Many fans of animes like Dragon Ball swear that they have learned something for life from such series. A psychological study shows that this is not as far-fetched as it seems.
What is this study about? Raymond A. Mar, Keith Oatley, and Jordan B. Peterson examined in a study from 2009 whether reading fiction actually promotes empathy (Source: Yorku.ca). They looked at how much reading experience the participants had and had them take tests.
This included a behavioral test where one has to determine the emotions or mental state based on photos of a person. There were also questionnaires about their own empathy assessment and, of course, factors like gender or current mood.
The results of the study show a tendency that reading fictional works could influence one’s sense of empathy. They involve other researchers and conclude: Based on these results, as well as those reported here and previously, there is growing evidence that reading narrative literature can have important effects.
While the study did not directly work with concrete examples, it can be related to Dragon Ball, especially regarding characters like Vegeta and Piccolo.
What Piccolo and Vegeta can teach us
What could such a study say about Dragon Ball? In their beginnings, Piccolo and Vegeta were classic villains. They destroyed cities and planets, costing many lives. But throughout the history of Akira Toriyama, they evolved into anti-heroes and allies of Son Goku.
Right here lies the idea behind forgiveness
and shows that there is not just good and evil. There are shades of gray that can also change. Piccolo and Vegeta do not just become nice; they evolve. We see how they struggle with old beliefs and what traits they have. One considers Piccolo’s role in raising Son Gohan or the moment on Namek when the proud Vegeta begins to cry.
Unlike Disney movies, which have a clear good/evil dichotomy, Vegeta and Piccolo are characters that make viewers think and perhaps even question whether they can forgive them.
A system that could be related to this comes from educator and psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg. While in his 6-stage model one submits to other aspects like possible punishment or authority, one bases their moral decisions on stage 6, on personal experiences (Source: lumen).
And as the study by Raymond A. Mar, Keith Oatley, and Jordan B. Peterson suggests, fictional works like Dragon Ball can also be included. Since children are most susceptible to such experiences, Vegeta and Piccolo may have helped in developing moral understanding.
But of course, there are other characters from series that could have influenced you as a child in such a way:
- Sasuke from Naruto
- Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Bakugo from My Hero Academia
- Kaiba from Yu-Gi-Oh!
But what about you? Are there fictional characters that have influenced you in any way? Feel free to write them in the comments. Another study shows why fans of Vegeta are probably better off than Goku fans: According to psychology, all who grew up with Vegeta as their favorite character from Dragon Ball are now better off than Goku fans
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