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 109 episodes available.

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast episodes:

September 12, 2023Crane Hermit and 22nd Budokai Tenkaichi (S2E17)
What happens when Akira Toriyama takes inspiration from an ancient animal kingdom rivalry to bring a new foe into Dragon Ball?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 83, 84, 85 and 86, "Which Way to Papaya Island?" "Rivals and Arrivals," "Preliminary Peril," and "Then there Were Eight." We begin discussing the 22nd Budokai Tenkaichi, and delve into the Crane Hermit, or Master Shen.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney prepare to leave Kemani
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
How Toriyama became among the first manga ka to incorporate a time skip into a Shonen Jump manga
The possible origins of Konkichi, the green fox
Jelli throws out some movie recommendations including Battle Royale, Kwaidan, and Godzilla's Revenge
How Dragon Ball continues to borrow from Journey to the West
A discussion of durian and papaya, two of the most controversial fruits (if such a thing can be called controversial)
A brief biography of Andre the Giant
Some things to be on the lookout for as the 22nd Budokai Tenkaichi ramps up
And then we delve into the Crane Hermit, his design inspirations from Hideyo Amamoto and Christopher Lee as Fu Manchu, and why Toriyama chose a crane
We wrap up by saying some predictive thoughts about the forthcoming arc
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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...more
1h 3min
August 29, 2023Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle COMMENTARY (S2E16)
What's the deal with these Dragon Ball movies? Would they have been fun theatrical experiences?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by ...jumping off the manga and onto our second feature film commentary!
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney roast some food over a crackling fire
We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castl such as its 1987 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
We talk about the other films released alongside the movie: Metalder, Super Sentai, and Saint Seiya
We delve into the background behind the Toei Manga Matsuri – Toei Cartoon Festival and its inception in 1969 and other such festivals around the country such as Toho's Champion Festival
Contextualizing the box office of the film in terms of a modern-day episode of The Simpsons
Shedding light on Keiju Terui - a Toei staff writer who also worked on Dr Slump and Legend of Zelda
Discussing the film's producer: Chiaki Imada and his career at Toei which began with the release of Tower of Lilies
We discuss the different dubs created for the film by studios such as Creative Products, Speedy, and Funimation
The difference between the 2005 original Funimation release and the 2010 remastered version
Discussing the characters Lucifer and the hunchback and their inspirations from Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr Slump
Breaking down Ghastel from his appearance to his cultural background as a Prince Nezha interpretation from Journey to the West
Talking about Minoru Maeda's career as a character designer for Dragon Ball
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this wickedly fast-paced film
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
1h
August 15, 2023Baba Filler Episodes and Manga Comparison (S2E15)
Our shortest run of manga-anime comparison ever! Will we have enough material to do a full episode?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 78, 79, 80, 81 and 82, "The Eternal Dragon Rises," "Terror and Plague," "Goku vs Sky Dragon," "Goku Goes to Demon Land," and "The Terror of InoShikaCho." We continue discussing the Fortune Teller Baba mini tournament and a few unexpectedly interesting filler episodes, as well as round up with a discussion of the Baba arc in the manga.
In this episode:
Jelli is on an ant-hunt
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
The hidden meaning behind Baba's chanting as she intones the final dragon ball's location
Kazuhiko Torishima's take on Goku's pants being burned
Some Voltron and Power Rangers comparisons
Terror and Plague's similarities to both Journey to the West and Seven Samurai
Jelli and Bekinney discuss Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, and....A Bug's Life? Also The Three Amigos.
The similarities between Goku's clash with Sky Dragon and the films Tiger and Crane Fists and Fist of Fury
The movies being borrowed from for Goku's trip into Demon Land
How Shura looks like the destroyer Shiva, and how Shiva may be repurposed in Super later on
InoShikaCho's inspirations from a popular card game and the influence of said game on anime, including Naruto
And we round it all out with a discussion of the manga and do our usual comparison to the anime
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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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
1h 2min
August 01, 2023Grandpa Gohan (S2E14)
Is this the most emotionally charged moment in Dragon Ball history?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 74, 75, 76 and 77, "The Mysterious Fifth Man," "The Strong Ones," "True Colors of the Masked Man," and "Pilaf's Tactics." We continue discussing the Fortune Teller Baba mini tournament and break down the identity of the fifth fighter, Grampa Gohan, as well as his importance culturally and to the story.
In this episode:
Jelli is on an ant-hunt
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
How Toriyama is subverting expectations by pivoting from Western-Themed monsters to an Eastern-inspired hermit for his fifth fighter
The meaning of Gohan, being cooked rice, how it's colloquially "Let's Eat" in Japan, and how Gohan comes to clash with Toriyama's Sun Wukong-inspired Monkey King
The importance of hermits in Eastern culture and a brief mention of the film Amongst the White Clouds
How Gohan has some minor parallels to Star Wars
An explanation of why a dead fighter needs money
Baba's status as an onmyoji
We talk about Obon, the Japanese festival built around paying homage to one's deceased ancestors, and how important it is to Buddhist culture and future characters in Dragon Ball (Enma Daio, aka King Yemma)
How Toriyama repurposed halos for Dragon Ball
Why Gohan wears a fox mask
An elaboration on Kitsune (fox) in Japanese and Chinese culture
How kitsune are similar to tanuki
Why Japanese culture views foxes as more benevolent than Japanese culture and how foxes became intermingled with the concept of the Shinto god Inari as well as a symbol of Shintoism itself
The importance of a fox fighting a monkey in Eastern culture as a clash of kitsune and saru or even Shintoism vs Buddhism
How foxes relate to No Theater
A Pokémon connection to Ninetails and Vulpix
A Miles "Tails" Prower reference
Toriyama repurposing the fox mask from Dr. Slump
And we look for further examples of the importance of foxes in Japanese pop culture and get into a tangent on the film Pom Poko
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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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
52min
July 18, 2023[Four of] The Five Warriors (S2E13)
Is Dragon Ball in the Universal Monsters pantheon? Is this a crossover?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 71, 72, and 73, "Deadl Battle," "Goku's Turn," and "The Devilmite Beam." We continue discussing the Fortune Teller Baba mini tournament and break down the identities of four of Baba's five champions.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney arrive on a new planet
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
Fangs the Vampire's inspiration points, which are obviously Dracula and Vlad Tepes
How Fangs is a Muai Tai fighter and that is appropriate for his character
A discussion of how Japanese pop culture tends to utilize Western (specifically Christian) religious iconography when telling fictional tales
More Dracula discussion, as we did when we looked at Don Dracula
The Invisible Man and where his name came from, the prime time soap opera Water Door Earth Gate
The background of the song Baba sings to distract Yamcha during his fight with Sukesan
And discussion of the Invisible Man Universal films
Mummy Kun's obvious inspiration points front Boris Karloff's portrayal of Frankenstein and The Mummy
How Toriyama subverted expectations with his mummy by making him nimble
And discussion of mummies in movies, especially the Universal films of the 30s and 40s and the 1999 Brendan Fraser Mummy film which is called by your cohosts "perfect"
Devilman aka Akkuman and his name being derived from Akuma
Why Devilman's evil exploitation ray aka evil expansion beam does not work on Goku
If Goku is pure of heart or just dumb
And a discussion of Devilman, the anime series
We finish up with a discussion of how Toriyama subverts expectations by not using further Universal Monsters and ponder why we did not get a Gillman or possibly a Wolf Man.
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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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
56min
July 04, 2023Fortune Teller Baba (S2E12)
Did Fortune Teller Baba inspire John Wick? Did she? Let's be honest about it...
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 69 and 70, "Who is Fortune Teller Baba?" and "We are the Five Warriors." We pick up the trail of the final Dragon Ball and start to bridge Dragon Ball into the afterlife.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney make a bet
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
The first example of Goku inspiring allies to refocus their training efforts
Breaking down the contradictions of Baba's Palace and how male and female, living and dead, and beauty and desolation mingle
The inspiration behind Obake, Baba's ghost usher, from Obake no Q-Taro and Ultra Q
Goku's classic inability to get ceremonial titles correct
Whether Baba, which means crone in Japanese, is a pejorative term
The history of Fortune Tellers in Eastern culture, including the movie The Lost World of Sinbad (aka Samurai Pirate)
How Baba may be mildly inspired by the Baba Yaga
And then we discuss our main talking point of the day, which is how we feel about this arc really introducing the concept of the afterlife and spirits living beyond life into the Dragon Ball universe
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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...more
45min
June 20, 2023Red Ribbon Manga Discussions and Dogi Talk (S2E11)
Everyone loves a good fit. Why are they IMPORTANT in Dragon Ball though?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 65, 66, 67 and 68, "Confron the Red Ribbon Army," "A Real Bind," "The End of Commander Red," and "The Last Dragon Ball." We put a bow on the Red Ribbon Army, get into breaking down the manga as it compares to the anime, and talk about the significance of Goku's gi
In this episode:
Your cohosts try to unravel a mystery
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
Violet's inspiration from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
More Star Wars influences
Silver, Purple, White, Blue, Yello, Red, Violet, Brown, Copper, Metallic, Black...all defeated by a little boy in Orange
We talk about the importance of Goku's gi, or dogi and why Toriyama chose the color he did, and how the gi he wears is inspired by Chinese dogis and yet differs due to design considerations
Why Goku wears his dogi almost constantly
Commander Red's sometimes Scottish accent is analyzed
More Indiana Jones influences
Red's Napoleon Complex
Then we get into some manga an anime comparison points and look at some shocking filler moments and a few other notes on things like cover art and at least one great pun
A shocking typo (shocking? sure. Why not?)
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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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
59min
June 06, 2023Master Korin (S2E10)
What do tasty snack treat towers have to do with all-knowing cat hermits?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 61 62, 63 and 64 , "Korin Tower," "Sacred Water," "The Return of Goku," and "The Last of Mercenary Tao." We continue discussing the Red Ribbon Army, and dig deep into the character of Master Korin (or Karin) and the inspirations behind this master hermit cat.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney have been taken aboard a Frieza Force medical vessel
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
Korin Tower's inspirations from a fried snack treat in Japanese cuisine to Muscle Tower as well as Buddhist zutapos and pagodas
Korin Tower's similarities to Star Wars as well as its Native American inspirations
How Korin Tower is similar to a Tree of Life
Korin (Karin) and his inspiration points, including Akira Toriyama's cat
How Korin is a pun on Corn because the dub staff was unaware of Karinto (the Japanese treat)
Why Korin is a cat
The inspiration behind the filler sequence with the jars that show past present and future
The significance of the centipede in the future jar, including Omukade, a famous yokai
Goku's zen teachings continue and his wuxing remains on display
Then we discuss Trees of Life, the Bible, Terrence Malick, The Northman, and how Korin fits into the Dragon Ball universe and our thoughts on him as a character and how he compares to Master Roshi as a mentor
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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...more
58min
May 23, 2023Tao Pai Pai aka Mercenary Tao (S2E9)
THE. SINGLE. GREATEST. MOMENT. IN. DRAGON. BALL. HISTORY?!?!?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episodes 59 and 60, "The Notorious Mercenary," and "Tao Attacks." We continue discussing the Red Ribbon Army, and dig deep into the character of Mercenary Tao.
In this episode:
Jelli is punishing Bekinney for his insubordination
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
Mercenary Tao's points of inspirations, from the films Drunken Master and Snake in Eagle's Shadow
Tao's long hair braid and its implications from the Qing Dynasty
Tao's Kill You motto and the kanji on his shirt
Tao Pai Pai's meaning: Peach White White, and how that impacts his character implications, especially how the Peach is important in Chinese culture
The attempt of the dub staff to create a food pun based on the Chinese food dish General Tao's Chicken (aka General Tso's Chicken)
The possible inspirations behind the pillar toss
The cultural heritage behind the Dodonpa from Shaolin fighting styles and Japanese poetry
How Tao and Goku differ, beside the obvious "good vs evil" comparisons"
And we discuss other characters throughout fiction who are similar to Tao Pai Pai
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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https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
53min
May 09, 2023Bora, Upa, and Indigenous Peoples in Dragon Ball (S2E8)
What happens when a creator from a racially homogenous society tackles the intricacies of indigenous peoples in North America?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by breaking down episode 58, "The Land of Korin." We continue discussing the Red Ribbon Army, and get into how Indigenous People are portrayed in Dragon Ball and why they are portrayed that way.
In this episode:
Jelli remains convinced he is having a nervous breakdown as Bekinney attempts to get him to notice that they're standing in the same spot
We recap the episodes and discuss our favorite moments
We talk about the locale of Korin Tower
Attempting to contextualize where Akira Toriyama's knowledge of indigenous peoples comes from
Dunking on Disney, and specifically Peter Pan for their own depictions of American indigenous people
Discussion of the Noble Savage trope
Whether Bora and Upa are Comanchee or Navajo
A bit of Bora trivia including inspiration from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Outlaw Josey Wales
Discussion of the problematic depictions of indigenous people in Looney Tunes
Whether Bora and Upa have names based on puns, as is typical for anime
Our overall discussion for the day, which focuses on how indigenous people have been depicted in media over the years, including modern day depictions such as Reservation Dogs and Prey
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.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
54min

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

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

The podcast currently has 109 episodes available.

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Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

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

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast episodes:

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

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

More shows like Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

The Joe Rogan Experience

Retronauts

This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Trash Taste Podcast

Club Shay Shay