A recent survey conducted by Japanese website Voice Note caught the attention of thousands of fans on forums and social media. The topic of the questionnaire was about the animes that most traumatized viewers during their childhood. With a sample of 100 people, men and women between 30 and 40 years old, the results were a big surprise, mainly because the unexpected inclusion of a classic: “Dragon Ball”.

The survey asked which animes, as children, left a strong negative impression or even caused trauma. Although the titles were expected on the list for their disturbing or violence-filled episodes The presence of “Dragon Ball” was what surprised internet users the most. Akira Toriyama's work is known worldwide for its epic combat scenes, but it is not usually considered a disturbing or traumatic anime.

The results of the research were as follows:

• Warau Salesman (笑ゥせぇるすまん) – 10.0% – Series about a strange salesman who grants his customers’ wishes, but always with disturbing consequences. It focuses on human fragility and has a dark tone.
• Jigoku Sensei Cloud (地獄先生ぬ〜べ〜) – 9.0% – An elementary school teacher with supernatural powers protects his students from evil spirits. Although it has its comedic moments, some scenes were quite scary.
• Hotaru no Haka (火垂るの墓 / Tomb of the Fireflies) – 8.0% – One of Studio Ghibli’s most devastating films that tells the story of two brothers during World War II, showing their struggle to survive. It’s very moving and painful to watch.
• Youkai Ningen Bem (妖怪人間ベム) – 6.0% – It’s about three monstrous beings who fight against evil and seek to become human. The character designs and dark atmosphere made it a shocking anime.
• Fist of the North Star – 6.0% – A post-apocalyptic anime full of violence, where the protagonist uses a deadly martial art to face his enemies. The fight scenes and the dark atmosphere can be disturbing.
• Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) – 5.0% – Although it is an adventure and comedy series, some moments or villains (like Frieza or Majin Boo) can be traumatic for children.
• Nihon Mukashi Banashi Manga (まんが日本昔ばなし) – 4.0% – Anthology of Japanese folktales. Some of the stories have quite dark themes and tragic outcomes, which may impact younger readers.
• GeGeGe no Kitarou (ゲゲゲの鬼太郎) – 4.0% – Series about monsters and ghosts from Japanese folklore. Although it has a lighter tone, some monsters and supernatural situations were terrifying.
• Kinnikuman (キン肉マン) – 4.0% – Fighter series that has comical moments, but the battles can be intense and violent, impacting children.
• Gakkou no Kowai Uwasa: Hanako-san ga Kita!! (学校のコワイうわさ花子さんがきた!!) – 4.0% – Series based on Japanese urban legends, including that of Hanako-san, a ghost who lives in school bathrooms. The atmosphere and stories can be quite disturbing.

The general surprise was evident in the comments that circulated on Japanese forums. One user did not hesitate to point out his confusion: “Why is Dragon Ball on the list…?”; to which another responded by mentioning some of the most shocking scenes in the series, such as Krillin's death or the moment when Vegeta eats an alien's arm. These moments, while memorable, are typically not associated with the childhood trauma one would normally expect from the category.

Some of the most notable comments were:

• «What trauma? I'm laughing!».
• «The episode of Satchan in Crayon Shin-chan it was really scary».
• «The same goes for Teke-Teke in the cloud. Those 'he can come to your house too' episodes are a dirty trick, come to think of it.».
• «Why Dragon Ball…?».
• «Possibly because of the way Kuririn dies».
• «Maybe they're referring to when Vegeta ate an alien's arm.».
• «Kinnikuman has several very strong scenes in terms of representation.».
• «The crush scene in Akira left me traumatized».
• «I don't remember what kind of monster it was, but in one episode of Hanako-san, the boy was eaten right in front of Hanako-san when she came to save him, and it was devastating. I thought everything was resolved when she showed up, so I didn't understand what had happened.».
• «Why isn't Nadia on the list? The scene where the crew is quarantined and one of them dies alone, or when we find out that Nadia's brother has been turned into a mechanical being».
• «It wasn't a traumatic event, but the episode of Angel Beats! where Yui-nyan disappears felt very rushed, it left me in shock and I couldn't sleep that night. I thought it was an amazing series up until that point. Then the other characters also disappeared in an even more careless way, and by that point I had lost interest.».
• «Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magic».
• «When I was watching the episode of “And then there was no one left"from the old Urusei Yatsura with my sister, she started crying and told me to turn it off, so I had no choice but to change the channel».

Source: Yaraon!