Upa

Directory: Characters → Humans

"I'd like to help you, but I left my spear back home."
— "We are the Five Warriors"

Upa is a member of the native tribe who serve as the guardians of Korin Tower. His father, Bora, is the chief of the tribe.

Biography

Dragon Ball

BooHoo — Upa in *Dragon Ball*, crying after Tao killed his father

Upa is first seen when Bora (his father) is interrogated by Captain Yellow from the Red Ribbon Army for his Dragon Ball. After Bora defeats Captain Yellow's men, Captain Yellow jumps into his plane and kidnaps Upa, forcing Bora to hand over the Dragon Ball, or he will kill his son. Luckily. right on time, Goku arrives on his Flying Nimbus and takes down Captain Yellow with his plane, saving Upa from the brink of death. Upa and Bora thank Goku by giving him their Dragon Ball, which is the Four-Star ball Goku was seeking. Shortly after, Upa's father is killed mercilessly by Mercenary Tao, who came to their direction to do his duty of killing Goku and retrieve the remaining Dragon Balls. After Tao blasts Goku with a Dodon Ray, Upa tries desperately to fight Tao himself while he was leaving by throwing a rock at him. However, Tao easily blows the rock back at Upa, which hits him on his head. When Tao leaves, Upa buries his father and just when he is about to bury the supposedly dead Goku, it is revealed that Goku is actually alive, with the Dragon Ball in his outfit saving him from Tao's Dodon Ray.

UpaFlyingNimbus — Upa saved by the Flying Nimbus from hitting the Korin Tower

When Tao returns to the Korin Tower's base to find the missing Dragon Ball, Upa flings an axe aimed at Tao's head, but Tao dodges this with ease, kicks Upa upwards into the air and instantly grabs him with one hand, whilst demanding Upa tells him where the Four-Star Dragon Ball is. After Upa refuses to tell him, Mercenary Tao flings Upa towards the pole of Korin Tower. He is then luckily saved by Goku, who returns from his training with Korin. Goku overpowers and defeats Tao.

Upa later accompanies Goku for a short time during the Fortuneteller Baba Saga, in order to recover all of the Dragon Balls so they can wish his father back to life. When Krillin first meets Upa, he thinks that Upa is a cute girl. He is disgusted when he finds out otherwise and apologizes to Upa. Upa participates in the fight against Fortuneteller Baba's fighters and helps Puar defeat Fangs the Vampire, using the mythological weapons against vampires such as garlic breath and the shape of a cross. When Fangs turns into a bat, Puar, using shapeshifting, turns into a hand and swats Fangs into the water, allowing Puar and Upa to win the match. After Bora is revived, Upa tells his father that he will climb Korin Tower also. It is never revealed whether or not he succeeded.

Upa and Bora later appear once again when Yajirobe brings a beaten Goku to Korin Tower.

Mystical Adventure

Upa appears with his father in the movie Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure. They both go to Mifan, where his father is killed by General Tao.

Dragon Ball Z

Although Korin himself becomes a recurring character in Dragon Ball Z, providing the Z Fighters with Senzu Beans, Upa and Bora are not seen again except for two instances: once during the Vegeta Saga where he and his father encounter an angry Launch stealing from their tipi, and once more near the end of Dragon Ball Z when they are giving energy for Goku's Super Spirit Bomb to defeat Kid Buu. During the Kid Buu Saga, a woman seen behind Upa is holding an infant that strongly resembles him as a child, possibly an indication he has married and had a baby. The same woman with a now teenage boy can be seen in Dragon Ball GT.

Dragon Ball GT

Upa's last appearance, in *Dragon Ball GT*

In Dragon Ball GT, Upa is about 44 years old, yet he still carries a youthful appearance. He, his father, and the rest of their tribe are seen when they are teleported to New Planet Plant by Super Saiyan 4 Goku.^[1] He makes a brief flashback appearance during the Shadow Dragon Saga, when Haze Shenron explains his origin to Goku and Pan.

Techniques and weaponry

Rock Throw – Upa attacks by throwing a rock at his opponent. Used against Mercenary Tao.
Axe Throw – Upa flings an axe aimed at the opponent's head. Used against Mercenary Tao.
Garlic Breath – Used against Fangs the Vampire.
Shape of a Cross – Used against Fangs the Vampire.
Bow and arrows – Upa is seen wielding a bow with arrows in a quiver on his back during his short appearance in Dragon Ball Z.

Video game appearances

Dragonballorigins2 — Upa with Goku in *Origins 2*

Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden
Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden
Dragon Ball Z: Super Gokuden: Totsugeki-Hen
Dragon Ball Z: Idainaru Son Goku Densetsu
Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure
Super Dragon Ball Z (appears at the bottom of the Korin Tower)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (voice)
Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
Dragon Ball: Origins 2

Voice actors

Japanese Dub: Mitsuko Horie (kid)
FUNimation Dub: Kara Edwards (kid; Dragon Ball and Mystical Adventure), Dameon Clarke (adult, Dragon Ball Z), Laura Bailey (kid; Revenge of King Piccolo)
Brazilian Dub: Fernanda Bullara (kid), Sergio Moreno (adult)

Trivia

In the Vegeta Saga and Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, Upa is shown as an adult, yet he still has dot eyes, however, in the Kid Buu Saga and Dragon Ball GT, he has normal eyes.