Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

By Final Forum Podcast

Dragon Ball has a wealth of cultural context and inspiration that’s often overlooked because the fights are cool. Though not averse to fawning over animation and allowing for the Rule of Cool, Jelli a... more

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FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 111 episodes available.

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast episodes:

April 14, 2022Akira Toriyama, The Man, The Myth, The Antisocial Hermit (S1E11)
Jelli and Bekinney take a break form looking at the creations of Akira Toriyama and instead talk about the man himself! Who is Akira Toriyama? Where did he come from? How did he get into manga?
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney try to escape the caves
We talk about Derek Padula, an author who has crafted the first English-language biography on Akira Toriyama in his book Dragon Ball Culture Volume 1
We talk about Toriyama's childhood life
We learn about Toriyama's early obsession with drawing and animation
The influences of a young Toriyama are discussed, especially his enjoyment of Showa-era television and movie entertainment including Godzilla, Ultraman, Osamatsu-kun, Astro Boy, Iron Man Number 28, Doraemon and some early manga by creators such as Osamu Tezuka, and Fujiko Fujio despite not being a big reader of manga himself.
Toriyama's realization that to be a popular anime, you should have a popular manga
Discussion of how Toriyama writes and creates while watching TV and movies
We discuss Toriyama's initial years out of college in a salaryman job and how his non-professional attitude caused him to seek out something more fulfilling
Toriyama's passion for building models and how that allows him to get a 360-degree view of things in order to learn how to draw them
Toriyama's well-known antisocial tendencies and his desire to live as near a hermit lifestyle as possible
Discussion of Toriyama's procrastination tendencies
How a young, budding Toriyama got his first big shot from Kazuhiko Torishima, an editor with Shonen Jump
The fusion of a manga-ka (Toriyama) who doesn't read manga, and an editor (Torishima) who also does not read much manga, and how that led the two of them to create a unique presentation
Brief discussion of some of Toriyama's earliest publications in Shonen Jump including Wonder Island, Today's Highlight Island, Tomato Girl Detective, and ultimately, Dr. Slump
How Arale-chan's glasses became part of her iconic look
How Dr Mashirito, the villain, came to be designed after Torishima
Discussion of Akira Toriyama's Crummy Manga Lab, a series of funny, short manga that were intended to semi-jokingly teach people how to be a manga-ka.
How Toriyama creates Toribot, because of his desire to never be seen in pictures and avoid being recognized by people in public
Toriyama falling in love, getting married, and how a snafu with press on his wedding day leads to his vow to never show his face in public
An anecdote from Chris Sabat, the American voice of Vegeta, about meeting Toriyama in a public setting
We discuss the pros and cons of Toriyama's near-hermitage and whether he owes his fans more
A comparison between Stephen King's approach to writing and that of our titular manga-ka
A comparison between Hideaki Anno's (creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion) approach to creation and that of Toriyama
How Torishima had to push Toriyama along the way to be productive and ultimately create Dragon Ball
How Yoshimi Kato, Toriyama's wife, helped create Dragon Ball with an off-hand comment to Torishima about the manga-ka's work habits
A very brief discussion of how Dragon Ball Super is crafted, as a collaboration between Toriyama and his chosen successor, Toyotarou
and more, including some general pop culture and editorializing, as usual.
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
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1h 6min
March 30, 2022Pilaf Saga: Manga vs Anime (S1E10)
With our March Madness Tenkaichi Tournament behind us and Future Trunks crowned the Basketball Tenkaichi, Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the first arc of the manga, and then have a discussion of the Pilaf Arc to wrap up their review of the initial arc of Dragon Ball.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney find themselves trapped after an unfortunate encounter
Brief plot synopsis of the end of the Pilaf arc and recapping the arc as a whole
A few words about how this was almost the end of Dragon Ball, including sales figures as compared to Dr. Slump, Toriyama's first manga hit.
We ruminate on whether the comparisons to Journey to the West will continue, now that the story will be spinning off into more uncharted territory.
We briefly discuss how Toriyama and Torishima put their heads together to re-invent Dragon Ball moving forward and the lessons they learned from the sales and interest in the manga at this point
We talk about the "arcs" of Dragon Ball and how they differ between manga and anime, because Toriyama himself has never organized or talked about the story in terms of arcs
There is debate about the best name for the Pilaf Arc given that Pilaf is a more minor player overall, and we discuss whether it should be the Goku Arc, lumped into the Training Arc (along with what comes next) or dubbed some version of "The Journey to the West Arc"
We break down the manga in detail, discuss what it did better or worse than the anime, and give some overall scores and ratings
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual.
Join us, as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
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53min
March 15, 2022March Madness Tenkaichi Tournament (2 of 2) (S1E9)
Jelli and Bekinney continue their break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon, and pivot away from tearing into the manga and anime that are the most crucial parts of the Dragon Ball franchise to have a little themed fun!
In this episode:
It's TOURNAMENT SEASON! Kick off your shoes, relax, and listen as we break down 32 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical game of one-on-one basketball.
We discuss the system used for determining outcomes.
We break down our opponents in each matchup.
In the Saiyan Region: Will Goku topple Nappa, will Vegeta defeat Caulifla, who will win when Broly encounters Future Trunks? Can Gohan defeat Bardock?
In the Earthling Region:
Krillin vs Bulma, Android 17 vs Mr Satan, Yamcha vs Nam, Master Roshi vs Android 16
In the Villains Region: Can Frieza out-fox Hit? Will King Cold throttle Cooler? Who is more nefarious, Ginyu (in Dabura's body) or Buu? Will Jiren smash Cell?
In the Deity/Ally Region:
Who will win when Beerus, Mr Popo, Nail, Puar, King Kai, Kabito, King Yemma, and Piccolo all face off?
We take if from the round of 32, down to the Sweet 16, Head into the Elite Eight, jump into the Final Four, and then choose our champion!
Who will reign supreme and be declared the number one under heaven in 1-on-1 basketball?
Join us as we take a break from uncovering the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise and have some March Madness themed fun!
...more
1h 5min
March 01, 2022March Madness Tenkaichi Tournament (1 of 2) (S1E8)
Jelli and Bekinney take a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon, and pivot away from tearing into the manga and anime that are the most crucial parts of the Dragon Ball franchise to have a little themed fun!
In this episode:
It's TOURNAMENT SEASON! Kick off your shoes, relax, and listen as we break down 64 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical game of one-on-one basketball.
We discuss the system used for determining outcomes.
We break down our opponents in each matchup.
In the Saiyan Region: Will Goku topple Tarble, will Vegeta defeat Paragus, who will win when Broly encounters Goten? Will the timeline handle Future Trunks facing off against his younger self? Can Gohan defeat King Vegeta? Can Cabba beat Bardock? Can Kale topple Nappa? Will Caulifla be able to defeat Raditz?
In the Earthling Region:
Krillin vs Yajirobe, Bulma vs Chiaotzu, Android 17 vs Ox King, Android 18 vs Mr Satan, Yamcha vs Chichi, Tien vs Nam, Android 16 vs Videl, Master Roshi vs Launch
In the Villains Region: Can Frieza out-fox Mercenary Tao? Will Hit topple Recoome? Will Zamasu throttle King Cold? Who is more nefarious, Cooler or Pilaf? Who has the mad skills, Ginyu or Dabura? Will Buu beat down Android 19? Will Jiren smash Dr Gero? Can Cell prove to be more perfect than Garlic Jr?
In the Deity/Ally Region:
Who will win when Beerus, Oolong, Korin, Mr Popo, Nail, Elder Kai, Supreme Kai Shin, Puar, King Kai, Gregory, Dende, Kabito, Kami, King Yemma, Piccolo, and Jaco all face off?
BUT FIRST: A little bit of news about the upcoming film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Join us as we take a break from uncovering the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise and have some March Madness themed fun!
...more
1h 24min
February 15, 2022Oozaru, The Great Ape (S1E7)
Return to Monke. Reject modernity, embrace ape.
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 12 and 13 of the anime, "A Wish to the Eternal Dragon" and "The Legend of Goku" then have a discussion about the Great Ape, Oozaru, and its inspirations from kaiju film and television
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney find themselves trapped after an unfortunate encounter
A call is placed for outside assistance
Special Guest: Matt Parmely from the Kaiju Transmissions podcast joins our discussion
Brief plot synopsis of episodes 12 and 13 of the Dragon Ball anime
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
Breaking down the most obvious influence of Oozaru, King Kong and his popularity in Japan, which bolstered that of Godzilla
A debunking of the claim that Kong was Japan's first kaiju via an unearthing of some facts about the films King Kong Made in Japan and King Kong Appears in Edo
What leads most people to claiming these are Japan's first kaiju films, and what we know to the contrary, despite the films being lost forever due to the bombing of Hiroshima
A recommendation to check out the book, Kong Unmade, by John Lemay
How King Kong influence Donkey Kong and Godzilla and Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Toriyama
The original name of Oozaru, kaibutsu-zaru, and its meaning
How the Wolf Man (1941) influenced Oozaru
Discussion of Sun Wukong's transformation abilities and how those literary roots influence Oozaru as well
What Eastern mind-sets about one's consciousness and subconsciousness have to say about Goku's transformation
Why cutting off the tail is the method of de-transformation
A discussion of how the Oozaru form has ceased to be used in more recent years
A bit of praise for Dragon Ball GT for bringing the form back to use
A very brief discussion of what 'canon' is in the Dragon Ball franchise
How the appearance of Oozaru affects all the characters, even the Pilaf gang, and makes them work together to survive
What the most memorable moments of the Oozaru are
How the form does some inversion of tropes and ideas, and potential ideas for how it could further be used for Toriyama's favorite idea of subverting expectations
A plug for Kaiju Masterclass, an online convention, which includes interviews with Ryhuei Kitamura, Bear McCreary, Shusuke Kaneko, and more creators behind the Godzilla, Ultraman, Gamera, Evangelion, and other kaiju, tokusatsu, and related franchises.
and more, including some general pop culture, kaiju trivia, and editorializing, as usual.
Join us, and Matt, as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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57min
February 01, 2022Shenron and The Wish (S1E6)
If you could wish for ANYTHING what would it be? Have you considered the possible negative side effects of your wish? Let's get philosophical.
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 11 and half of 12 of the anime, "The Penalty is Pinball," and "A Wish to the Eternal Dragon" and then have a discussion about the character Shenron, and the concept of being granted a single wish.
In this episode:
Bekinney deals with his carnivorous ear slug
Brief plot synopsis of episodes 11 and 12 of the Dragon Ball anime
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
An analysis of the pinball portion, which is filler and its potential inspiration point from the rock opera, Tommy, by The Who and Elton John's appearance in the movie
A cultural background on East vs West views of dragons
How Shenron is the same as and different from traditional Chinese Shenlong dragons
How traditional Eastern ideas of Dragons lends to the idea of there being magical orbs
The differences between kanji, katakana, and hiragana and how Toriyama uses these systems to give immediate visual cues to listeners
Shenron's potential title as the dragon of god and what that might mean for the future
The significance of the number of toes on Shenron, his antlers, and other aspects of his design
Where the idea of dragons granting wishes originates
What a person's wish reveals about who they are, especially each character in the show
Jelli and Bekinney break down their ideal wishes
The hosts argue about what immortality means in the context of a wish, including how it relates to potential physical damage and ones psychology
How the idea of immortality plays into the concept behind the show The Good Place
How Jelli's wish may tie in to the concept of a character in the Watchmen universe
How the first wish of the show differs from the rest throughout the duration of the show
The fallout of this first wish, and how it influences future actions, including a nod given to Dragon Ball GT and a bit of praise thrown the way of that oft-maligned show
and more, including some general pop culture, Toriyama's use of setting (again), and editorializing, as usual.
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
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...more
45min
January 18, 2022Rabbits, Mochi, Subversion, OH MY! (S1E5)
What do mochi-making moon rabbits have to do with Dragon Ball?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 8, 9, and 10 of the anime, "The Kamehameha Wave," "Boss Rabbit's Magic Touch," and "The Dragon Balls are Stolen" and then have a discussion about the character Boss Rabbit/Monster Carrot, and Akira Toriyama's penchant for subverting tropes and expectations. This episode, released just 3 days after the beginning of 2022, features a discussion of Japan's New Year's traditions!
In this episode:
Our hosts find themselves on a windswept desolate wasteland and report on their findings
Brief plot synopsis of episodes 8, 9, and 10 of the Dragon Ball anime
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episodes
Importance of what these episodes reveal about Goku, including his ability to understand and immediately master the Kamehameha Wave
Goku's inner awareness of his self and his truth
The cultural influence behind the Bansho Fan and how it plays into the quest of Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West
Discussion of the pop culture references from the episodes, including Gamera and how he's a play on Godzilla
Recommendation to check out Arrow Video's releases of Gamera and Daimajin, particularly and especially Shusuke Kaneko's 1990s Heisei Gamera trilogy of films
Discussion of Japan's Mochi Making Rabbit on the Moon, including the legend behind the story and how East Asian cultures see a rabbit in the craters on the moon
We break down the mochi festival that takes place in Japan on New Year's every year
How the episode may reference the Ultraman Taro episode "The Father of Ultra and Son Big Mochi-Making Strategy" and the kaiju Mochiron
How Toriyama employs subversion and his ability to craft both familiar and simultaneously unpredictable narratives
Comparison of Toriyama's use of subverting expectations to those of Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers: Infinity War
Who is better? David Benioff and Ben Weiss or Akira Toriyama?
How subversion of expectations can be done well, with an example using The Shining and Dr. Sleep and the books vs the movies, and comparing it to Toriyama's use of the mochi making rabbit on the Moon.
and more, including some general pop culture, Toriyama's use of setting, and editorializing, as usual.
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
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...more
44min
January 05, 2022Chichi and the use of fan service (S1E4)
Fan Service. Love it? Hate it? Unsure what it is?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they delve further into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 6 and 7 of the anime ("Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls," and "The Ox King on Fire Mountain" and then have our typical in-depth discussion, focusing on the character of Chichi, and ultimately, the use of Fan Service and sexuality in Dragon Ball and anime as a whole.
In this episode:
Our heroes (or cowardly hosts) prepare to land on their first new planet
Brief plot synopsis of the episodes listed above
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the episodes
Discussion of Fire Mountain and its basis in the Turpan Mountain range which is made of red sandstone and through which Xuanzang traveled.
Literary inspiration behind Frypan Mountain from Journey to the West, including parallels between the story of Sun Wukong and that of Goku
We discuss the Ox King and his titles as Demon Ox King and Emperor of Devils, and whether these are official titles.
How the Ox Hermit of Journey to the West compares to the Ox King and how that influences his relationships to Goku and Master Roshi
In-depth analysis of Chichi, Goku’s future wife.
Our ill-conceived notion that she’s a simplistic character, little more than a love interest and wife/mother before understanding how she is more than that
An analysis of how she fits as Goku’s love interest, including their similar dialects and slightly similar backgrounds
How Chichi’s initial appearance is inspired by the Ultraman character, Ultraseven; a character created by tokusatsu legend Eiji Tsuburaya
Recommendations on some Ultraman viewing, including Ultra Q and Neo Ultra Q
The popularity of Lollicon in Japan in the 80s in particular and how that influenced Chichi’s design.
Discussion of Lollicon, the Lolita Complex, a term coined due to the popularity of Vladimir Nobokov’s 1955 novel, Lolita, adapted into a 1962 film by Stanley Kubrick
A discussion about sexuality and fan service in Dragon Ball, and whether the show’s more problematic elements have been acknowledged and/or corrected as the show has pushed forward into new decades, centuries, and millennia.
We try to be unafraid to get our hands a little dirty on this one, and take an unflinching look at one of the more controversial elements of Dragon Ball and in truth, anime in general, and try to contextualize the use of sexuality while also not excusing it when it’s utilized poorly. Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise by analyzing Chichi and the use of sexuality in the franchise.

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42min
December 22, 2021Away We Go! Yamcha, Oolong, and Pilaf (S1E3)
What's in an antagonist? What about Dragon Ball's earliest attempts to get under Goku's skin? Why are we talking about Pinball Wizard?

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they delve further into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episodes 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the anime ("The Emperor's Quest," "The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi," "Oolong the Terrible," and "Yamcha the Desert Bandit" and then have a discussion about the antagonistic characters Pilaf, Oolong and Yamcha.
In this episode:
Our hosts prepare to leave for their mission, again.
Brief plot synopsis of the episodes listed above
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the episodes
A talk about whether the sexuality and sexual humor presented in these episodes are problematic
A quick look at some of the readily obvious differences between the manga and anime
An explanation of Flying Nimbus and its Japanese name Kintoun, which means Somersault Cloud.
An explanation of the effects of Oolong's diarrhea pill, including the differences between the English "piggy piggy" and the Japanese "pipipi"
A look at Emperor Pilaf, and his inner and outer hypocrisy and self-contradictions, most notably his Napoleon complex
A discussion of what Pilaf's clothing means, including its reference to The Who, Tommy and Pinball Wizard.
Who are Mai and Shu, Pilaf's underlings?
We talk about whether Pilaf is a good or bad antagonist.
Deep dive into Oolong, his name inspiration, from a Chinese tea, his connections to the Tang Dynasty, and his literary connections to the character Zhu Bajie from Journey to the West and how this character normally interacts with Sun Wukong and Xuanzang vs. how he interacts with Goku and Bulma
Oolong's ability to transform and his connection to Japanese Oni demons
A debate about whether Oolong is meant to represent communism, Mao Zedong, and/or Kim Jong Il (or Kim Jong Un, or North Korea)
Yamcha, Bekinney's favorite character, and his connection to Journey to the West via the character Sha Wujing a man-eating sand-demon, who is known more as a river-bound character and how Akira Toriyama is subverting the expectation by having Yamcha be a desert bandit
Bekinney's assertion that Yamcha is a Jobber
A discussion of whether Yamcha is a joke and whether that's a bad thing
Puar, Yamcha's constant companion, whose name is also based on a tea
A discussion of Yamcha's status as a Lone Wolf, and his Wolf Fang Fist
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise by analyzing these original antagonists

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52min
December 07, 2021Hi! I‘m Goku! (S1E2)
He's the main character of the show, one of the most important characters in animation history, and a major reason we're bothering to have a podcast, but what do we know about Goku, really?

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they take the first real steps into Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling episode 1 of the anime "The Secret of the Dragon Balls" and then have a discussion about the character of Goku.
In this episode:
Our hosts prepare to leave for their mission
Brief plot synopsis of the episode "Secret of the Dragon Balls"
Brief discussion of favorite moments from the anime episode
Brief analysis of some of the pop culture references including Michael Jackson, Madonna, and 80s fashion included in the episode
Definition of the terms Yokai and Ningen
Introduction to Japanese honorifics
Introduction to Goku as a character, including very briefly his Saiyan roots and birth name of Kakarott
Akira Toriyama's design process in the creation of Goku, including his more monkey-inspired concept, and influences from action starts like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, and other manga and anime characters such as Astro Boy and Merry Melodies and Mega Man
Goku's literary inspirations from Journey to the West: the character Sun Wukong, a key ally to the Buddhist Monk, Tang Sanzang, the literary character based on Xuanzang.
Goku's lack of desire in terms of having a wish for the Dragon Balls, and his inner contented nature.
A discussion of Goku's race
Goku's abilities (or lack thereof) as a father
The inspiration behind Goku's Power Pole
A discussion of whether Goku is overconfident and cocky
A discussion of whether Goku is a "boring" character and the flat character arc including other examples such as Wonder Woman, and Superman - and the similarities and differences between Goku and Superman
How Goku's flat character arc contrasts with more traditional growth character arcs such as those for Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin, and Bulma, and even less traditional arcs like Frieza and Zamasu.
and more, including some general pop culture and editorializing, and an argument over whether Goku is stupid.
This is the first full discussion of a topic of many more along the way as we'll uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
...more
57min

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 111 episodes available.

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