Dragon Ballis one of the most popular anime franchises in history, having garnered millions of fans over the last several decades. However,not everything about the series’ long run has aged as gracefully as its popularity may suggest. There are some scenes, especially inDragon Ball’searly run, that perpetuate outdated social norms and stereotypes when viewed from a modern perspective.
Dragon Ballwas created during a time when certain issues around representation and social awareness werenot as widely discussed as they are now. Due to this, many scenes, including moments, feel uncomfortable today. It’s important to recognize these instances not to diminish the series’ legacy but rather to acknowledge how far cultural awareness and storytelling have come.
10Master Roshi’s Inappropriate Behavior
Master Roshi Is A Beloved Character, But He Tends To Take It Too Far
Master Roshi is known in part for his perverted behavior at the expense of the female characters in the series. Roshi’s behavior is intended to come across as humorous, yet he crosses multiple boundaries, andit becomes uncomfortable to watch. When viewed with a modern lens, his actions instead normalize harassment in the media and scapegoat it by writing it off as humor.
Yamcha Stole His Most Infamous Dragon Ball Scene from Goku
Literally Yamcha’s only claim to fame is dying in an incredibly pathetic way, and even that isn’t fully his as he stole that infamous scene from Goku.
What makes his actions more shocking is thatRoshi is supposed to be a wise mentor, providing guidance to young characters like Goku and Krillin. However, his entire personality is overshadowed by his inappropriate behavior, eclipsing his otherwise admirable qualities.
9Goku Patting People To Check Their Gender
None Of The Dragon Ball Characters Were Okay With Goku’s Actions
In the early days ofDragon Ball, Goku picked up the invasive habit of patting other characters to check their gender. While this is supposed to come off as innocent curiosity, it instead becomesone of the most awkward aspects of his character. His rural upbringing and lack of understanding of societal norms are meant to be part of his humor, but the gag drags on for far too long and becomes majorly uncomfortable to watch.
Dragon Ballis a product of its time, and modern audiences can understand the importance of recognizing boundaries and how invasive Goku’s actions are. Chi-Chi, Oolong, and Nam all express distress when Goku touches them, yet their reactions are supposed to come across as comedic. Looking back,this recurring gag is clearly outdated, and the disregard for personal space and consent must be acknowledged.
8Toriyama’s Depiction Of POC Characters Was Often Made With Racist Stereotypes
Even If It Wasn’t His Intention To Be Harmful, It’s Important To Recognize Past Mistakes
Dragon Ballisn’t the most diverse when it comes to its cast of characters, but when the storyline did include POC characters, they unfortunately fell short. When discussing black characters inDragon Ball,most people think first of Mr. Popo, and the argument is often made that he isn’t meant to be a normal human. However, there are other black characters that do appear, and they sportexaggerated and stereotypical featuresthat are rooted in racism. The most known and remembered of these characters is Killa, or Officer Black from the Red Ribbon Army.
Revisiting and understanding the choices behind the depiction of these characters is important to learn and grow past harmful tropes in order to create characters that are both diverse and genuine.
These depictions show how older media did not yet have a deeper understanding or respect for the importance of representing other cultures and maintaining diversity. While this in no way means that Toriyama himself was racist,it does reflect the global lack of inclusivity and recognitionof harmful stereotypes. Revisiting and understanding the choices behind the depiction of these characters is important to learn and grow past harmful tropes in order to create characters that are both diverse and genuine.
7Depictions Of Gender And Sexuality In The Manga
LGBTQ+ Identities Were Treated Without Respect Early On In Dragon Ball
Continuing with outdated and harmful stereotypes,Dragon Ballincluded moments that have long since been archaicregarding gender and sexuality. One notable example is Bulma and General Blue’s interaction. Upon realizing his lack of interest in her, Bulma assumes that Blue is gay and tells him that she’s actually a man. To this, General Blue retorts by calling her “sick” and a “freak of nature,” turning sexual and gender orientation into a punchline.
Moments like this display a time in whichLGBTQ+ identities wereoften mocked, looked down upon, and dismissed in mainstream media. While at the time, these moments were intended to come off as harmless humor, they now represent a time when all types of media continue to push prejudice and misinformation. Modern audiences are far more attuned and educated to understand these issues and recognize that portrayals like these are harmful and damaging representations.
6Android 18’s Role Post-Cell Saga
Android 18 Deserved To Have More Time To Show Off Her Strength And Prowess In Battle
Android 18 was introduced asa powerful character during the Android and Cell Sagas. When she was first introduced, she single-handedly destroyed Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form and took down the rest of the Z-Fighters with Android 17. However, after her role in the Cell Saga,her character was pushed to the sidelinesdespite being one of the most powerful fighters and instead became focused on her domestic life. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting a calm and quiet life, it feels like a missed opportunity to have a female character as part of the main circle of warriors.
Sidelining Android 18 was also part of a recurring trend inDragon Ball,where strong female characters, like Chi-Chi and Launch, were pushed out of the combat-driven narrative. Even though she has immense combat skills,18 was rarely given opportunities to shine in battlesand only returned to fight in the Universe Survival Saga inDragon Ball Superbefore being sidelined again.
5Old Kai Is Too Much Like Master Roshi
Both Old Men Shouldn’t Be Allowed Anywhere Near Women
Old Kai is supposed to be an ancient and wise god with the ability to unlock Gohan’s latent potential, buthis behavior quickly reminds fans of Master Roshi. Much like him,Old Kai is inappropriate and has perverted tendenciesthat are played off for laughs. However, it instead undermines his credibility and pushes a harmful narrative that behavior like his is okay or remotely normal.
His insistence on a kiss from Bulma after being promised it without her permission feels out of place for someone who is supposed to be a celestial guide.
Old Kai could have been a purely mystical figure andcould have been just as compelling as a character without his lack of respect towards women. The recurring pattern of inappropriate humor often comes at the expense of female characters inDragon Ball, and while the trope may have been more accepted when the series first began, it now feels dated and unnecessary.
4Oolong Kidnapping Girls And Forcing Them To Marry Him
A Classic Folktale Plot That Was Too Outdated Even In The 1980s
When Oolong was first introduced,he was labeled as a monster who kidnapped young girlsand forced them to marry him. While it’s later revealed all the girls are fine and taken care of,the concept itself hasn’t aged well. Instead, the series treated it as a punchline, which softened the severity of his behavior and positioned his victims as comedic set pieces rather than as people with autonomy.
This small subplot is a perfect example of howDragon Ball’searly humor walked a thin line between harmless and problematic. While the series evolves past Oolong’s troubling introduction, it remains a reminder of how the show sometimes pushed its humor a bit too far.
3Bulma Showing Off Too Much To Master Roshi When She Was Still A Minor
This Became One Of The Most Uncomfortable Scenes In Dragon Ball
Early on inDragon Ball,there was a very uncomfortable scene in which Bulma unknowingly reveals too much to Master Roshi. First of all, at the time,Bulma was only sixteen years old, making the scene all the more uncomfortable and pedophilic. Secondly, Roshi essentially coerced her into showing him her underwear in exchange for the Dragon Ball he wore around his neck. The scene is intended to play off the humor of Roshi’s perversion, but it eventuallybecame one of the scenes that aged most poorlyas modern audiences can understand the ramifications.
Unfortunately, this scene makes Bulma the target of objectification and is only one of the many scenes that turn her from a person to little more than an object of desire.Dragon Ballwas created during a time when these issues weren’t widely talked about, and Toriyama himself likely did not intend any harm. Even so, it’s important to remember thatdiscussing and noting scenes like this is necessary.
2Gohan Taking Part In Battles As A Child
Gohan Became A Child Soldier In Dragon Ball Z And Was Prized For His Potential
Gohan wasintroduced to the series when he was four years oldand was immediately drawn into life-or-death battles. At the beginning ofDragon Ball Z, he was kidnapped by Raditz and lost his father due to the incident. A year later, he was thrown into combat against Nappa and Vegeta, where he watched his father’s friends and his mentor die one by one. While Goku also faced life-or-death situations at a young age, he wasn’t quite as young as Gohan was, nor was he raised to be a gentle boy like his son was.
Gohan is a powerful character, but it’s hard to ignore the effects these events had on him as a child.
Gohan was positioned to be exceptionally powerful with the potential to become stronger than Goku,but being exposed to extreme circumstances early on in life is alarming. During the Cell Games, despite his young age, he is expected to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders and, again, has to lose his father. Gohan is a powerful character, but it’s hard to ignore the effects these events had on him as a child.
1Bulma Is Often Being Objectified
Bulma Has A Lot Of Depth As A Character But Is Reduced To An Object Of Desire
Bulma is one of the most intelligent and resourceful characters inDragon Balland yet isoften reduced to her physical appearancethroughout the series. She often either tries to use her looks and femininity to usher characters into helping her or she becomes objectified by other male characters. These moments are framed to be comical and lighthearted, but with a modern lens, it instead shows a pattern of sexualizing women even if they have a solid background like Bulma.
When viewed today, it can be seen asportraying women as objects of desire and curiosity rather than people with boundaries. There are many scenes involving Bulma that have become uncomfortable for modern audiences due to the disregard to her individuality and the way she was often treated as a prop. WhileDragon Ballstarted off as a gag manga, it is still important to note the aspects that have not aged as gracefully as the rest of the series and understand that, while not intended, there are harmful stereotypes and depictions.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
