Anime Impact. Chris Stuckmann
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right, powerful villains, silly jokes, epic quests, and cosmic adventures in a fantasy realm filled with supernormal powers and science fiction. What more can you ask for? I would watch the same fifty-two episodes on repeat, then again at midnight, and once more on Saturday whenever they’d air them.
Clearly I was a nerd, and because of this I was bullied at school throughout middle school and most of high school. They made fun of me for my appearance, teased me, spit on me, and pushed me against the lockers. This caused me to dislike myself, fear and hate school, become depressed, and fail many of my classes.
But after getting knocked down at school, Dragon Ball Z lifted me up. It taught me to believe in myself. It has an energy and spirit to it. An optimistic ideal that people can change themselves if they work hard enough at it, and to never give up.
Nonetheless, the daily grind wore me down. I was tired, and wished life was like an anime or video game, filled with fun adventures. One day, I tried to run away from home so I could escape the pain. But that only lasted an afternoon because I live in Michigan, and it’s really cold. So, with no other option before me, I tried Plan B.
While dinner cooked on the stove and my parents watched TV, I pulled out a kitchen knife, closed the bathroom door behind me, and held the knife to my wrist.
Killing myself seemed like the best way to end the pain. To end the name-calling, the bad grades, ensuing shame, guilt, arguments, screaming, and endless worry about having to face another day where it seemed no one wanted me.
As I stared into the reflection of my own eyes for one final time, I hesitated. I had the thought, No, I’m better than this. I can do great things. Just keep going … persevere.
The tears rolled down my face as I fell to the bathroom floor. I still had the knife in my hands. I could still do it. Then I thought, No, I can make it another day. I heard my dad call out, “Dinner’s ready!” I wiped away the tears, returned the knife, and acted like nothing happened. I never told anyone.
Only later did I realize what kept me alive. For one, fear. A lot rolls through your mind in that do-or-die moment. Second, I’m a born optimist, and I believe people can change; including those who cause you to suffer. Third, Dragon Ball taught me by example that I have value and hidden potential. That I can be big, strong, and help others. That it’s possible to do great things in life, so long as you endure.
“Goku never gives up!”
Goku taught me there’s a small light buried underneath the lies and notions that other people project on top of us to make themselves feel better. This light can’t be sullied by those types of things, and it’s a light so powerful that it blasts away the darkness. If it weren’t for Dragon Ball Z reminding me of that light, I’d be dead.
Life didn’t magically improve, but after hitting bedrock, I stood back up with a more positive perspective. It was in my junior year when a friend of mine compelled me to “start living DBZ.” By that he meant the martial arts. So I took a Kung fu class. This class transformed my mind, body, and spirit. I became interested in Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian philosophy. I went to Western Michigan University and earned a Bachelor’s in East Asian Studies. I studied abroad in Beijing and trained with the Shaolin monks and tàijí sword masters. I became a different person. Or rather, I returned to who I originally was.
After returning home, I decided to write books about Dragon Ball so that I could give back to the Dragon Ball community and, in turn, Akira Toriyama. By following the example that Goku has taught me, to date I have published nine non-fiction books about Dragon Ball; I have received an apology from the writer of Dragonball Evolution on behalf of the global fandom; I’ve written a live-action web series that gave hope to over thirty-two million YouTube viewers that live-action Dragon Ball can be done right if fans are the creators; I’ve interviewed over thirty official Dragon Ball writers, editors, composers, voice actors, and producers; I’ve discovered countless amounts of lost Dragon Ball lore. I’m now a leading authority on Dragon Ball who is active in the community, delivers lectures at pop culture conventions, and helps fans achieve their dreams every day. That’s the power of not giving up.
My story is not rare. I’ve spoken with thousands of Dragon Ball fans across the world whose lives have been changed or saved by this series. I wrote a book called Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom that contains 108 stories from fans and professionals in twenty-four countries. It features illustrators, voice actors, cosplayers, musicians, actors, authors, painters, philosophers, business executives, and even a Guinness World Record holder for the largest Dragon Ball collection on earth. All of these people prove that Dragon Ball is more than a simple anime.
Sean Schemmel is the English voice of Goku, and in 2015 I asked Sean to explain Dragon Ball’s popularity. He said, “I worked on Dragon Ball Z for years … but I didn’t understand why it was so popular. I couldn’t boil it all down to Americans liking explosions. Like, ‘Yeah, monster trucks are exciting!’ Because not everybody loves the action part of it. ‘So why is Dragon Ball Z more popular than monster trucks?’ ”
Sean went on to describe how he realized that Dragon Ball has morals, ethics, “Buddhist influences, such as the ‘beginners mind,’ and being positive, always destroying evil within yourself and the world.” He says, “That’s why people get hooked on it, and why you can continue to watch it for the rest of your life and still find more to enjoy. The action might pull you in, but as you grow older and continue to watch it, it’s the story, the way the characters grow, and how that relates back to you, that keeps you so interested in it. And that all has to do with what it means to be human, and your own personal path. So, that’s why Dragon Ball is an eternal series that always remains popular, and why we share it with generation after generation.” Sean added: “I owe my life to Dragon Ball.”
Sean’s not alone. Ryō Horikawa is the Japanese voice of Vegeta. I asked Ryō in 2012 if he felt Dragon Ball was a meaningful series. He said, “I think Dragon Ball is something like the Bible. It has a really important philosophy to it.”
Even so, Dragon Ball’s not perfect. Sometimes the animation can be poor, the filler is frustrating, and yes, five minutes of in-universe time can last for ten episodes. Even the author himself said he simply wrote his manga “as pure entertainment,” and nothing more. But therein lies the irony. Toriyama always does the opposite of what fans expect. In this case, by trying to create a meaningless series, he created one that is meaningful. Once Dragon Ball enters your heart, it never leaves. This series is evergreen. That’s why millions of older fans are re-watching the series with their children, nieces, and nephews, so that they can also experience Dragon Ball’s power.
You owe it to yourself to give Dragon Ball a try. It’s the world’s biggest anime for a reason. The art, music, sound effects, action, and martial arts intensity of the series are incredible. That’s what drew me into it as well. Oh, not to mention the memes! But there’s a lot more than meets the eye. So, while you’re looking at Dragon Ball, every so often, look within. You may find a power inside that you didn’t know was there, and a way to unlock your full potential.
Goku, Vegeta, and their friends teach us that if you can change yourself, you can change the world. So, get out there and enjoy the adventure!
Derek Padula is the world’s foremost professional Dragon Ball scholar. He illuminates the real-world historical, spiritual, and philosophical culture of Dragon Ball to enable readers to better understand the series and empower themselves on their own life journeys. His books include the seven-volume Dragon Ball Culture series, Dragon Soul: 30 Years of Dragon Ball Fandom, and Dragon Ball Z “It’s Over 9,000!” When Worldviews Collide. You can find him at thedaoofdragonball.com
Jûichi-nin iru!
— Chris Stuckmann —
They Were Eleven appeared originally as a three-part manga in Shōjo Comic, a Japanese magazine that published manga for younger girls.