Mr. Popo

Mr. Popo(ミスター・ポポ,Misutā Popo)is a fictional character from theDragon Ballmanga series created byAkira Toriyama.Within the series, he is ageniewho serves as the assistant to Earth'sguardian deityand the caretaker of their residence, which is located high above the sky. He first appears in the one hundred sixty-third chapter of theDragon Ballmanga,published in 1988. In the Japaneseanimeadaptations, hisvoice actorwasToku Nishio,before Kawazu Yasuhiko took over the role forDragon Ball Kai.For English language media, he was voiced byChristopher Casonin 1999 and from 2010 on. The character was also voiced byChris Sabatfrom 2000 up until 2005.

Mr. Popo
Dragon Ballcharacter
First appearance	Dragon Ballchapter #163: "The Sanctuary of Kami-sama" (Weekly Shōnen Jump1988)
Created by	Akira Toriyama
Voiced by	Japanese: Toku Nishio(1988-2002) Dai Matsumoto(2004-2005) Kawazu Yasuhiko(2009-present) Kimiko Saitō(Dragon Ball Daima English: Christopher Sabat(Funimation dub) Chris Cason(Dragon Ball Z Kai,Dragon Ball Super;Funimation dub)

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 activistCarole Boston Weatherford.As a result of the controversy, Mr. Popo's appearance had been modified in some media depictions of the character: his lips are downsized digitally in the American release of theDragon Ballmanga byViz Media,and his skin is recoloured blue from his original black colour in theCW4KidsTV broadcast ofDragon Ball Kai.

Development

Mr. Popo was initially envisioned by series creator Akira Toriyama as areptilian humanoidwith a chicken-like beak that had several variant designs, including one sketch with curly hair, though all of which were ultimately discarded.Later concept art by Toriyama depict him as a slender man dressed in a manner reminiscent of Namu, anIndian yogi-inspiredcharacter who fights series protagonistGokuin a martial arts tournament early in the series.Toriyama ultimately settled on the current design, a portly humanoid with bright facial expressions whose clothing resemblesJinns,supernatural beings fromArabian mythologyandIslamic theology.The early concept art sketches of Mr. Popo are included in the30th Anniversary Dragon Ball Super History Bookpublished in 2016.

According to Toriyama, Mr. Popo has served as an assistant to successive generations of gods who preside over Earth in theDragon Balluniverse, suggesting that he existed long before the "Nameless Namekian"arrived on Earth and subsequently serve as the world's guardian deity.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 dragonShenron,originally created by the NamekianKami"and summoned from Earth's seven Dragon Balls, as it is derived from a figurine modeled by Mr. Popo.

The North American English releases of the manga series byViz Media,which saw its first publication in March 2003, reduced the size of Mr. Popo's lips by shading them in completely.In 2009, theCW4Kidsairing ofDragon Ball Z Kairecoloured Mr. Popo's black skin to be blue and his lips orange-yellow in hue.

Voice acting

Mr. Popo is voiced byToku Nishioin the original series,Yasuhiko KawazuinKai,andKimiko SaitōinDragon Ball Daima.Prior to Kawazu,Dai Matsumotovoiced him inBudokai 3andBudokai Tenkaichi.In English, he was voiced byAlvin Sandersin theOceandub, and byChris CasonandChristopher Sabatin the Funimation dubs. Cason's lines as Popo in the original airings ofDragon Ball Zwere dubbed over by Sabat by the time the remastered DVDs were released, only for Cason to take over again as Mr. Popo inKai.Other English voice actors include Doug Rand, who voiced Mr. Popo in theAB Groupedub of thesixthDBZfilm;Apollo Abraham, who was heard in the obscure Philippine dub of said film by Creative Products Corp.; and David Alan Pettitt, who lent his voice in theBlue Waterdubs ofDragon BallandDragon 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 gameDragon Ball FighterZas part of futuredownloadable content.

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. InDragon Ball,Popo is far stronger thanSon Gokuwhen he first arrives at Kami's Palace. He trains Goku for three years until the boy learns everything he knows. Some of the techniques Goku developed under the tutelage of Mr. Popo include the Chou Kamehameha, a more lethal version of his signature attack. InDragon Ball Z,he helpsBulma,Krillin,andGohanby divulging the location of Kami's old starship to facilitate their journey toPlanet Namek.He then servesDendeas 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 aflying carpetwhich he uses as transportation in the anime story arcGarlic Junior Saga,though the character is also depicted as capable of flight or levitation usingki.Unlike series protagonist Goku, Mr. Popo can teleport instantly to a desired location without requiring the use of an energy signature to home in on. In theDragon Ball Zanime, Mr. Popo has a brief match withSon GotenandTrunkswho 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

TheDragon Ballmedia franchise, particularly the anime adaptation ofDragon Ball Z,has long been popular withblack communitiesaround the world, as well aship hopculture and art movement.For manyAfrican Americanswho grew up watchingDragon Ballanime, the design of Mr. Popo is regarded as an example of highly offensive black stereotypes.

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

• Black skin with bright red lips
• Jovial, rotund appearancespecific to Japan
• Dominion over time
• TheTibetanname: ནག་པོ་ཆེན་པོ།,THL:nakpochenpo,(emphasis added) meaning "Great Black One"
• Acting as akeeper of wisdom

Notably, however, Toriyama grew up at the height of thedakkochancraze, and, at the time of the character's debut in 1988, Japanese popular culture was still inundated with portrayals ofblackface,a controversial form of makeup historically associated with stage and film caricatures ofAfrican Americans,or a representation of the antiquated racial termsambo.

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 forThe Christian Science Monitorin May 2000, Weatherford alleged that Mr. Popo represents a depiction of individuals with African heritage from awhite 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".In 2001, theJim Crow Museum of Racist MemorabiliaatFerris State Universitydeclared that Mr. Popo is an example of a racist caricature in modern fiction.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.

In a retrospective discussion about the character, Ramsey Isler fromIGNsuggested that it is easy to label Mr. Popo as a racist caricature if the character is described simply as "the black-skinned, red-lipped, turban-wearing servant of Kami". On one hand, he questioned the likelihood of whether Toriyama intentionally made a racist joke through Mr. Popo, acknowledging an argument from some quarters that Mr. Popo's appearance may have been "a little artistic license for an imaginary character", on the basis that "Japanese animation has a history of exaggerating non-Japanese characters because the Japanese population is not very diverse" and that Japanese society "does not have the kinds of racial sensitivities that the Western world has".On the other hand, he also raised questions as to whether a controversial topic which is not intended to be offensive make it any less so, as well as whether explanations like "it's only a joke" or "they don't know any better" absolve wrongful conduct.Jack Gardner fromScreen Rantassessed Mr. Popo as a relic of blackface portrayal which persisted in the manga and animation industries of Japan and the wider Asian world, long after it became a taboo subject in North America following the aftermath of theCivil 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.Cecilia D'Anastasio fromKotakuobserved 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.

See also

• Jynx,a fictional species ofPokémonalso accused of being a racist caricature

External links

• Comparison shots between Japanese and English versions of Mr. Popo's physical appearance inDragon Ballmanga