is described simply as "the black-skinned, red-lipped, turban-wearing servant of Kami". On one hand, he questioned the likelihood of whether Toriyama intentionally made a racist joke through Mr. Popo, acknowledging an argument from some quarters that Mr. Popo's appearance may have been "a little artistic license for an imaginary character", on the basis that "Japanese animation has a history of exaggerating non-Japanese characters because the Japanese population is not very diverse" and that Japanese society "does not have the kinds of racial sensitivities that the Western world has". On the other hand, he also raised questions as to whether a controversial topic which is not intended to be offensive make it any less so, as well as whether explanations like "it's only a joke" or "they don't know any better" absolve wrongful conduct. Jack Gardner from Screen Rant assessed Mr. Popo as a relic of blackface portrayal which persisted in the manga and animation industries of Japan and the wider Asian world, long after it became a taboo subject in North America following the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement. While Gardner acknowledged the subsequent and substantial changes to the highly divisive character, he found it shocking that Mr. Popo would even appear unaltered in an internationally popular syndicated television show in the 1990s. Regarding the alteration of Mr. Popo's skin colour in some media depictions, Jemima Sebastian from IGN noted that the change was made for reasons that could never be fully explained, but that many fans would connect it to perceptions of racism. Cecilia D'Anastasio from Kotaku observed that while there is awareness that the character was not intended to be African-American or inspired by any people with African descents or origins, Mr. Popo's appearance still evokes the image of a "dark-skinned slave with puffy red lips" and the decision to recolour him for American television is indicative of his potentially offensive reception. See also Jynx, a fictional species of Pokémon also accused of being a racist caricature References External links Comparison shots between Japanese and English versions of Mr. Popo's physical appearance in Dragon Ball manga Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds Anime and manga characters who use magic Anime and manga characters with superhuman strength Anime and manga controversies Comics characters introduced in 1988 Dragon Ball characters Fictional characters with extrasensory perception Fictional characters with immortality Fictional characters with superhuman durability or