Talk about a failure to read the room. Hours after the public announcement of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama‘s death, Chris Kindred, one of the narrative developers employed by Sweet Baby Inc. displayed a spectacular lack of delicate timing, and criticized the legendary creator over the designs and depiction of black characters.
Akira Toriyama was the brain behind the super-popular Dragon Ball manga and anime. He also had a hand in the creation and visual designs of such video game classics such as Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger. A significant part of the charm of Toriyama’s works is how he parodies real life cultures, ethnic groups, current events, and more in building his own vision for his worlds and universes.
Toriyama’s death was confirmed by his own Bird Studio and Capsule Corp Tokyo on March 7th, citing an acute subdural hematoma as the cause. The announcement was shared on social media such as X (formerly Twitter) which expressed sadness over Toriyama’s sudden passing and highlighted his significant contributions to manga, anime, and video games over his 45-year career.
Imagine being Chris Kindred, an employee of Sweet Baby Inc.
First getting your account suspended for 7 days because of targeted harassment.
Than the same day you got your account back, talk trash about Akira Toriyama after he left us and get your account suspended again. pic.twitter.com/JnZ4pxorzS
— Fanservice Games (@FanserviceGames) March 8, 2024
However, instead of offering condolences, Sweet Baby Inc’s Chris Kindred chose to criticize Toriyama’s works, saying:
“[T]oriyama gave us the best and worst black characters in anime in the same series, it took range to do that”
The tweet was a critical jab at Toriyama’s black characters which, in Kindred’s opinion, were racially insensitive, sparking controversy and backlash from fans of the legendary artist. Fans of Akira Toriyama quickly responded to this apparent backhanded compliment. Some fans took to Reddit with speculation that Mr. Popo’s design as the likely example of being a supposed racist caricature.
Mr. Popo, introduced in the 163rd chapter of the Dragon Ball manga, is portrayed as a skilled martial artist and aide to various Other World Guardians in the series such as Kami. However, Mr. Popo’s design is actually rooted in religious iconography rather than American racial stereotypes.
The character draws inspiration from the deity Mahakala in Buddhist and Hindu traditions, rather than being racially motivated. Of course, there are other black characters who have appeared in the history of Dragon Ball. One example is the villainous Staff Officer Black of the Red Ribbon Army.
Another is Killa (“Killer”), one of the losing participants in at least two World Martial Arts Tournaments. Although these characters spoke and acted with familiar humorous tropes related to American black culture, they are no more or less than how Akira Toriyama parodied other stereotypes in Dragon Ball.
The incident of Sweet Baby Inc’s Chris Kindred sharing their criticism of Akira Toriyama’s past depictions of minorities does raise questions about cultural (mis)understanding. This also sheds light on the responsibility of creators and critics alike to engage with diverse perspectives.
By claiming Akira Toriyama had questionable portrayals of racial stereotypes, Kindred’s tweet highlights the importance of research and cultural sensitivity in discussions of diversity and inclusion. However, fans are also making valid points with the insensitivity of Kindred’s expression as well as the incredibly ill timing with the iconic creator’s sudden passing.
This definitely does not help the image of Sweet Baby Inc, which is under scrutiny with its own recent controversies of shutting down the narrative consultation studio’s critics who organized the Sweet Baby Inc curator group on Steam.
What are your thoughts on the portrayal of cultural elements in media, and how can creators and critics better engage with diverse perspectives? Do you agree or disagree with Kindred’s criticism of the late Akira Toriyama’s portrayal of black characters in the Dragon Ball franchise?
