| DB001. Bloomers and the Monkey King |  |
|---|---|
| Tankōbon No. | Dragon Ball 01 (01) |
| Tale No. | DB001 (001) |
| Characters | Son Goku, Bulma & a Pterosaur Hybrid. |
| Previous: N/A | Next: DB002. No Balls! |
Summary[]
Son Gokus first appearance.
The first chapter of Dragon Ball introduces the protagonist Son Goku and long standing staple character, Bulma. Son Goku meets Bulma through unlikely circumstances, after living in the eastern mountains alone since the death of his 'grandfather' (Son Gohan). Bulma locates his house in search of the dragon ball in his possession. However, he's unwilling to let her have it due to it being the last possession of his grandfather's that wasn't destroyed when he died. So, she invites him along on her quest instead with the ulterior motive of using his freak-ish strength to protect herself, and take his ball at the last moment knowing full well that it would scatter across the world when the wish was granted.
The following were introduced in this chapter:
- Arushinchu
- Ball Detector
- Bulma
- Bulma's Car
- Bulma's Scooter
- Dragon Balls
- Eastern Mountains
- Fish
- North Valley
- Nyoi-Bo
- Oshinchu
- Pterosaur
- Son Goku
- Son Gohan (Elder)
- Sushinchu
Transcript[]
Long, long ago. In a deep, dark forest far from civilization, beyond a towering range of... Well, you get the idea. It's the kind of place a story like this has to begin... SON GOKU- Hey, bro! Wuzzup?!
Hnnnnnnn... Nyah!!! Prepare to die!!! Hi-yaa!!! No escape!!!
That takes care o' the wood-choppin'! Only now I'm hungry...
Hey, Grampa... I'm gonna get me some grub. What'd be good today...
BULMA- Got to be right... Around... Here... Or maybe a little more to the west...? Anyway, I'm close... I'm close!
SON GOKU- Just had bear the other day... Wish I'd bump into a tiger... Oh, yeah! Fish! I forgot about fish! Whee!
FISH- Huh?! Wa ha ha!! Got ya, ya dumb-butt little monkey!!
SON GOKU- Hey-yaa!!! Heh heh! Wotta catch!! Wotta catch!! Huh? Wazzat...? Waa!!!
BULMA- Waa!!!!
SON GOKU- Ohhh... Oh... Whoa...
BULMA- Watch where you're going you road-block!!
SON GOKU- So... A monster, eh?!! Tryin' to snatch my prey from me, eh?!! Well... You're not... Gettin' away... With my fish...!!
BULMA- What--?! What--?!
SON GOKU- Hyoh!!!! Now, c'mon and '''''fight!!! C'mon!! Fight!! '''''C'mon!!!
BULMA- Ngh... Huf... Uhh... Oof...
SON GOKU- Yeesh... Now a hideous demon emerges from the monster!
BULMA- Squelch it, pee-wee!!
SON GOKU- Oww-eee!! Ow!! Ow!! Whuh was that?!! What're you, a witch?!
BULMA- Yee... Gods...!! Wh-what are you...?! Why aren't you dead?!
SON GOKU- Ha! Dummy! Stupid! Y'think you can hurt me?! With little owchies like that!? Hah! Now, demon... Prepare to die!!!
BULMA- Wait! Whoa! Time out!! I'm not a demon!! I'm a human!!!
SON GOKU- Huh?! A human?! Really?!
BULMA- Yes, silly!! I'm just like you!! Take a gander!
SON GOKU- ... Don't make a move!
BULMA- Not very trusting, are you.
SON GOKU- You're kinda like me... But there's something... Different... You seem kinda... Softer... And bumpier!
BULMA- Wull duh, brainiac! You're a big He-Man an' I'm a cute li'l girl!
SON GOKU- G-girl?! You mean... Female?!
BULMA- Hel-loh!! Surely you've seen a girl before!
SON GOKU- I never saw another human before. My dead Grampa always told me... "If you ever meet a girl, treat her nice."
BULMA- Well, then... Don't you think you should get started?
SON GOKU- So females don't have tails, eh...?
BULMA- Huh?
SON GOKU- Man... That is weird...
BULMA- >Snort< What a goon! Prob'ly thinks wearing that phony tail makes him look like one happenin' dude!
SON GOKU- So what is that monster anyway? How'd you catch it?
BULMA- That "monster" happens to be my car. People make them.
SON GOKU- So this is a car! I've heard of 'em in stories... Huh. It looks tough... But it ain't much! Whoa, whoa, wait... Are you from "Civilization"?!
BULMA- Well... Let's just say I'm from way far west.
SON GOKU- Come over to my place! You're a girl, so I'll feed you!
BULMA- As long as that's all you do... You're pretty strong for a runt.
SON GOKU- Haw-haw! Grampa trained me good!
BULMA- He may be a freak... ...But I can use that strength of his!
SON GOKU- Wait here a sec...
BULMA- Not much for home repair, are you?
SON GOKU- Grampa, look! It's a female! A human female in our house!
BULMA- Huh? That's it!!!! The Dragon Ball!!!! Wa-HOOOO!!! I knew it!! My detector was right on!!
SON GOKU- Hey!! Leggo o' Grampa!!! That was his last possession!! Even girls aren't allowed to touch it!!
BULMA- Well... I guess I hafta let you in on my li'l secret...
SON GOKU- ?
BULMA- Voilά!!
SON GOKU- AAA!!! More Grampa!! Two more Grampas!!
BULMA- No, no... Tee hee... They're called "Dragon Balls."
SON GOKU- Y'mean... Some poor dragon...?
BULMA- I found one in my cellar. I had no idea what it was... ...And neither did anyone else I asked. So I did some research... And I found this old, old, old story that described them. There were originally seven Dragon Balls, and each of them glows with the light of the tiny stars inside... From one star to seven...
SON GOKU- Grampa has four stars in 'im!
BULMA- Then that's "Sūshinchū"... The first one I found was "Arushinchū"... "Two-star-ball"... And after weeks of searching the North Valley... I finally found "Ōshinchū"... "Five-star-ball!"
SON GOKU- You're collectin' them?
BULMA- Almost half way there! But it won't be no cake-walk from here on...
SON GOKU- Why do you want 'em? Gonna make one've them Bead Necklaces or somethin'?
BULMA- Oh, but of course! Listen, goof... An amazing thing happens when you get all seven... ...And you chant just the right chant... To summon... ...Shenlong... The Dragon God!! He'll grant you any wish! But only one!!
SON GOKU- Wow!! That's awesome!!
BULMA- The last person who collected the dragon balls became a king! But some-how, in the centuries snce, the balls got scattered again! Leaving it to li'l me to bring 'em back together! Tee hee hee... And I've already settled on a wish!! At first I wanted a lifetime supply of strawberries... But now I think I'm gonna go for a super-cute boyfriend!!
SON GOKU- ...
BULMA- So that's the deal! Now gimme the Sūshinchū, please!!
SON GOKU- No!! No way!! This is th' only Grampa I got left!!
BULMA- Come on, you cheap-skate!! What are you gonna do with it, huh?!!
SON GOKU- Nyaah!!
BULMA- Oh, I get it!! You naughty boy! You want somethin' in exchange!
SON GOKU- ?
BULMA- Okay! But just one quick li'l feel.
SON GOKU- Why would I wanna feel your dirty butt?!
BULMA- My butt is not dirty!!! Okay, okay!! You can help me with my quest!! Grampa told you to be nice to girls, right?!
SON GOKU- Your... Quest...?
BULMA- You don't have anything better to do, do ya?! Youre a He-man! You're s'posed to love quests!
SON GOKU- O-kaaay... But I'm not givin' you Grampa!
BULMA- Fine! Fine! I'll just borry it at the very end, 'kay? Hee hee heeee... Perfect! Idiot-lad'll be the ideal bodyguard... And he doesn't need to know that once the wish is granted... ..The Dragon Balls fly off to the ends of the Earth!!
All-righ-tee!! Let the adventure begin!! Yippee!!
SON GOKU- But how're we gonna find the other balls if you don't even know where they are?
BULMA- Ho ho ho! I'm not just a pretty face y'know! Though I most certainly am that! Feast your peepers on this!
SON GOKU- ?
BULMA- It's my Ball Detector!! I noticed that the balls give off a faint electromagnetic pulse, so I constructed it! See, these three in the middle are the ones we have right now, and... The next closest is... To the west! About 1,200 kilometers!! You wrecked my car, so I'll just have to take out a new one. By the way, what's your name?
SON GOKU- Me? I'm Goku. Son Goku! How 'bout you?
BULMA- I'm... Bulma...
SON GOKU- Doesn't that mean "bloomers"?! Haw!!
BULMA- Shut up!! I didn't pick it!!!
SON GOKU- Ha ha ha! "Bloomers"!!
BULMA- Little twerp...! I hate little twerps! He made me forget which... Oh yeah... Number 9!! Stand back!! Thar she blows!! Aw- riight!! Let's ride!!
SON GOKU- Eee-yagga!!! I knew it!!! You are a witch!!!
BULMA- Get over it, ape-boy! Every-body in the city's got Hoi-Poi Capsules! Now swing your tail up here!
SON GOKU- ...??
Eee-yow-wow!!! Th-this thing g-goes even faster than I can run!! I didn't think that was possible!!!
BULMA- Hey!! Watch what you're grabbin' onto!!
20 minutes later...
BULMA- Phew!
SON GOKU- Man, that was incredible!! You actually made us fly!!
'BULMA- Y-yeah... Pr-pretty good, huh...? I didn't think that hill'd be that steep...!! Scuse me for a sec! Be right back!
SON GOKU- Huh?! Why?! Where you goin'?!
BULMA- Don't you have any idea what a lady means when she says "scuse me" you oaf?!
SON GOKU- You mean you gotta pee? Well?! Why's she gotta pee way over there? Why can't she do it right here, like a normal person?
BULMA- AAIIEEEE
'SON GOKU- Wha--?! '''''Now what's wrong? I hope her weenie didn't get bit by a snake! Hoo!!
BULMA- Uh... Uh... Uh...!!
PTEROSAUR- Who are you?!! Part of her pack?!!
SON GOKU- Nah, I just met her. You a friend o' hers?
BULMA- Waaa... Eeeek!!
PTEROSAUR- Yeah... Friend... That's it! Bwa-ha-ha! Look, there's something I have to discuss with her in private, okay? You just wait right here!
SON GOKU- ? Funny... Why would he tie me up? Don't take too long okay?
BULMA- Wha... Wha...
PTEROSAUR- It's been far too long since I've tasted female human flesh! Bwa-ha-ha!!
'BULMA- What are you waiting for?! Rescue me, idiot!!!!'' 'Imbecile! Dolt!
SON GOKU- Oh, so now she wants me to rescue her! I wish she'd make up her mind! Some friend he is! How'm I gonna do this...? I can't fl... Hey!! That's it!!! If I can just remember... Lessee... I think she twisted this... Yow-wah!! Hot dog!! It's movin'!!! All right!! All right!! All~----Raaaaaa!!!! Fly, monster!!!!! No!! Don't fall now!! Guess I gotta do it myself!!
PTEROSAUR- Huh?!
SON GOKU- Okay staff-- Do your stuff! Have a little Nyoibō... Hyah--!!!!
BULMA- Ai-yaaaaaa!!
SON GOKU- Relax! See? All's swell that ends swell!
BULMA- What's so swell about peeing my pants??!!
Remember your Chinese Fairy Tales? You don't? Not even the impish Monkey King and his magic staff, the Nyoibō? Oh, well... Drop in next time and you'll learn...
Notes[]
- Son Goku first mistakes Bulma for a demon, making this the first time demons are mentioned in the series. Son Goku will eventually battle and defeat the King of Demons, which this scene could be foreshadowing. Demons eventually become an indispensible element of the mythology, including characters like Piccolo, Dabra and Miira.
- The final chapter of Dragon Ball (where he defeats Piccolo) involves defeating a 'demon' by mastering the technique of flight. This could be viewed as reflective to the elements introduced in the first tale.
- Similarly, witches are also mentioned. Witches are later introduced in the form of Uranai Baba and the old witch who fuses with the Ancient Kaio-Shin.
- Son Goku's first reaction to Bulma and technology, is disgust and fear.
- Son Goku's misunderstanding of human culture and gender roles is first introduced in this tale, and he only treats Bulma differently due to Son Gohan's teachings. He spends the entire series struggling with what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman, something that has never come naturally to him.
- Bulma mentions that the dragon balls were last used to make someone a king many centuries ago. It's never revealed who this was or why, but the only Earth-based kings ever introduced in the series are the King of Earth, King Chappa and Piccolo Dai-Mao, the demon king.
- This tale is the only instance in which the humorous naming puns are ever acknowledged by the characters, as they are in the chapter's title.
- Bulma describes Son Goku as a 'brainiac' (sarcastically), a 'he-man', 'idiot-lad', 'naughty boy', 'cheap-skate', 'pee-wee', 'goof', 'goon', 'little twerp', 'ape-boy', 'oaf', 'imbecile', 'dolt' and more.
- Oolong's Village is references as being 12,00 kilometers west of Goku's House, which is one of few location indicators given in the series. Bulma also references exploring the North Valley, coming from very far west and that she has a cellar.
- Bulma mentions the dragon balls radiate a faint electro-magnetic pulse, one of a handful of details regarding how the dragon balls work which remains largely a mystery still at the end of the series.
- 'Masters of the Universe' and 'Moby Dick' are referenced in this translation by Bulma, who calls Goku 'He-Man' and says 'Thar she blows' when using a capsule.
- Bulma's hair is coloured as teal, however in all future colour chapters it will be purple.
Sources[]
- Text from, Dragon Ball Viz Edition, Volume 1, 2002 printing, story & art by Akira Toriyama, english edition by Gerard Jones.
- Scans from, Dragon Ball Perfect Edition, Volume 1, story & art by Akira Toriyama
- Images scanned and distributed courtesy of http://www.jprawmanga.com/dragon-ball.html
Trivia[]
- The original premise for the story is a direct adaptation of 'Journey to the West', a classic Chinese epic novel featuring the monkey king 'Sun Wukong'. Son Goku is directly based off of this character.
- The title is a reference to the influences behind Bulma and Son Goku's names. Bulma's name meaning 'Bloomers' and 'Son Goku's name meaning the 'Monkey King'.
- This is the first chapter to feature Son Goku.
- This is the first chapter to feature Bulma.