It’s always been a past-time anime fans to discuss different characters' power levels. Many a forum thread or online article has been devoted to those sorts of inquiries. And perhaps no series is more famous for this sort of debate thanDragon Ball, which introducedpower levelsas a concept in the first place. In debating the strongest character inDragon Ball,it’s perhaps somewhat ironic that one of the strongest contenders on that list is originally from another series entirely.
Arale Norimaki, an innocent-seeming robot girl with long purple hair and big glasses, is still seriously considered to be one of the strongest of Akira Toriyama’s creations. But perhaps what truly sets her apart is she was also one of his first. Arale is one of the main characters ofDr. Slump,Toriyama’s first successful manga, which ran for 18 volumes from 1978 to 1984. Unfortunately, that success has been muted in the west to the extent that most fans outside Japan only know of Arale thanks to her appearances inDragon Balland Dragon Ball Super, along with a fewvideo games.
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Who is this “Dr. Slump”?
The title character ofDr. Slumpis actually not Arale, but Senbei Norimaki, the man that created her, and has since claimed her to be his younger sister. The elder Norimaki is a genius inventor not unlike Bulma, but with the perversion ofMaster Roshiand the occasional thick headedness ofGoku. He pines after Arale’s schoolteacher, Midori Yamabuki, who he eventually marries. Arale is chaos and childish energy embodied, made even more dangerous by the fact that she’s insanely strong. In fact, she’s strong enough to split the Earth in half with a punch. The characters all live in Penguin Village, a remote and rural town filled with all sorts of strange inhabitants, many of them not human.
Chapters ofDr. Slumpfollow a few different patterns. Many focus on Senbei debuting a new invention which has disastrous ramifications when Arale invariably abuses it. Other chapters rely on Arale’s uncanny ability to annoy or even drive insane various other characters with her shenanigans. In one chapter, she exasperates a robber to the point that he turns himself in to get away from her (two police officers named Gala and Pagos are also frequently victims of Arale’s escapades). Another chapter sees her effortlessly beat Suppaman/Sourman (a short, pudgy parody of Superman) in various contests of strength, his arrogance failing to mask the abject fear he feels.
AsDr. Slumpprogresses, two things happen: Arale gradually displaces Senbei to become the series' mascot and main character, and the ensemble cast grows steadily, to the point that describing every supporting character here would be a strenuous task. That said, highlights among the supporting cast include Arale’s friend Akane, an eighth grader with a penchant for getting in trouble, Tsukutsun Tsun, a Chinese boy that turns into a tiger whenever a woman touches him, and the high school delinquent Taro Soramame.
Dr. Slump’s Legacy
At first glance,Dr. Slumpis almost nothing likeDragon Ball.It’s an episodic gag manga without a major narrative. Other than fighting the occasional robot created by thevillainousDr. Mashirito (a pastiche of Toriyama’s editor Kazuhiko Torishima), there’s hardly any stakes. In many waysDr. Slumptakes more of a page from the equally importantDoraemonor even Western newspaper comics in its premise and tone than early shonen manga like those of Osamu Tezuka.Dr. Slumpis less concerned with telling a compelling story than making its reader laugh as often as possible, and it is inDr. Slumpthat Toriyama’s talent as a humorist shines best (and consequently is largely ignored). IfDr. Slumpgave anything to the biggest manga that followed it, it wasn’t plot but its comedic spirit. After reading through it, it’s easy to see howDr. Slumpplayed a role inDragon Ball’sfunnier moments, and onwards toOne PieceandNaruto.
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Both Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto have directly citedDr. Slumpas inspirations for their work, and were fans of the series growing up (in addition toDragon Ball,of course). Senbei’s exasperation at Arale and the cherub-like Gatchans (short for Gajira or Godzilla) is highly reminiscent of the angry straight man routine between Nami and Usopp or Luffy inOne PieceorSakurawith Naruto.Senbei’s love for dirty magazines is echoed in Kakashi’s love for erotic novels. The list could go on indefinitely.
Why Dr. Slump Is Forgotten
It may seem strange that series by such an iconic author is basically unknown in the West aside from Arale’s two forays into theDragon Ballfranchise. A lot of longtimeDragon Ballfans were probably surprised to see her literally headbutt base formVegetaaround the planet, and to fight evenly with SSGSS Goku. It’s a shame that the context is lacking, but there’s a good reason why.
Dr. Slumpwas a major success in Japan, but for the longest time, that’s where it stayed. TheDr. Slumpmanga wasn’t serialized by Viz for western audiences until 2005, over 2 decades after its completion in Japan. Dr. Slump also received two anime adaptations. The first,Dr. Slump - Arale-chanran in themid-1980sfor 243 episodes and has never received an official release overseas. The second, a1997 revivalsimply calledDoctor Slumpwith wildly different-looking characters and a total of 74 episodes, remained unreleased in the west until Tubi began to stream it with English subtitles last year.
That neglect is tragic, becauseDr. Slump’sfootprint on manga and anime is indisputable. Not only that, it’s genuinely one of the funniest pieces of fiction ever conceived, and is rife with references to American pop culture includingSupermanandStar Warswhich western audiences would love. Thankfully, while its original anime remains inaccessible through legal means, those curious can read the Dr. Slump manga through the Shonen Jump website or app, or order the paperback volumes through various sites. And indeed they should, because this series is one that shouldn’t be overlooked.
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