Kamehameha and Consent: Unexpected Lessons My Daughters Learned from Dragonball
Toonami did not prepare us for this.
Growing up, the Dragonball universe was one of my earliest obsessions. So, when I recently saw the entire franchise was streaming on Disney+, I jumped at the chance to see if it still holds up.
It does. …Mostly.
I have two girls–7 and 3–and anytime I have a free minute to watch TV, they’re there, looking to score some extra screen time. So, yeah, when I started Dragonball earlier this summer, guess who wanted to join in?
I expected to have some discussions about violence or anger management–and don’t misunderstand me; I have had to say “Don’t kamehameha your sister!” more than once. And, yes, as expected, we have had talks about tenacity, resilience, and good sportsmanship (especially after the first World Martial Arts Tournament, when Master Roshi intentionally kept Krillin and Goku from winning so they could learn humility and instead helped Nam, who was there to win water for his village); about the reality that you don’t always win (after Bora’s death, which really hit my older daughter hard); and about the time and hard work it takes to improve your skills and build your strength (after watching Krillin and Goku train with Master Roshi by doing grueling chores every day for years). But the topics that came up most often while watching Dragonball were not what I expected.
When I saw my 7-year-old peeking through her fingers, I wondered what I had walked into.
Dragonball first aired in 1986. Things were different then. And it was a show aimed at boys. In the pilot episode, we're introduced to young Goku, his power pole, and his little balls; the latter of which sent my husband into a fit of laughter, while my girls squealed in horror. When Goku meets Bulma just a bit later in the pilot, he says, “Grandpa told me that if I ever ran into a girl that I should be as polite as I possibly could” … and then proceeds to lift Bulma’s skirt to see if she has a tail. Later in the episode, Bulma says that when she gets all seven dragon balls, her wish will be for a boyfriend. She then offers Goku a peek at her underwear in exchange for his dragon ball. (Goku isn’t interested; “What do I care about seeing your dirty ole fanny?”) When I saw my 7-year-old peeking through her fingers, I wondered what I had walked into.
I checked the rating and was surprised to see it was TV-14. I hadn’t remembered that, and I suddenly felt like a bad mom. But I remembered, too, that when I watched this on Cartoon Network back in the day, it was censored: Goku had a little leaf between his legs, and characters yelled Darn! a lot when the enemy’s soaring power levels made all hope seem lost. I remembered that Master Roshi especially was kind of a pervert, but I didn’t remember how much of a pervert he was–I mean, the whole reason Launch is there is because Master Roshi said he wouldn’t teach Krillin and Goku unless they brought him a beautiful, young woman! And she just … moves in and is a spitting image of mindless domesticity–until, of course, she sneezes, transforms into a badass, and pulls out her Tommy gun. Master Roshi gives Goku the Nimbus cloud because he can’t use it anymore–and why’s that? Because the cloud only lets people with a pure heart stay on. A dirty-minded creep–even if he has drunk from the fountain of youth and was once the strongest martial artist on Earth–is unable to do what a little Saiyan boy can.
This dirty old fool.
I realized we needed to have a different kind of discussion.
Between Goku’s nakedness, everyone’s obsession with having a boyfriend or girlfriend, Master Roshi’s “exercise regimens” that are just ogling aerobics videos, Oolong’s harem of young girls, Bulma’s readiness to expose herself to get what she wants, and Goku’s innocent yet inappropriate touching to check who’s a boy, my daughters and I have had a lot of talks over the summer about appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
So even from the very beginning, on that pilot episode, we discussed the difference between boys’ bodies and girls’ bodies. “Goku lives in the wild by himself; he doesn’t know any better, he’s not bothered by being naked, and there’s no one around to see him. So, it’s not a problem.”
We talked about touching without consent–especially in private areas: “Goku should have asked Bulma before he lifted up her skirt; he would have gotten his answer about her tail, and Bulma would not have been made to feel uncomfortable.”
We always emphasize in our house that fun isn’t fun if not everyone is having fun, and that applies to a lot of things–including personal boundaries. Bulma wasn’t having fun when Goku lifted her skirt. And later, when Bulma offered to give him a peek at her underwear, the tables were reversed; Goku wasn’t having fun. Neither scenario is appropriate.
It has shown a different kind of tenacity that I think my girls have really taken to heart: the strength and resilience it takes to stay innocent, merciful, and kind when so many others around you are not.
So, then we talk about what to do if this happens. “What if you were Bulma, and a boy came up and lifted your skirt? Or what if you were Goku and someone showed you their underwear?” First, say no; let the person know clearly and loudly that you are not okay with what they’re doing. Then get somewhere safe, around other people or with a trusted adult. Let them know what happened. And if you’re on the opposite side of this, if someone says they don’t like something you are doing to them, stop immediately and apologize. Again, tell a trusted adult what happened so they can help you understand the situation.
The show draws a distinction between Goku’s innocence as compared to many of the other characters’ selfish ambitions, and this has helped to talk about intent and impact too. It has shown a different kind of tenacity that I think my girls have really taken to heart: the strength and resilience it takes to stay innocent, merciful, and kind when so many others around you are not. Every time someone falls through the Nimbus cloud because of their impure heart, even my toddler says something like, “See?! That’s what happens!”
Toonami did not prepare us for this.