The recent death of Akira Toriyama has sent shockwaves throughout the world.
The man who came up with the Dragon Ball universe and invented some of the most famous characters of our times has been laid to rest. The popularity of his art paved the way for an entire genre to be made around it and inspired the next generation of artists to make works of their own.
Growing up with Dragon Ball (most prominently the Dragon Ball Z anime), I was hooked. A ‘cartoon’ that stood head and shoulders above the rest, one that wasn’t afraid to showcase relatively maturer themes of loss and sacrifice, while coupling it with intense physical battle, defeat, training and victory – it was a new world entirely, one that quickly became a staple of my life.
I followed the story with glee and bought the video games, I even had posters and drew art of it to the best of my ability.
My experiences as an avid watcher and all round fan of the show growing up weren’t unique. Every show has its viewers and fans, but there are few franchises in the world today which carry the international clout that Goku and his friends have.
But what was it that made Dragon Ball so popular amongst young boys, followed them as they entered into their teenage years and beyond, and turned it into the cultural phenomenon it is today? With boys and men from Mexico to France, India to the Caribbean being enamoured by it, what draws them in? What is it that speaks to them so directly that they can all share a common happiness in its themes?
I believe what cemented Dragon Ball into the hearts of so many young boys both then and now is the fact that it plays upon specific, critical themes that form the nucleus of so many stories of heroism and justice that have existed since time immemorial.
Battle
The world of Dragon Ball is one where the characters seek to live their lives in peace with their family and friends, and in harmony with nature and the rest of the world around them.
It is in this context that dangerous foes appear who seek to destroy this world and via their actions and varying intentions, fill it with horror, terror and death.
The hero tasked with the heaviest burden of protecting those whom he loves and indeed the rest of the world from these threats is none other than the unassuming, playful Goku.
His path is not one that he chose, but being one of the last survivors of an ancient (yet evil) warrior race, a chance accident as a child turned him into a docile lover of peace and justice. Thus it was a path thrust upon him. His role as protector of peace was one he had to rise to assume, because there was simply no one else able to take the mantle.
And yet, the journey was far from an easy one.
His challenges and adventures involved the deaths of his friend and family, defeat to stronger foes and even his own death. But with each setback, with each loss, it pushed him harder and faster in his resolve to overcome and surpass his foes.
Although this general synopsis may seem otherwise repetitive and generic, this theme was encapsulated in a universe where physical combat was the deciding factor of battle. Unlike other contemporary shows where characters may have battled with creatures, cards or even spinning tops, Dragon Ball Z hit deeply with many young boys because of one simply fact: at its core, victory was determined by who was stronger, who was more masterful and who was ultimately more powerful than their opponent. There was no avatar, no substitute through which people would fight each other. Foes were not expected to live on after a climactic showdown. Enemies were not merely defeated in battle, they either fled or were necessarily killed.
As brutal as it might sound, this is the reality of life and what human existence has always boiled down to when it comes to large scale conflict.
Michael Walsh in his book ‘Last Stands’ writes:
“Few are overtly in favor of war, and yet it has been a part of the human condition as long as there have been men to fight it. Indeed, some men thrive on it, and some require it in order to realize their passions and destinies … Some of history’s greatest figures saw it as an opportunity, but more often others regarded it as a sacred duty, a moral obligation.”
But it goes further than that. Although Dragon Ball has had its share of female characters – sometimes playing the parts of fighters themselves – it has almost otherwise entirely been known for male characters fighting other male characters, and, as Walsh again explains, this touches at the heart of what combat entails:
“…War is at root a masculine engagement, undertaken on behalf of females and children—in large measure to win and protect the former and to ensure the survival of the latter….”
And this is precisely the feeling that Dragon Ball captures. The protectors stand tall to face threats and enter battle so that they can defend the people closest to them. Mothers, wives, children, friends, and even the earth in general, the stakes are never higher, are never more sincere. It takes courage to stand in the path of an approaching enemy, though he be stronger and more fearsome than you. And yet time and time again this is what Goku and his friends do. Courage is in no short supply, and it is an ideal which is universally admired.
Ryan Holiday’s book ‘Courage is Calling’ describes this level of courage shown in the face of danger:
“‘What will happen to me?’ No one can tell you that. But with courage, you can say yourself, ‘I’m not sure, but I will get through it with my soul intact. I will make the best of it. I will not be afraid.'”
Courage and fear share one characteristic, they are both contagious. And so this courage displayed by Goku and his friends reverberates through the heart of each boy who witnesses it. It serves as a reminder that monsters can be defeated, that dragons can be slain.
When villains enter the scene to terrorise and destroy, to oppress and subjugate, Goku and his friends were always the ones to stand in their way. To obstruct the flow of injustice and fight hard to bring about its end, it is the age of tale of the hero punching above his weight at an enemy stronger than himself, and winning.
With such a core, elemental motivations, is it any wonder boys and men of all ages can relate?
Training
Since the staple of the franchise is physical combat, it follows naturally that training to become stronger is also a core theme of the show.
Goku, his friends and even his rivals take concrete steps to further their strength and to push themselves beyond their previous limits. The show isn’t subtle in this regard and nor does it need to be. Characters speak directly of their current strength, their limits and their desire to push beyond them. It is a constant theme of the show that as soon as one level is reached to defeat some evil, it becomes insufficient for the next evil that will inevitably rear its head.
What results is a continuous push towards high and higher levels of power. Characters quickly realise that the training they carried out as a preparation against evil is simply not enough to ward off future threats. They push themselves further and further, analysing their weaknesses and learning from masters to overcome them.
Over time, this training as a ‘necessity’ is replaced by training for its own sake. Goku and this friends realise that new threats may or may not arise, but the battle to push one’s own limits, to outperform themselves as they were yesterday, is a constant battle that must be fought, one that will never end. That such continuous improvement in power will help against new threats in future is a given, but the shift from training solely to defeat external enemies to training for your own sake is an important one.
This mindset shift is what many boys and men innately understand, even if we are unable to articulate it. Though we live in a world where combat in this manner is statistically unlikely, we feel the inner desire to be strong, to be powerful and to be skilled for its own sake – to push ourselves to our own limits not because we must, but because we can.
Socrates is reported to have said:
“It is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness before seeing what manner of man you may become by developing your bodily strength and beauty to their highest limit.”
The results? The characters who adopt this philosophy reach stations far above anyone else because they saw their journey of improvement as one that never ends, one that starts from the moment of enlightenment until the day they die. Looming evil or period of harmonious peace, the training was the same, just as intense, day in and day out.
There is always a level higher than our current one to reach, the striving never ends, there is always a level … even further beyond.
Sacrifice
So far we have examined the themes of battle and training, but the absent third in this trio is the inevitable reality of loss. This too is a consistent theme of Dragon Ball.
Throughout the series, characters are either killed in battle or sacrifice their lives for the greater cause of defeating evil. Although the world of Dragon Ball is one where death is not as permanent as otherwise might be, sacrifices still carry heavy meaning and demonstrate the highest, deepest levels of love a person has for those he is sacrificing for. In giving up the greatest thing one possesses – their lives – the one making the sacrifice enters themselves into the realm of heroism.
Heroism is a common masculine ideal that most young boys have always dreamt of. How many of us have dreamt that we were the ones to foil a robbery and subdue the criminal? How many amongst us have dreamt of becoming the heroic solider saving the day and winning a dangerous battle? These desires remain in the hearts of countless boys and men and they forever will.
And yet, such heroism necessarily entails sacrifice and loss. In such situations where danger reigns, others may sacrifice themselves, or they may be harmed or killed as part of their valiant efforts against evil. Dragon Ball is no stranger to this theme.
Countless times throughout the series, characters have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of victory against evil. Some with the intent of redemption of their own sins, but all with the idea that their sacrifice guarantee the safety of their loved ones.
Psychologist Philip Zimbardo said that:
“…To be a hero is means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are making a sacrifice. Heroes always take a risk.”
Sacrifice is also used to trigger transformations in the franchise, this often happens when a character reaches a point of loss which causes him to experience grief and ultimately rage as a result. This fury is channelled into a physical transformation, a new look and most importantly, a significant strength increase, one that becomes vital in defeating his opponent.
This change in state is as psychological as it is material. Once transformed, the character usually becomes more resolved, more determined and undoubtedly laser-focused on defeating the oppressive evil in their midst.
Looking past the theatrics of the event, this transformation represents an evolution of state, where the character in question uses the pain of loss, grief and powerlessness to reach a superior level of ability. So although we may have little in common with characters whose hair stands on its end and changes colour as they transform and bulk up, we resonate psychologically with the core idea – that the pain of loss, the fury that it invites (which can often threaten to consume a suffering man) can be channelled to fuel growth and reach a new level of strength.
The Timelessness of Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is adored worldwide and appeals naturally to many young boys, teenagers and grown men who see the core themes of the franchise relevant to their own lives.
The difference between Dragon Ball and other forms of art however, are that the lessons within are presented in a more direct manner than most. Strength and power matter, physical training is a necessity even even for its own sake, mental discipline is key and perseverance in the face of overwhelming difficulty is not just expected, but required, and the willingness to sacrifice oneself for the greater good underlines all. These lessons form the nucleus of much of the masculine aesthetic.
Men have an innate desire to desire strength, we marvel at a well built, moral and disciplined man, so is it any surprise that generation after generation is drawn to the world of Dragon Ball?
Despite its flaws (after all, nothing is perfect), Dragon Ball shows young boys and men alike that the lofty goals they aim at can be achieved with hard work and discipline. This message isn’t masked behind layers of abstraction as is so common with other franchises, battle happens hand to hand, beloved characters die, rage triggers an evolved state of power. These core elements of masculine experience are fundamental enough for most young men to be able to relate to.
Despite these themes being showcased in a world full of superhumans who can transform, destroy planets and conquer galaxies, they remain as obviously true no matter what form they may take.
As Author Neil Gaiman writes:
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
Whatever package the themes are dressed up in, they remain steadfastly true. Evil can and always will be defeated. Heroes will always exist as long as an ounce of courage remains. Justice, temporarily defeated, is still more powerful that the oppression it faces.
But it helps that in Dragon Ball’s case it is one where buffed-up warriors do battle to the death on dying planets.