While Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is one of the most influential franchises in all anime/manga, the latest chapter has drawn the ire of fans who dislike his treatment of female characters.
Dragon Ball Super’s latest manga chapter has received fan backlash on Twitter, thanks to concerns over the development of Mai. The chapter saw the Pilaf Gang member reassure Young Trunks that they could go on dates as many times as they wanted as their relationship develops. It is canon that the characters eventually become a couple, which has led some fans to worry about her future. There is a growing concern that she will lose her potentially layered and complex growth and instead fall into the role of a housewife, as many female Dragon Ball characters have before her.
Dragon Ball’s Housewife Trope
Many called out Toriyama’s history of consistently placing female characters into the role of a housewife. This has notably happened to figures like Videl, Bulma and Chi-Chi, each of whom married male characters and went from having strong characterizations to being often overshadowed by their spouses. One Twitter user even expressed concern for the future of other female characters, calling out Kale and Caulifa as potential victims of the housewife development curse.
Consequently, the future of Mai is uncertain as the story develops. However, the frustration with so many characters being relegated to housewife roles has caused many readers to grow tired of the repetitive trope. Thus, fans are hoping for a unique development when the next translated chapter arrives on March 19, via Viz Media.
Dragon Ball began its original serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1984 and went on until 1995. It inspired a multitude of sequels and spinoffs, along with multiple anime shows like Dragon Ball Z and the current Dragon Ball Super. The original story follows the adventures of Son Goku, a young fighter who fell to the Earth inside a Saiyan Pod, in his quest to grow as a fighter and find the titular Dragon Balls. From there, the series has expanded, gaining a large ensemble of characters. The latest Dragon Ball Super manga chapters focus on Trunks and Goten in their teenage forms as they attend high school and take on the role of superheroes, all while Trunks repeatedly attempts to get Mai out on a date.
The anime adaptation of Dragon Ball Super is returning in 2023, with the existing 131 episodes available to stream on Crunchyroll. Viewers can also soon enjoy the English dub of the Toriko x One Piece x Dragon Ball Z crossover, which will broadcast on Toonami on March 4, 2023.
Source: Twitter via Sportskeeda