Imagine
watching Dragon Ball Daima and hearing one of the characters talking
normally, but nowhere to be found. Well, that's exactly what happened in
France, where Mr. Popo was visually cut from the TV version of the anime.
The character disappeared from several scenes through cutouts and image
modifications, although his dialogues can still be heard. And the most curious
thing is that this is not the first time that something similar has happened in
Europe.
The
controversy began on November 4, 2026, when Dragon Ball Daima
debuted on French television through the Gulli channel. Viewers who were
already familiar with the original version quickly noticed that Mr. Popo,
Kami-sama's and later Dende's historical assistant, had disappeared from the
scenes where he should normally be found.
But they
did not limit themselves to removing one or two appearances. According to
comparisons shared by fans, some sequences were removed entirely, while
others received zooms and frame changes to leave the character off the
screen. At certain times, flashbacks were even modified where he appeared with
other characters.
The result
is quite strange, especially for those who have never seen the series. In some
conversations, Mr. Popo continues to participate through his dialogues, but no
one can see him. In other words, the character continues to exist within the
story, although the television edition seems determined that viewers do not
know him.
Mr. Popo
had already disappeared from Dragon Ball Daima in Germany
The most
surprising thing is that German television applied practically identical
modifications when Dragon Ball Daima began airing on Toggo Plus on
August 28. On that occasion, viewers also detected cropped scenes, camera
close-ups and dialogues where Mr. Popo continued to speak without appearing on
screen.
For now, neither
Gulli nor Toei Animation Europe have publicly explained who ordered these
changes or what their reasons were. However, various French media have
pointed out that Mr. Popo's appearance has been generating controversy for
decades due to the similarities that some critics find between his design and
old racist caricatures of black people.
In fact, it
wouldn't be the first time that its appearance has ended up being modified for
a Western broadcast. In an American version of Dragon Ball Z Kai,
broadcast in 2010, Mr. Popo's skin was changed to blue. That decision
also sparked numerous discussions among fans of the franchise.
However, it
should be clarified that the current modifications correspond to versions
intended for European television. The 20 episodes of Dragon Ball Daima
continue to be available without these cuts on platforms such as
Crunchyroll and Netflix in France, where viewers can see the character as he
appears in the Japanese version.
The
situation is particularly striking because Dragon Ball Daima includes
details about Mr. Popo's origins and his relationship with the Demon Realm. By
eliminating his appearances, viewers of these television broadcasts also lose
some of the information that the story itself presents about him.
