![]() However, just like cumulative negatives don't erase the notable positives, such impossibly damaging conduct can never be excused through wishful thinking. ![]() Neither does her firestorm temper with a determination to match ever waver. The writers' treatment (presumably, they bear the brunt of the blame) doesn't negate the positive, aspirational influence Bulma had on young girls. By the time Dragon Ball Z concludes, she has countless claims and accomplishments to her adult name. For her part, Bulma is a genius scientist smarter than any man in her vicinity. Even though Goku's too young to understand the concept of sex, the moment's part of a consistently exploitative pattern. Similarly, the innocent Goku looks up her dress to see if she has a tail (his species, the Saiyans, were born with them). Any argument that this counts as autonomy is automatically invalidated by casting the constant degradation she receives as humorous. Ranfan ( Yoko Kawanami/Bailey), a competitive fighter, strips to her underwear as a femme fatale fighting technique.Įarly in the series, Bulma cheekily offers a young Goku a look under her dress if he'll give her his Dragon Ball. Bulma isn't entirely alone in this regard (which, it should go without saying, doesn't excuse the habit) Chi-Chi ( Mayumi Shô/ Laura Bailey) dons a set of "armor" that's as stereotypically revealing as you'd expect by this point. May I remind you this is a 16-year-old? In an especially egregious instance, a hidden Roshi stalks Bulma into the bathroom. Oolong puts her in a Playboy bunny outfit when she needs to borrow clothes, and she's pointlessly topless at least once. The series proliferates itself with needless up-the-skirt shots. Because predatory harassment apparently isn't "enough," Dragon Ball saddles poor Bulma with most of this as well. It's disgusting for any fan but especially for women who grew up loving Dragon Ball and Bulma in particular, the series' only prominent female character and therefore the easiest with whom to identify.ĭragon Ball is also guilty of that unfortunately age-old anime headache, gratuitous fan service. The punchline? Roshi gets a geyser-sized nosebleed. Especially the infamous scene when Bulma, a girl with a brain bigger than Jupiter, forgets she isn't wearing underwear beneath her dress. Even in the rare cases where Bulma agrees instead of smashing him upside the head in retaliation, it can't be called true consent. He constantly manipulates Bulma into sexual situations, like flashing him or letting him grab her breasts, in exchange for an item she wants, or as a reward for him protecting his students' lives - the latter of which, you know, is part of his job. Every female with a pulse is fair game for Roshi's predatory nature, but with Bulma's frequent proximity to Roshi, she becomes his most frequent victim. Master Roshi ogles, makes lewd comments, and gropes girls without their consent, primarily Bulma Briefs ( Hiromi Tsuru/ Tiffany Vollmer), a 16-year-old. What's not appropriate under any circumstances? Harassing teenage girls. ![]() The concept of a perpetually horny mentor figure? Sure, that twist has comedic potential! ![]() ![]() Roshi is a walking-talking embodiment of the creepy old man stereotype, a trope the show turns into a repetitive gag. The most gratuitous character from a poor pool of choices, which translates to "he should be in jail," is Master Roshi ( Kôhei Miyauchi/ Mike McFarland), the martial arts teacher of main character Son Goku ( Masako Nozawa/ Stephanie Nadolny) and Goku's fellow students Krillin ( Mayumi Tanaka/ Laurie Steele) and Yamcha ( Tôru Furuya/ Christopher Sabat). To call the majority of Dragon Ball's sexual content "problematic" puts it nicer than its worst material deserves. ![]()
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