This article series is where we showcase some of the cool kanji that appear all throughout Dragon Ball. In today's lesson, we'll focus on the mythical creature who serves as a symbol for the series itself and grants the wishes of Goku and his friends! Let's jump right in and take a look at some kanji!

[Reading] Shen Ron
[Meaning in Dragon Ball] Shenron is a dragon that appears when someone collects the 7 Dragon Balls and chants a secret phrase. He was created by Kami more than 250 years before Goku was born. Shenron can grant any wish, such as making someone a millionaire or reviving the dead, as long as it does not exceed the powers of Kami, and it has even been said that long ago someone once used the Dragon Balls to become a king! Goku and his friends have had their fair share of wishes granted through the Dragon Balls, including bringing their friends back to life, having the people of Planet Namek evacuated moments before its destruction, removing the explosive devices from within Android 17 and Android 18, and more. By the way, "Shen Ron" is a special way of pronouncing these kanji, and in Japanese the standard pronunciation is "Shin Ryu".

Let's start by taking a look at the readings, meanings, and stroke orders.
There are the two kanji used for "Shenron".

●Readings, Meanings, & Stroke Orders　*Source: Imidas (SHUEISHA)

Readings: shin, jin, kami, kan, kou
Meanings: Target of worship. Superhuman/mythical item or thing.

Readings: ryu, tatsu
Meanings: Certain fictional animals that live in places like swamps or the ocean. Dragon. Dinosaur.
<Cool Point!>
This kanji represents the "Dragon" part of the Dragon Ball title. In the Japanese board game shogi (similar to chess), this character is used on the back side of the strongest piece in the game, the "Hisha" (rook/castle in English versions). This kanji has a very strong and powerful image, so it is often used to signify strength.

That marks the end of the ninth lesson in the "~Learn Cool Kanji with Dragon Ball!~" series! These kanji are certainly tricky, but since they represent Dragon Ball as a whole, please try your best to remember them!

See you in the next lesson!