We all frequent message boards and online forums (such as alt.fan.dragonball), and we all contribute as much as we can. Unfortunately, we don't KNOW of all the places people post questions, so it's impossible for us to reach everyone. However, if you're reading this, you at least know where WE are, so it's possible for you to ask us directly.

What we're going for here is sort of an "Answerman" or "Ask John" (from Anime News Network and Anime Nation, respectively). We'd like you to e-mail in whatever questions you may have, so long as it somehow relates to the world of DragonBall; be it the manga, the anime, merchandise.. whatever. We've been around for a few years, now, and we know the ropes... we like to think we know our stuff.

And we want to help. E-mail your questions to VegettoEX@aol.com with the subject "Ask VegettoEX." We'll try to update this section every weekend with at least one question straight from the fans. Thanks!

[ Last Updated: Sunday, 04 July 2004 ]
[ Past "Ask VegettoEX" Archives ]

Q. Since I have refused to watch my DBZ DVD's in their original Japanese format until I have the entire series (yeah, it's kind of a neurotic thing for me) I may have missed over something, BUT, can you please explain the whole Majin Buu and his forms thing for me. Okay, so Kaioshin reveals that Kid Buu is the real Buu, but when he swallowed the Dai Kaioshin he assumed his form and thus became the Fat Buu. Sooooo, if the Fat Buu is supposedly THE Buu, where in the hell did that skinny-looking gray Buu come from. I know he's supposed to represent the "evil" of Buu or something, but it doesn't make any sense, especially later on..... - Kooky Vang

A. Majin Buu and all of his respective forms can indeed be ridiculously confusing. I think we've shown it off before, but it warrants it again; here's the "Majin Buu's Transformations" page from the as-of-yet incomplete "Transformations Guide." We're working on it... I swear! - VegettoEX

Q. I know you're not exactly a manga expert, but can you at least get someone else to answer this question: In the American Viz editions of DragonBall and DragonBall Z, Mr. Popo doesn't have any lips, in comparison to the one Japanese manga that I have. However, in the American Monthly Shonen Jump, he does. What's the deal? Is Viz trying to be anti-stereotype by editing all big lips off of the dark skinned characters? - Gabriel Peralta

A. Well... I didn't believe you at first, but after looking through my Japanese and English manga collections... it's true! Here are some comparison shots from Viz's DB, DBZ, and Shonen Jump, respectively (click any image to full the full-size scan):

As you can see, Viz has actually "blacked out" Mr. Popo's lips (even in Shonen Jump). And even I never noticed this before! Since this appears even in the uncensored DragonBall (remember that DBZ has been officially "censored" since 2000, despite it only coming into effect recently), my best bet is that they were covering themselves in case of a lawsuit. Why, you ask? Because even though he's technically a "genie," Mr. Popo bears a strong resemblance to the "Sambo" character, a parody of a black man by a white in blackface (skin painted black with white gloves and bright red lipstick). In other words, it's a stereotype-filled image that calls to mind, well... overt racism.

What such a depiction is doing in Toriyama's work is anyone's guess, but we can probably chalk it up to another case of the Japanese being insensitive to things like negative ethnic stereotypes (since they don't really have much diversity in their mostly-homogeneous society). Regardless, I can see where Viz is coming from on this, but I personally don't like it... without those lips, it's impossible to tell whether his mouth is open or closed! - Julian

Q. I know that GT wasn't completely made by Toriyama, but I read in Beckett DBZ that he was at least talked to before anything was done, leading me to my actual question: When all the enemies are released from hell, how come Major Metallitron (aka Full-Metal-Jacket) came to life? Isn't he an android (aka robot)? Assistant Black also comes to Earth, but he's in his purple armor suit that he uses to fight Goku in DB. Does this mean that you can really "take stuff with you" when you die? - Gabriel Peralta

A. I hardly think that Toriyama was contacted over every little decision in the show. That said, if you remember, in the very last episode of the series, Giru is "brought back" after Shenlong brings back everyone who had died; so yeah, going by GT logic, even robots can be brought back to "life."

Remember kids... it's not a plothole, it's just GT! ^^ - VegettoEX

Q. In the video game (or video) popularly known as "DragonBall Z OVA", what's the name of the villain? I'm spicificly refering to the red guy on the box of Part 2, but if there are other villains in the movie (not refering to the resurrected, reused villains from pervious DBZ movies), that would be most helpful. ^_^ - Jessica Randall

A. There's Dr. Raichii (the old scientist), and Hatchihyakku (the giant red villain thing guy whatever). - VegettoEX

Q. I was wondering if the Dragonbox Z's have selectable English subtitles. CDJapan addressed that "unless otherwise stated, Japanese DVDs do not contain subtitles." The specs for the DVDs on the site did not say that subtitles are included, yet the boot-leg versions (available at Five Star Laser Hong Kong - the Blue-green and yellow colored ones) contain subtitles. - ian truth

A. No; none of the "Dragon Box" sets have English subtitles. They are Japanese DVD releases for the Japanese market for people who speak Japanese. ^^

And bootlegs... well, those are just crap. - VegettoEX

Q. This is gonna sound INCREDIBLY stupid but... I've been a fan of the site since the old days. I always pronounced the name in my head like "Dai-Zane-Shoo X"... But recently you added kanji and katakana to the banner and it reads "Daizenshuu Ii-Ekusu." So is it "Daizenshuu E. X." or like I originally thought "Daizenshuu X"? I know that's a retarded question. - Suupaa Gohan 2

A. Both the "E" and the "X" are indeed pronounced! Yeah, I think that's partly why we added it to the banner (in addition to it just looking cool, and further making us know like we know what we're talking about); it does remove any confusion there might be ^^;; - VegettoEX

Q. What is your's and Julian's favorite respective episode of DB / DBZ and why? - Suupaa Gohan 2

A. I don't know if I have a favorite episode from the original DB series; if I did, it's probably the one where Ma Junior swallows the jar that he just captured Kami-sama in. I always found that to be utterly creepy and awesome at the same time. As for DBZ, it's definitely 184. SSJ2 Gohan from the Cell Games is easily my favorite character of all time... there's just no getting around it. He kicks major boo-tay .- VegettoEX

A. I actually haven't seen all of DB, but one of my favorite moments has to be in episode 76, when Goku finally realizes that the "stranger" he was fighting was actually his long-dead adoptive grandfather, Son Gohan. It was just touching, really. As for DBZ, Episode 184 has been my favorite for a long time. Gohan had finally stepped into the spotlight, and was ready to kick him some ass (at least until the end of the Cell arc). - Julian

Q. My current favorite anime (though Dragonball of course will always be my true favorite) is Naruto. I've heard that Kishimoto-sensei was inspired as a child by Toriyama-sensei's work. Do you know if this is true? Because I CAN sorta see Toriyama-sensei in the comedy, and I was just wondering if there was any substance to that. - Suupaa Gohan 2

A. In Issue 03 of the American edition of Shonen Jump, Kishimoto mentions (on page 16) that DragonBall is one of his three favorite manga. He even lists it first, so it's definitely something that's at least had some influence on him. Cementing this further is that, in the article that accompanied his "DragonBall Children" image, he talks all about how DB has influenced him as an artist. I haven't exactly gotten around to translating that article just yet, but at some point in the future, I intend to (Oda-sensei's is first on the list, though). - Julian

THIS WEEK'S MESSAGE BOARD DISCUSSION:

Q. Just out of curiousity, does anyone have a complete list (or near complete list) of new attacks shown in GT (descriptions and images would help), and new characters who use pre-existing attacks? - The S

A. Read over the discussion, here! Maybe we can bring Vegeta's all-consuming pride down a couple of notches... :D

We're trying to stay with our weekly schedule for the section... so... e-mail us your questions for next week's update! We love getting all these questions, each week, so the more you send us, the more we can (try to) answer for you!

[ "Ask VegettoEX" Archives ]