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Earth (also known as the Dragon World) is a fictional planet inhabited by humans, demons, extraterrestrials, and the like being the main setting for the bulk of the plot of the Dragon Ball manga, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball Z, as well as Dragon Ball GT. It is also the setting for two other manga by Akira Toriyama: Dr. Slump and Neko Majin Z.
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Characteristics
Earth is very advanced (though the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT sagas take place in the Middle Ages somewhere around 700s - 800s A.D.; see Age system below). Flying vehicles, capsules that can shrink inanimate objects down to pocket size, robots, and other near-future Sci-Fi staples are common-place on Earth. The architecture is also more advanced. The buildings are usually rounded, often employing spherical or ovoid sections held aloft by a cylindrical stem. Certain elements of magic also coexist with the advanced science. Despite the setting, the English dub of the series makes several references to the real world/present day, such as the Academy Awards (noted by Kuririn about Mr. Satan's ability to deceive the inhabitants of the Earth) and Isaac Newton (mentioned by Goku on North Kaio's planet with 10x the Earth's Gravity). Politically, Earth has a planet-wide monarchy. It is divided into 43 "sectors", led by the King of the Earth. The dating system is also quite different. While the length and divisions of the year seem to be identical to the Gregorian Calendar, years are reckoned by the Age system (エイジ Eiji, interpreted as the Christian A.D.). The standard currency is Zeni, which is mostly mentioned at the World Martial Arts Tournament. With the exception of most of the notable characters in the series, most of Earth's inhabitants seem to suffer from Sunnydale Syndrome. Despite the obviously staggering power of the Saiyans and a select few humans, most of the populace believe Mr. Satan to be the world's strongest fighter. They continue to believe this even after several pathetic losses to various foes, due in part to Mr. Satan's ability to convince them that his opponents cheated somehow or he let them win. Even when directly confronted with evidence directly contradicting Mr. Satan (and even when he is clearly absent from the battlefield), they continue to believe him responsible for many of the major victories in the series, although the Z Fighters (after accepting Mr. Satan as one of the group for his part in defeating Kid Buu) later use this to their advantage to avoid becoming the centre of attention. In the Dragon Ball universe, all planets benefit from an appointed deity. Throughout most of series, the God of the Earth is Kami, but later that position was given to Dende after Kami had fused with Piccolo. Because both Kami and Dende are Namekians, they have the ability to create seven Dragonballs, which can grant wishes if all seven are collected. These wishes are used regularly throughout Dragon Ball for many various things, usually bringing people back to life. Earth itself is wished back into existence a number of times through this method.
Inhabitants
Dragon World is primarily dominated by humans. With the exception of the uncommon hair colors and occasionally odd features (ranging from longer lifespans to werewolfism, to Tenshinhan's third eye) and abilities, Dragon Ball humans are identical to their real-life counterparts. Humans in Dragon Ball seem to be able to utilize or be affected by certain elements of magic. Toriyama himself has admitted to lack of forethought or planning when it comes to the details of Dragon Ball's story, which accounts for some of the strange occurrences.[2] Due to the biological similarities Saiyans have to humans, the two species are able to interbreed, producing hybrids. When compared to other species of Dragon Ball, humans are significantly weak. It is said that a single Saiyan infant would be capable of destroying the general population on its own. However, a select few humans have learned to use ki and are among the strongest beings in the universe. Even with such abilities, this select group of humans are still considerably weaker than many aliens with the same ki-manipulation abilities. As stated in the manga, it's possible for any human to use their ki and gain powers like the Z Fighters. For example, Son Gohan easily teaches Videl how to use ki to fly. Though less common, intelligent anthropomorphic (and sometimes non-anthropomorphic) animals such as Oolong and Pu'ar are integrated into the population and are well-adjusted and are also accepted as people (this is similar to fairy tale animals in European fiction, such as the Three Little Pigs, Puss in Boots, etc.). Even so, the anthropomorphic population sees a drastic and noticeable decline over the course of the series. Creatures and devices used on Earth also vary greatly, as is common in works such as Dragon Ball. Dinosaurs and other extinct creatures in the real world still roam the Dragon World freely, while the characters fly around in futuristic levitating cars and houses that can be shrunk down to convenient travel-sizes.
Key Locations
Kami's Lookout
Kami's Lookout is a platform that lies above the Earth, and directly above Karin Tower. It is balanced on a thin pole (about the thickness of an oak tree). Events occurring on the earth can be observed from here. It contains key rooms like the Pendulum Room, also known as the Room of Time. Mr. Popo stated that the past, present, and future is operated and controlled for these rooms. The main function of the Pendulum Room is meant to send the spirits of one or more people through time to train. While all of the above is on top of the lookout, there are two different things inside the lookout: In Dragon Ball Z, the very bottom of the lookout (where the Nyoi-Bō fits in) is connected to all the winds of the world, to get there, one must go through a sacred area known as the "Shinsenkai", where all the past Kami of the earth exist.
Room of Spirit and Time
The Room of Spirit and Time is in a different time dimension, where a day outside is a year inside. Located in Kami's lookout, it is used primarily to train for long periods of time when time is of the essence. The room can only be used for up to 48 hours outside the room in a character's lifetime. If one were to break that rule, the doorway to the outside world would automatically vanish, thus trapping whomever was inside for eternity. In the Buu saga of Dragon Ball, the door to the room was destroyed by Piccolo in an attempt to lock Majin Buu inside of it forever. However any being strong enough can break through the dimensions and escape the chamber. This technique was shown to be used by Majin Buu and Gotenks. In the FUNimation dub, it is known as the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
Karin Tower
Karin Tower (カリン塔 Karin-tō?) is a tower built thousands of years ago to honor a great hero. It is so tall that it took Son Goku two full days to climb it. A hole in the top of this tower fits Goku's Nyoi-bō, which serves as the link between the tower and Kami's Lookout. The owner, Karin, grows Senzu (仙豆 Senzu?), a kind of mystical bean that completely replenishes the consumer's health and energy, in the tower, which he gives to the Z Fighters freely. Their texture is said to be a cross between an uncooked (or under ripe) bean and a celery stalk. The Senzu's healing capabilities have been able to perform such feats as healing a hole in a character's chest and restore fatally injured characters to perfect health in various occasions. The beans are extremely powerful, however they are not capable of curing sicknesses or ailments such as the heart disease Son Goku contracted during the Cell Saga. It was stated that eating one bean is equivalent to 10 days worth of food. They are often carried in small sacks during fights as a safety measure. The somersault cloud, Kintoun (筋斗雲 Kinto'un?), also belonged to Karin, who gave it to Muten-Rôshi when he had climbed Karin Tower. Muten-Rôshi used this cloud in his youth, when he was pure of heart and before his obsession with women. A couple hundred years later, Muten-Rôshi's pet turtle was lost on the main land and returned to the sea by a young boy named Goku. Muten-Rôshi gives this cloud to Goku as a token of his appreciation, however when he attempts to demonstrate the standards of the cloud to Goku, he is unable to sit on it due to his impurity of heart because of his lust for women. The cloud is also called 'Flying Nimbus' in the FUNimation Dub.
Papaya Island
Papaya Island is the location of the Tenkaichi Budokai (天下一武道会 Tenka'ichi Budōkai?, literally "Strongest Under the Heavens"), which occurs every 5 years (which later changes to every 3 years) in the Dragon world. The tournament features Earth's strongest fighters as well as the regular participation of the Z Fighters. The tournament is in elimination style, and starts with extensive preliminaries, with the 8 winners moving on to the finals. The tournament is fought on an outdoors arena, with the preliminaries fought inside the main building. Weapons and protective gear are forbidden and result in immediate disqualification, as does killing an opponent. The matches are won either by knockout, surrender or knocking an opponent out of the ring. Little is known about the tournaments prior to the 21st, which is the first one shown in the series, although several winners are mentioned at different points. The demonic Akuman is mentioned as having won it twice. Notable winners include Jackie Chun/Muten Roshi (21st), Tenshinhan (22nd), Son Goku (23rd), and Mr. Satan, (24th).
