I Learned that in an Anime #2: Dragon Ball Z is Pro-Life

Just as a fair warning, this post is going to contain some spoilers about the Dragon Ball Z film Battle of Gods (2013) and the Dragon Ball Z anime.  If you haven't seen the film and plan on it, I suggest watching it first and coming back to read this post later.  If you don't care about spoilers, please read on ahead.  I'll try to give a bit of background for non-DBZ fans so you can also follow along.

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So, to summarize, this film was considered something a reboot of the Dragon Ball franchise.  It takes place sometime after the events of "Z," but before GT.  A bit of background on the series: Goku is a Saiyan, a member of a destructive race of aliens who travel from planet to planet wiping out the native inhabitants.  However, he crash-landed on earth as a child, hitting his head and losing his memory, so instead, he grows up to become a hero for justice and a protector against the many threats to the earth.  By the time "Z" has ended, Goku has defeated some of the most powerful beings in the universe, including Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu.  

Final-Form Frieza, Super Buu, and Perfect Cell

The movie starts in a time of peace, where there are no threats left to fight, and Goku's friend Bulma is celebrating her birthday. Meanwhile, in another part of the universe, Beerus, the god of destruction has awakened from his long slumber to fulfill a prophecy and find the fabled "Super Saiyan God". When he does not find what he is looking for on Earth, he decides to destroy it if Goku can't stop him.

So, here is the spoiler time...

Beerus vs "Super Saiyan God" Goku

Goku can't stop Beerus.  He's just not strong enough.  But, there is a prophesy that if five Saiyans with pure hearts join hands and channel their power into another, he or she can become a Super Saiyan God.  So, Goku gathers together his other Saiyan family and friends (Vegeta, Trunks, Gohan, and Goten), but the ritual doesn't work.  They misunderstood: there has to be five Saiyans to power up a sixth one, as opposed to a total of five.  But, here's the thing...Gohan's human wife Videl is pregnant with his Saiyan baby, so she joins the circle as well, and the power of the child's pure heart is enough to complete the ritual and give Goku the power he needs to transform.

Pregnant Videl and unborn Pan give their power to help Goku

So, what does that mean?  Well, the only way that Goku could have reached the level of godhood was to have the power of five pure-hearted Saiyans to help him.  And if Videl's unborn child (soon to be known as Pan) was able to complete the ring as the sixth Saiyan then that means a few very important things.  One, baby Pan has a pure heart, and two, she is a person.  A clump of cells could not have had the power or the purity of heart to assist as she does.  And look closely at the picture of Videl featured here.  That's a pretty flat stomach.  In fact, her husband doesn't even know that she's pregnant yet!  She surprises everyone by announcing her pregnancy at the moment  when Pan's pure heart is needed to complete the circle.  My point?  According to science, that baby is nothing more than a tiny cluster of cells...and yet, it is enough of a person to make a big impact.

Too many people tell us today that motherhood is a form of bondage, and that the unborn children in our wombs are not people yet (so as to justify ripping them from the womb in pieces or burning them to death with a saline solution).  How far from the truth this is!  Pregnancy is a beautiful thing.  As I talked about in my last post, I am considering veiling at mass and adoration.  In some of the links provided there, people talk about how you veil something that is sacred.  And a woman veils herself because her body is sacred.  God touches women in a way he does not touch men--he gives us the ability to produce life and carry it until it is ready to be born.  What a beautiful gift!

Tarble

The thing is, this was not just a convenient point that was needed in the film.  For example, the prophecy could have required a total of five pure-hearted Saiyans, since there would be more than enough of them at the party. They could have even used other Saiyan characters from the series, such as Vegeta's brother Tarble, even though he wasn't there at the time.  Beerus made it abundantly clear that he's going to wait.  This is not a matter of "We have sixty seconds and need a fast solution!"  Sure, there was a time limit, but it was not an instantaneous death sentence.  So, why not get him?  Or the ritual could even have required six pure hearts, regardless of race. But, that's not how it happened.  Instead, the message here is that it had to be six Saiyans, and Videl and Gohan's daughter Pan was the necessary extra piece to complete the circle.  And this means that this was a conscious choice on the part of the writers.  They wanted to show Pan's personhood.

Say what you would like, but this is pretty clear to me.  Just as God has decreed that each and every one of us is a person with our own soul and will and purpose, so too is it shown in this anime.  Goku is a protector.  Life in all of its forms is important to him.  That's why he needs the assistance of all lives to power up some of his most powerful attacks such as the spirit bomb or his Super Saiyan God form.  Many movies and shows attempt to tear apart the humanity of the unborn just as abortionists try to tear the babies from the womb.  But, at least one can count on the Dragon Ball franchise to get the message right.

I'll leave you with this closing thought:

God bless,

♥ Little Sister

I Learned that in an Anime #1: Dr. Hiriluk and Second Chances (One Piece)

Hello, everyone!  This is the first post in what I hope is going to be a new series on this blog: I Learned That in an Anime.  Basically, each post is going to focus on a certain character, event, or symbol in an anime series, and show how this character or moment shows the universality of Catholicism.  I'm sure that when I say "Japan" or "anime," Catholic is not the first thing that comes to you mind.  It certainly wasn't for me.  But, remember, Catholic means "universal" and so there are times when religion bleeds into other forms of media, including those where you would not expect to find it.  Please read and enjoy!  One quick note, these posts will contain spoilers, so please be warned before proceeding.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Drum Kingdom arc from One Piece introduces us to the quack Dr. Hiriluk.  Despite his heart being in the right place, Dr. Hiriluk continues to torment the people of Drum Kingdom with his cockamamie "cures" which end up doing more harm than good.  But, he honestly believes he is performing a service--after all, there are no doctors left in the kingdom after the corrupt King Wapol drove them all away, keeping a small collection of medical men at his beck and call, forcing the people of Drum Kingdom to beg him for their services.

What makes Dr. Hiriluk such a powerful figure is the life he leads.  While he is a terrible doctor, he genuinely tries to help his fellow citizens.  And when he finds Tony Tony Chopper, the blue-nosed reindeer who ate the Human-Human fruit, injured in the woods, Dr. Hiriluk not only takes him in, but treats him like a son.  For me, though, the story that he tells him is perhaps the most powerful aspect of the character.

He tells Chopper the story of a terrible thief who had been diagnosed with an incurable heart condition.  He went to many doctors, but no one was able to cure him.  Then, one day, he witnessed the most beautiful sight: cherry blossoms blooming.  He was so moved by the sight that when he returned to the doctor, he was told that there was no heart condition.  He had been completely and miraculously cured.  Because of this, he came to believe that no disease could not be cured, and returned to his home village of Drum Island to cure the people there of their apathetic, icy hearts by making cherry blossoms bloom in the eternal winters there.  (In case you weren't able to guess, this thief was actually Dr. Hiriluk).  He flies a pirate flag with cherry blossom petals on it, saying that this is a symbol that anything is possible.  Even for a man like him to be given a second chance.
 
In the end, of course, things do not go well for our good Doctor.  First, he discovers that the grave illness that had plagued him all his life has finally come back to finish him off.  He kicks Chopper out of the house so the little reindeer won't have to watch him die.  Chopper returns bringing a poisonous mushroom which he believes will save his friend (confusing the skull and crossbones in the field guide to mean "cure," like the doctor's pirate flag, instead of "poison").  Dr. Hiriluk is so touched by Chopper's gift he eats it anyway.  Then, when he learns that King Wapol's private doctors have all fallen ill, he goes to save them, falling into a trap so that Wapol can finally have him killed.  Before the guards shoot him, Hiriluk ends with this inspiring quote:

When does a man die? When he is hit by a bullet? No! When he suffers a disease? No! When he ate a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten!  --Dr. Hiriluk

He dies shouting "I lived an extraordinary life!"  This was, for me, one of the most

inspiring and heart-wrenching scenes in One Piece.  After all the love and kindness this man has shown, even in the face of death, he manages to keep his pride and his compassion.  I am not ashamed to say that I bawled like a baby while watching this.

Now, what does this mean for Catholics (or Christians, or really anybody)?  Well, it deals with the concept of second chances, which is very near and dear to my heart.  I had a rough time at the start of my teenage years.  I was bullied to the point where my self-esteem was so bad, I wouldn't say that I had any.  I honestly felt like dirt on the ground, unlovable and discarded.  Through the support of my family and the love of God, I was able to pull through.  But, at the time, and for years afterwards, I didn't think of it like that.  I was angry that I had been made to suffer, and I held onto that anger like a lifeline.  In fact, I held onto it for so long that there came a point when I didn't even realize I was angry anymore.  It was just how I was.  And then, one day, on a beautiful retreat, I had my moment when I realized that God was giving me a second chance.  I had decided that I was worthless and that nobody cared about me.  I had given up on God, but He had not given up on me.  In that moment, he brought me back, and showed me that while the scars are never going to go away, I should not allow those experiences to define who I was.  I had to change how I viewed myself if I wanted to change my life.  I needed a second chance. 


God gives all of us second chances.  Again and again.  He never gives up on us.  And like Dr. Hiriluk, we should use these opportunities for good.  God allows us to start over, gives us a clean slate, and we should take that message of forgiveness to do something great with our lives, to reach out and help other people.  Like Dr. Hiriluk, my heart was changed.  And perhaps God is calling me to melt the icy hearts of a world that has stopped caring.  I'm really not sure yet.  But, I'm open to hearing what I'm supposed to do, and I am so grateful for my second chance!

Perhaps there is something going on in your life right now.  Perhaps you feel like you're in a slump, or maybe you've done something and feel like you can never be forgiven.  Don't allow yourself to fall into that trap.  No matter what you have done, even if you've killed someone, God is ready to forgive you if you are willing to ask for his forgiveness.  When you do, take that forgiveness and use it to help someone else.  Melt the icy hearts of those around you, or help someone else to find meaning, forgiveness, or love--just as Hiriluk helped Chopper to find acceptance and love when everyone, even his own family, wanted nothing to do with him and drove him away.

Second chances, forgiveness...what beautiful concepts.  God's love is infinite, and so is His willingness to give us second chances.  Embrace them, and make the world a better place!