"Old Master Roshi has in his possession a very powerful fan made out of a palm-leaf called the Bansho Fan. It's the only thing that will extinguish Fire Mountain." |
The Bansho Fan (芭蕉扇 Bashō-sen, lit. "Banana Palm Fan") is a mystical fan designed to stoke and control the flames of the magical furnace.
Overview[]
"What?! The Bashō-Sen?! The magic fan that can raise a typhoon with a single wave, a thunderstorm with two and a monsoon with three?! That Bashō-Sen?!" |
The Bansho Fan is thought to have been created from the feathers of the Hikui Bird, although this may be untrue as Master Roshi admits it to be a guess (in the original Japanese version, Roshi states that he was drunk when he wrote the book containing "instructions" to make the fan). Master Roshi once used the fan as a potholder, but he threw it away after he spilled wonton soup on it. It has the power to control weather and is described by Roshi as having the capability to "create a strong wind with a single wave, a cloud with two, and a downpour with three."[4]
The fan was last seen in the possession of Goku in the last few episodes of Dragon Ball, when he once again needed it to extinguish the flames on Fire Mountain.
In Dragon Ball SD, Kid Chi-Chi uses it to put out the flames of Fire Mountain.
Video Game Appearances[]
The Bansho Fan appears in Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden and Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuden: Totsugeki-Hen.
In Dragon Ball Z Side Story: True Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans - Earth Saga, Piccolo uses the Bansho Fan to quell a storm near a volcanic area.
In Super Dragon Ball Z, the fan is called Banana Fan and is used by Adult Chi-Chi as a weapon.
In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, Kid Chi-Chi uses it.
It is the Z-Fighter Exhibit #4 in Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, with its description being: "A mystical fan capable of creating an extremely strong wind. The original Bansho Fan was owned by Master Roshi, but was lost. Goku and Chi-Chi made a new one."
In Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure, it is trophy No. 47.
In Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo, it is a treasure that can be found in the first stage.
"A round fan. It raises a typhoon in one wave, a thunderstorm in two, and a monsoon in three." |
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, it appears as an accessory for the Future Warrior which can be purchased from the Accessory Shop after completing the Demon God Démigra Saga.
In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, it returns as an accessory for the Future Warrior which can be purchased from the TP Medal Shop.
In Dragon Ball Legends, Adult Chi-Chi from Dragon Ball wields the Bansho Fan which she uses to launch mini-typhoon or mini-typhoons in place of standard Ki Blast & Ki Blast Arts. Additionally, Chichi (DBL09-06) utilizes the Bansho Fan as part of her Whirlwind Impact Ultimate Move Arts where she charges forward wielding the fan then spins around several times to generate a powerful typhoon which inflicts major damage on the opponent. It should be noted that during the Tournament of Time, Chichi (pre-23rd World Tournament) had managed to obtain (or construct) a Bansho Fan at some point before she meets Shallot and Caulifla.
Trivia[]
- In "Dress in Flames", while in Octagon Village, Goku and Chi-Chi discover a giant rock with a map of how to make the fan. The instructions appear to be carved in the Namekian Language, though it is a mystery what connection the Nameless Namekian or his fissions had with the Bansho Fan.
- The Bansho Fan bears a great resemblance to a dansen uchiwa, a Japanese signalling fan also known as a gunbai or gunpai. This particular type of fan was made famous by Japanese warlord Takeda Shingen when he used his dansen uchiwa in a duel against Uesugi Kenshin during the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima in 1561.
- The Bashōsen is based on a tool from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. In this story; there are two demon king brothers, known as the Great King Kinkaku (金角大王 Kinkaku-daiō) and the Great King Ginkaku (銀角大王 Ginkaku-daiō). The siblings possess five treasured tools, one of which is called the Banana Palm Fan (芭蕉扇 Bashō-sen). It is also based on the fan of Princess Iron Fan, the character who Chi-Chi is based on.