Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Can the Dragon Ball franchise hold up under the scrutiny of an academic treatise? 

We're pivoting once again from simply breaking down and discussing Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and looking at a couple episodes of the show, and instead interviewing a special guest!

In this episode:

• Jelli has given Bekinney the day off
• We have Vincent Haddad, author of the book Next Time on Dragon Ball: Playing with a Manga and Anime Franchise to discuss his work
• Vincent's career accomplishments are highlighted and we breeze through his resume as a scholar of literature and comics
• Vincent provides his "origin story" as a fan of Dragon Ball
• Why Vincent wrote a book vs publishing a paper and whether writing, even in an academic sense, has long been a passion of his
• Discussing the structure of an academic argument and how that type of book is written vs a more traditional narrative structure
• Changes from the initial pitch to the final product
• A deeper discussion on a few key points including a breakdown of the chapter surrounding voice work, comparing American fandom to Spanish-language fandom, and discussing the work of voice actor Mario Castaneda
• Getting into some more controversial topics and Vincent's writing chapters on anti-blackness in Dragon Ball with Staff Officer Black, black identity with Piccolo and black fandom, and sexual identity with chapters on fusion and Trunks and Goten as well as homoeroticism and possible transgender reads
• How Vincent handles negative criticism
• Things left on the cutting room floor
• What's next for Vincent
• The current state of the franchise with Dragon Ball Super: Beerus set to air right before we started recording
• 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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Happy Halloween!!!

In this very special bonus episode, Jelli reads the complete text of Yuki-Onna by Lafcadio Hearn, from the collection Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.

It's Halloween, we wanted to do something special, and we've talked about this story a lot over the past several years.

 

We'll be back to Dragon Ball on Tuesday November 2, with a conversation with Vincent Haddad, author of Next Time on Dragon Ball: Playing with a Manga and Anime Franchise

Is Bekinney a basic b**ch? Or does he have the spiciest takes?

 

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!
In this special Bekinney-only mini-sode we take a complete break from format, and from breaking down Akira Toriyama's manga and anime smash success to continue our October/Halloween Festivities and on this episode, it's all about tournaments. Because of the punching. That's...scary...right?
Sure.
So, what will make Bekinney's Top Ten Dragon Ball Attacks? The pool to choose from is ENORMOUS:
The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai featured Krillin vs Bacterian, Ranfan vs Namu, Jackie Chun vs. Yamcha, Goku vs Giran, Krillin vs Jackie Chun, Goku vs Nam, Jackie Chun vs Goku

The 22nd tournament featured Yamcha vs Tien, Goku vs Panput, Krillin vs Chaotzu, Jackie Chun vs Man Wolf, Krillin vs Goku, Tien vs Jackie Chun, Goku vs Tien

The 23rd tournament featured Tien vs Tao Paipai, Goku vs Chichi, Krillin vs Piccolo, Shen/Hiro vs Yamcha, Goku vs Tien, Piccolo vs Kami, Goku vs Piccolo

The 25th tournament has Trunks vs Goten, Videl vs Spopovich, Piccolo vs Supreme Kai Shin, Gohan vs Kibito, Krillin vs Punta

The Baba tournament has Krillin vs Fangs the vampire, Yamcha vs Fangs, Yamcha vs Mummy-kun, Goku vs Mummy-kun, Goku vs Devilman, Goku vs Grandpa Gohan

The universe 6 vs universe 7 tournament features Goku vs Botamo, Goku vs Frost, Piccolo vs Frost, Vegeta vs Frost, Vegeta vs Magetta, Vegeta vs Cabba, Vegeta vs Hit, Goku vs Hit, Monaka vs Hit

The other world tournament features Olibu vs Chapuchai, Goku vs Caterpy, Torbie vs Tapkar, Mariakoh vs Froug, Goku vs Arqua, Goku vs Olibu, Goku vs Maraiko, Goku vs Pikkon

 

We decided no Cell Games and no Tournament of Power.

 

Bekinney threw all these in a pile and picked out just TEN of his favorites. Who will they be?

Hadouken! Sonic Boom! Anime?

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!

In this episode, Jelli and Bekinney break down the 1994 film, Street Fighter II aka Street Fighter II The Animated Movie aka Street Fighter II The Anime. It's part of our October/Halloween Festivities where we're taking a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and delving into times our franchise's creators have "put on a costume" and worked on other shows and movies. In this case, we're talking about the original voice of Bulma, Hiromi Tsuru (as well as the voices of Mr. Satan, Android 8, and more). 

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney welcome you to October
• We discuss why we chose to look at Street Fighter II
• Production facts and history behind 1994's Street Fighter II, including its place alongside the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme film
• Brief discussion of Gisoburo Sugii, the director, whose credits include Touch, Journey to the West, and The Tale of Genji.
• Tetsuya Komuro, one of Japan's most popular (and infamous) musicians.
• Kazuyoshi Ishii, founder of K1, and his contributions to the film
• Group TAC's work on the movie
• The Street Fighter franchise including its debut cabinet in 1987 and its inspiration from the game Kung Fu Master (aka Spartan X) and a reminder that this game was inspired by the Bruce Lee film Game of Death which inspired Toriyama to create Muscle Tower
• The odd pneumatic system of the original Street Fighter game
• Street Fighter II's 1991 debut
• How the characters M. Bison, Balrog, and Vega have different names in the Japanese vs American versions of the game due to the boxer Mike Tyson
• Voices for Nappa, Turtle, Ox King, Colonel Yellow, Cymbal, Drum, Mr. Satan, Tao Paipai, Burter, and Tien being featured in characters like E Honda, T Hawk (Thunder Hawk), Seno, and Ken
• Hiromi Tsuru's life and career
• Tsuru's thoughts on Bulma's character both initially and over the years
• Tsuru and Masako Nozawa's friendship
• The unfortunate circumstances around Hiromi Tsuru's passing
• The film's release history and editing/censorship over time
• Similarities between this film and the Dragon Ball franchise
• Our thoughts on the Street Fighter franchise
• Our history with fighting games
• Evo Moment #37 or Daigo Parry
• Our thoughts on the new Street Fighter movie from 2026
• ...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....or in this case, the Street Fighter franchise....for our special Dragon Ball-o-Ween event!

 

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Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!
In this special Jelli-only mini-sode we take a complete break from format, and from breaking down Akira Toriyama's manga and anime smash success to continue our October/Halloween Festivities and on this episode, it's all about tournaments. Because of the punching. That's...scary...right?
Sure.
So, what will make Jelli's Top Ten Dragon Ball Attacks? The pool to choose from is ENORMOUS:
The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai featured Krillin vs Bacterian, Ranfan vs Namu, Jackie Chun vs. Yamcha, Goku vs Giran, Krillin vs Jackie Chun, Goku vs Nam, Jackie Chun vs Goku

The 22nd tournament featured Yamcha vs Tien, Goku vs Panput, Krillin vs Chaotzu, Jackie Chun vs Man Wolf, Krillin vs Goku, Tien vs Jackie Chun, Goku vs Tien

The 23rd tournament featured Tien vs Tao Paipai, Goku vs Chichi, Krillin vs Piccolo, Shen/Hiro vs Yamcha, Goku vs Tien, Piccolo vs Kami, Goku vs Piccolo

The 25th tournament has Trunks vs Goten, Videl vs Spopovich, Piccolo vs Supreme Kai Shin, Gohan vs Kibito, Krillin vs Punta

The Baba tournament has Krillin vs Fangs the vampire, Yamcha vs Fangs, Yamcha vs Mummy-kun, Goku vs Mummy-kun, Goku vs Devilman, Goku vs Grandpa Gohan

The universe 6 vs universe 7 tournament features Goku vs Botamo, Goku vs Frost, Piccolo vs Frost, Vegeta vs Frost, Vegeta vs Magetta, Vegeta vs Cabba, Vegeta vs Hit, Goku vs Hit, Monaka vs Hit

The other world tournament features Olibu vs Chapuchai, Goku vs Caterpy, Torbie vs Tapkar, Mariakoh vs Froug, Goku vs Arqua, Goku vs Olibu, Goku vs Maraiko, Goku vs Pikkon

 

We decided no Cell Games and no Tournament of Power.

 

Jelli threw all these in a pile and picked out just TEN of his favorites. Who will they be?

Why are we connecting Dragon Ball to a show from 2022 about anarcho leftists fighting back against a corrupt conservative government? Probably no reason that's fitting with the current sociopolitical times.

Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!

In this episode, Jelli and Bekinney break down the 2022 Japanese television series, Kamen Rider Black Sun. It's part of our October/Halloween Festivities where we're taking a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and delving into times our franchise's creators have "put on a costume" and worked on other shows and movies. In this case, it's a little bit different. We have a long list of reasons for looking at this show, but you'll have to listen to the episode to find them out.

 

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney say hello to Halloween...and a special guest!
• A couple of content warnings: political discussion, detailing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and mentions of assassination
• We discuss why we chose to look at Kamen Rider Black Sun
• A reminder that Kamen Rider ties into the Ginyu Force via Super Sentai, as well as people like Toshiki Inoue, Shunsuke Kikuchi, Riku Sanjo, and characters like Android 16
• A primer on Kamen Rider in general
• Why Toei chose to aim for a more adult-oriented Kamen Rider show
• A bit about some of the show's creators including showrunner Kazuya Shiraishi, Shinji Higuchi (Shin Godzilla, Attack on Titan, the Heisei Gamera trilogy), and Kiyotaka Taguchi (Neo Ultra Q, Ultraman X, Ultraman Blazar, Gemstone Godzilla shorts)
• Unit 731, Japan's secret military scientific research station that experimented on people throughout World War II
• The history of Marxism (socialism and communism) in Japan
• The Freedom and People's Rights Movement
• The Meiji Constitution
• The Japan Socialist Party
• Post-War socialism in Japan as American Occupation forces rebuilt the country literally and philosophically
• The rise of the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party)
• The Shimoyama Incident, and terror attacks on Japan's railway system that led to a mistrust of Japanese leftists
• The rise of the Japan Red Army or JRA and its attack on Lod Airport near Tel Aviv
• Shinzo Abe and his rise to power, politics, and beliefs that led to his assassination
• Japan's history with regards to its treatment of minorities including people of color, foreigners, and the LGBTQIA+ Community
• ...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....or in this case, the Halo trans-media franchise....for our special Dragon Ball-o-Ween event! And of course, special thanks to our friend, Lux Edwards, for helping us with this episode!

Lux Edwards:
https://bsky.app/profile/soulmass218.bsky.social

 

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The Z fighters come up against their worst threat ever....TEENAGERS.

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 131 through 135, "More Androids?!" "Follow Dr. Gero," "Nightmare Comes True," "Goku's Assassin," and "Deadly Beauty." As we continue into the Androids Saga, we discuss Androids 17 and 18.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are back outside space and time
• Senzu don't work on viruses?
• A couple notes on Android 17 solo as well as his personality and his interactions with Goku
• A few notes on Android 18 as her own character including her being platinum blonde
• Torishima's push to create these characters and his reaction and disappointment in their creation
• The sleuthing skills of Von at Manga Barcelona in December 2025 and her discovery from Toriyama's long-time assistant Takashia Matsuyama as to the involvement of Toriyama's wife in the creation of Androids 17 and 18
• Toriyama's thoughts on 17 and 18 as time went on
• Possible inspiration points behind Androids 17 and 18, reminding listeners of Toriyama's use of punk and visual kei in the past
• The emergence of a darker version of visual kei, known as Nagoya Kei with Silver Rose and Kuroyume
• B'z, Japan's highest-selling musical artist of all-time
• 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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What could be more threatening than *checks notes* an elderly man and a porcelain doll?!?!? Wait....what?

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 126 through 130, "The Androids Appear," "A Handy Trick," "Double Trouble for Goku," "Upgrade to Super Saiyan," and "The Secret of Dr. Gero." We get into the Android Saga proper, and discuss Androids 19 and 20.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are ready to leave again
• Vegeta's transformation to Super Saiyan and how it is the mirror of Goku's
• Akira Toriyama's challenge from Kazuhiko Torishima to create different villains for this arc
• Android 19
• Traditional Turkish clothing and its significance in Ottoman history, including its roots as religiously important and into its post WWI meanings
• Traditional Japanese dolls
• Okiagiri-koboshi dolls or basically Weebles
• Gosho dolls and their importance to Japanese culture
• Karakuri dolls, early automata that are puppets without strings
• Android 20
• Gero Jeh-roh, Guh-roh...ruh-roh
• Vomit
• Gero's visual similarities to Albert Einstein, Christopher Lloyd as Emmet Brown in Back to the Future, Dr. Wily from the Mega Man franchise, Victor Frankentsein, and Dr. Rotwang from Metropolis
• Gero's stunning and uncanny resemblance to the Greek general Theodoros Kolokotronis
• 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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The greatest filler episode in anime history PLUS: A very special surprise. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?!?!?!

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 124 and 125:  "Z Warriors Prepare," and "Goku's Ordeal." As we take a look at perhaps the greatest filler episode in anime history.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are ready to leave again
• The best episode of DBZ. Periodt.
• Details about Japan's traffic and road history
• Statistics about car ownership in Japan
• The explosion of paved roadways in Japan from 1950 to 1965
• The commensurate explosion in traffic accidents and fatalities over this time period
• PSAs: what are they, and why were they a thing
• Our super special surprise!
• 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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What happens when the most evil man alive is revealed to just have Daddy issues? No, this episode isn't about Donald Trump; we're talking about Frieza and the revelations that he's a nepo-baby.

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 118 through 123:  "Frieza' Counterattack," "The Mysterious Youth," "Another Super Saiyan?" "Welcome Back Goku," "Mystery Revealed, and "Goku's Special Technique." As we begin the Androids Saga. We discuss nepotism's history in Japan and get into cybernetic enhancements, such as they are in 2026.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are ...back?
• A very good-looking batch of episodes
• Bulma's underrated look
• Gohan's tutor and the meaning behind his name
• King Cold and what he represents
• Nepotism's history in Japan, with the imperial lineage tracing its way back 2600 years, lines of patriarchal succession in the Edo Period, and the continued heritage of "political families" in Japan even in the post-war era
• Toriyama's potential social commentary, but also his potential inspiration points such as Star Wars, the Six Million Dollar Man, and the kaiju film Gorgo
• Mecha-Frieza's possible design inspirations from DC's Cyborg and Marvel's Deathlok
• How this trope has influenced other storytellers moving forward, including, possibly, Star Wars
• A brief history of mecha and cyborgs in kaiju cinema including Gigan, Mechagodzilla, and Zone Fighter
• A discussion of cybernetic appendages and their use in the modern world
• A reminder that current-day cyborg technology is not as cool as it seems in fiction
• 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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