On this episode of Japan Station, I break down what the Japanese term “plus alpha” (purasu arufa/プラスアルファ) means and its possible origins. 👉Topics Discussed What does “plus alpha” (purasu arufa/プラスアルファ) mean? How you use the Japanese term purasu arufa プラスアルファ The most popular etymology of the term of purasu arufa Real world examples of purasu arufa in use About what …

King Kai and puns, that’s what we’re talking about on this edition of Dragon Ball Dictionary! In this video I explain the meaning of King Kai’s Japanese name (kaiō-sama). I also do an in-depth explanation of all the jokes that come up in the scene where Goku meets King Kai. Get ready to laugh… well actually, you probably won’t laugh… …

“I HATE Goku’s Japanese voice!” This is a sentiment shared by some people in the English speaking Dragon Ball fandom. Sadly, many of the people who feel that way about Goku’s original voice have a lack of understanding about 1) Why Goku sounds the way he does 2) Why Goku is voiced by a woman 3) Why Goku has one …

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about the Japanese word funiki (雰囲気) and other words that aren’t read the way they are written. 👉Topics Discussed About the Japanese word funiki (雰囲気) What the correct way to read/pronounce funiki is Whether you should read funiki as fun’iki （ふんいき) or fuinki (ふいんき) Why so many people pronounce funiki incorrectly About words like manin (満員) and zenin (全員) and why people often pronounce them incorrectly/differently from …

Did the English dubs of Dragon Ball Z do more harm than good to the English speaking Dragon Ball fandom? In today’s video I talk about the negative and positive impacts of the English dubs of Dragon Ball Z. Yes, both the Saban Ocean dub and the Funimation redub are problematic but theee’s also a good side to these dubs! …

Did you know the English dubs of Dragon Ball Z completely changed the set up to Goku and Vegeta’s first fight? In doing so, they turned what is one of the franchise’s best and most thematically important fights into a generic clash between two forgettable characters. In this video I break down the exchange Goku and Vegeta have before they …

  Did you know that Chi-Chi sounds like she’s from a very remote area of Japan? If you’ve only watched the English dub of Dragon Ball, you may not be aware of this but it’s true. In the Japanese version of Dragon Ball, both Chi-Chi and her father the Ox King (gyumao) speak in a dialect based on the Tohoku …

During Dragon Ball’s first saga, the Emperor Pilaf Saga, there’s a scene in which Bulma lists off a bunch of sexual terms. These are herohero, pafupafu, kyoikyoi, and ingurimonguri. In this video I break these down, explain how this scene portrays Bulma as a perverted character, and finally I show how the entire Dragon Ball universe was saved by Bulma’s strong sex drive. Don’t …

In episode 263 of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan insults Super Buu by calling him “usunoro.” In the English subtitles of this scene “usunoro” is translated as “You retard.” This is an infamous translation that has left many wondering “Did Gohan really say that?” In today’s video I explain what “usunoro” actually means, why it should not have been translated as …

“CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” is the first opening song of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It is also one of the most iconic anime opening songs of all time. However, do you know what “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” actually means? It is NOT nonsense. In fact, it’s actually a phrase with a profound meaning. However, I have yet to see a thorough explanation in English …

On this episode of Japan Station, we talk about 10 words that only exist in Japanese and how Japanese may not be as unique as you think it is. 👉Topics Discussed x x What komorebi means and what its parts mean What unkai means About kanji compounds in Japanese About the many meanings that can be found in a single …