Mr. Popo

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mr. Popo
Kawazu Yasuhiko (2009-present)
  • English:
  • Christopher Sabat (Funimation dub)
  • Chris Cason
    • (Dragon Ball Z Kai, Dragon Ball Super; Funimation dub)

    Mr. Popo (ミスター・ポポ, Misutā Popo) is a fictional character from the

    Chris Sabat
    from 2000 up until 2005.

    Mr. Popo's design and humanoid appearance has been criticized as an offensive racist stereotype by some commentators, such as children's book author and activist

    CW4Kids
    TV broadcast of Dragon Ball Kai.

    Development

    Mr. Popo was initially envisioned by series creator Akira Toriyama as a

    Islamic theology.[1] The early concept art sketches of Mr. Popo are included in the 30th Anniversary Dragon Ball Super History Book published in 2016.[2]

    According to Toriyama, Mr. Popo has served as an assistant to successive generations of gods who preside over Earth in the Dragon Ball universe, suggesting that he existed long before the "Nameless Namekian" arrived on Earth and subsequently serve as the world's guardian deity.[3] Besides being a skilled practitioner of martial arts, Toriyama noted that Mr. Popo is also responsible for crafting the physical appearance of the wish-granting dragon Shenron, originally created by the Namekian Kami" and summoned from Earth's seven Dragon Balls, as it is derived from a figurine modeled by Mr. Popo.[3]

    The North American English releases of the manga series by

    Dragon Ball Z Kai recoloured Mr. Popo's black skin to be blue and his lips orange-yellow in hue.[6][7]

    Voice acting

    Mr. Popo is voiced by

    Blue Water dubs of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. Sabat in particular is fond of the character, and was hopeful that the character would eventually be added into the roster of the popular fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ as part of future downloadable content.[8]

    Appearances

    A supporting character who has few overall appearances within the series, Mr. Popo's duties consist of looking after Kami, tending to his residence, and reconstructing Shenron if the dragon's physical form is destroyed. He also tends to an ancient butterfly garden that he cultivated thousands of years prior to the events of the series. In

    Planet Namek. He then serves Dende
    as his attendant upon the latter's ascension as Earth's new guardian deity later in the narrative.

    Mr. Popo has demonstrated the ability to magically create objects from seemingly out of thin air, for example a

    Son Goten and Trunks
    who have transformed into Super Saiyan form where he holds his own, blocking or dodging several hits and even appearing unfazed after being struck by a kick.

    Controversy and reception

    The Dragon Ball media franchise, particularly the anime adaptation of Dragon Ball Z, has long been popular with

    hip hop culture and art movement.[9][10][11] For many African Americans who grew up watching Dragon Ball anime, Mr. Popo is regarded as the only notable example of black representation in the series.[7][12]

    Mr. Popo's appearance, abilities, and name share many similarities with the Buddhist/Hindu Dharmapala diety, Mahakala. These similarities include:

    Notably, however, Toriyama grew up at the height of the

    African Americans, or a representation of the antiquated racial term sambo.[4]

    While Western commentators have often omitted the Buddhist/Hindu influence on the character, by the early 2000s, some began referring to Mr. Popo as a derogatory stereotype in the style of blackface. In her article written for The Christian Science Monitor in May 2000, Weatherford alleged that Mr. Popo represents a depiction of individuals with African heritage from a white supremacist perspective, and that characters like him are known to a far-reaching audience of children through cartoons and product tie-ins. She suggested that such stereotypical characters could adversely affect the malleable self-image of black children, and noted to her bemusement that "racist stereotypes that would shock Americans don't raise an eyebrow in much of Asia".[16] In 2001, the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University declared that Mr. Popo is an example of a racist caricature in modern fiction.[17] The Jim Crow Museum later published on their official website a letter written in response to their article from a reader who disagreed with their assertion that characters like Mr. Popo are deliberately anti-black in design.[18]

    In a retrospective discussion about the character, Ramsey Isler from

    Civil Rights Movement
    . While Gardner acknowledged the subsequent and substantial changes to the highly divisive character, he found it shocking that Mr. Popo would even appear unaltered in an internationally popular syndicated television show in the 1990s.

    Regarding the alteration of Mr. Popo's skin colour in some media depictions, Jemima Sebastian from IGN noted that the change was made for reasons that could never be fully explained, but that many fans would connect it to perceptions of racism.[6] Cecilia D'Anastasio from Kotaku observed that while there is awareness that the character was not intended to be African-American or inspired by any people with African descents or origins, Mr. Popo's appearance still evokes the image of a "dark-skinned slave with puffy red lips" and the decision to recolour him for American television is indicative of his potentially offensive reception.[12]

    See also

    • Jynx, a fictional species of Pokémon also accused of being a racist caricature

    References

    1. ^ a b c Olivares, Edgar (July 22, 2020). "Mr. Popo originalmente iba a ser un pollo mutante" [Mr. Popo originally was going to be a mutant chicken]. Código Espagueti (in Spanish). Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
    2. ISBN 978-4087925050
      .
    3. ^ a b Sebastian, Jemima (January 20, 2021). "Dragon Ball: ¿quién fue el creador de la imagen de Shenlong?" [Dragon Ball: who was the creator of the image of Shenlong?]. IGN Latin America (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    4. ^ a b c d Isler, Ramsey (April 11, 2008). "What's Wrong With Dragon Ball Z Part Two". IGN. Archived from the original on June 20, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
    5. ^ Gardner, Jack (March 8, 2019). "Dragon Ball Abridged Was Better Than The Anime". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
    6. ^ a b Sebastian, Jemima (October 5, 2020). "Dragon Ball: Mr. Popo alguna vez tuvo la piel azul y no sólo en el anime" [Dragon Ball: Mr. Popo once had blue skin and not only in the anime]. IGN Latin America (in Spanish). Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    7. ^ a b "What Black Anime Fans Can Teach Us About Race in America". August 5, 2015. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
    8. ^ Dennis, Catrina (February 11, 2018). "Christopher Sabat Wants Mr. Popo in Dragon Ball FighterZ". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
    9. ^ Jackson, Gita (November 15, 2017). "Why Black Men Love Dragon Ball Z". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    10. ^ Gramuglia, Anthony (2017). "Why So Many Hip-Hop Artists Love Dragon Ball". CBR.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    11. ^ Osmond, Andrew (October 2, 2020). "Video on Black Representation in Anime Posted By Guardian Newspaper". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 22, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    12. ^ a b D'Anastasio, Cecilia (August 16, 2018). "Black Cosplayers Talk About Self-Doubt". Kotaku. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
    13. ^ English: Mahakala, Protector of the Tent, Central Tibet. Distemper on cloth, 64 x 53 in. (162.6 x 134.6 cm). Mahakala is one of the most popular guardians in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. Here he tramples a corpse while wielding a flaying knife and a blood-filled skull cup, signifying the destruction of impediments to enlightenment. In the crooks of his elbows he supports a gandi gong, a symbol of his vow to protect the community of monks (sangha). His principal companions, Palden Remati and Palden Lhamo, appear to his left, and Legden Nagpo and Bhutadamara are at his right. At lower left is Brahmarupa blowing a thighbone trumpet. He is especially revered by the Sakya order, which commissioned this work. This tangka, one of the earliest and grandest of this subject, can be related to murals preserved in the fifteenth-century Kumbum at Gyantse monastery, central Tibet, likely painted under Newari direction., c. 1500, retrieved March 22, 2024
    14. ^ Rana, Poonam R L. "The sacred Mahakala in the Hindu and Buddhist texts". Nepalese Culture. XIII (1): 77–94 – via www.nepjol.info.
    15. ISSN 0190-8286
      . Retrieved March 22, 2024.
    16. ^ Weatherford, Carole Boston (May 4, 2000). "Japan's bigoted exports to kids". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on October 16, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
    17. ^ Pilgrim, David (January 2001). "New Racist Forms of the 21st Century". ferris.edu. Ferris State University. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
    18. ^ ""Anti-Black Images" in Japanese Animation". ferris.edu. Ferris State University. December 3, 2006. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.

    External links

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