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Akira Toriyama hasn’t made Dragon Ball DAIMA just the Goku and Vegeta show but also making the Supreme Kai, Piccolo, Bulma, and 2 other new characters join the Saiyans in their journey inside the Demon Realm. Dragon Ball Super was heavily criticized by fans for focusing too much on Goku and Vegeta at the cost of sidelining other characters, including Gohan and Piccolo.
In DAIMA, all the characters who played a role in the defeat of Majin Buu were reduced to 6-year-old children, courtesy of Gomah and his wish. Fans got to see a miniature version of multiple people but the biggest changes are attributed to Master Roshi and Popo. Kid Roshi looks basically like Kid Krillin but with sunglasses and a turtle shell behind his back. On the other hand, Toriyama shows fans a side of Popo they’ve never seen before.
The design of kid Popo in Dragon Ball DAIMA startles fans
Fans have first seen Mr. Popo in OG Dragon Ball when Goku uses the Nyoibo to reach Kami’s Lookout. His fighting prowess is far superior to Goku’s in nearly every respect when the two first meet at the Lookout. After they greet each other and battle, Goku, having put up a good fight, attempts to launch a Kamehameha attack at Mr. Popo, but the attendant counters by literally swallowing the blast whole.
Goku then tries to defeat Mr. Popo by using the punch that beat King Piccolo, but the demigod evades it without difficulty. He proceeds to give Goku his most important lesson that will be useful even for Ultra Instinct and then introduces to his master, Kami. According to the Daizenshuu guidebooks, Mr. Popo and Korin actually were dispatched from the afterlife to Earth and devote themselves to supporting whoever is selected as guardian of the planet.
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Popo is always seen wearing a white turban adorned and fans have never seen him without it. However, in Dragon Ball DAIMA, it is revealed that Mr. Popo wasn’t wearing a turban as a kid and fans were shocked to find out that he has two horns sprouting from his head. Since the Supreme Kai has confirmed that most people with pointy ears are from the Demon Realm, it is possible that Mr. Popo’s ancestors might have originated there before becoming purified.
After their deaths, King Yemma/Enma must have recognized their change and gave them a job in the otherworld, where fans also see beings with horns. Perhaps Mr. Popo in particular was more purified than his predecessors and hence, the King put him in charge of Earth and assigned him the role of selecting the guardian to oversee the planet and assist them in their duties.
The controversy surrounding Mr. Popo and his design
Series creatorAkira Toriyamadesigned characters in Dragon Ball that might have offended North American audiences and others in the West. In the case of Popo, his markedly dark complexion, red lips, and pointy earscaused quite the stir amongst the African-American community.
Well, with the theory that Popo’s ancestors might be from the Demon Realm and if it turns out to be true, that controversy is sure to get much worse. Back in the 2000s, it has been claimed that Mr. Popo is an example of “darkie iconography,” a racist caricature of people of African descent, otherwise known as “blackface.” On July 04, 2025,an essayby children’s book author Carole Boston Weatherford asserted that Mr. Popo and the Pokémon Jynx represented racist stereotypes, referencing their dark skin, prominent lips, and, in the case of Mr. Popo, an absence of visible teeth.
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This essay circulated quite a lot, which later got the attention of Viz Media and animation companies in the US. As a result, Viz Media began to downsize Mr. Popo’s lips digitally in the American release of the Dragon Ball manga and the CW4Kids version of Dragon Ball Z Kai replaced his black colored skin with blue for similar reasons.
Popo’s design wasn’t meant to offend anyone, as it was not intentional by Akira Toriyama or Shueisha. But they have conceded to the sentiments of the US and agreed to let them change the manga as per their censorship board while following their rules and regulations at the same time.
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z,Dragon Ball Super, and Dragon Ball DAIMAare all available to watch on Crunchyroll.
Anand Bhaskaran
Articles Published :134
A Dragon Ball fanatic who also loves to read and talk about Indian spirituality. An MBA finance graduate with a passion for doing everything that is unrelated to it. Anand has over 4 years of experience under his belt, having worked with leading content heads in the anime community. Currently, he’s more into Slice of Life and Romcom shows than actual Battle Shonen. But unfortunately, he’s stuck with a job writing ONLY about Battle Shonen (smh).
