He’s a short and ill tempered warrior. Ready to jump into a fight and prove his worth. I think this pretty well describes the saiyan prince from DBZ. Is there any other character among the popular anime of today? Well, how ‘bout we try for two.
The spiky haired “dark” character was the first one that required thought when it came to labeling as a “good” or “bad” guy. But who came along a few years later? Pretty soon I was glued to the T.V screen, fascinated by the swordsmanship and personality of the demon called Hiei. It didn’t occur to me until much later that Vegeta and Hiei shared so much. Not until I realized that Sasuke was as set on beating Naruto as Vegeta was to Goku, or Hiei was to the spirit detective.
This realization lead me to wonder about the three characters. How could I not have seen it earlier? The obsession with power, the thirst for battle, Hiei and Vegeta even share a hair-due!
I think what really started me on this trail of thought was when I read a bit in the author’s notes from a copy of Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto was comparing his own anime to DBZ. After that, it was easy to spot the connections. The urge to fight is evident in all of the main characters. Rasengan, the Kamehameha, and the spirit gun all share the same blue energy effect. Goku’s Kaioken emits red energy just like Naruto’s fox chakra. Even Yusuke’s Mazoku form releases red demon energy. The mazoku form, the released curse mark, and the ascension to super saiyan all change hair in some way. Was there more to it than just the side effects of a character’s energy?
Each one of the dark characters had a tragic history involving their home. We learn from each as the story progresses. Even their rivals share so much. To top it all off, each one of these is at one time tempted to turn on his new found allies and take the road of power. Hei was offered a chance to rule demon world at Mukuro’s side and both Vegeta and Sasuke were given a mark of intense power.
I think that that even though Dragon Ball Z has left the minds of the new generations of anime fans, it has definitely left an imprint on the workings of several manga-ka. I’m not fully convinced about it, and I’m not trying to call the creativity of these successful anime into question, but I remain sure of one thing. From the moment someone decides they want to create an anime, there will be an extreme influence set by their original favorites.