Dragon Ball Traumatized Some Japanese

A recent poll conducted by Japanese site Voice Note has captured the attention of thousands of fans on forums and social media. The topic of the questionnaire was about the animes that most traumatized viewers during their childhood. With a sample of 100 people between men and women aged 30 to 40, the results generated a great surprise, especially because the unexpected inclusion of a classic: “Dragon Ball.”

The survey asked which animes left a strong negative impression or even caused trauma when they were children. While titles were expected to make the list for their disturbing or violent episodes, The presence of “Dragon Ball” was what surprised Internet users the most. Akira Toriyama's work is world-renowned for its epic combat scenes, but it is not usually considered a disturbing or traumatic anime.

The results of the survey were as follows:

Warau Salesman (笑ゥせぇるすまん) – 10.0% – A series about a strange salesman who grants his customers wishes, but always with disturbing consequences. It focuses on human fragility and has a dark tone.
Jigoku Sensei Cloud (地獄先生ぬ〜べ〜) – 9.0% – An elementary school teacher with supernatural powers protects his students from evil spirits. While there are some comedic moments, some scenes were quite scary.
Hotaru no Haka (火垂るの墓 / Grave of the Fireflies) – 8.0% – One of Studio Ghibli’s most devastating films, it tells the story of two brothers during World War II, showing their struggle to survive. It is very emotional and painful to watch.
Youkai Ningen Bem (妖怪人間ベム) – 6.0% – It is about three monstrous beings who fight against evil and seek to become human. The character design and dark atmosphere made it an impressive anime.
Hokuto no Ken (北斗の拳 / Fist of the North Star) – 6.0% – A post-apocalyptic anime full of violence, where the protagonist uses a deadly martial art to face his enemies. The fight scenes and gloomy atmosphere could be disturbing.
Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) – 5.0% – Although it is an adventure and comedy series, some moments or villains (such as Freezer or Majin Boo) could be traumatizing for children.
Nihon Mukashi Banashi Manga (まんが日本昔ばなし) – 4.0% – Anthology of Japanese folk tales. Some of the stories have rather dark themes and tragic endings, which could be shocking for younger readers.
GeGeGe no Kitarou (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎) – 4.0% – A series about monsters and ghosts from Japanese folklore. Although it has a lighter tone, some of the monsters and supernatural situations were terrifying.
Kinnikuman (キン肉マン) – 4.0% – A fighting series that has some comedic moments, but the battles could be intense and violent, shocking children.
Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa: Hanako-san ga Kita!! (学校のコワイうわさ花子さんがきた!!) – 4.0% – A series based on Japanese urban legends, including that of Hanako-san, a ghost who haunts school bathrooms. The atmosphere and stories can be quite disturbing.

The general surprise was evident in the comments circulating on Japanese forums. One user did not hesitate to express his bewilderment: “Why is Dragon Ball on the list…?”; to which another responded by mentioning some of the most shocking scenes in the series, such as the death of Krillin or the moment when Vegeta eats an alien's armThese moments, while memorable, are not typically associated with the childhood trauma one would normally expect from the category.

Some of the most notable comments were:

«What trauma? I'm laughing!».
«The episode of the Satchan in Crayon Shin-chan it was really scary».
«Same with Teke-Teke on Cloud. Those 'he might come to your house too' episodes are a dirty trick, now that I think about it.».
«Why is Dragon Ball…?».
«Possibly because of the way Krillin dies».
«Maybe they're referring to when Vegeta ate an alien's arm.».
«Kinnikuman has several scenes that are quite strong in terms of their representation.».
«The crushing scene in Akira left me traumatized».
«I don't remember what kind of monster it was, but in one episode of Hanako-san, the boy was eaten right in front of Hanako-san when she came to save him, and it was devastating. I thought everything was resolved when she showed up, so I didn't understand what had happened.».
«How come Nadia isn't on the list? The scene where the crew are quarantined and one of them dies alone, or when we find out that Nadia's brother was turned into a mechanical being».
«It wasn't a trauma, but the episode of Angel Beats! where Yui-nyan disappears seemed too rushed, it left me in shock and I couldn't sleep that night. I thought it was an amazing series up until that point. Then the other characters also disappeared in an even more careless manner, and by that time I had already lost interest.».
«Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica».
«When I was watching the episode of “And then there was no one left” from the old Urusei Yatsura with my sister, she started crying and told me to turn it off, so I had no choice but to change the channel».