Dragon Ball is arguably the most famous anime series of all time in both Japan and the United States. Food has always played a critical role in that the main character, Son Goku, is dependent on large meals to maintain energy to fight and weakens quickly when hungry. It is one of his few physical limitations and serves as a plot device to create tension by increasing the potential that antagonists may succeed in overpowering him, as an incentive to action, a sign of wealth, and a comedic element. The focus on food in Dragon Ball *continued through each iteration (i.e., *Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, various films and specials, and now Dragon Ball Super). Returning to a story by series creator Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018) rekindled the delicate balance between action, adventure, comedy, and daily life anime that made the original series so unique and beloved. This presentation will discuss ways in which the *Dragon Ball Super *television series used food to create and then undermine suspense, ultimately culminating in an intergalactic tournament with the delicious foods of Earth as the prize.
About the presenterSara Cole
Sara M. Cole teaches Film, Sociolinguistics, Journalism, Media & Communication, and Video Game studies courses. Her past publications address linguistic expressions of gender representation and connections between work and play. Dr. Cole’s book, Identity and Play in Interactive Digital Media: Ergodic Ontogeny (2017), is available through Routledge’s Advances in Game Studies series.