Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z FAQ
From the Valley
be another FAQ other than the one he's working on, so I guess I'll start with
current list of questions I've received.
To all DB/DBZ fans: Please send any questions you've ever had/heard/wondered
about DB/DBZ to me (gw...@csupomona.edu), don't worry about if the question has
been repeated before... I'd actually like to see repeated questions, so I can
rank the questions accordingly (it IS a FAQ, afterall). I will post whatever
I've got next Monday.
--
Glenn Wang <gw...@csupomona.edu>
****************************************************************************
"I won't forget (this sky) R "Fuurinkan Koukou wa doko da?"
I won't forget (this dream) A "hito yonde, Fuurinkan Koukou
the gentle seasons I now share with you. N no Aoi Ikazuchi"
In sadness (the days I shook and), M "setsumei shito moraoo ka,
In joy (the days I cried), A Ranma-kun?"
these are important memories." _1_"kawaikunee, iroke ga nee"
-Full of Memories (1990) 2 "meiwaku da wa!"
****************************************************************************
From the Valley
you can get an idea of what's coming, and perhaps be reminded of any other
questions that you've heard before...
As you can see, I've not yet answered these questions. I actually know the
answers to most of these questions, and I'd be lying if I said there isn't a
question in here that I don't know the answers to.
JFYI, I will be using the available resources of my manga collection
(obviously), the many DB/DBZ related files done by Curtis Hoffman (like the
DB Primer), Gautama Buddha's DB Family Tree, Rika Takahashi's DB Names Puns,
and my recollection of my own DB Timelines (what an idiot I was to delete
that file... lucky it wasn't that long).
Also, I will most likely be changing the format of the index to be like the
one I used for my Ranma 1/2: Super Battle FAQ (shameless plug!!! ^_^;;),
which I think would be a better alternative to the current "Outline" format,
especially if you use "search" to see the questions you want answers to.
Of course, more questions (and if you wish, you can include the answers) are
welcome, as well as any suggestions.
------Begin DB/DBZ FAQ------
Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z FAQ v0.01
I. Index
II. The Frequently Asked Questions
A. General Questions
1. What is "Dragon Ball"?
2. I've heard about "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z," are they
the same, or is there a difference?
3. Why are there so many different spellings for the characters?
4. Where can I find synopsis/translations for DB/DBZ?
5. Where can I find the FAQ for DB/DBZ?
6. What CDs for DB/DBZ are currently available?
7. What DB/DBZ related video games are there?
8. How many DB/DBZ movies are out there, and what are their
titles?
9. How do the movies relate to the anime/manga series?
10. What kind of Dojinshi is out there?
B. Dragon Ball Questions
1. What are the characters' names in Dragon Ball?
2. What are the relationships between these characters?
3. What do the names mean?
4. What martial arts techniques do these characters have?
5. Why does Goku have a tail?
6. How can Goku turn into a were-monkey?
7. What happened to Goku's tail?
8. what were the results of the different Tenkaichi Budokai(s)?
9. What are the rules/restrictions of the Dragon Balls?
C. Dragon Ball Z Questions
1. What are the characters' names in Dragon Ball Z?
2. What are the relationships between these characters?
3. What do the names mean?
4. What martial arts techniques do these characters have?
5. How can Goku turn into a were-monkey?
6. Whatever happened to Lunch?
7. What are the rules/restrictions of Namek's Dragon Balls?
8. What does "Saiya" mean?
9. What is a "Super Saiyajin"?
10. What are the qualifications for a "Super Saiyajin"?
11. How is Freeza defeated?
12. How can Vegeta become a Super Saiyajin?
13. How has time-travel affected the timeline(s)?
14. What are the different forms of Piccolo?
15. What are the new rules/restrictions of earth's Dragon Balls?
16. How is Cell defeated?
17. How can the kids become Super Saiyajin so easily?
18. What is "Super Saiyajin 3"?
19. How did Mr. Satan win the Tenkaichi Budokai?
20. What is the "Fusion-waza"?
21. What are the new rules/restrictions of Namek's Dragon Balls?
22. How is Buu defeated?
23. Why is Goku so happy to leave his family to train Ubuu?
D. Series Questions
1. How many episodes are in DB/DBZ?
2. How come so many characters don't have mothers?
3. When did Toriyama-sensei really intend to end Dragon Ball?
4. Who has never died in the entire series?
5. What's this I hear about the new "DBZZZ"/"DB-GT" series?
III. Credits and Acknowledgements
------End DB/DBZ FAQ------
The actual forms of the questions I've received thus far:
suk...@netcom.com (Gautama Buddha), Capsule Corporation:
>Whatever other questions people may come up with, the VERY FIRST FAQ (I'm
>not kidding here :) needs -- no, BEGS -- to be:
>
> "Why can't anybody spell the characters' names right?"
ni...@eden.com (Nick ):
>Explain the Levels of Super Saiyajin
>Who are the different piccolos
>Lack of mothers for many characters (Chichi, Biideru, etc)
>Lists of Attacks and Techniques
>Synopsis of each Tenkaichibudoukai
>Character List
>Family Trees
>Video Game Info
>Translations of cool phrases ("shobu da! Kakarotto!")
I don't know where I should put this question... Suggestions are welcome.
>What ever happened to Ranchi after she was seen rich and drunk while Gokuu
> was fighting Bejiita?
>CD Information
>Where to find synopsis, translations, etc
>Where did Toriyama originally intend to end it?
>What kind of Doujinshi is out there?
So as you can see, so far I've only gotten question submissions for Gautama
Buddha and Nick, the rest are from the posts I saw on RAA and RAM (present
and past), or happen to remember from somewhere unknown...
Ja ne!
--
Glenn Wang <gw...@csupomona.edu> *Grammar un-checked to cause you confusion*
"If God had intended Man to smoke, He'd have set him on fire."
###########################################################################
# "No, Joey, `OMNipotent'." # "To be is to do." -I. Kant #
# "Oh you are? I'm sorry, Ross." # "To do is to be." -A. Sartre #
# -Ross & Joey, Friends # "Yabba-Dabba-Doo!" -F. Flintstone #
#===================================#========#============================#
# "I ran into my ex-girlfriend yesterday... # "I *am* pure... #
# Then I backed up and ran into her again. # ...pure EVIL!" #
# I miss her sometimes." -Jeff Ross # -Vegita, Dragon Ball #
###########################################################################
Gautama Buddha
From the Valley <gw...@csupomona.edu> wrote:
>Of course, more questions (and if you wish, you can include the answers)
>are welcome, as well as any suggestions.
Here's a few (answers included! I'm such a great guy) I dredged up out of
my subconscious this afternoon. Naturally, since Glenn is editing this
monster, the final word is up to him -- but discussion is probably a good
idea anyway. Modifications, etc. enthusiastically solicited. What do YOU
think? More than that, can YOU do better?
Q. Why are there so many different spellings for the characters?
A. Well, this really stems from one basic difference between Japanese and
English: the two languages don't exactly map directly to one another. There
is no "l" sound in Japanese, or "v". Now normally, using purely Japanese
words, you'd never run up against this problem -- but many of the names and
places used in Dragonball are NOT Japanese. They're derived from English.
Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragonball, started out drawing gag manga.
He considers himself quite the punster in English, and sometimes the jokes
actually work ^_^ But in the transition from English -> Japanese, things
get mangled. Translating them BACK from Japanese -> English only makes
things stranger, and often more than slightly ambiguous.
EXAMPLE: Vejita. Derived from english "vegetable". There is no "v" sound
in Japanese, or a hard "g", so it's approximated as (be)(ji-)(ta). This
makes all of these:
Vejita (what was intended)
Vejiita (drawing out the ji)
Bejiita (one way of interpreting the kana)
Begeeta (another way)
Vegeta (yet another way)
... and any combination of these equally valid, depending on how closely
you care to follow the kana.
EXAMPLE 2: Kuririn. This one's more difficult, since it WASN'T originally
based on an English pun. There is no direct English analogue to the
Japanese (ri) -- it's a little like li, except you trill the tongue just a
bit ... oh hell, take a Japanese class. Anyway, the kana is (ku)(ri)(ri)(n).
This makes these:
Kuririn
Kuriryn
Kulilin
Kririn
Klylyn
... and more all perfectly legal. Toriyama makes the problem worse by not
sticking to a single English spelling /himself/, so we really don't have a
canonical leg to stand on, so to speak. The practical upshot of all this
being that rather than argue semantics for the rest of our natural lives,
it's probably best to just pick your favorite spelling and run with it.
Q. What is this ki/chi stuff? How do the characters use it? What are
those cool monacles Saiyans wear over their left eyes?
A. "Ki" is a concept kind of similar to life energy, a little bit like an
aura, a little bit like a skill, a little bit like a power source. Ki
eminates from within yourself, can be pumped up, and, with some training,
can be shaped, thrown, sensed, transferred, and utilized in a variety of
methods, depending on the school you learned from. Almost all of the
"energy blasts" you see in Dragonball are actually condensed, shaped ki.
Everyone, including plants and animals, have SOME ki. Most people have
very tiny amounts. Fighters, Martial Artists, some aliens, and other
people who have learned ki control and mastery naturally have more. Using
certain techniques (Tenshinhan's Ki-ko-ho, for example) it is possible to
release ALL of your ki during the course of a battle, at which point you
die. Certain other techniques allow for the masking of ki -- to seem as if
you have far less than you actually possess. This can be a critical tactic.
Ki techniques are really only limited by the imagination of the user.
Those cool monacles are called Scouters. The Saiyajin evolved on a planet
along with another humanoid species that were far more technologically
advanced than they were. This other race developed the Scouter: a personal
multipurpose communication device, capable of locating, quantifying and
rating ki sources within the area. (Of course they didn't call it "ki",
they called it the "battle power rating".) Basically, it's a technological
answer to the ki sensing skill. And naturally, the Saiyans wiped the other
race out and took their tech.
Q. How did Goku's tail come back after it was cut off? Why did Vejita's
tail never grow back?
A. It's a mystery. Sometimes they grow back, sometimes they don't.
Goku's always seemed to reappear at *exactly* the most fortuitous moment,
so the circumstances the Saiyan is in may have something to do with it.
Finally Kamisama had to pull it out at the root to stop it from regenerating
ever again. Why Vejita's hasn't yet ... nobody knows. It's possible he's
never been placed in a position where having it back would be incredibly
useful.
--
| DBZLF/DRA: Dragonball Z Liberation Front/Dubbing Resistance Army /-/\-\
| Dragonball Hunter Rockear | suk...@netcom.com | Trunks@AnimeMUCK /-/--\-\
| "Don't be mean ... the fates are cruel enough." -- BB, MD, PhD /-/----\-\
-`- -'-
Brian Keesler
: ... and more all perfectly legal. Toriyama makes the problem worse by not
: sticking to a single English spelling /himself/, so we really don't have a
: canonical leg to stand on, so to speak. The practical upshot of all this
: being that rather than argue semantics for the rest of our natural lives,
: it's probably best to just pick your favorite spelling and run with it.
Sorry here, but Toriyama does keep the same spellings for characters.
With the only exception I can think of being Gokuh/Goku, as I've seen it
both ways from him. It would be much easier and more uniform for the faq
if it were to use Toriyama's spellings for the characters.
Later,
Anime Crisis
The Kame House Staff
Gog...@wizard.com
Watch out for the Dragon Ball Party Room(tm)'96 North American Tour.
Over 150 Episodes
All the Movies
All the Specials
ALL SUBTITLED!!
Coming soon to a con near you.
Donald Wang
gog...@snark.wizard.com (Brian Keesler) writes:
>Gautama Buddha (suk...@netcom.com) wrote:
>: ... and more all perfectly legal. Toriyama makes the problem worse by not
>: sticking to a single English spelling /himself/, so we really don't have a
>: canonical leg to stand on, so to speak. The practical upshot of all this
>: being that rather than argue semantics for the rest of our natural lives,
>: it's probably best to just pick your favorite spelling and run with it.
>With the only exception I can think of being Gokuh/Goku, as I've seen it
>both ways from him. It would be much easier and more uniform for the faq
>if it were to use Toriyama's spellings for the characters.
Nope, I hate to say that you're wrong. I have several instances in the manga
(right in front of me) that shows different spellings of Kuririn and Goku
(during different parts of the manga, of course).
Okay, on with what I really wanted to say--
If any of you have read my previous message (not of the same thread), my Cal
Poly account has been cancelled (gw...@csupomona.edu), and I am using my
brother's account temporarily (just for now, actually). I will still be
working on the FAQ, but it won't be close to 60% complete by Monday. If any of
you has sent me e-mail, please re-send them after I post up my new address.
Thanks. Oh, and please don't send any of your responses to my brother--he has
enough mail from the ML(s) he's getting as it is, so I wouldn't want to bother
him with messages to me, too.
BTW, anyone want to volunteer to do certain sections of the FAQ? We'll
actually have to talk later (when I do get my new account set up), but you can
post which sections you would like to work on. Also bear in mind that I will
most likely edit things that you wrote in the FAQ if you do decide to
volunteer.. so if you don't want that, start your own FAQ ^_^;;
(Oh, and Gautama Buddha, I liked what you had from your last post, I'll
probably merge parts of it with my FAQ when I get the new account...
Also to let everyone know the progress of the FAQ, I have decided to add a
Timeline (based on Curtis Hoffman's DB Timeline, not the time-travelling
timeline I mentioned earlier) to the FAQ, and that is what I'm working on right
now, and I've answered about 70% of the General Questions (others I don't know
the answers to off the top of my head, and haven't checked all the available
resources yet). I've once again modified the section layout, and added some
crude ASCII art...
That's about it. Expect to see a very incomplete (but hopefully better than
just the list ^_^;) FAQ on monday afternoon/evening.
L8r.
Glenn Wang <>
No sig.