Dragon Ball lets Nappa break a Saiyan rule that Goku and Vegeta couldn't

Modified Apr 08, 2024 19:00 GMT

Understanding the shonen rule that Nappa broke in the anime series (Image via Toei Animation)

The Dragon Ball series has created a plethora of characters that fans have come to love. Aside from the high-octane action, one of the reasons that made the series famous is the sheer quantity of characters and the various species of beings added to the world-building aspect of the series.

One such character is Nappa. He might not have been the most popular character, but he certainly is unique in one way. He is one of the very few characters in the Dragon Ball series who went against a popular unwritten Saiyan rule by shaving his hair for personal reasons.

This unwritten Saiyan rule in this series is that characters belonging to this extraterrestrial race tend to have exaggerated hairstyles. However, Nappa decided to go against this rule by shaving his head and going bald for the most part of the anime and manga series.

Dragon Ball: Nappa broke an unwritten Saiyan rule of having hair

Nappa as seen in the anime series (Image via Toei Animation)

One of the most popular shonen tropes is that characters will have exaggerated hairstyles, and this is one of the defining characteristics of a Saiyan. This Saiyan rule is a trope that is employed by shonen manga creators in order to make the characters stand out.

Nappa wasn't always bald and sported a buzz cut during the earlier parts of the Dragon Ball series. Fans who haven't revisited the series might not recollect Nappa having hair when he was first introduced. Voluntarily shaving one's head off is something that isn't seen in shonen series, and it certainly hasn't been done by any other Saiayan.

This was later confirmed by the late mangaka, Akira Toriyama. In an interview that took place in 2008, the beloved manga author decided to address certain details about the aforementioned character. He said that Nappa did that to himself to show his resolve. This particular act was the one shonen trope that Nappa went against and this was quite a shock to those who paid close attention to the series.

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Fans haven’t seen Vegeta and Goku go against the Saiayan rule like this throughout the series and it’s very unlikely that they ever will. They have exaggerated hairstyles that is typical of a Saiyan, and more importantly a shonen character. It is characters like Vegeta and Goku that defined the shonen genre and paved the way for other shonen characters.

Nappa stood out because he was one of, if not the only, Saiyan who was bald by choice. This race had a great deal of pride and it was rare to see them perform such an act. One could say that Nappa was one of those characters willing to keep his pride aside and show his mettle to the world.

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Aside from the standpoint of characterization , Nappa’s new appearance suited him from an aesthetic standpoint as well. He has an extremely broad frame with a lot of muscular volume.

Nappa’s choice of becoming bald generated a ton of hype over it. However, he didn’t receive the kind of screen time that other Saiyans like Vegeta did. Nappa was certainly unique in this regard and Toriyama’s clarification made fans appreciate him even more.

Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.