Bulma Returns (ブルマの大失敗！！ Buruma no Daishippai!!, lit. "Bulma's Big Blunder!!") is the sixth volume to the original Dragon Ball manga series written by Akira Toriyama. It was released on March 10, 1987 in Japan and in March 2003 for the English version. It covers the second part of the Red Ribbon Army Saga and the beginning of the General Blue Saga.
Blurb[]
Bulma Returns
In the frozen north, Goku's one-man fight against the Red Ribbon Army continues as he storms the perilous Muscle Tower! Can he defeat General White's squad of ninjas, cyborgs, and worse, and save the peaceful people of Jingle Village from their oppressors? Then, Goku travels to the City of the West to visit his old friend Bulma, who joins him on his quest, bringing her latest inventions. Their quest for the next Dragon Ball takes them around the world to a jungle island in the South Seas…but to get THIS Dragon Ball they'll have to go through General Blue![1]
Story[]
Legend says whoever gathers the seven magical "Dragon Balls" will be granted any one wish. Son Goku, a young boy from the mountains, first heard the legend from a city girl named Bulma. After many dangerous adventures with Bulma, Goku trained under the great martial artist Kame-Sen'nin and competed in the "Strongest Under the Heavens" fighting tournament. Afterwards, Goku resumed his quest for the Dragon Balls, only to find that a powerful enemy, the Red Ribbon Army, was also searching for them. Now, Goku faces a perilous challenge in Muscle Tower, the Red Ribbon Army's arctic base![1]
Volume introduction by Akira Toriyama[]
Toriyama illustrating himself wearing a face mask.
"Recently, the neighborhood I live in has started to become more developed, with new roads and shops being built. It's pretty convenient, but on the other hand, it's getting rarer and rarer to see weasels, pheasant and quail. The noise level has increased too. Being a country boy, I prefer a nice quiet lifestyle so I can can take it east and reee-lax. I know it might be inconvenient in some ways, but I'd like to live way, way out in the country. This is the sort of thing I end up thinking about."[1]
Characters[]
Main[]
Info below is retrieved from Viz Media.[1]
- Oolong - Immature, shapeshifting Oolong was the only member of the group who got his wish with the Dragon Balls.
- Son Goku - Monkey-tailed young Goku has always been stronger than normal. His grandfather Gohan gave him the nyoibō, a magic staff and Kame-Sen'nin gave him the kinto'un, a magic flying cloud. However, the kinto'un was recently destroyed by Colonel Silver, forcing Goku to find alternative means of transportation!
- Yamcha - Yamcha used to be a desert bandit, but he went to the city to be Bulma's boyfriend. He uses "Fist of the Wolf-Fang" kung-fu.
- Puar - Yamcha's shapeshifting friend.
- Bulma - A genius inventor, Bulma met Goku on her quest for the seven magical Dragon Balls.
- General White - The diabolical boss of Muscle Tower. He kidnapped the mayor of Jingle Village to force the peaceful villagers to help him find a Dragon Ball. Now he waits to on the sixth level of his tower, mocking Goku's efforts to climb to the top…
- Sergeant Major Purple - General White's right-hand man, a ninja who guards the fourth level of Muscle Tower.
- Kame-Sen'nin (The "Turtle Hermit") - A lecherous but powerful old man martial artist master (also known as the muten-rôshi, or "Invincible Old Master") who trained Goku's grandfather, Son Gohan, as well as Goku himself. He taught Goku the kamehameha attack.
Supporting[]
- Android 8
- General White
- Buyon
- General Blue
- Suno
- Dr. Brief
- Commander Red
- Staff Officer Black
- Turtle
- Launch
- Captain Dark
Chapters[]
| Chapter # | Title |
|---|---|
| 61 | "The 4½ Tatami Mat Flip" |
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| 62 | "The Ninja Split!" |
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| 63 | "Mechanical Man No. 8" |
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| 64 | "The Horrible...Jiggler!" |
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| 65 | "How to Unjiggle a Jiggler" |
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| 66 | "Muscle Tower's Final Hour" |
 |
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| 67 | "Go West, Young Goku" |
 |
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| 68 | "Monkey in the City" |
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| 69 | "Bulma and Goku" |
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| 70 | "Bulma's Big Mistake!" |
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| 71 | "The Turtle is Spotted!" |
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| 72 | "The Blue Meanies" |
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Battles[]
- Goku vs. Ninja Murasaki
- Goku vs. Murasaki Brothers
- Goku vs. Red Ribbon Soldiers
- Goku vs. Buyon
- Goku vs. General White
- Bulma vs. Red Ribbon Soldiers
- Goku vs. Red Ribbon Soldiers
- Goku & Android 8 vs. General White
Differences from the anime[]
- Dr. Flappe is never mentioned in the manga.
- In the manga, Ninja Murasaki's fate is undisclosed after he is knocked out of Muscle Tower. In the anime, however, Goku disposes of the bomb that was removed from Android 8 by throwing it into the surrounding hills. By coincidence, the bomb lands on Murasaki's face and explodes.
- The manga makes no mention of any events occurring between the time that Goku and Bulma leave Capsule Corporation and their departure from West City. As such, Hasky does not appear in the manga.
Gallery[]
References[]
[]
| ← Tournament Saga |  |
General Blue Saga→ | |||||||
| Manga | |||||||||
| Chapters | 55 • 56 • 57 • 58 • 59 • 60 • 61 • 62 • 63 • 64 • 65 • 66 • 67 • 68 • 69 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volumes | 5 • 6 | ||||||||
| Anime | |||||||||
| Episodes | 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42 • 43 • 44 • 45 | ||||||||
| ← Red Ribbon Army Saga | |
Commander Red Saga→ | |||||||
| Manga | |||||||||
| Chapters | 70 • 71 • 72 • 73 • 74 • 75 • 76 • 77 • 78 • 79 • 80 • 81 • 82 • 83 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volumes | 6 • 7 | ||||||||
| Anime | |||||||||
| Episodes | 46 • 47 • 48 • 49 • 50 • 51 • 52 • 53 • 54 • 55 • 56 • 57 | ||||||||