Dragon Ball is for the vast majority of national otakus the door that completely immersed them in the amazing world of anime, manga and Japanese popular culture. During its heyday many people jumped on Dragon Ball, trying to sink it with accusations of satanic messages and immodest displays of some characters, something that was quickly forgotten and only served to increase the popularity of the series. However, one of those scandals was aimed at a character almost forgotten by many otaku.
During the confrontation between Goku and the criminal military organization known as the Red Patrol, a grim blond general appeared and tried to kill the little warrior who put his group in trouble. This man was called Blue and, after having failed in his mission to eliminate Goku, he was eliminated by the famous assassin Tao Pai Pai.
This character was presented as homosexual, both in the manga and in the anime, something that became evident when he despised Bulma and her attempts to seduce him to distract him. In addition, Blue possessed characteristics that were described as stereotypical and offensive to the LGBT community, which could give a misconception about real gay people. But General Blue’s situation changed radically when the manga was adapted to anime.
In the anime, Blue follows Goku to the Penguin Village, where he is defeated by Arale (another character created by Akira Toriyama). In one of the scenes, Blue is helped by a boy named Obotchaman. In the original (and Latin) dubbing, Blue expresses that he is attracted to the boy in him, he tries to give him a kiss, as well as inviting him to eat and take him shopping. That outraged many parents, who recognized in this behavior the traits of a pedophile.
Although in the Latin dub Obotchaman was portrayed as a girl (with the original voice of Lisa Simpson), it was considered that a character like General Blue could cause misunderstandings and make children believe that homosexual people were also pedophiles. This is a detail that a large group of people expect the creator of Dragon Ball to correct in the future, in case the series is broadcast again in open signal or as a remastered collection. What’s your opinion about it?
Social Media Author: [RonLaoHu]
