In Dragon Ball there are plenty of opponents who want to challenge the hero Son-Goku. One of them is even a famous actor who starred in a series reminiscent of Star Wars.
What kind of character is this? Pamput is a Muay Thai kickboxer and participates in the 22nd International Martial Arts Tournament. There he also meets Son-Goku, who at that time is still a child. However, Pamput is no match for the Saiyan. Goku knocks out his opponent with just a few hits.
Much more interesting is that Pamput is a famous actor in Dragon Ball. Bulma mentions that the actor starred in a film that visually resembles Star Wars. In a clip, Pamput is seen wielding a lightsaber and fighting against opponents reminiscent of the Storm Troopers from the Star Saga.
The scene never appeared in the manga; it was created specifically for the anime. However, there could be a good reason for Pamput’s appearance.
Akira Toriyama was a big fan of Star Wars
Why does the reference appear? A possible theory as to why the scene was added in the anime revolves around the creator Akira Toriyama. He was a huge fan of Star Wars. So much so that he even created fan art to pass the time until Episode I came out (see on Reddit).
He drew Anakin Skywalker as a child, resembling the actor. He even mentioned that he was looking forward to the fourth film in the series. Episode I, the fourth film, was released in the same year as this drawing (1999).
Moreover, Toriyama had little interest in the humans in Star Wars. He found much more enjoyment in the robots, mechs, and aliens, as they were all wonderfully designed. It’s no wonder that Dragon Ball features so many different races.
Pamput was a good fighter and took some pride in his strength. However, he doesn’t even rank among the 5 strongest humans in the Dragon Ball anime. To find out who counts among the ultimate human fighters, check out MeinMMO: Dragon Ball: The 5 strongest humans in the power ranking
