Dragon Ball DAIMA is the last excellent anime product from the late Akira Toriyama's hailed vision, bringing Goku and his friends to the Demon Realm to rescue Dende while likely interacting with its Dragon Balls. It's created an exciting reunion yet again, bringing in characters from the franchise timeline, including one of the series' most controversial ones, Mr. Popo.

Mr. Popo is introduced to assess Goku as he begins training at Kami's Lookout, an impressive demigod whom Goku underestimates. Despite his formidable fighting prowess, Mr. Popo becomes sidelined rather quickly in the franchise beyond the Saiyan Saga, but he is still beloved by fans for his history with the franchise. However, he has encountered controversy due to his unfortunate design. Much like other legacy characters, Mr. Popo's return in Dragon Ball DAIMA celebrates his contributions to the series, however subtle, as he too is affected by Gomah's wish, causing Goku and his friends to shrink.

Mr. Popo Was Controversial in North America's Dragon Ball Release

An Unfortunate Design Not Received Well in the United States

Mr. Popo's design is a common talking point among North American audiences and abroad outside of Japan due to its uncanny resemblance to harmful depictions of blackface from the Jim Crow era and beyond in the United States. It touches a nerve, understandably, and was among other examples like Pokemon's Jynx, which was noted by Carole Boston Weatherford in the famous csmonitor article about its problematic impressions on kids. While unintentional, as this depiction doesn't cause the same reaction in Japanese markets, it has resulted in an important, ongoing conversation about Mr. Popo in Dragon Ball and self-censorship.

VIZ Media edited Mr. Popo's exaggerated features, such as the digital re-release of chapter #163 and beyond in the Dragon Ball manga effectively removing his exaggerated lips while keeping his dark skin tone, and in Dragon Ball Z Kai, he's given a blue skin tone. While there's reasonable weight put into claims about his design being influenced by the image of Mahākāla, a Buddhist and Hindu figure, the results remain the same. Mr. Popo returns to Dragon Ball DAIMA without any changes because he is a legacy character whose role is small enough not to draw greater attention.

Why Mr. Popo Is So Important To Dragon Ball (Despite The Controversy)

A Classic Character Linked to Dragon Ball's Most Important Figures

Despite being less significant to the overall plot of many Dragon Ball arcs beyond the Piccolo Jr. Arc, Mr. Popo has been the attaché for Kami and his predecessor Guardians of Earth at the Lookout for hundreds of years. As part of his duties, he's overseen the maintenance of the Lookout for thousands of years, trained Goku against the looming threat of Piccolo Jr., Goku's friends before the Saiyan Saga, and stewarded over the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Mr. Popo has overseen incredible training developments that have led to major victories, including Gohan attaining Super Saiyan form, among other feats.

Mr. Popo's role in the Dragon Ball franchise is largely in the background, yet the resources he supervises are a franchise staple. Mr. Popo oversees multiple crucial functions of the story's universe, including rebuilding Shenron in Dragon Ball, training Earth's defenders against Vegeta, Nappa, the Androids, Cell, and Majin Buu in Dragon Ball Z, and various intensive training sessions in Dragon Ball Super. As a result, Popo is one of the most beloved and memorable characters, with a surprising hold over even the most powerful fighters in the series due to his control over the most important training assets.

With Mr. Popo outliving Earth's Guardians and having vaguely thousands of years of history, Dragon Ball DAIMA stands to shed a bit of light on his ancestors.

Despite Mr. Popo's controversial status, he's not only invaluable to the characters despite a more subtle role, but he's iconic in his own right. With Mr. Popo returning in Dragon Ball DAIMA, the surprising connection to the Demon Realm builds ancestry to his backstory, on top of Daizenshuu 7's clarifications of his Other World origins, linking him to deities and demons. With Mr. Popo outliving Earth's Guardians and having vaguely thousands of years of history, Dragon Ball DAIMA stands to shed a bit of light on his ancestors.

Dragon Ball DAIMA Shrinks Mr. Popo and Hints at Demon Realm Past

A Fascinating Retcon Boosting the Demon Realm's Profile

In Dragon Ball DAIMA episode #1, when Gomah, Degesu, and Neva meet Dende and Popo, they connect the Demon Realm heritage with the Namekian and his attendant. Given how Gomah's wish shrinks Popo enough for his turban to fall off and reveal Popo's horns, this is increasingly intriguing, playing into his demigod/djinni-influenced origins in the franchise. It also helps draw attention away from Popo's more problematic associations in the present while fleshing out his character's backstory in Dragon Ball DAIMA, with fans curious to learn more about him in future episodes.

Source: csmonitor