cards although there were times when I didn't had money, my mom was kind and bought them for me. My friends also bought cards so it was a nice way to bond over, at the end, the only friends I had in school was thanks to Dragon Ball (I got bullied for liking Digimon "instead" of Pokemon so it was nice to have friends with at least one of my same interest).

Indirectly, Toriyama-sensei helped me to have friends, someone as shy and introverted like me was able to have friends and when I drew Goku in class, the other kids praised me (and some where jealous) and it helped me to have a little bit of self esteem, I owe Toriyama-sensei the feeling of being praised for something I drew!

One day my mom bought me an activity magazine of the Cell tournament and by tracing a Goku drawing from it and coloring (at my home) I cheated and told my friends that I drew it by myself; honestly I felt very proud of how I colored it and even my teacher praised me. Later I decided to try my own stuff and you might know or not, but I drew two saiyajins, a red and blue one; yes, I drew the Super Saiyajin God Red and Blue when I was 11 and I still can't believe it! Although, back then I was just thinking on making Saiyajins who would control fire and water. The amount of times DBZ aired in my country open TV are years worth of my very own live, even today open TV is airing DBZ (and DBS now too) and just the day the news spread, our open TV channel Azteca 7 aired a marathon of movies from 1:30 pm until midnight (with a break of 2 hours due a soccer match) and this week, we are getting the DBZ finale once again, I don't think I'm ready to rewatch carrying these feelings but I'll do my best.

You might be aware or not, but the very reason I began drawing was Digimon and Dragon Ball as stated before.

It was Dragon Ball what gave me friends and a somehow decent primary and middle school experience, it was great when all the kids (and I of course) would sing Chala-Head chala during break or try the fusion dance, even in my university years (less than 10 years ago) we would still do those things! For almost 30 years, Dragon Ball and Toriyama-sensei have been part of my life and I assure you, it will remain.

Regarding characters, I'm pretty sure I began to had my gay awaken with Android 18, she was so pretty in my eyes and even today, I'm jealous of Krillin. Also as I said before, I began watching DBZ before DB so I easily attached to Gohan, as a kid myself I was impressed by how he survived alone in the Saiyajin arc and constantly asked myself if I would even be able to do that and also became very fond of his relationship with Piccolo.

When Trunks arrived to kill Freeza, was a turning point in my life tbh; despite Freeza being very important, I never liked that arc (yes, I thank Freeza for giving us Super Saiyajin Goku but just that) so when he destroyed Freeza, I was extremely happy and immediately became my favorite. Mirai Trunks and Gohan are still my top favorite character even today along with the androids.

I suppose is no secret that we all know Piccolo was sensei's fav character so even today, I'm very happy SUPER HERO was made, I don't have proof but I don't have doubts either that THIS was the movie he always wanted to make, it felt to DB to the core and it quickly became one of my favorite movies; sure, Broly was a great movie too but at the end, I feel it was just Toriyama-sensei agreeing on making Broly canon rather than having fun with his very own characters which is why now I feel a very dear feeling towards SUPER HERO.

When DAIMA was announced, I was very happy to finally have something cute from the hand of Toriyama-sensei, I felt like he was finally given the freedom to make something for himself rather than for us and because of that very reason, I was (still am) looking forward to it! I can already hear the very same dude bros who complained that it wasn't "serious" or "cool" enough complaining again. I hope that now they can appreciate the series, sensei literally died working! Anniversary works don't need to be serious, they are meant to celebrate things and have fun os I really hope sensei was able to fulfill his work on DAIMA having fun.

I think I went a little far with my ramble (even going off track xD) so to resume, the impact Toriyama-sensei had not just in my artistic journey but in my life is irreplaceable, now Goku and co. are in our hands so we better take good care of then for him, thank you for the good memories sensei, I promise to keep doing my best and carry on your legacy by never forgetting what you gave us.

Lastly, I would like to scream something at hollywood and the AI dude bros: RESPECT TORIYAMA AKIRA-SENSEI WISHES OF NOT DOING A DRAGON BALL LIVE ACTION. DON'T YOU EVER DARE TO TOUCH DRAGON BALL FROM NOW ON AND IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF RESPECT FOR HIS ART AND STORY, YOU WILL STOP GENERATING AI IMAGES OF HIS WORKS. THE BEST WAY TO HONOR HIM IS LEARNING TO DRAW! FUCKING DRAW SOMETHING AND STOP DOING THOSE STUPID "Check out how [insert DB chara here] looks in real life according to AI" SHIT BECAUSE THAT'S AN INSULT NOT JUST TO SENSEI BUT TO ALL THE ARTISTS IN THE WORLD AND THE ARTISTS HE, TORIYAMA-SENSEI INSPIRED. Thank you.