Japanese comedian Sunshine Ikezaki, a massive Dragon Ball fan, joined us to share his lifelong passion for the series with us. On the day of this interview, it seems that he hurled his trademark Sunshine Blade and rode it much like a certain pink-attired assassin to the venue.
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★ Early On in Elementary School, I Got Challenged to a Joke Battle by a Classmate

—Mr. Ikezaki, when did you start your grueling training to become a master comedian?

Sunshine Ikezaki (Herafter Ikezaki): I don't know if it counts as training, but I've always loved making people laugh. As part of that, I was a bit of a class clown early on in elementary school. Word got around that I was a funny guy, and I suddenly got challenged by some random kid one day when they walked up to me and said, "So you're that Ikezaki guy, eh?"

—Wow, so it was totally out of the blue?

Ikezaki: Yeah, it was! I was on the staircase at school and they suddenly ran up to me and said "Yo! Tell me a joke, funny man!" However, I had already trained myself to respond without thinking by that time, and much like Goku did with his Ultra Instinct technique, I busted out my ultimate weapon: the "Japanese dumpling" gag.
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For this incredibly sophisticated gag, you fold your ear over like this so that it looks just like a scrumptious dumpling.

Ikezaki: As you can imagine, that sent the kid flying back about two meters out of pure amazement. He quickly bestowed praise on me for my incredible wit, even calling me a comedic genius if I recall correctly... That's the first time I fought for survival in a high-stakes "gag-off", and it might just be when I awakened into a member of the wisecracking warrior race.

—Did you have to train to become a honed wielder of jokes, or were you just born that way?

Ikezaki: I didn't train day in and day out like Goku and the other Z Warriors, but I watched a ton of Japanese comedy TV shows, and by repeating that over and over I think I began to increase my pun Power Level... In our household, we didn't watch TV dramas at all, so watching all those comedy variety shows must have served as natural training, I think.

—Do you have any jokes based on things from Dragon Ball?

Ikezaki: So glad that you asked! My wristbands are a fine example of that. Right before I bust out a new gag, I take them off and they fall to the ground with a satisfying "GONK". Leave it to Dragon Ball to be able to express how "heavy" the training these fighters undergo is using, well, weights. Plus, they make it even easier to tell how strong everyone by giving them a numerical Power Level later on!
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—When I think of your jokes, it seems like you use a unique, "self-intro" style. Is that style influenced by Dragon Ball as well?

Ikezaki: Yes, I feel influenced by Frieza's transformation scenes for sure... Whenever I'm performing, I try to channel Frieza when he was powering up to his full strength.

And for my "self-intro" skits, I do a bit where puff out my pecs so much they make a manly "BLUK! BLUK!" sound. During that bit, it feels like I'm releasing the back of Third Form Frieza's massive noggin right outta MY chest.
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Ikezaki: It really makes me feel like I'm powering up like a monster. And when I release my mighty "YEAAAAH!!!" battle cry, my Ki continues to increase. There's even a "SSHHHH—" sound effect during that part, yeah.

—While we're on the topic of training, I just have to ask: which Dragon Ball training arc is your favorite?

Ikezaki: Goku and Krillin's initial training under Kamesennin left the biggest impression on me for sure. Especially the bit at the very start where the boys are searching for a rock with the "Kame" mark on it. But I have to say, Krillin was so mean back then that it ticked me off as a kid. (Laughs)
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Ikezaki: Another great part is later on after Goku and Krillin have completed their training and discover they can now jump astoundingly high. That one was so exciting to read growing up, and I remember thinking, "Wow, training sure looks amazing!"
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Ikezaki: I also love the part in the story where Goku is training in the Gravity Room on his spaceship while traveling to Planet Namek. He fires off a barrage of Kamehamehas and deliberately tanks them head-on to push himself to the brink of death, then heals back up with a Senzu Bean to get even stronger! I can't remember seeing over the top things like that in any manga other than Dragon Ball.
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★My Jokes Are Inspired by Shonen Manga

—We've talked about training for a while now, but just how do you create your "special techniques", which in your case have to be your jokes?

Ikezaki: I feel like most of my repertoire came to me in a moment of epiphany rather than me carefully crafting them myself, but when I do try to think up a new joke, I always turn to my favorite Shonen manga for inspiration. For example, I might act like I'm ramping up my Ki so that it erupts from inside me, and then I try to gather all that energy in one hand. The process is way more fun when the motions are from a manga series that I love.
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Wanna be funny?
Adding in some cool movements might be more important than you think!

Ikezaki: On that note, I actually have a gag that was inspired by the Kamehameha! It goes like this...
Step 1: Charge your Ki!
Step 2: Shout out "Ka-me-ha-me-haaa! Hi-fu-he!"
Step 3: Let one rip!

—...How did the audience respond?

Ikezaki: Oh, I don't quite recall! (Laughs)

In addition, I have a Makankosappo: Special Beam Cannon gag too! You start by charging Ki while saying "Specialll..." Then, with your fingers still touching your forehead, you say the rest: "...Beam Cannonnn!" and explode your own head with a big "Pshaa!!"
After that you're a real goner, but luckily in Dragon Ball you can get brought back to life, so it's ok! (Laughs)
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Despite not being recorded on video,
Mr. Ikezaki still threw out all the stops to show us his gags.

—Watching that gag reminds me, I've heard rumors that you're actually a big Piccolo fan. Is that true?

Ikezaki: Yes, I do like Piccolo. In particular, I really love the part of the story where he fights First Form Cell. Piccolo was so cool then. I also like how he uses Assimilation and Namekian Fusion to get super powerful.

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Ikezaki: Goku and Vegeta get stronger bit by bit by training nonstop and getting Zenkai boosts when they almost bite it. On the other hand, Piccolo suddenly gets these powerups that put him back in the upper echelons and then rushes out to challenge some new foe.

Vegeta has become Goku's main rival at this point, but since I've been reading Dragon Ball since I was a kid, I'll always think of Piccolo as being adult Goku's original rival. That the reason why I really want him to remain powerful in the story.
At the end of Dragon Ball Z we frequently saw Piccolo appearing in a more comedic role, but then Dragon Ball Super: SUPER HERO shook everything up and gave the Namekian an incredible new boost in power!

★Eat Your Foes! The Lure of Dragon Ball's "Exotic" Cuisine

—There's plenty of scrumptious looking dishes in the Dragon Ball universe, but I've heard that you are more interested in the wilder side of Dragon Ball cuisine?

Ikezaki: Back when Gohan was training with Piccolo as a kid, he chops off a dinosaur's tail and cooks it up for dinner. It looked so good to me that I actually tried to make it myself on my YouTube channel.
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Ikezaki: Another example is from when Goku first meets Yajirobe. The pleasantly plump samurai chops up Cymbal (one of Demon King Piccolo's creations) when he comes to attack our heroes, and after that he roasts the saurian fiend whole on a skewer. It looked so good in the manga!

Meat is drawn to look so yummy in Dragon Ball... Also, you really don't see people eating their foes much in any other series. (Laughs) I mean, they were just talking to that guy a minute ago! But when I was in elementary school I didn't think anything of it; I just thought it looked delicious.
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Ikezaki: Some pretty intense stuff happens in the story, but since it's all presented so skillfully, it balances out and looks stylish. Toriyama really was a genius!

—That Makankosappo gag you showed us was pretty intense, too! Is it difficult to find balance in your jokes as well?

Ikezaki: Yeah, I think I might unconsciously be trying to keep things from going too over the top. To be fair, it's definitely radical, but still stylish enough to balance things out.

For example, I have another joke called the "Thinking Time Gag". It starts off by saying "Time to spin that brain right around!", then I open up my head with a "POP!", take out my brain, and spin it round and round!
If you were to try that in a live-action production, well, I think you can imagine the problems that would arise! (Laughs)
But even for that one, I feel like I'm stylizing it by including sound effects.

★ A New, High-Powered Dragon Ball Joke!

—I hate to put you on the spot, but could you come up with a new killer Dragon Ball gag for us now?!

Ikezaki: ...... (30 seconds of silence) Ok, ready!

Gag: "What If Krillin Forgot to Raise His Arm All the Way"

Hi-yaa! Kienzan!! SHRRRR!! Argh! Bu-sha! (sound of gushing blood)
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Oh, no! I chucked the Kienzan, but I'm the one whose head got sliced and diced!

—Wow, thanks so much!!


★ The Charm of Dragon Ball

—The Dragon Ball manga will celebrate its 40th anniversary in November of this year. If you had to sum up what makes Dragon Ball special for someone who's never read it, how would you explain it?

Ikezaki: Well, if they don't know Dragon Ball already, that must mean they're still pretty young... Whether you're looking for friendship, battles, excitement, or adventure, Dragon Ball has everything you could want from a Shonen manga! Give it a shot and you'll definitely be sucked into a story that is always exciting, rejuvenates you, and just keeps on going! You just gotta read it for yourself!
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Photography: Atsushi Wada
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