If there’s one thing that many of us know from growing up as a kid, its the fact that you had the freedom to let your mind run wild. The possibilities were endless when it comes to the imagination of a child, and if you were lucky, that imagination would carry over into adulthood. For decades mankind has been telling stories that have allowed us to open the door to a new world; a world filled with things that were not from the ordinary, but from the fabric for our own imagination.

When it comes to these kinds of stories we turn to our favorite authors and writers, but one writer in particular has captured and touched the hearts and minds of not just children, but adults as well. Whether you’ve heard of him or not he’s been involved in some part of your childhood (and adolescence), and if you’ve seen any great action movies lately (or have been to the comic book store), then you’re well familiar with his name. Some call him the “Founding Father” of Marvel, and some call him the man who changed the way we look at superheroes.

His name…is Stan Lee.

The legendary creative leader of Marvel Comics is the man behind many of the superheroes that you see on the big screen (and at conventions) today. When it came to creating characters as well as comics, Lee didn’t do it in the conventional way that most writers would have done it; he had a method. During the 60’s and 70’s that method changed the game in terms of how superhero comics were written, and the method that Lee used was deemed “The Marvel Method”. Lee would work with the artist after creating an idea and synopsis, and then a few ‘trades’ later, a story is born.

Lee’s approach to the superhero archetype changed the way that kids and preteens view them as a whole; instead of them being individuals with no flaws or problems at all, Lee introduced a darker and more complex realistic side of their identity that lets us know that even though they have powers, they are also human – in some way. This made the storytelling not just more interesting, but more appealing to the teenage adolescents who were in the angsty years of their youth. I guess you can say that there was a superhero type for everybody, and in this day and age there are superheroes for just about every race; whether your White, African-American, Hispanic, Native-American, Caucasian, or other. Stan Lee along with his partner Jack Kirby had a hand in creating a lot of the wonderful characters and worlds that we come to know in the 20th century.

Lee was also not afraid to push boundaries when it came to his creative works. In 1971 he helped reform the Comics Code; which came in the form of the three-issue subplot of The Amazing Spider-Man #96-98, where Peter Parker’s friend was addicted to prescription drugs. The CCA (Comics Code Authority) refused to grant its seal due to the fact that the issues contained drug use, however Lee published the story without the seal, as he was confident in the request U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for him to do so. Thus the CCA loosened their restrictions and allowed negative depictions of drug use as well as other freedoms.

If there’s one thing that fans love about Stan Lee, it was the fact that he loved his fans – every single one of them. It didn’t matter if you were a kid or a grown man (or woman), if you were a fan of Lee’s work, then Lee was a fan of you. Although he retired from working with Marvel in the 90’s, he was always connected to his passion in some way. From his charity work to creating various other sources of media for kids as well as aspiring superhero comic book artists, Lee was truly someone who wanted to change the world. There were some who thought that he was wasting his time creating comics for kids and preteens, but truthfully, Stan Lee was an entertainer who wanted to put a smile on the faces on everyone he touched.

So from us to you, we say Excelsior! Stan Lee!!

In loving memory of our favorite real-life superhero…

Stan Lee (1922-2018)

Since the early days of Japanimation, anime has manifested itself from being something of an ‘underground phenomenon’ that’s only known to a select population, to the huge boon that it has become today. Some may say that its upward surge in popularity all started from pioneering titles such as Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon, but that’s not all it took for this niche medium to make it way towards the limelight.

If you ask any fan what their favorite shows or characters are, you’ll probably get a list of at least 10-15 different shows/characters. The one thing that makes anime stand out from western cartoons is its complex plots and deep characters. Anime has indeed changed over the years as it has made us laugh, cry, rage, and actually feel something for these two dimensional characters that we’ve come to know, and love.

Which brings us to this question: What makes a good anime character?

This question can be dissected in a number of different ways. For many of us it could be the various tropes that a lot of anime fans are already familiar with; such as the ‘underdog protagonist’ who fights for a dream that he has his heart set out on, or the overpowered badass who the world doesn’t take seriously – but proves them wrong every time. This is one of the most complex questions that every anime fan has in the back of their minds, and so far, there hasn’t been a really good (full) answer to this question.

For a question like this there’s not really a right or wrong answer, but this one can be based on the creators intent. Anime brings us into a world that can be similar to our own, or it can be something that will take us away from the headaches and struggles that we face in the real world. Like us anime characters come from all walks of life, and some of them have grasped us in a way that has helped us overcome our own challenges in life; especially if you’ve been bullied in school. Many anime characters that we’ve looked up to for motivation and inspiration have come from the likes of Goku (DBZ), Naruto Uzumaki (Naruto), and Deku (My Hero Academia). Some of their traits include that ‘Never Give Up!’ attitude and confidence to press forward when all hope seems lost, that has helped a number of us in our own lives when we felt down and melancholy.

A good anime character can be someone that you can relate to based on what they may have gone through in their own lives. Take the Prince of all Saiyans for example; we remember the kind of person he used to be when he fought against Goku for the very first time. Vegeta started off as a ruthless saiyan prince who looked down on the weak and felt superior to others, but it wasn’t until the end of the Majin Buu saga that he openly admitted that his rival, Goku (aka Kakarot), was better than him. Now a father of two, Vegeta still has his prideful nature, but at the same time has some respect for Goku.

Its hard to truly define what makes a really good anime character, but with the vast amount of shows that are at our fingertips, we can come up with our own answers to that question. To us a good anime character is someone who is on the path of discovering who he (or she) is, and what their true purpose in life may be. For Luffy it could be becoming one of the greatest pirates in the world. For Vegeta it could be protecting his family while continuing to train and stay on pace with his rival. Many good anime characters are either goal-oriented (although most are protagonists), are on the road to self-discovery, are wrestling with their demons, are atoning for their mistakes, or just want to make the world a better place.

The definition of a good anime character can mean a number of things, but that’s what makes them so compelling in the various storylines that the creators put them in. It’s one of the things that pulls us (the viewer) into their world/lives as we discover what drives them, what motivates them, what their goals or aspirations are, and what kind of person they are on the inside. At the end of the day it all depends of what you’re looking for in a good anime character, but at the same time there’s always room to evolve and elevate that concept in to something that could possibly blow our minds.

If you were a kid growing up in the 90’s then you’re pretty much familiar with any, and everything Dragon Ball. From the action figures to the video games this anime series is one of the most recognizable top-tier titles to ever make its way onto our VHS and DVD players. We’ve watched Goku as he grew from a powerful saiyan child, to one of Earth’s mightiest heroes. He and his friends fought against evil humans, namekians, surviving saiyans, alien warlords, androids, and so much more. Each and every villain was unique in their own way; from Cell being able to use techniques and abilities from both the Z-Fighters and past villains, to Majin Buu turning everything he hated into a cookie.

Nevertheless there have been some killer battles that have come from such villains as they square off against our heroes. Although many of them have a back story behind them as to why they became evil to begin with, one villain in particular has a rather unique backstory that has something to do with everyone’s favorite saiyan…or not. Once mysterious to us within the last three years, this dangerous villain is one of the main villains in the Dragon Ball Super ‘Future’ Trunks Arc. His name…is Goku Black.

One of the biggest questions one might ask if they’ve never seen Dragon Ball Super (before) would be this: ‘Who is Goku Black?’ Although the backstory behind this rather sadistic foe can be a difficult one to follow, we’re gonna try and break it down as much as we can – for those who are just seeing him for the first time. Even though he looks like and heavily resembles Goku in every way, shape, and form, Goku Black is not really Goku. (Let that sink in for a moment.)

Goku Black was originally in fact a God, or to put it mildly, a Kai in training. His real name was Zamasu, and he was once a good guy who was taught the ways of the Kais by his master and mentor, Gowasu. However something happened that triggered his inner rage and thus killed his master and started down a dark path of despair and destruction. Somewhere along the line he found out about the power of the Super Dragon Balls and collected all seven of them (FYI, these balls are the size of planets). He then wished to swap bodies with Goku due to the fact that he was one of the strongest warriors on the planet. What happened afterwards was nothing more than a sheer trail of carnage, death, and destruction.

Not long after destroying the Super Dragon Balls he pretty much succeeds in killing about 98% of the population in Future Trunks’ timeline. This of course leads Black on a wild goose chase after Future Trunks as the two jump from one timeline to the next. Why the two always come to a stalemate whenever they clash against one another, we’ll never know. Even though he can jump from timeline to timeline thanks to his Time Ring (that’s supposed to be used to observe a particular timeline), interference from devices that can travel through time (such as Trunk’s Time Machine) can cause Goku Black to be sucked back into his own timeline via distortion.

Goku Black was indeed a threat to anyone that dared oppose him (especially in his Super Saiyan Rose’ form), however when he crossed paths with Future Zamasu, the two decided to fuse into one and thus become an even greater threat than before. Future Zamasu was now ‘Fused Zamasu’ after fusing with Goku Black using the Potara Fusion technique that Goku and Vegeta once did to fight against Majin Buu. Because Goku Black was actually a mortal and not a God like Future Zamasu, the stabilization of their combined form fell apart right before their eyes. This gave Super Trunks the game-winning blow he needed to end Goku Black once and for all, and upon doing so gave him the “Mecha Frieza Treatment”. That move did end Black for good, but not before releasing Future Zamasu’s spirit upon the world (which was quickly short-lived thanks to Future Zen-Oh).

Thus ends the backstory and tale of the once mysterious saiyan/kai hybrid who wished nothing but death, destruction, and despair against mortals and other gods who opposed him. Goku Black was indeed the ‘evil twin’ trope that Akira Toriyama was going for, and it actually made for a rather nice arc. Will he return in a future story arc? Well, that’s up to Toriyama to decide.