#gohan is too pure and innocent for this world | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tyrranux64 · 8 months

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00 - THE FOOL Sora is the most foolish of innocents, especially when he leaves his fate to the machinations of others. And when he does have his own agency he tends to be too reckless and headstrong. Of course his inherit knuckleheaded nature can be his best quality, pulling out an unexpected surprise that not even the most carefully calculating villain can possibly account for. And since the beginning of his quest, he's never really needed the conventional outdated wisdom of so called "Masters", he has always forged his own path.

01 - THE MAGICIAN It is no secret that Tony Stark is a creative genius. After all he was able to develop a revolutionary perpetual energy reactor the size of a human hand in a cave with but a bunch of scraps. Is it any surprise he was even able to casually discover time travel whilst in his pajamas? And don't even get me started on all the razzle dazzle he tends to put on his wonderful toys. Guess the line between science and magic truly is a razor thin one....

02 - THE HIGH PRIESTESS The knowledge of what the future holds is something reserved for God, but alas such knowledge has been dropped right onto Tsukino Usagi’s lap. Her marriage to Mamoru, the existence of her future daughter Chibiusa, the fated ascension to Neo Queen Serenity and the rise of Silver Millennium. All just dumped before a high school student who is already having trouble just trying to graduate. It is a lot to unpack and Usagi must now prepare herself to take on the inevitable burdens before her. To trust her instincts and learn from her past mistakes. She has a lot to learn ahead of her and not as much time as she thinks she has to do it….

03 - THE EMPRESS For what else is the Princess of Friendship but a surrogate mother? What else are the people of her kingdom but her adopted children? They are not subjects to be ruled, they are her family. This is why Twilight Sparkle ascended to the heights of an alicorn, to uphold the responsibility of being a parent.

04 - THE EMPEROR There is no question his allies and friends look to him as a "leader", though that is more because of him being the biggest fish among them and their resulting dependance on his power. And as a father figure? Well, it is quite telling that his most defining act as a father to his son Gohan is a last ditch effort to fix the mess he created himself. But hey, better to be the father that sacrifices himself to save their child than the one that leaves them to die in the lion's den....

05 - THE HIEROPHANT As Bruce Wayne, his political influence upon the world is limited to the amount of charity money he can dish out, still having to abide by the system that puts him in the one percent. People just don't take him seriously enough to listen. But as the Batman, he can move droves of people with action. His battle against crime garnering the respect of even the police, those that faced his judgement have no choice but to heed his words. The cape and cowl is unbound by the petty status quo of society, he has no strings to hold him back. Everyone listens to the bat.

06 - THE LOVERS The Freedom Fighters don't just have one heart, they have two. Sally Acorn, the one to think up the plan of action. Sonic the Hedgehog, the one to take action. Two halves of the same singular ray of hope to guide the rag tag group of resistance to victory. Though they do not think alike (and can sometimes get on each other's nerves) they are still harmonized, able to work together at the most dire of straights. With only one of them, the Freedom Fighters are compromised, without both they are lost....

07 - THE CHARIOT The four Ninja Turtles were taught ninjitsu purely to survive in a world that would not accept them, told to stay in the shadows where it is safe. But perhaps because of their excess of superhero comic books or just their mutant ability to feel empathy, they cannot help but jump into action when someone is in trouble. They are always tapping into that most primordial of heroic traits, the will to act.

08 - STRENGTH It takes more than just "strength" alone to tame an eldritch horror like the Bird of Hermes. Whatever the bird sees in this one Integra Hellsing it has formed a bond that cannot be truly explained.....perhaps it is not as simple as a monster recognizing her as a strong human being? Perhaps....he sees her as a similar breed of monster?

09 - THE HERMIT There are those that work alone and then there's the self proclaimed "Terror that Flaps in the Night". So intent on doing things his way, so hellbent on getting all the glory, so desperate to prove himself to the world that the very idea of getting help from others ruffles his feathers. Of course he is not above having a sidekick but that is more someone doing things his way and not stealing his spotlight...

10 - THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE Many are at the mercy of fate, but none are quite as vulnerable to it as Matoi Ryuko. Her luck flip flops between good and bad so often that it's hard to tell if fate favors her or is out to get her. Sometimes it feels like she loses more than she wins. Not helping matters is how she is at the forefront of destiny, one of the few among the many that are the most important players for what destiny has in store. Lucky her....

11 - JUSTICE Diana of Themyscira doesn't just embody truth, she is the Spirit of Truth. Thus is her mission, to bring truth to the world of man, to be a guiding light towards peace and prosperity......a task that becomes increasingly difficult and nigh impossible with each passing year. Luckily, no task is too daunting for an Amazon, and no matter how long it takes she will bring man to a better place than it is right now...

12 - THE HANGED MAN Kurosaki Ichigo is not the hero he should be, no, he is more of a plot device. A pawn used by both ally and enemy, not allowed to have any real agency of his own. A slave of fate caught in the same loop of trying to be a hero, fail miserably, go through "training" to receive new strength, fail again, deus ex machina just giving him the win. It's like whatever god is willing the stars of his universe is an incompetent who has no real concept of how the hero's journey is suppose to go. And what other choice does he have but to surrender to the cycle? His constant self sacrificing is what keeps the world spinning. And of nothing else at least he gets to keep becoming a better Ichigo than he was before right? Right?

13 - DEATH Optimus Prime is well acquainted with the concept of change, is it after all hard wired into his very race's biology. But more than that, his years in perpetual war have shown him plenty endings and new beginnings, perhaps more of the former than the latter. And so long as he lives he will always be in the very company of death itself, looming over him, his allies and his enemies. Such is the nature of war.

14 - TEMPERANCE How long has Kiryuin Satsuki waited until she could finally be free of her vile mother? How much longer would she have waited to finally avenge her father? She waited years of her life for one moment to finally drive her blade through that vile woman, she didn't care if she succeeded or failed she has waiting for that moment long enough. And it seems that though her attempt did fail, that evil woman met her just deserts regardless, in the end fate still saw fit to reward Satsuki's patience.

15 - THE DEVIL Thanos is a very sick man. He is driven by his obsessions and desires, trying to hand wave it as "inevitability" or "higher purpose" when really it is but his own selfishness running rampant. And in his delusion he insists that the greater universe abides by his desire, worse even share in it. No matter how much he tries to change or has seemingly learned his lesson, he'll relapse in no time at all, going right back to his genocidal addiction. He truly is a lost cause....

16 - THE TOWER Uchiha Sasuke acts like he's the only one suffering, that his pain is more important than everyone else's. As such he pays no heed to that which he ruins or those that he hurts. Everything he touches, he destroys. Enemies, allies, friends, it matters not so long as he can get what he wants....which is constantly switching out. One minute he wants to get revenge on his brother, the next he wants to avenge him, and then he wants to be the one Hokage to "break the cycle of war". Whatever, he's always spin doctoring the horrible things he does to have some "deeper meaning" like he were a far right politician rewriting the bible. One has to wonder if he truly wants to use the darkness to bring about "positive change", if you ask me, he merely loves causing misery.

17 - THE STAR Sometimes it's easy to lose hope, just ask Peter Parker. Too many times it feels like no matter how hard he tries, even with spider powers his best is just not good enough. Most seem to believe so, most see him more as a menace doing more harm than good, especially Jameson. It's easy to forget what one is fighting for.....but then in his most dire moments, he can hear Uncle Ben's voice in his head telling him to not give up. Telling him about the few that do look upon the friendly neighborhood Spider Man as a symbol of hope, a star to look towards even when all other lights dim. And like that his strength returns to him, like that he gets back up and keeps fighting.

18 - THE MOON Ryoko Hakubi is both beauty and beast in one being. Not only does her power inspire fear, so too does her temperament whenever her pin is pulled. And even aside from that, she is one mystery after another, never will you truly understand how her mind or heart works. And not helping matters is her fluctuating moral compass that is comparable to mood swings. You'd have better luck figuring out women that you'd have trying to figure her out.

19 - THE SUN It's hard not to see that giant burning ball of gas as but a blight, a bleak reminder of the inevitable. But for the Last Son of Krypton, it is the source of his power. His true power, the power known as the best in humanity. That big Red S that shines like that very star inspires all to be the best they can be, igniting hearts with the strength to stand tall and proud even if they are not the strongest. Even if not everyone can be like Superman, anyone can be that which lights the darkness, anyone can be a hero.

20 - JUDGEMENT To become a Power Ranger is to be reborn into something beyond a mere human. To be infused with power for the sole purpose of answering the call to arms. Only a select few ever get to wear this mantle, and those that do must take up the fight against pure evil to their dying breath if necessary. As such the quality to become a Ranger is the resolve to always stand, to always get back up and never stop fighting. To be a Ranger is to be the one that has the resolve to fight the most important battle.

21 - THE WORLD So few can truly say they beat the Devil and got their soul back, but Albert Simmons is one such person. Perhaps it did not bring him the closure he was hoping for but it did bring him closure none the less. When he remembered the truth of his relationship with Wanda, remembered why exactly he was never allowed to have her back, he was finally able to let go and move on...

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jacquelinemerritt · 11 months

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Dragon Ball Z: Abridged Episode 60 Review

What does it mean for an abridged series to go even further beyond?

Part I

I started this review series in 2015 because I loved Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, and I needed there to be writing out there that explained why I loved it so much.

It’s a funny thing, re-reading all of my old writing about it. Part of the nature of a weekly review series is that you tend to zoom in on the particulars, as that’s where the meatiest criticism lies. Going over the specifics of the story’s structure, how details in the show add to a greater whole, it’s all part of the process of finding out why something in a show works, or sometimes, doesn’t work.

It’s in those details though, that you come to a greater whole. By recounting the specific ways in which a story is threaded together, week after week, episode after episode, you start to bring forward recurring ideas, and piece together aspects that continually make a show work, and contribute to the greater whole. And when you’re critiquing a masterpiece, a show so lovingly crafted that every single detail lines up perfectly for its conclusion, you eventually are able to tie those thoughts together into what is hopefully a masterful conclusion of your own.

Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is the best possible version of Dragon Ball Z.

This might be the most contentious statement I’ve ever made about this show. It’s a statement I know for a fact the creators disagree with. But it’s a statement I believe wholeheartedly, and I even would go so far as to say that Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is closer to the spirit of the original Dragon Ball than Toriyama managed to pull off himself.

The original Dragon Ball manga is a masterpiece of its own. Akira Toriyama did a phenomenal job weaving together hilarious gags with thrilling martial arts action and compelling character growth, all while centering one of the most lovable, fun, and pure-hearted protagonists to ever be written. There’s a reason that it spawned an entire genre of imitators, and that’s because its blend of action, comedy, and growth were all executed masterfully.

I don’t think that Dragon Ball Z ever manages to capture that magic the way the original does. That’s not to say that Dragon Ball Z is a bad show, but by the time Raditz enters the story, the manga and show both change into something much more akin to a melodramatic soap opera. There’s so much waxing from the characters about how powerful these foes they’re facing are, and there’s very little levity sprinkled throughout these long, drawn-out fights, as the circumstances feel too dire for the characters to make jokes and be silly.

Silly humor was core to Dragon Ball’s charm though. The very first fight in the first World Tournament Arc is a gag about how Krillin is able to beat a martial artist who has never bathed and uses stench as a weapon, because he doesn’t have a nose to smell him with. The best side character in this series goes from being an angry, murderous criminal to being a cheerful, innocent sprite every time she sneezes, and she always sneezes at the worst possible moments for everyone. Hell, the entire Red Ribbon Army Arc is a joke about how Goku completely obliterates a major threat to the world on a whim, because none of them are martial artists, and not a real challenge as a result!

The very magic of Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is that it takes this melodramatic source material and finds the space within it to make jokes again. The Saiyans are a world-dooming threat, but Nappa is hilarious, and I will forever quote everything he said. Freeza is a genocidal tyrant who has taken the galaxy by force, but even when the world around him is unable to laugh, his spoiled, petulant attitude is funny as hell, and full of delightful dark humor. Even the darkest timeline of Trunks’ future is filled with jokes, whether that be the genuinely despicable ramblings of TJ and the Wombat, or a 50-year-old Bulma making a pass at Gohan, perfectly fitting her original boy-crazy characterization.

And phenomenally, Dragon Ball Z: Abridged manages to do everything I just mentioned without sacrificing an ounce of drama. Goku’s battle against Freeza is desperate, and his Spirit Bomb failing rips the ground out from under you. Future Trunks’ battle against the Cyborgs is tense, and his first transformation into a Super Saiyan is gut-wrenching. Even in the first season, before they fully found their feet, Team Four Star managed to make the battle between Goku and Vegeta every bit as tense as it needed to be, while still incorporating a constant stream of jokes.

So where does that leave us with Episode 60?

Part II

What, exactly, is the purpose of an abridged series?

I think it’s fair to say that an abridged series is, at its core, an adaptation of a work of art from one medium to another. This is a statement I’ve made before in these reviews, but I don’t think I’ve ever elaborated on it. It feels rather obvious to me that an abridged series be treated as any other adaptation might, because at the end of the day, that’s what artists like Team Four Star, LittleKuriboh, and Something Witty Entertainment are doing. They are adapting a work from the medium of televised anime to the medium of a comedy YouTube short, and making the same kinds of adaptational decisions in creating these series as a production team turning a book into a movie.

You can see this question of adaptation present itself as far back as some of the earliest abridged series, like Avatar: The Abridged Series. Most of that show intentionally leans into the weakest aspects of Katara’s character, emphasizing her feminity, thirst for cute boys, and quick temper far more than the original show ever did. Yet, in its last episode, Katara undergoes a significant transformation in the face of Paku’s sexism, and is completely reimagined with a new voice actress as she goes on a rant about the sexist ways she’s been written, and her refusals to stand for it anymore. The last episode of this abridged series ever made goes out of its way to critique both itself and its source material in its last episode, and it begs the question of how far an abridged series adaptation can go.

Sword Art Online: Abridged famously goes even further in its critique of its source material. Almost every character is completely rewritten to serve as both a more accurate representation of online culture, and a deconstruction of their original persona, with Kirito in particular standing out as a fantastic depiction of the kind of loneliness and self-isolation that comes with being a try-hard edgelord. It takes an entire season of the show for Kirito to learn to truly connect with other people, and that growth is made all the more satisfying by showing genuinely difficult it is for him to maintain anything resembling a positive friendship with anyone because of those edgelord tendencies.

These shows both have very different purposes, in large part due to the evolving understanding of what an abridged series is capable of between their creations, but they both raise a fairly similar question: what happens when you give everyone with a video editor and internet connection the ability to re-tell someone else’s story?1

The answer here is something I think is quite beautiful. The abridged series thrives outside of the realm of copyright locked down by rent-seeking ideas landlords, and allows individuals, groups, and communities to reimagine their favorite stories. Sometimes, what they imagine is as simple as few extra jokes, or a simple rant about the sexist way a character is written, and sometimes, what they imagine is a completely new version of the story that actually raises interesting questions and showcases compelling characters.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the abridged series found its roots in the copyright-less utopia of early YouTube, when anyone had the freedom to take something they loved or hated, and transform it into something completely different. The rise of Content ID has long since taken away this pure, unadulterated freedom from us, and I truly feel that the internet is worse off for it.

When it comes to Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, the show we are watching is the result of a bunch of people who love Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z more than anything else, asking what they can do to make the show funnier, smarter, and more meaningful. Team Four Star found their footing as writers when they began to focus on the comedy that came from character interaction, as we watched these huge personalities clash, and for every funny joke they were able to draw out of that foundation, they managed to draw even more pathos and catharsis for these characters.

Which is to say, Team Four Star took the idea of an abridged series, and went even further beyond.

Part III

Episode 60 of Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is a massive episode that provides a satisfying resolution to the whole series, and nearly every storyline running within it. It also highlights the relationship between its characters fantastically, placing most of the story’s emotional weight on the fractured dynamic between Gohan and his chronically absent father, Goku.

The entire first part of the episode is focused on the tension between who Gohan fundamentally is, and the man his father expects him to be. Goku has, in a stroke of fighting genius (the only genius he is capable of), perfectly planned out this encounter between Perfect Cell and Gohan. He’s manipulated Cell into hosting a tournament for the fate of the world, and placed his son in the perfect position to take down Cell and ascend to power greater than anyone has ever seen. And it’s all ruined because, as Piccolo perfectly points out, Gohan hates fighting.

The subtext of emotional strain between Goku and Gohan has been running throughout the entire series, but it’s finally brought to the forefront of the text in this moment. We see Gohan wrack himself emotionally and Cell wrack him physically, as he and Cell both try to force himself to fill the role his father has placed him in. Even as Cell violently births his own progeny to wreck Goku and his companions, in a last ditch effort to stir a fire within Gohan, Goku’s son cannot bring himself to be the warrior his father believes him to be.

Android 16’s speech and subsequent death changes all of that for Gohan. In a moment set to a breathtaking cover of Unmei no Hi, Gohan internalizes the lesson passed onto him by Android 16, who thoroughly eviscerated the liberal pacifism Gohan has been trying to embody. And Gohan gets angry. So angry that his power skyrockets, and he becomes a Super Duper Saiyan.

Super Duper Saiyan Gohan is fucking terrifying.

Throughout Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, we’ve come to know Gohan as an incredibly intelligent, exuberant, compassionate bookworm. Even though he doesn’t want his entire life to revolve around education and books, he still revels in knowledge and the opportunity to learn, and some of his cutest moments are when he is allowed to be truly childlike, like when he eagerly investigated Cell’s time travel pod for clues.

Every single ounce of compassion and love for life Gohan had before transforming into a Super Duper Saiyan is replaced with rage. Rage at Cell for destroying Android 16, a beautiful soul who did nothing wrong. Rage at Goku for thrusting him into this fight unprepared, and taking away the only hope he felt by throwing Cell a Senzu. And rage, most of all, at the world, for being so fucked up that he was forced into this situation to begin with.

Gohan’s rage is cold though. There is no righteous fury like Goku, no petulant tantrum like Vegeta, no sorrowful torment like Trunks. This Gohan slowly defines the word “filicide” for Cell as he effortlessly commits it, wiping out all of Cell’s children so quickly even Freeza, the most murderous being we’ve met in this universe, would be impressed.

That very rage drives all of Gohan’s decisions, as he lords his power over Cell and takes every opportunity to torment him. He blows away all of Cell’s limbs with a Kamehameha, and then guts him with his fist so hard that he throws up Android 18, and loses his Perfect form. It’s this blindness by rage that leads to Gohan’s greatest mistake, of not finishing off Cell, who tries to blow himself and the planet up in order to gain some kind of victory.

What’s perfect about this moment though is that while Gohan feels entirely responsible for his mistake, Goku knows better. He recognizes the responsibility he bears for Gohan’s bloodlust, and knows that the only way to make it right is to remove Cell from the equation altogether, teleporting the two of them to King Kai’s planet in bold move to save the earth.

Goku’s decision to sacrifice himself also recalibrates Gohan’s perspective, guiding him away from the rage that filled him before, so that when Cell returns, and murders Vegeta’s baby boy, Gohan doesn’t hesitate to put himself in harms way to protect Vegeta from a deadly blow. It costs him an arm, but his commitment to protecting others, even when it’s stupid, and even when it gets himself hurt, is true to the Gohan we’ve come to know and love. All that’s left for Gohan to do is face off against Cell, one Kamehameha against another, and draw on the strength and fighting spirit of his father to deliver the final blow.

Goku and Gohan aren’t the only two characters whose relationship is deepened in this episode. Vegeta’s enraged cry of “MY BABY BOY!” when Cell kills Trunks shows just how much Vegeta has come to love his own son, despite the airs he puts on to the contrary. Piccolo’s love for Gohan is also expressed incredibly here as he lectures Goku for not paying attention to the needs and wants of his son, who just wanted to receive love and affection from his father.

In fact, the love that these characters have for each other, and the ways they express it, is a theme that runs deep in this episode. Trunks love for all these folks around him is shown as he dutifully delivers them all Senzu Beans, quietly making silly puns to each of them. Krillin’s love for Android 18 is displayed wonderfully, whether through him gaining the strength to stand up to Vegeta because she’s resting in his arms, or through him wishing her and her brother free of the bombs implanted in them. Even Yamcha and Tenshinhan are given a moment of brotherly love, as they express for the first time in words how much they both mean to each other.

That very love is also what drives Goku to refuse to be resurrected at the end of the episode, despite Cell having been defeated. He genuinely loves Gohan, Goten, Chi Chi, and all of his friends, and knows that the best way to show his love, for once, is actually to be away from them, and spend time in heaven with King Kai. He’s not afraid of the great change this will be, both for him, and the people he loves, and is willing to embrace the afterlife if it means safety for his loved ones.

Goku’s speech about embracing change and not being a part of his loved ones’ life anymore is also very easy to read as a coda to Dragon Ball Z: Abridged itself. He, and all the rest of these characters, are saying good-bye to us, the audience that has followed them on their journey for years, and they are all embracing the truth that it is beautiful to let this show end on its own happy terms. It’s ironic that, at the time, Team Four Star announced that they would be trying to continue this series, but it’s clear they grew to see the wisdom in Goku’s words too.

A similar message can be found in Cell’s final moments, as he gives us a beautiful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Team Four Star, just like this villain, has spent nearly a decade re-telling the three sagas of Dragon Ball Z they loved the most, and at every turn, they chose to do it their way. Sometimes, in the early days, that meant reference-based humor that aged like milk, but more often than not, it meant leaning into their strengths as comedic writers, taking creative liberties with the source material, and working to elevate the text of Dragon Ball Z to something even better than the original show.

I don’t know what to call that other than Perfect.

Epilogue

The journey that I’ve been on with Dragon Ball Z: Abridged, both as a viewer and critic, has been an incredible one. It has meant more to me than just about any other show I’ve ever watched, and stands up there with some of the most impactful art that I’ve experienced. It’s a show I’ve watched when I was suicidally depressed to find some sort of levity, a show I found enough depth in to meticulously critique every episode, and a show I’ve gotten even my shounen-indifferent partner to get extremely hype about, as I showed them the entire show in the lead-up to its fantastic finale.

What Team Four Star managed to create in Dragon Ball Z: Abridged is something genuinely special. It’s a show that makes me laugh harder than just about anything. It’s a show that’s made me cry more times than I can count too, as I was tearing up multiple times while re-watching the finale for this review. It’s even a show that I get to cringe at sometimes, when I think of the early seasons, but that cringing makes it all the more impressive how much Team Four Star improved as storytellers, and elevated their craft to tell their version of Dragon Ball Z better than anyone else could.

I love Dragon Ball Z: Abridged. I will always love Dragon Ball Z: Abridged. And even though it’s over, I know it will always be there for me, waiting for me to tag along with Goku, Krillin, Vegeta, and Gohan, as they power up and save the world.

Rating: 5/5

If you like my writing, consider supporting my continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1This question, you might notice, is exactly the same question raised by the existence of fan-fiction, and this is because abridged series are, at their core, no different from any other form of fan-fiction. An abridged series does, by its nature, require more work and expertise than a piece of prose on Archive of Our Own, but all it achieves, in the end, is a greater level of accessibility, like the difference between a written article and a video essay.

I genuinely adore that in this episode, when Piccolo goes to yell at Gohan to dodge, he’s already dodging Cell perfectly. What a great ending to a running gag.

Yamcha’s every line in this episode is great too. He just wants to be included, whether that’s in Team Three Star, or Cell’s plans for tournament entertainment, and I love him for that.

Super Duper Saiyan is also, just, fucking brilliant. Like, what a great way to use Goku’s silliness to get around the awkwardness of these forms being called Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3. Vegeta calling the next form Super-Dee-Duper Saiyan just sells the joke even further. If the show had continued for another season, I genuinely would have loved the comedy of these characters shouting about being “Super-Duper Saiyan” or “Super-Dee-Duper Saiyan,” and would love to see a mock-up of Goku’s “even further beyond” speech with these terms in Team Four Star’s style.

Krillin Owned Count: 0. And as a huge fan of Krillin, yeah, this makes me real fuckin’ happy J

Also holy shit, did Krillin cum 39 times??? That’s super impressive for a cis dude, mad props.

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbz #dbza #dbza ep60

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xaracosmia · 1 month

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ꕥ — WELCOME TO NEFE COSMIA, SON GOKU. 🌓

ꕥ — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: Blues age: 28 pronouns: they/he ooc contact: @ au_deer on twitter other characters in xc: Mithra, Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu, Elphelt Valentine

ꕥ — IC INFORMATION;

name: Son Goku age: around early-mid 40s pronouns: he/him series: Dragon Ball canon point: post tournament of power app triggers: death, murder, genocide, child endangerment, child kidnapping, fantasy racism

personality:

The first thing people tend to notice about Goku is how vivacious he is. He’s upbeat, energetic (maybe too energetic at times) and has lots of zeal for life and living it. Goku operates on a simple principle: he believes that he can be stronger tomorrow than he is today. His love for fighting a good fight and beating stronger opponents gives him a constant drive to keep going, keep improving, keep getting better. That being said, he doesn’t particularly care about using his skills for justice, though he’s capable of selfless behavior.

Having been raised in the woods by his grandpa for a good portion of his life then spending another chunk of it alone until he was 12, Goku is extremely naive to the ways of the world. Most forms of social interaction go completely over his head, and he has a streak of bluntness a mile long. He also tends not to expect others to think differently than he will, most frequently coming through when his opponent does not treat a fight with as much honor as he does. He has shown improvements as he’s grown, but his pure-hearted innocence is a fixture of his character.

Despite outward appearances however, Goku can be very insightful, especially when it comes to combat. What he lacks in book and social smarts he makes up for in his intuitive fighting style and surprisingly strong ability to plan under pressure. Not only does he know the limits of himself, but he can assess the fighting prowess and potential of others skillfully as well. He’s also shown to have a near genius ability to replicate what he sees, which is mainly shown in fighting techniques.

While a very kind and jubilant man at heart, Goku is not someone you want to anger. When angry, he becomes downright terrifying, showing a serious side that only comes out in dire situations. This is especially exhibited when he’s in his super saiyan form, his fury having been a necessary trigger for that transformation. Generally speaking, the best way to anger him is to harm those he cares about, so it’s generally advised not to do that. He also tends to keep a tight lid on his negative feelings, with sadness and fear being the emotions he represses the most.

something your muse struggles with: Recognizing when people will think differently than himself, residual naivete

your muse’s greatest strength: His perseverance and unwillingness to give up, his big heart

history / background:

For most of his life, Goku believed himself to be a human, but in truth he is a saiyan: an alien race of battle-hungry warriors who conquer planets, eradicating all life on them beforehand. His life was to be much the same, subjugated under the space tyrant Frieza and continuing his gruesome conquest. But, as fate would have it, Frieza decided to destroy planet Vegeta, killing all saiyans. Before this could happen, Goku was sent away in a space pod, just an infant, and ended up landing on planet Earth.

Once there, the baby was discovered by an old martial artist named Son Gohan. Despite the baby’s natural belligerence, the old man tried his best to raise the baby. One day however, Goku slipped and fell off a cliff, banging his head in the process. After that incident, Goku was a happy and cheerful baby, never causing trouble for his grandfather again. Unfortunately, their peaceful life would come to an end. Despite being instructed not to look at the moon, Goku did one night, which triggered his saiyan transformation into a great ape. He crushed his grandfather, killing him, and leaving Goku with no idea how his caretaker had died.

From that point onward, he raised himself in the forest, until at age 12, a young woman named Bulma found him during her search for the dragon balls. One of these wish granting artifacts had been in the possession of Goku’s grandfather, and as such the boy had kept it, believing his soul to be inside the ball. After a string of events, Goku ended up leaving his home and joining Bulma on her quest, and the two plus more companions ended up trekking the world, finding the dragon balls, and narrowly escaping the clutches of the “evil” emperor Pilaf before eventually going their separate ways.

During this journey, Goku had met the famous turtle hermit Muten Roshi, master martial artist, and decided to further pursue being a strong fighter. He has since fought in many tournaments, managed to take down the Red Ribbon Army, and fought both the evil Demon King Piccolo and his “son” Piccolo jr, saving the world twice and being crowned the strongest martial artist in the world.

With all threats eliminated and his champion status secured, Goku settled down and got married to Chichi. He then had a son named Gohan, and for the first four years of the boy’s life, times were peaceful. But, they would not stay that way for long. On a trip to visit his old friends, he was confronted by a remnant of his past. His estranged brother Raditz had managed to find and confront him. He revealed Goku’s true saiyan heritage as well as their bloody history. When Goku refused to join his brother after being offered to help in their bloody conquests, Raditz kidnapped Gohan, threatening to harm the boy if Goku didn’t kill and line up humans for him by the next day.

Instead of doing that, Goku immediately pursued him, and with the help of his old nemesis Piccolo (jr), they were able to kill Raditz and save Gohan. Unfortunately, however, the fight cost Goku his life as well.

During his death, he received training in the Otherworld, learning new techniques that helped him defeat Raditz’s evil saiyan companions: Vegeta and Nappa. The fight with Vegeta left him barely clinging to life, and several of his friends dead. Those not injured decided to go to planet Namek in order to wish their friends back from the dead, but when they arrived there, they found that the evil space emperor Frieza wanted to use the Namekian dragon balls as well. Now having no time to be injured, Goku took off to Namek as soon as he could, narrowly saving his friends from Frieza. The battle was long and hard, with Goku’s fury being awakened to turn him into a Super Saiyan, but he was victorious…

… Namek exploded, but he was fortunately able to escape at the last second. He returned to earth in a year’s time and learned of the existence of android created by the Red Ribbon Army scientist Dr. Gero specifically to kill him. During this time, however, he contracted a deadly heart virus that nearly managed to kill him. Out of commission for a while, he was unable to fight most of the androids, and he was also unable to fight the monstrous Cell, Dr. Gero’s greatest creation. He and his son Gohan were able to train to enhance their super saiyan forms, and using them, they went to fight Cell.

However, during their time training, Goku realized Gohan had lapped him in terms of strength. Goan was their only hope in defeating Cell, not him. And so he set up a scenario that would allow Cell to be defeated by Gohan, but he failed to account for his son’s personality being different from his own. Not accounting for Gohan’s lack of a thirst for battle ended up derailing the plan, and by the time he did want to fight Cell, Cell tried to self destruct and blow up the earth. Goku sacrificed himself in order to save those he loves, and afterwards spent 7 years dead.

On the day of the strongest under the heavens tournament, Goku came back to life for one day in order to participate. Unfortunately, on this day Majin Buu would awaken, immediately putting the entire world in danger. Goku was able to do what he could in order to stop the monster, but he had to leave back to the Other World before he was defeated. Thankfully, once there, he had a life granted to him, and he could begin the fight against Buu again in earnest. With the help of the people of earth, and Vegeta, he was able to defeat Buu and save the world.

Since then, he’s been living with his family again, and he’s been forced to get a job as a farmer. He’d much rather be training, but a promise is a promise.

powers / abilities: if i listed everything we would be here forever

Ki control: In the world of Dragon Ball, all living beings have ki inside of them. Ki is something like life energy and it holds much use in combat. Ki control can protect you in battle from physical attacks that would otherwise kill you, increase your strength, speed, and senses, and much more. The most common uses for Goku besides those already listed are as follows:

Ki blasts: Basically energy balls and beams that can be thrown and shot at an enemy for massive damage

Kiai: Ki is used to push air currents, creating shockwaves that can strike opponents from mid-range

Ki based flight: Exactly what it sounds like. Tis technique uses ki in order to fly

Ki transfer: Goku can give someone else his ki in order to restore their energy and heal them a little

Ki sensing: Goku can focus and find ki signatures he’s familiar with as well as sense the ki of other beings. This most notably appears in sensing very strong opponents with large amounts of ki

Kamehameha: A very large beam of ki with the strength to disintegrate a mountain at minimum. Goku can fire a kamehameha from any of his limbs as well as curve the beam

God ki: Received during a ritual, god ki is a specific type of ki that lies far beyond that of mortals and enables Goku to transform into a Super Saiyan God. When utilized, it makes the user unable to be sensed

Great Ape: All saiyans possess monkey tails. While Goku’s is currently cut off, restoration of his tail results in him turning into a gigantic, ape when he stares at the full moon. While in this state, he is little more than a hulking behemoth in terms of mental capacity, but he is also much stronger

Kaioken: A technique that multiplies the user’s ki for a brief moment, the maximum seen being x20. During this time, Goku’s strength, speed, and all of his ki based abilities are greatly improved, but there is a cost. Overuse of this technique greatly exhausts the user and can even kill them if they aren’t careful

Spirit Bomb: After requesting the energy of all living beings on earth, Goku forms a giant ball of energy that he can then throw at his opponent. However, this ball of energy will only harm evil foes. It also will not damage the environment

Super Saiyan: A transformation that turns his hair gold, his eyes green, and grants Goku considerably more strength. In this form, he’s more than a threat to world destroying opponents. Goku at this time knows three levels, all named 1, 2, and 3 respectively. While his power increases exponentially as he goes up in level, the higher the level, the less time he can sustain it for. The super saiyan transformation can be combined with god ki in order to make Super Saiyan Blue (the real name is super saiyan god super saiyan but that’s pretty dumb sounding so we call it Blue)

Instant Transmission: By focusing on someone’s ki signature, Goku can teleport himself to their location. IT is quite literally instant, with absolutely no time passing during the teleportation

Fusion Dance: A technique where two warriors of equal strength combine physically to become one warrior. Once the dance is performed successfully, it will last for 30 minutes before the fighters split back to normal

Zenkai Boost: When saiyans nearly die, but don’t, they receive a high boost in strength, speed, and endurance

inherent abilities:

Heightened Strength, Speed, and Endurance: Due to being a saiyan, Goku has supernatural strength, speed, and endurance far beyond that of a human. Ever since he was a kid, bullets have bounced off of him, and he’s been strong enough to lift a car. Now that he’s trained past that point he’s even stronger

Martial Artistry: Besides his physical feats, Goku is also a trained martial artist who’s trained under many skilled instructors. He has accolades in tournaments and his fighting skill and knowledge is just as important as his power

Prehensile monkey tail: Being a saiyan, Goku was born with a monkey tail that he can use as an extra limb. At present it remains cut off, since having it would trigger his Great Ape transformation under a full moon

items / weapons:

Nyoi-bo/Power pole: A red bo staff that was used to connect Kami’s lookout to Korin tower. The staff can extend past several times its size and is extremely durable

Kintou’n/Flying Nimbus: A golden cloud that only the pure of heart may ride. All others fall through. Goku uses this to fly around when ki based flight isn’t an option

starting ability: Great ape

starting item: Kintou’n

extra:

so if you know anything about dbs you may know that goku had his character regressed back to a point where his charadev was undone from where it was at the end of Z. i will be undoing the nonsensical aspects this caused while still referencing events that happened in dbs

I’m also taking the DBS Broly movie into consideration! The db timeline is in shambles

Goku has a lot of powers so I did end up summarizing and basing a lot of them from the Dragon Ball wiki

Did you know that Goku is only 5’ 9”? I think that’s awesome

discord id: 59saiyan

passcode:

#xc application #mun: blues #nefe cosmia

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gingerxxale · 6 years

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Nakama & Shame

I think anime kinda made me disillusioned to friendships. To those who already watch anime often, I think you may already know what I’m alluding to – the unearthly dedication and support to one’s friends (sometimes even enemies) because you believe in the good and growth in them. The incessant self-sacrifice in order to induce safety and/or happiness for a loved one; someone cherished so innocently, so purely, that there is no romantic tie. Just an unpolluted friendship, a bond that is so strong, all the evils of the world – EVEN DEATH – cannot break you apart.

But maybe this perspective isn’t exclusive to anime; maybe it’s even a character trait embedded in Japanese culture.

I walked into a ramen shop in Boston about a month ago and saw this written in huge, white letters upon the burgundy wall over my head:

NAKAMA [n.] A person that shares your destiny for whom you would sacrifice your life; Its meaning is too entangled to be “friend” but it is also too deep to be just “companion.”

If there’s an entire country who really embodies this notion (no matter how small or large), that’s pretty awesome.

Under the font, were drawings of manga-esque characters with their backs turned to the customers but their fists in the air. As usual, upon seeing these kinds of images, I had an immediate feeling of camaraderie and hospitality – inspiration even.

So I was curious.

After researching a bit online (for about five minutes), nakama may actually just be a fictional trope in Japanese television – actually given its deeper meaning from the legendary anime One Piece – but Japan is famously known for its low crime rate, its unarmed officers, its friendly strangers who will fasten a young man’s tie because it’s undone and he’s headed for an interview, and they want him to succeed! So will gladly aid in his looking sharp without needing to be related to this person in any way. Then they’ll wish him the best of luck and pray he gets the job! As if they knew him. As if they were family. So even if nakama is a fictional concept, it seems there is an innate goodness instilled in the Japanese people that obviously gave root to the concept of nakama. An innate, unrelated goodness we haven’t really grasped anywhere else (that I’ve been exposed to at least).

And whether it be instilled in Japanese tradition or simply an injection to their entertainment, I love that I grew up with this idea of nakama. Though this mentality has (I’ll be perfectly honest) made me lose a few friendships here and there, it’s definitely kept the right ones closer and stronger for longer than I expected or felt I deserved. My most valuable friends have respected and even reflected my personalized form of nakama because of the familial relationship it had inevitably created between us.

I was exposed to anime at quite a young age, and I was re-exposed to anime at the crack of dawn of every morning as my brother snuck out of our bedroom to watch reruns of Dragon Ball on the Cartoon Network; the early hours were a safe haven for a relatively violent and bloody show of foreign origins despised by most parents but loved by some teensy children (such as ourselves). He used to take out our most recently purchased bag of pita bread and pack of American cheese from the fridge and would nibble his way through the end of each – until we had nothing left to use for our family breakfasts during the weekends (reflecting on this now, I’m sure this drove both my mom and dad a little crazy).

Now, I often credit my having an older brother for a lot of my toughness and a lot of my disconnect with the common American young lady – my best friends in school were mostly boys. We were always playing Pretend. Dreaming we were magical creatures climbing trees and burning down buildings was a lot more fun than being a part of the local girl-gang in my opinion (which I was also a part of. But I picked my shifts). I owed this early exposure and exercising of a speedily-expanding imagination to my older brother and to the shows he didn’t let me watch.

The shows I only watched while hiding behind the couch and peering over the cushions with my little fingers hinged on the edges of suspense. Clawing through the fabric – just to watch Dragon Ball without him knowing; without him catching me and demanding that I leave (because apparently I was deemed too young for such mature content). Despite him being only two years older than me and like… eight. If he ever did spot me, I’d have to not only be yelled at (mind you, while my parents were sleeping in our tiny apartment in Los Angeles which struck a whole other type of fear through my 3-foot-frame) but I would also have to sink to the floor and stare at the wall for the next two hours – behind the couch, listening to the show instead. Painting the scenes in my head as I had to imagine they were on the TV screen because my evil, older brother claimed I was too immature to see it.

* I will have you know, this was the final power trip I allowed him to have over me. The future was bleak for my older brother, but bright for my unrelenting defiance and eventual overthrow of his tyrannous nature. Bullies are not to be tolerated. *

But I was just so damn curious. Like what could be so amazing, so interesting, that it pulled my brother out of his bed at 5 am every morning like clockwork to eat cold bread and cheese and sit two inches away from the TV screen for the next two/three hours??

It had to be thee coolest thing ever.

So I risked it all. I risked the deportation back to my bedroom, the hellish fire that could awaken my sleeping parents, their hellish fire after being woken by their son’s hellish fire which would then be redirected to me as the source of his hellish fire that had woken them up in the first place.

It all didn’t seem worth it. (But it was).

I couldn’t wake up as early as him every day, but I always made it out to see at least the concluding hour of Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z those mornings. I did it so often, that eventually, my brother refrained from fending me off with a foam baseball bat or a stick. Maybe he understood that I was his little sponge whom he could influence and make awesome, rather than the rabid gerbil he made me out to be that ejected out of our mother’s womb for the sole purpose of ruining his life. My seat placement beside him was a promotion. I had graduated to soft-plaything; something that could still be tormented and abused, but should no longer be feared.

I didn’t understand why he liked cold pita bread and American cheese so much, but that seemed to be the Snack of Kings. And I had just been promoted. Beggars can’t be choosey, y’know?

This development in our sibling relationship was also when I discovered my severe case of lactose-intolerance. So in a way, anime’s role in my life was more than just a didactic ruling of friendship and sibling-warfare, but also a court hearing for prospective-allergies.

After discovering my intolerance of yellow-American cheese, my mom introduced my small intestine to goat milk, goat cheese, and an array of goat-rather-than-cow related products; it was a comparatively smelly alternative lifestyle-change that I remember enjoying. I also was not a very picky kid – but again, I saw myself as a trampled vagabond of the streets – so I took what was give to me without question.

But I was a sanctified vagabond. I had made my way from the nosebleeds to the courtside all on my own, a product of my own resilience and ambition. And I thought I was incredible. Like… I wasn’t even old enough for this show. My older brother said I wasn’t allowed to watch these things, and yet here I was… him petting my head and eating cheese while I ogled skyward toward a sizzling, 90s, television filled with awkward screaming, high-voltage blasts and decapitated heads. I was taking it all in and I was loving it.

And one of the reasons I loved it was because Goku (who’s literal growth we have avidly followed from Dragon Ball to DBZ and onward) had a son that he fought alongside. Like how cool would that be?! His son, Gohan, was around my brother’s/my age, depending on the episode, and was being taken out on missions?! Like what?! The amount of TRUST that Goku not only had in his son but in his comrades taking care of his son was powerful. He had enough faith that his son could help him – the greatest Super Saiyan in the world – “fight crime,” defeat enemies, purge the universe of evil!

But also knew when to tell Gohan to like back the f*ck up cause he was 6 and had little to no training. And that was dope.

I was six. I could be great. I could have friends bigger and better than me (which I already did ‘cause I was the shortest kid in my class and still am at the bold age of 22) but friends who still believed in me in spite of that! I could be everyone’s equal. The grown-ups would see my latent potential, the bold energy I harbored, and pay no mind to my age. They would look at me and expect greatness; not because my father was their friend nor because my father was great, but because I was their friend and I was great.

They would do anything for me. Even give up their life for me? Whoa.

The episode that is engrained in my memory most was my brother’s favorite – we re-watched this scene countless times once YouTube became a thing on the internet and a mighty weapon for internet babies like us to digest.

Gohan turning Super Saiyan 2 for the first time.

Mostly I just remember Android 16’s head bouncing around on the dirt, and his dreary eyes looking up as he drawled… “Gooooohaaaaaaan. Let it gooo…” in this deep, robot voice – but let’s remember why 16’s head was rolling around at everyone’s feet. Because he had just pounced on Cell’s back with the belief that he still had a bomb lodged inside his body and was ready to self-destruct – to sacrifice his own life in order to save his comrades. Comrades now, but enemies not so long ago. Hell, Android 18 was going around bustin’ everyone’s asses and suddenly she’s marrying Krillin – goes to show that bad guys have can have a lot of good inside them (and if you’re marrying Krillin… you have a lot of good inside you).

But alas, 16 no longer had a bomb inside his body, and therefore Cell blasted him to bits and kicked his skull aside like it was the neighbor-kid’s deflated soccer ball. This is where 16 recites his epic speech of encouragement:

“It is not a sin to fight for the right cause… It is because you cherish life that you must protect it… I know how you feel, Gohan.” Despite being an android.

And then Cell stepped on his face and his head exploded – but! With all the coils, gadgets, chips, and metal – out came a lot of blood; and that was very humanizing to me. That things that bleed – animals, humans, and apparently androids – we all have a quality that bonds us, a frailty and an appreciation for life that unifies us. We are all unified by the blood in our veins. Despite being just an android! Gohan was right! 16 did love life, and he gave it up because he loved his friends even more and wanted them to enjoy the rest of their existences. It’s an abrasive scene, but thanks to my older brother, Andrew, one I’ve seen a million times nonetheless.

And due to the power of emotions! Gohan crosses the threshold and reaches Super Saiyan 2.

With glistening tears in his eyes.

It reminded me of the samurai – avenging the death of a loved one. Pride. Brotherhood. Bonds. Protection. Justice. Self-sacrifice… Nakama.

And then came Naruto.

This could easily mark the end of my existence. I lost my youth at the mere age of 12. Cause if Naruto doesn’t traumatize you for life, then bless your soul – nothing else can, my child.

Masahi Kishimoto intended the first arc of Naruto Uzumaki’s adventures to be his last as well. That single manga was illustrated for the notoriously heart-wrenching plot movement of Squad 7 facing Zabuza, Demon of the Hidden Mist, and the orphan Haku. (Let’s not get too into this though cause that’ll just tear me up in seconds).

Transformed into an anime, this plot movement was the first for many of us to watch. And very quickly were we faced with the complex of sympathizing for the enemy, maybe a little too much.

Zabuza Momochi, a rogue Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist is known as one of the most dangerous ninjas of the land. Very unexpectedly, we learn he also practically raised an orphan child named Haku on his own, training him as a swordsman to defend himself. Haku has a special ability that people in his village feared; therefore, people like Haku and Haku’s mother were summarily executed. So Haku’s mother taught him to keep his ability a secret – until her own spouse discovered their secret and murdered her. Haku lost control in response to this, kills his own father and the rest of his village and is then found by Zabuza Momochi…

In this first arc, Zabuza is hired as an assassin that inevitably clashes with Squad 7 (our protagonists), and we’re obviously rooting for Squad 7 to survive! We want them to win. The lead character, Naruto is in Squad 7! Clearly we like them the most. Then why is it that every fan of the show immortalizes Zabuza and Haku?

Because we see a bond between Zabuza and Haku. When Haku appears in the mist to sacrifice his safety in order to keep his caretaker safe – that act changes everything.

As of yet – there is no strong bond holding together Squad 7. Yeah, Naruto and his comrades fight their hardest, and one of them almost to the death; they have to utilize the teamwork they’d been avoiding for so long – but that’s not nakama. The bond of love between an assassin and his conditioned apprentice, though? THAT was nakama.

You see that moment, that presentation of empathy, love, and care for something other than themselves made those characters greater – unselfish, forgiving, merciful and kind to someone outside of them – making them stronger than any of the adored members of our beloved Squad 7. Their pasts, their wrongdoings, their sins I won’t say meant nothing… but they suddenly meant much less. Because we just witnessed their humanity, and much more than their humanity – selflessness.

In fiction – we frequently equate the enemy with negative qualities. They are the enemy, therefore they must carry no virtue. They are all evil.

But a person who steals bread, inspired by the love for their starving children… A person is risking their life, reputation, and future with an evil act in order to protect/save others.

Self-sacrifice is the greatest sacrifice is it not? And great self-sacrifice I imagine should be the hardest decision to make. The amount of bravery and inner-peace needed to execute such a choice… is impressive. I am grateful to have never been placed in the predicament where I must choose between my life and another’s. Would I have the strength to give up everything for someone I love? Could I make that decision? I have no idea, but I can tell you that when I see a mother sacrifice herself for her child, or any adult jump in front of a child they are unrelated to who is in harm… there’s something magical behind that choice. There’s a passion, a power of emotion that exceeds the brain and is pure heart – which may be stupid – but it’s selfless. And altruism is admirable if not the most admirable.

Nakama is a purely altruistic act, and though I cannot say I’ve ever felt that I would give my life for my friends in a moment (which seems like nakama-extremism), I know I sacrifice a lot for my loved ones, even when we are not blood related. I donate a lot, I believe in people a lot, I offer plenty of my time which in my opinion… is giving my life.

But a lot of people do not understand this idea of nakama and are very quick to judge it, if not feel unsettled by it; it is not clinginess, it is not desperation; it is just empathy, faith, and affection but it does not take away for someone’s love for themselves – at least it shouldn’t. It is there only to make you stronger.

So maybe that’s why some of our most evil characters in popular culture are incredibly strong. Enemies in fiction aren’t always 100% made out of Satan-Squeeze. We do see some humanity in our antagonists here and there. But there’s a weird, religious, consecration when a bad guy “sees the light” and decides to suddenly “go green and be good.” So it almost seems like… there really is no adversary… cause… in an instant, they’re absolutely cleansed. So… if everyone can be saved, than that means everyone is made of goodness. And then what a relief that is! What a belief that is! Ahhhh what a happy, spiritually satisfying ending ☺.

This brings up the complicated character development between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. (We’re diving into murky waters, my friends).

Sasuke Uchiha was my favorite character from the moment I laid eyes on him, but he has probably one of the most tragic pasts I’ve ever had the honor of absorbing. Born of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke was raised among some of the most intelligent, perceptive, and valuable ninja-warriors of Konoha. Their trademark is the Sharingan – a powerful dōjutsu (an eye technique) that augments a ninja’s insight and hypnotism against their rival… basically. Sasuke lives a pretty normal and happy childhood, constantly idolizing his older brother Itachi and striving to be just as strong and helpful to the community as his brother has been. Then we discover Itachi has had undisclosed motives for a long time. Abruptly, he unleashes… going on a rampage, slaughtering the whole entire Uchiha clan, including his and Sasuke’s parents… but leaves Sasuke alive and alone.

So Sasuke’s mission practically from birth becomes to avenge his clan, locate, and defeat his brother.

But then he meets Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno who seem to veer him from the path of self-destruction and revenge. He finds a family he once lost amongst Squad 7 and its hilarious but unsurpassable sensei, The Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake (who, for lengthy reasons, also attains an eye with the clan’s Sharingan). There is a bond growing between all four of these characters, an empathy, a pure caretaking quality that was not there when they were up against Zabuza and Haku.

But inescapably… we lose Sasuke to the dark side (and let’s just leave it at that for now).

One of the worst things that can probably happen to you as a human being (aside from an audience member) is seeing your favorite character go bad. Yeah sure it’s kinda cool and they become even edgier than they once were, but there’s nothing cool about seeing someone you believed to be your best friend go rogue and forsake the home you built together because suddenly you and your friendship mean absolutely nothing to them… That always sucks.

But according to nakama, you have an unbreakable bond… yet you see the goodness being sucked out of your nakama’s soul… does that mean that you give up on the friend who has given up on you? Do you turn your back on the criminal your best friend has now become?

One of my dad’s favorite movies is Seabiscuit. He’s definitely a big fan of the comeback-kid and always tended to root for the underdog. His favorite quote in the film became one to live by in our household. It was when Chris Cooper’s character was asked why he kept trying to fix this horse that had injured its ankle. It was a racehorse. With an injured ankle it had become useless. And to that he responded,

“You don’t throw a whole life away just because it’s banged up a little.” Beautiful.

So when your BFF goes all homicidal on the townspeople… what do you do? Well, because of anime, I don’t think I’d ever be able to completely hate them. Even if I had the responsibility of killing them… the nakama between us would still exist despite their death and my being the cause of their death.

I am not quite sure that this is a good thing. You see… sometimes… I do believe we need to lose friends, and we shouldn’t keep raising excuses for why it’s okay that they’ve truly begun to suck as people. It is their fault. You have tried. You’re now beginning to work yourself to the bone defending an ego that apparently doesn’t even want your defending.

The fatal flaw of nakama: difficulty knowing when to let go.

But the problem that I feel most people face, is letting others go too easily. I watch my acquaintances releasing friends like breath out of their lungs sometimes, and the stories I hear of them being suddenly dropped from a friendship are staggering… I think people have forgotten how to be brave, and forgotten how to be there for our buddies when they need us the most and evidentially become the most difficult versions of themselves to deal with. It is hard being a good friend – if anyone tells you otherwise I can confidently state that they are wrong and probably have a lot of interpersonal issues as well. But it is hard being there when someone needs you, especially when they need you more than that one time when they got the news.

I credit this rude awakening to my emotional intelligence, my time spent being introspective and aware of the people and the world around me – to my understanding and my empathy. Because I know I’ve “strayed-from-the-path” before, I know I’ve hit concrete walls and sulked in the pitfalls of depression, and more often than not was abandoned by my friends rather than finding them waiting for me to wake up on the other side as a new person. And I’ll tell you what – I got used to the abandonment, but I never accepted it as a viable approach. So every time a friend of mine hit the concrete walls or were in the jaws of anxiety and stress, I was always sitting cross-legged with my head cocked to the side, my ears wide-awake, and a smile in my pocket for when they were ready. ‘Cause I knew that’s what could’ve helped me. I knew that support meant something to people. I was showing my friends in pain that they had a cheerleader, and I was going to be rooting for them until they’d come back to Earth. And did I learn this from the air? Did I think of this approach by myself? Ruminating on it, anime and manga trained me to be a good friend before I even had a friend to be good to.

But what about when they don’t come back to Earth? And what if it’s because they refuse to? When do you let go, and does letting go mean ‘stop loving?’

That’s when things get complicated.

But nakama still doesn’t lose its value.

My BFF is a homicidal freak now, right? Okay. So it appears that I’m head of the defense force that is meant to take my ex-BFF DOWN TO THE GROUND… those characters that suddenly just flip the switch and delete every memory they have had with that person… that’s great and all, and I’m sure a useful tool when you’re in the business of saving lives (you’ve essentially deleted your bias towards a person who is now your enemy) but that doesn’t feel very human to me. Like we just discussed above, you’ve also given up on someone. And the idea of giving up on someone does not exist in anime. Unless it’s a supporting-role who had a hand in poorly raised one of our vindictive protagonists. But they always feel shame in the end anyway, and the protagonist has the inner peace to forgive them because of their understanding, their love, and at the root of it – nakama.

So how and why did nakama appear in manga and anime? Where did it come from and why is it still so prevalent in Japanese culture? Could it be a reaction to something rather than an intrinsic value?

What if nakama was in some way a response to shame? That if you did not behave this way towards your comrades (for example fellow samurai) you would then be identified as a coward, unwilling to risk your life for your brethren. Therefore you have brought dishonor to you family. Dishonor on your cow! (as per Mushu) and shame upon your head. An ultimate, sin according to the ancient culture, inducing suicides throughout the empire.

So could the innocent idea of nakama have been born from the embarrassment of shame? And is that why western society does not grasp this value… as a value? /how do we experience shame and do we value it?

What is our idea of shame? I’ll tell ya, it usually doesn’t stem from how we treat other people:

Someone cheated on their spouse? Yeah well it happens.

Someone keeps cheated on their math tests? Shame.

A person is corrupt in the workplace? It’s terrible, we hate it but… what’re we gonna do, it happens.

A person comes out as gay. Shame.

A human who likes a unique style of music. Shame.

A human who was raped. Shame.

A teenager who isn’t athletic like their parents. SHAAAME.

You see, we treat shame as a form of social acceptance, and by that I mean, if you do not meet the criteria of the put-together citizen, you should be ashamed of yourself! During the Edo Period of Premodern Japan, if you were a Samurai and could not uphold Bushido; “the way of the warrior,” the moral code of that culture; shame was brought upon you. But their moral code was often in the pursuit of benefitting other people.

The eight rules of bushido code are as follows:

Righteousness Heroic Courage Benevolence/Compassion Respect Integrity Honor Duty and Loyalty Self-Control

These laws outline the responsibilities of samurai; to be deeply honest with yourself and your neighbor, to not only find opportunities to help your neighbor but to create those opportunities when they do not arise. Understanding that true strength does not come in proving your strength. Staying true to your word and being aware that you are the judgment you sleep with at night. Decisions you make and how these decisions are carried out are a reflection of who you truly are.

For, “you cannot hide from yourself.”

But it appears that our in-vogue moral code dictates that you must hide from yourself because if you are different… you are a deviant. Its standing does not rely on our treatment of others but more on our ability to conform to a certain standard of acceptable normalcy. Not too weird but not too common. So our code just seems to be self-imposed and self-inflicted. We don’t seem to really value how we treat one another but how well we mold to one another. I think the last time I was taught that being kind to others was a code to live by was in kindergarten, when I learned, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Pretty much, treat people how you’d wanna be treated. And then of course “keep your hands to yourself.” * thumbs up *

But after that… I dunno… there wasn’t much stress on the ethical upbringing of our population, of our citizens. Do we really not care that much? Yeah sure, I took ethics in college, I took several courses in Sociology and Philosophy and studied the Ethics of Documentary Filmmaking… Literature can often times be a nice bridge into empathy as well… but these were all choices. I was not obligated to take any of these classes… which means… a lot of people don’t. And won’t. And even if they did/do, college may have been a late start to have these discussions.

We are raising a population of Narutos that will not chase after their Sasukes. Generations of children that believe hurting someone is an okay practice if that person hurt them first and feel no shame afterwards. That reflecting fire proves your strength rather than dousing it and turning your cheek and being a bigger person. The way we’re going, everyone is going to want their fire to be larger and brighter than their enemies’ and their friends,’ igniting an egotistical flame that’ll just burn down city hall… thanks guys.

Hot-heads are generally looked down upon in Japanese entertainment. They’re a source of humor and the butt of everybody’s jokes because they’re assumed to be quite immature and stupid. They are nothing like their leaders; they lack self-control and respect, empathy, and awareness. In these shows, characters have certain codes to live by that are very similar to the samurai’s bushido, and if you’re not striving for that admirable way of life… something seems to be wrong with you:

The way of the ninja in Naruto.

Saiyan Culture’s emphasis on pride, honor, strength, and honesty.

And even in shōjo manga like Mermaid Melody and Special A, there is a camaraderie between our main characters that is so strong, any outside force cannot defeat it. You see these stories do not have to revolve around intense, dramatic plots entrenched in suspense and guided by their twists and turns. The characters set in a village ravaged by demons are quite the same as characters trying to survive high school. They are inspired by their peers; peers who neglect them, hate them, terrorize them, love them… they want to grow and become stronger because of their peers.

There is a constant theme in anime about weakness and how weakness is looked down upon, but not in the overtly-masculine way that you may think. It is not that weakness itself is shameful, but that one’s inability to protect their loved ones is shameful. Characters are often tormented by their guilt for feeling like deadweight, like an anchor, being incapable of protecting their best friends and their families. So they are motivated by their pain, their rivals, their nakama all in order to evolve and grow into someone stronger – and a character’s strength is measured by how well they can protect other’s.

What an incredible notion. Measuring strength based on your selflessness and your ability to love.

If I have to lose friends because they do not understand nakama… because they find weakness in it, they’re missing out on a tool that builds up only the toughest and the bravest. It hurts, but it must be endured and it must be accepted by people like myself. Those friends I will lose are luckily few, and are not guided by the same light that guides the characters I’ve admired since my childhood. And people like that cannot inspire themselves, nor will they be able to inspire others.

I am an endless fire lit in perpetuity by the sensation of my nakama, and I will continue to be fueled by this heat, inspired by every day and every night, because I have people I care for and people to live for. My ability to love can break the bank – and I can thank my evil, big brother for that.

- Ashley Beroukhim

11.24.17

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mozillavulpix · 7 years

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The Importance of the Great Saiyaman

I was thinking about the Great Saiyaman mini-arc in Dragon Ball Super - probably the one and only time we’re going to see that costume in Super in a significant way, if the events of those episodes are to be believed, and thinking about what purpose those episodes served suddenly made me understand the relevance of the Great Saiyaman not only to the story Dragon Ball Super was attempting to tell, but to Gohan’s character in general.

In that I’d say the Great Saiyaman was in fact one of the most crucial parts of Gohan’s character once he ‘grew up’, which helped make him a protagonist that we could legitimately find compelling to watch (even if his stint as protagonist was brief).

People say the Great Saiyaman ruined Gohan? No. I think the Great Saiyaman saved Gohan.

First, some background knowledge. From an interview by Akira Toriyama in Daizenshuu 2.

And then the Cell arc ended. Did you think that everyone felt you would put Gohan into the leading role?

I intended to put Gohan into the leading role. It didn’t work out. I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part.

Now, everyone normally focuses on the second part of that quote: that Gohan in the leading role didn’t work out because Toriyama thought he wasn’t suitable. But the first part of that quote is perhaps just as important. Intended. Meaning some points in the series were being written with the intention of Gohan being the lead character.

The question as to when Toriyama changed his mind and why is another story altogether, and one that isn’t really relevant to this discussion. But the most important thing to note here is that, most likely during the sections where Gohan was being the Great Saiyaman and preparing for the tournament, the story was revolving around the idea that he was the protagonist.

Pictured: Gohan ready for high school, in the same page of the Muten Roshi explaining that this boy was now taking Goku’s place.

Now, if Gohan was to be the protagonist of the story, we needed to understand him. We knew he was like as a fighter, and as the child who normally hid under his father’s wing, but we didn’t know what he’d be like as an independent 16-year-old who no longer had father-figures who surpassed him in strength by a wide margin.

But there was one thing we did know about Gohan: he was generally a pretty morally upstanding guy.

Unlike Goku, Gohan was always willing to jump in to do the right thing driven by a pure altruistic motive. He didn’t necessarily like the thrill of a fight and most likely wouldn’t allow a threat to the planet to get stronger for the sake of a better challenge. Assuming he wasn’t consumed by anger, that is.

And while that did definitely separate him as a different character to Goku, it also left a bit of a problem. Gohan as a character could be seen as a little bit too...clean.

If he was always going to do the right thing, and step up when he saw innocent people in danger, he wouldn’t be Son Goku. Instead, he’d be...basically Superman. Or any sort of American-style superhero, who would be ready to use their powers at a minutes notice to do everything from stopping criminals to helping citizens escape from a major natural disaster.

But Dragon Ball was never a superhero story, and in fact, that kind of logic would actively hinder the more individualistic themes of fighting for self-improvement that pervaded the entire series. And, in particular, it would also harm Gohan as a character.

Come the start of the Majin Buu arc, once Gohan was written as a teenager who was also a Super Saiyan, his earlier role as the child with the massive amount of untapped power who followed the heroes along with the hope of being able to wield it one day no longer applied. He wasn’t really a child anymore, nor was his massive potential underutlised once he used it to save the world from Cell. The other biggest defining trait of his as a character was in fact that altruistic, self-sacrificing nature, and that would thus be something worth exploring to keep his character consistent and with a sufficient number of personality traits to stop him from being bland.

The issue with that, though, is that...always morally-upstanding heroes are kind of boring. Especially in Dragon Ball, where we enjoy seeing our characters get stronger due to their intrinsic motivations and hard work. If Gohan only acted like a morally-correct hero who always saved the day and, due to his personality, would probably do that all the time, it could start feeling a little bit formulaic. How could we find Gohan as a leading character sufficiently compelling if all we really saw of him is the hero who always shows up to admonish the villains for being evil and then beats them up because of it?

Now, that kind of protagonist does work. It can work. But it’s seen mostly in superhero stories.

So...if Gohan as the protagonist would be acting like a superhero...why couldn’t they just make Gohan a superhero?

Enter the Great Saiyaman. Gohan, seeing all the crime rampant in the world and especially around his new high school, dons a costume and a secret identity, and goes around helping people and stopping villains wherever he can.

But the important thing about the Great Saiyaman, the thing that shows that this is Dragon Ball and not an American comic book, is that it’s mostly played as a parody. Gohan’s costume looks intentionally ill-matched and overblown, and in-universe, besides Bulma, Goten and Gohan himself, everyone thinks that the escapades he puts on are ridiculous.

What makes this especially brilliant is what it does for the story and Gohan’s character. The Great Saiyaman essentially detaches Gohan as a person from Gohan as the morally-righteous hero. We know he as a character is going to do the right thing and try to help others, but those motives are then filtered through the lens of the Great Saiyaman persona. It no longer defines him as an individual. The morally-righteous hero is in fact the Great Saiyaman, leaving the character of Son Gohan to be something else, no longer bogged down by these heroic traits.

It allows us to get to see Gohan in situations where he’s not trying to save people. Like true secret identities, the superhero persona is used to separate his life being a hero from his life being a teenage boy. When he’s no longer in costume, we get to see him as a teenage boy. We see him struggle with high school, girls, keeping his power a secret, and trying to train his brother and get back into shape before the tournament. Not only that, but we get to see him as a martial artist - someone who also fights to improve himself as a fighter. Perhaps that’s not his only motivation, but he does have that motivation still. That’s something a superhero would never really show. It’s what makes it uniquely Dragon Ball.

Come the business with Majin Buu, Gohan is actually fighting the threats with the costume of the Great Saiyaman, but without any hint of disguise - his bandana and sunglasses discarded earlier on in the day. Because of this, he’s not fighting because he’s a superhero. He’s fighting because he’s a Super Saiyan. And that in itself allows us to see him as more than both the good guy hero and as just another Saiyan. He’s both. And we see both. Just like how we see his two identities.

And if we jump many years later ahead to Dragon Ball Super, we can see that’s essentially the same role the Great Saiyaman serves in Episodes 73 and 74. These episodes were almost a domestic drama focused around a jealous, insecure big-name actor attempting to destroy Gohan’s home life.

If you hear that synopsis, you might think “that sounds like a ridiculously-cheesy concept for an episode of Super.” And it is. But those episodes are also episodes of Gohan as the Great Saiyaman. He fights Barry Karn in that exact outfit, and, crucially, keeps his disguise to the onlooking spectators the entire time. And through this, these episodes, this very cheesy and somewhat predictable story, becomes a superhero story. The costume changes the genre entirely. When that happens, it becomes a lot easier to accept as a feasible story. Like the spectators and movie crew, we see this fight as one superhero fighting one monster, ready to be shot for a movie. And in this case, the movie is in fact one that is shown in-universe, a movie in which the protagonist itself finds boring.

And, crucially, it allows Gohan without the costume to shine as more than just “that guy who really cares about his family”.

It’s why I don’t really agree with people who say Gohan is bland. He’s bland only if you treat something like the Great Saiyaman as all his character has to offer. But if you look under that ridiculous helmet, you’ll realise those aren’t the only moments we see him on-screen. And it’s in fact the contrast between him in-costume and without-costume that makes him more than just the boring parts of Superman.

#dbz #dragon ball #dragon ball super #gohan #great saiyaman #mini-essay #no seriously #I wrote a mini-essay on the goddamn great saiyaman

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petite-neko · 7 years

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Trapped in the Past - 04

Fanfiction: Trapped in the Past Story Summary: The past can sometimes be a nice place to visit, however one should not spend too much time lingering in times already long gone if one can help it… Fandom: Dragon Ball Z Characters: Gohan, Goten, Videl, Sharpener (M!Trunks, Cell, Vegeta, Goku) Pairing: Gohan/M!Trunks Rating: T Warnings: Depression, Character Death, Angst, PTSD Author’s Notes: This chapter hurts the heart. At least mine. (I set up a ko-fi account guys! Feel free to donate! Link in blog description!)

(Check source for ao3 link!) Chapter 3 || Chapter 4: Saviour || Chapter 5

Saviour

That was him. That was that man from the future. Not him.

They had told Gohan that he was Earth's last hope. That it fell to him. That he was the saviour.

He sure didn't feel like it.

.xxx.

"No! No!" The shouts came from one man as he held his head, shaking it in denial. “No!!”

In response, a second man cried out. "Restrain him!"

"What is the point anymore?!" As he continued to protest, he felt a sharp pain at the base of his neck.

"Are you certain about this?" The third man asked, looking down at the now unconscious man in his arms.

"Yes... if I can at least save one timeline it’s worth dying a few minutes earlier. Now go!"

.xxx.

He dreaded this. He truly did. He knew exactly what he was going to do was going to do to Videl, but he had to do it. He had to break her heart.

The Son had told himself over and over that this was for the best. Videl deserved better, if he did it sooner it wouldn’t hurt as much compared to if he did it later. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner Videl could move on, she was just wasting her life on him. Yet, despite all of these reasons, it still felt so wrong.

You should have never been with her in the first place.

He knew that he was selfish, needy, desperate. It needed to end.

But it was so hard.

He could remember the peaceful bliss he had with her, that relief and that hope!

But it was all a lie.

Gohan knew better, and that little fantasy he built for himself was falling apart at the seams. The nightmares had returned, the memories were resurfacing, and the darkness was back. He had no clue as to why either.

He once more repeated the reasons to himself once more he told himself that this was the right thing to do. That, yes, he had to do this.

Since when have you ever done the right thing?

Blinding, sheering light.

Gohan held his head, begging the memory to go away.

Screams of terror.

“Go away... go away...”

”Goodbye Gohan.”

He needed to set this right!

“Gohan?”

Great, now even Sharpener had noticed!

“Are you alright?”

Lying never really was his strong suit... “Yeah...” He winced. “I’ve just been having trouble sleeping lately. End up dreaming awake now.” Oh, he most certainly hoped that would never be the case...

“Maybe you should get that checked out man. Certainly they’ve gotta have some meds for that or something. If it gets any worse that is.”

“Nah...” Gohan had to rub his hair. Sharpener didn’t know that he wasn’t completely human... Only Videl did, that sweet girl. Never shunning him for what he was... “I don’t really like taking medication. I’ll look into some teas however.”

“Good idea!”

Gohan sighed in relief, at least he was able to fool Sharpener. Videl on the other hand... she was looking at him. She didn’t believe him one bit... He resisted another sigh and looked at the clock.

Well he knew one way to get her to leave him alone...

Hastily Gohan scribbled on a scrap of paper.

Meet me on the roof after class.

The half saiyajin hesitated. He took in a breath and closed his eyes before tossing the paper at Videl. It had taken him all morning to work up the courage to write a simple note... But it was now or never...

.+++.

“So you finally decided to tell me?” The daughter of Hercule Satan asked indignantly, her hands on her hips.

She’s the spitting image of Mom...

Gohan shook that thought from his mind.

“Well?”

And out came that sigh he had been holding back... "It's just - let's just leave it as a haunt from my past.... I already know what you would say. It would be no different than what everybody else has already said, and not even they understood.” When Videl was about to protest, Gohan shook his head. “That is not what I called you up here for.”

He exhaled. Now or never Gohan. Now or never... Remember. This is for her. She deserves better. Remember that. “Videl I... listen. I love you...”

There was a heavy sigh of relief and tense laughter. “What? Is that it? Here I thought it was something serious! I already—”

“Videl let me finish.” He couldn't help but chew his lip nervously. “I-I...”

Hard. This was too hard. Maybe if he tried a different approach? “You know already. I know you do. It’s in your eyes. The way you react, you’ve been guessing all along, but I have been too blind until now." Yes, yes this was easier. "I love you Videl, but not in the right way.”

As he explained, he knew he was right. The realization sparked in her eyes, tears forming, the way her head shook in denial.

She didn’t want to believe it either.

“Y-You’re joking right? Or maybe we just need more time!” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Yeah! That’s it!”

“It’s been a year Videl...”

“I can wait! And even if you’re right it’s—”

“Don’t even say it Videl! I’m not going to let you settle! You deserve so much more...” Gohan placed his hands on her shoulders, looking in her eyes. “You would be so empty inside. Even if we did continue this, if we grew old together, had a family... you would be so empty. I don’t want that for you.”

“Gohan, please! I’ve accepted that already. And you’re so powerful, and—”

He offered a sad smile and brushed away one of her tears. He knew she would protest. He knew she would try to convince him that she was okay with it. But he was prepared for this too. “Have I ever told you that I hate fighting?”

The comment shocked Videl. “Wh-What?” She said as she looked up at him with puffy blue eyes.

“I’ve hated it all of my life, but I’ve learned to accept it overtime. Even now, I hesitate to fight, I cringe when the first blows are made. I made the decision to fight to protect, and I have to live with it. But you don’t have to accept things as they are Videl. Marrying me is a choice that won’t save the world. Would you really sacrifice a truly happy, passionate love over a content, calm one? Would you willingly let something go even when you haven’t yet experienced it? You’re a fiery woman, you need a raging waterfall, not a trickling stream. Besides,” Gohan gave her another sad smile, “I notice that hope. Even if you’ve accepted my passivity, you still hope, you still want - just as I hope and I want my enemies to shake my hand and go away peacefully even though I know it will never happen.”

Grabbing the fabric of his shirt, Videl sobbed into it. “G-Gohan... Pl-I love-You.”

“Shh...” Gohan said and wrapped an arm around her in comfort. “I know you do, and I do too, but in a different way. Because I do, I need to end us, I need to let you find true happiness.”

Videl clenched his shirt tighter in her fists as her sobs increased in volumes and strength.

Gohan’s face fell with guilt as he let her sob against him.

.+++.

Following lunch, Gohan had sat away from his friends, and he had asked for them to stay with Videl. She needed the consoling, not he. Of course, it did hurt him, but this was something that had to be done. It was her heart that was broken not his. (It was his fantasy that was broken instead.)

It had taken him longer than usual to go home.

He had not taken the usual route, but instead wandered around, lost in thought. And tired. Oh so tired...

When he had finally arrived at home, he could see those looks of concern on his father’s and Goten’s identical face. He knew. He knew that they knew something was wrong. They could feel his Ki. The way it weakened day by day, the way it heightened in the middle of the night...

That look of concern... it only made matters worse.

“I’m fine...”

What else could he say? His father... Goku. No. Not ever. He could never tell his father. Never.

He could see the disappointment in his eyes.

“Gohan...”

His emotions were making him...

Explode.

Gohan ran into his room.

.+++.

Again! Again! It happened again!

“How dare you!”

As those words were screamed out into the air, he couldn’t help but feel that they were directed to somebody else...

It was a scream that woke him up that night.

Sleep... sleep... all he wanted was to sleep. A night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. For everything to just… stop.

How much longer could he last?

It had been so long since he last had these bouts, but he still remembered. As a kid, his mother watched him like a hawk, but whenever he visited Capsule Corp, he could always grab some coffee or tea. (Without his mother knowing of course.)

Now, he was considering it on a more frequent basis. The lack of sleep, the stress... it was getting to him.

Sleep.

Peace.

Happiness.

Such things were unobtainable by him, weren’t they? And now... he had given it all up when he told Videl...

“Gohan...”

As he looked up in shock, he feared that it was his father - but no, it was his younger brother at his door.

“I heard you screaming...”

It broke his heart to see the young boy like this. Children...

That is all that he was. A child.

Gohan winced at the recollection.

A child who had too much responsibility.

A child who cared too much.

Gohan held his head. “Shut up...” He whispered to himself. “Shut up....”

“B-Big brother?”

Gohan’s eyes widened. “Goten! No! I’m sorry... I meant...” He sighed and gave a weak smile. “I was not talking to you.”

“Who were you talking to then?” That innocent head tilted.

Myself. And that thought honestly terrified him. “My nightmare.”

"You have them a lot... I remember it before Dad came back... You had so many..."

Oh how it hurt to know that Goten even knew.

"Dad doesn't know...does he?" There was a hand holding his. "Brother..." The grip was firm. "Did you want to sleep in my bed? That helps me. You want my teddy?"

Innocence. Pure. Untainted. That is what a child should be.

There was a weak smile and a shake of his head. Gohan squeezed his brother's hand gently. "I don't want to sleep again Goten. Thank you though. You should go back to sleep."

"But Gohan! Sleep is important!" So much worry in those eyes.

He was to blame.

It was his fault.

His fault. His fault.

It's your fault. You're to blame. It's because of you. Your fault. Weak. Useless. You can't do it. You failed. Failure.

"Big brother...? You're crying..."

#truhan #trunksxgohan #trunks x gohan #mirai trunks #son gohan #fanfic:titp #petiteneko:story #gohan #trunks #dbz

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jacquelinemerritt · 1 year

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Dragon Ball Z: History of Trunks Abridged Review

Originally posted May 13th, 2016

The darkest entry yet.

“History of Trunks” is an odd entry in the Dragonball Z: Abridged, as it toes the line between traditional anime melodrama and comedy, yet comes out more often on the side of actual drama than any other episode, special, or film has. Where Team Four Star merely hinted at their interest in directly engaging with this drama in “Fear and Loathing in Ginger Town,” “History of Trunks” dives directly into the melodramatic meat of Trunks’ backstory, while the comedy has a far subtler role.

I call the comedy in “History of Trunks” subtle because despite the presence of cutaway gags and an often sarcastic narrator, the special focuses far less on the comedy than it does the narrative of Trunks himself. We get to follow him from being a doe-eyed teenager obsessed with heroism to a functional nihilist who has sacrificed his innocence for the sake of personal strength, and it’s this very subtext that makes his transformation into a Super Saiyan so goddamn poignant.

We saw this with Goku as well, back on Namek, when Krillin’s demise and the hopelessness of the fight against Freeza triggered the first Super Saiyan transformation we would witness on the show, but the context here is even bleaker: even post-transformation, Trunks is nowhere near as strong as Gohan, and Gohan never stood a chance against the Androids himself. Where Goku’s transformation gave us hope in the fight against Freeza, Trunks’ transformation gives us nothing more than the pain of pointlessly battling for a world that is too far gone to ever be saved.

The overlay of “Doomsday” from the Doctor Who soundtrack1 adds to this moment tonally and thematically in an incredibly powerful way as well; the Doctor is time traveling hero of eternal optimism and hope, and in the moment “Doomsday” first plays for him, he’s forced to accept the hopelessness of ever being able to reconnect with the person in the universe he loves the most. In this moment, Trunks is forced to deal with the first great loss of his life, and he lashes out in anger, transforming into bestial version of himself for no reason other than to physically embody his own pain, because his last hope for his own world has died, and there’s nothing else to be said.

I realize that so far I’ve spent the entirety of this review focusing on that singular moment, a single scene that lasts no more than two minutes, but “History of Trunks” is at its core, the story of Trunks, and the entirety of Trunks’ person can be traced back to that singular moment where his world was shattered before his eyes.

The rest of the characters in this special are confronted with this same experience: Gohan refuses to validate Trunks’ romanticizing of the past, viewing it in stark terms of constant death, fighting, and abuse; Android 18 slowly becomes disillusioned with the destruction he and his sister wreak across the world, unable to find joy in the end of the world; Bulma refuses to believe in destiny and only holds hope in the possibility that she might undo everything horrible that’s happened to the world. The only characters that find any solace at all in the destruction of the world are TJ and the Wombat, and their solace stems from purely selfish desires, justifying their lack of pain by dismissing the value of the people they love.

I could go on about how the characterization of our protagonists embody typical responses to trauma, as the voice of Piccolo lingers in Gohan’s mind or Bulma embraces hypersexuality as a coping mechanism, but this review has gotten bleak, and truthfully, “History of Trunks” is interested in more than simply exploring the darkness at the end of the world.

Bulma’s hope, in fact, is the one thing that saves Trunks and allows him to retain some form of optimism, even if he’s only optimistic about being able to rewrite the entire timestream. In the face of this destruction, he and his mother still have the gall the write “Hope!!!” on the outside of their time machine, to look to a possible alternate universe where things don’t end up nearly as shitty.

Trunks may have been forced to embrace the hopelessness of the Doctor, but he embodies the same kind of foolish optimism too, understanding the true capability of humanity to fight back against its failures and mistakes, even if that battle only results in a better universe that isn’t even your own. For all the darkness “History of Trunks” has to show us, there’s a tiny glimmer of optimism too, and that optimism is ultimately far more important than anything else.

Especially since it means Trunks will finally get to see his father.

Rating: 5/5

If you liked this review, consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

1Specifically the season two soundtrack, for the curious.

Trunks: “Mom, do you believe in destiny?” Bulma: “I’m a scientist, so, no.”

Gohan: “I’ve got one Mr. Piccolo.”

“We’ve got plenty of room, but no extra beds, so we’ll have to share.” Now, I don’t know about you all, but I hope to someday have the same unflinching confidence in my sexuality as Bulma does here.

Ox-King: “So, is dinner happening?” Chi-Chi: “Will dinner bring my husband back!?” Ox-King: “Maybe?!”

Gohan: “If you’re already bored, maybe you should take a ride on my fist!”

Trunks: “She wasn’t wrong. I, however, was.”

Android 18: “After you wipe an entire genre of music off the face of the earth, what’s left?”

Android 17: “I’m gonna range the shit out of that park!”

I love how monkey-like Trunks is made to look when he first goes Super-Saiyan. It’s a very nice touch by the original animators.

Vegeta’s scream though! That’s real commitment to continuity right there.

Bulma: “And…multiverse theory it is. Shit.”

#dragon ball z abridged #dragon ball z #team four star #tfs #dbza #dbz #dbza special #dbza trunks #i am really proud of this one #i don't have anything to add #i just think it's well written #and i do the ideas of history of trunks abridged justice

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