Final Forum Podcast
@finalforumpod.bsky.social
A podcast for the discussion of all things Dragon Ball! Uncovering the culture and hidden history behind Akira Toriyama's seminal franchise.
Morbid curiosity is threatening to get the best of me…
November 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Morbid curiosity is threatening to get the best of me…
It’s like we willed this shit into existence…
Sorry.
Sorry.
November 27, 2025 at 12:40 AM
It’s like we willed this shit into existence…
Sorry.
Sorry.
Wednesday Wares.
I would sleep soundly in this bed spread because I am a big boy.
I would sleep soundly in this bed spread because I am a big boy.
November 26, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Wednesday Wares.
I would sleep soundly in this bed spread because I am a big boy.
I would sleep soundly in this bed spread because I am a big boy.
Have you heard Dragon Ball Super Season 2 is coming soon? New movies? A continuation of the manga?
“Official” announcements abound, so we got together with our friend @soulmass218.bsky.social and attempted some rumor control in a BONUS podcast episode AVAILABLE NOW!
shorturl.at/oN5sd
“Official” announcements abound, so we got together with our friend @soulmass218.bsky.social and attempted some rumor control in a BONUS podcast episode AVAILABLE NOW!
shorturl.at/oN5sd
November 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Have you heard Dragon Ball Super Season 2 is coming soon? New movies? A continuation of the manga?
“Official” announcements abound, so we got together with our friend @soulmass218.bsky.social and attempted some rumor control in a BONUS podcast episode AVAILABLE NOW!
shorturl.at/oN5sd
“Official” announcements abound, so we got together with our friend @soulmass218.bsky.social and attempted some rumor control in a BONUS podcast episode AVAILABLE NOW!
shorturl.at/oN5sd
Et tu, Godzilla?
November 22, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Et tu, Godzilla?
Friday Funny. I'd watch it.
November 21, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Friday Funny. I'd watch it.
#BillsMafia. 😒
I see my kids not enjoying football as much as I do sometimes, and think "What a shame," but then I realize how much my emotional wellbeing gets CRATERED by this team annually and I wonder if perhaps these kids understand something I don't.
I see my kids not enjoying football as much as I do sometimes, and think "What a shame," but then I realize how much my emotional wellbeing gets CRATERED by this team annually and I wonder if perhaps these kids understand something I don't.
November 21, 2025 at 3:10 PM
#BillsMafia. 😒
I see my kids not enjoying football as much as I do sometimes, and think "What a shame," but then I realize how much my emotional wellbeing gets CRATERED by this team annually and I wonder if perhaps these kids understand something I don't.
I see my kids not enjoying football as much as I do sometimes, and think "What a shame," but then I realize how much my emotional wellbeing gets CRATERED by this team annually and I wonder if perhaps these kids understand something I don't.
Bills Mafia on our way to hopefully (🤞) see win number 8!
November 20, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Bills Mafia on our way to hopefully (🤞) see win number 8!
Follow us for more threads, subscribe to the podcast, like, review, rate, & share to spread the word and help us grow
finalforumpodcast.podbean.com
Join our Discord:
discord.gg/KGGeyt2jWD
Also feel free to sound off on Ninja Murasaki, Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army, or anything else below!
finalforumpodcast.podbean.com
Join our Discord:
discord.gg/KGGeyt2jWD
Also feel free to sound off on Ninja Murasaki, Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army, or anything else below!
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Follow us for more threads, subscribe to the podcast, like, review, rate, & share to spread the word and help us grow
finalforumpodcast.podbean.com
Join our Discord:
discord.gg/KGGeyt2jWD
Also feel free to sound off on Ninja Murasaki, Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army, or anything else below!
finalforumpodcast.podbean.com
Join our Discord:
discord.gg/KGGeyt2jWD
Also feel free to sound off on Ninja Murasaki, Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army, or anything else below!
Toriyama basically uses Murasaki as an opportunity to make every single ninja joke he can think of: jokes about stealth, lifestyle, honor, deadliness, and power. It's very tropey stuff, and not at all reflective of the reality of ninja in history, but Toriyama never cared for historical acccuracy
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Toriyama basically uses Murasaki as an opportunity to make every single ninja joke he can think of: jokes about stealth, lifestyle, honor, deadliness, and power. It's very tropey stuff, and not at all reflective of the reality of ninja in history, but Toriyama never cared for historical acccuracy
Murasaki is a ninja with samurai hair, implying a code of honor, but he's underhanded & rather than work for his honor & Japan, he sells out to Westerners. Is this a commentary that Japan is selling its nobility and culture to Western society? It's Toriyama so, UNLIKELY, but it's fun to think about.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Murasaki is a ninja with samurai hair, implying a code of honor, but he's underhanded & rather than work for his honor & Japan, he sells out to Westerners. Is this a commentary that Japan is selling its nobility and culture to Western society? It's Toriyama so, UNLIKELY, but it's fun to think about.
Undercutting all of this, of course, is Akira Toriyama's trademark humor. He sets up a stealthy, polite, devious murderer, and then clowns on him for a while. Particularly good (and not VERY well translated) is a joke about tatami mats where Murasaki wishes he had a bigger house.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Undercutting all of this, of course, is Akira Toriyama's trademark humor. He sets up a stealthy, polite, devious murderer, and then clowns on him for a while. Particularly good (and not VERY well translated) is a joke about tatami mats where Murasaki wishes he had a bigger house.
The brothers who appear when Murasaki "splits" aren't named in the manga or anime, but in guide books, they are named after shads of blue, red, brown and blue-green that when mixed together, make a shade of purple. Five brothers coming together to form one person.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The brothers who appear when Murasaki "splits" aren't named in the manga or anime, but in guide books, they are named after shads of blue, red, brown and blue-green that when mixed together, make a shade of purple. Five brothers coming together to form one person.
We even have Journey to the West references. Murasaki hits Goku with his Boomerang Blade knocking him out. When Goku pops up, Murasaki says his head must be harder than a diamond. In JTTW, Laozi hits Sun Wukong with a diamond bracelet, and though temporarily knocked out, Wukong also pops back up.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We even have Journey to the West references. Murasaki hits Goku with his Boomerang Blade knocking him out. When Goku pops up, Murasaki says his head must be harder than a diamond. In JTTW, Laozi hits Sun Wukong with a diamond bracelet, and though temporarily knocked out, Wukong also pops back up.
Aside from ninjas in general, and Yojimbo specifically, the Bond film You Only Live Twice is another potential source of inspiration for Murasaki. Consider: You Only Live Twice features ninja henchmen working for the evil army and a tank full of piranha, much like Murasaki's lake full of piranha
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Aside from ninjas in general, and Yojimbo specifically, the Bond film You Only Live Twice is another potential source of inspiration for Murasaki. Consider: You Only Live Twice features ninja henchmen working for the evil army and a tank full of piranha, much like Murasaki's lake full of piranha
Murasaki's speech patterns and verbiage in Japanese are somewhat old fashioned and very polite. He uses a lot of linguistic flair in his speech (almost think of the use of -st in English: "I wouldst like that") so, he's killer...but he's polite about it and attempting to show what refinement he can.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Murasaki's speech patterns and verbiage in Japanese are somewhat old fashioned and very polite. He uses a lot of linguistic flair in his speech (almost think of the use of -st in English: "I wouldst like that") so, he's killer...but he's polite about it and attempting to show what refinement he can.
Murasaki bears a resemblance to the character Unosuke from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. When he "splits into five" later on, and one of the five Murasakis is holding a gun, this comparison becomes a little more pronounced.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Murasaki bears a resemblance to the character Unosuke from Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo. When he "splits into five" later on, and one of the five Murasakis is holding a gun, this comparison becomes a little more pronounced.
Murasaki's hairstyle is similar to a Chonmage, the hairstyle favored by samurai in the Edo period to denote warrior status. Some historians think the hairstyle served to secure kabuto helmets to samurai heads, with the ponytail threaded through an opening and then tied down to secure the helmet.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Murasaki's hairstyle is similar to a Chonmage, the hairstyle favored by samurai in the Edo period to denote warrior status. Some historians think the hairstyle served to secure kabuto helmets to samurai heads, with the ponytail threaded through an opening and then tied down to secure the helmet.
Murasaki is the only member of the Red Ribbon ARmy whose name is derived from the Japanese name of a color rather than the English word...but it is still a color. The name ムラサキ is a homophone for the Japanese word 紫 which is also pronounced Murasaki, and means purple.
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Murasaki is the only member of the Red Ribbon ARmy whose name is derived from the Japanese name of a color rather than the English word...but it is still a color. The name ムラサキ is a homophone for the Japanese word 紫 which is also pronounced Murasaki, and means purple.
In the Japanese text, this character is Master Sargeant Murasaki. This shows that he is firmly within the Red Ribbon Army's rigid hierarchy and not someone outside the system (he's a soldier, not outside the chain of command like Darth Vader is to Star Wars).
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
In the Japanese text, this character is Master Sargeant Murasaki. This shows that he is firmly within the Red Ribbon Army's rigid hierarchy and not someone outside the system (he's a soldier, not outside the chain of command like Darth Vader is to Star Wars).
Generic ninja character, or social commentary on Japan's attempts to blend its traditional culture with modern day conveniences?
Let's unveil the secrets of Ninja Murasaki in today's Thursday Thread 🧵
Let's unveil the secrets of Ninja Murasaki in today's Thursday Thread 🧵
November 20, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Generic ninja character, or social commentary on Japan's attempts to blend its traditional culture with modern day conveniences?
Let's unveil the secrets of Ninja Murasaki in today's Thursday Thread 🧵
Let's unveil the secrets of Ninja Murasaki in today's Thursday Thread 🧵
Are Zenkai Boosts Dragon Ball's version of Erotic Asphyxiation? Was David Carradine trying to zenkai? Now you've thought it; you can't un-think it
An ALL NEW Final Forum podcast episode!
We also talk about the Quran, Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) and The 10,000 Hour Rule
shorturl.at/hX7My
An ALL NEW Final Forum podcast episode!
We also talk about the Quran, Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) and The 10,000 Hour Rule
shorturl.at/hX7My
November 18, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Are Zenkai Boosts Dragon Ball's version of Erotic Asphyxiation? Was David Carradine trying to zenkai? Now you've thought it; you can't un-think it
An ALL NEW Final Forum podcast episode!
We also talk about the Quran, Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) and The 10,000 Hour Rule
shorturl.at/hX7My
An ALL NEW Final Forum podcast episode!
We also talk about the Quran, Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West) and The 10,000 Hour Rule
shorturl.at/hX7My
But we'd lose out on things like this:
November 17, 2025 at 9:32 PM
But we'd lose out on things like this:
Manga Monday. When a woman dares to drive and be an autonomous person...
(please note: sarcasm/humor/tongue-in-cheek, in case it's not obvious)
(please note: sarcasm/humor/tongue-in-cheek, in case it's not obvious)
November 17, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Manga Monday. When a woman dares to drive and be an autonomous person...
(please note: sarcasm/humor/tongue-in-cheek, in case it's not obvious)
(please note: sarcasm/humor/tongue-in-cheek, in case it's not obvious)
Screenshot Saturday
November 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Screenshot Saturday