Ten Shin Han is one of the oldest characters in the saga Dragon Ball. He was thought to be one of the most powerful humans in the lore. From his place in Toriyama’s work to his role in the series and the extended universe, here is a look back at 8 facts that you (maybe) didn’t know about Ten Shin Han.
#9 Ten Shin Han is inspired by a legendary Chinese hero
To create Ten Shin Han, Akira Toriyama, as often, inspired by the Chinese folk tale The Journey to the West or The Journey to the West or The Adventures of the Monkey King (depending on the version). Thus, Ten Shin Han finds its origins in the Chinese demigod Erlang Shen, from Chinese mythology and present in The Journey to the West.
Erlang Shen, known for his third eye, was able to see through illusions and fought with his faithful companion, the “Howling Sky Dog”. Like Ten Shin Han facing Goku, Erlang Shen fought hard against Sun Wukong (Son Goku’s inspiration).In addition, Ten Shin Han’s Four Arms technique evokes Nezha, another mythical opponent of Sun Wukong, capable of growing additional arms or heads.
#8 Ten Shin Han is a tribute to one of the greatest mangakas in history
THE Great Dragon Ball Books (or Daizenshū) are guides published between 1995 and 1996, bringing together new and detailed information on the world of Dragon Ball. A condensed version, the Chôzenshûwas created in 2013, further enriching this heritage. According to these guides, Ten Shin Han is actually a descendant of the Three Eyes clan. These works reveal that Ten Shin Han is a direct reference to Sharaku, the main character of the manga The Three-Eyed Childpublished between 1974 and 1978 and imagined by famous manga artist Osamu Tezuka.
Osamu Tezuka, nicknamed the “God of Manga”, is a legendary figure who revolutionized the medium. He is notably the author of Astro, the little robotone of the most popular works, which helped popularize manga and animation in Japan and internationally. Thanks to his immense influence, he defined numerous narrative and aesthetic codes taken up by subsequent generations, obviously including Akira Toriyama. Thus, Ten Shin Han alone represents a magnificent passing of the torch and a bridge between two major works of Japanese culture.
#7 Ten Shin Han has hair
Contrary to what one might believe, Ten Shin Han is not naturally bald. In Dragon Ballhis former mentor, the formidable Master Shen, explains that Ten voluntarily shaves his head. This choice is reminiscent of that of Krillin and is inspired by the traditions of many martial arts practitioners, notably Shaolin monks in the real world. For these fighters, this practice symbolizes discipline, dedication and humility in their art.
#6 Ten Shin Han is not the most powerful human (since he is not one)
The debate over who is the most powerful human in Dragon Ball? ” often divides fans. Some believe that Ten Shin Han, with his exceptional martial skills, could claim this title. However, this debate is quickly answered when we consider that Ten is not fully human, but rather a hybrid. Indeed, Ten is half Triclops, an alien people. The Triclops, or Three-Eyes (according to versions), are an ancient species of aliens with an extra eye on their forehead. This third eye gives them supernatural abilities, such as “true vision”, a power to see through illusions and perceive things invisible to humans.
However, Ten lost the use of this ability, as he was raised by the evil Master Shen or Tsuru Sennin (depending on the version). Despite this, it retains certain physical characteristics unique to its ancestors, such as the ability to grow additional arms or divide into multiple copies. Although Ten is not the last of his line, he is one of the few to manifest the powers of Triclops. Other characters from this lineage, such as Jajee, another Triclops seen in the video game Dragon Ball Fusions, do not possess the same abilities as Ten, proving that not all descendants of this exiled population share the same abilities.
#5 Ten Shin Han takes its name from several puns
Ten Shin Han’s Japanese name is a play on words based on tenshindon, a dish invented in Japan but whose origins are linked to China. This “quasi-Chinese” dish consists of a crab omelette served over high-quality rice. In Japanese, his name is written in kanji (天津飯), read Tenshinhan, which reflects its pseudo-Chinese origin.
Additionally, the syllable “Ten” refers to the Chinese character for “sky” (天), modeled on its Mandarin pronunciation Tiān. Thus, his full name, Tenshinhan, could be approximately transcribed Tiānjīnfàn, reinforcing the character’s Sino-Japanese cultural association initiated by his literary origins mixing Japanese manga and Chinese tale (as we mentioned previously).
#4 Ten Shin Han lost an eye
In the episode Meeting the full moon, Ten Shin Han briefly loses his third eye due to an animation error. Usually the character is depicted with all three eyes, but during this scene where Chiaotzu enters the ring, he suddenly appears with only two eyes. In this episode, we mainly focus on the tournament and the events surrounding the fight between Jacky Chun and the wereman, but this visual error intrigues fans. Although this is a simple technical oversight, it provokes reflection on the circumstances which could affect Tien’s eye count.
#3 Ten Shin Han is super popular
In the survey Dragon Ball Forever out of the top 20 characters, Ten Shin Han rose to 16th place, surpassing iconic figures like Bulma, C-17, Yajirobé and Videl. Although he appears less frequently in the plot than Krillin, many fans consider him to be much more powerful. Surprisingly, Akira Toriyama himself revealed that Ten Shin Han is one of his favorite charactersalongside Trunks from the future, Krillin, Mister Satan and, obviously, Gohan (as we explained in detail here).
#2 You’re not ready for Ten Shin Han and Yamcha to merge
The merger between Ten Shin Han and Yamcha, known as Yamhan, was introduced in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2. Achieved thanks to the famous fusion dance, this improbable association gave birth to a fighter combining the techniques and personality of the two heroes. In this game, Yamhan wears the typical outfit of Metamors fusions (the one with the dance) : a blue vest, flowing white pants, and a relatively ridiculous mix of Yamcha and Ten Shin Han’s features, including the latter’s third eye. The game developers pushed the madness to the limit by even imagining a failed merger, giving birth to a skinny Yamhan.
Since then, this improbable fusion has persisted in the extended universe of Dragon Ball. In Dragon Ball Fusions, a variant called EX Yamhan is introduced. Coming from an EX-Fusion, it uses a new fusion technique imagined for the game thanks to the Metamo-Ring (which we talk about in more detail here). This variant brings visual and practical differences. So, EX Yamhan wears a gi combining the clothes of the two heroes and sports distinctive elements, such as bandages and a mala necklace. On the combat side, EX Yamhan brings together the best techniques of the two earthlings: the lightning punches of Yamcha and the fearsome precision of Ten Shin Han.
#1 Ten Shin Han was left out of the storylines for this sad reason
Ten Shin Han, emblematic character of Dragon Ball, gradually disappeared from the main plots and even completely disappeared after the Boo arc. His absence becomes particularly notable in the special episode The Return of Son Goku and Friends!, designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Shonen Jump magazine. This episode brings together almost all the heroes of the saga for a party organized by Mr. Satan in honor of the Z Fighters, two years after the victory against Kid Boo. Even characters rarely seen, or more or less disappeared like Lunch, make an appearance. However, one absentee stands out: Ten Shin Han.
This absence is explained by a tragic reason: the death of Hirotaka Suzuoki, the historical voice actor of Ten Shin Han. This drama led the creators to significantly limit the character’s appearances. In Dragon Ball GT, for example, its absence is often justified by travel around the world with Chiaotzu, to train. He only appears briefly in two key moments: when the Earth is about to explode and in the final episode, Goodbye Goku. Even if the character is entitled to a nice return at the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, since then, Ten Shin Han has been relegated to the background, his presence in the universe of Dragon Ball remaining rare and above all imbued with nostalgia.
And if you liked this article, you can also discover our files on the classic heroes of Dragon Ballsuch as Son Goku, Yamcha, Bulma 1 and 2, Krillin, Awesome Turtle, or Piccolo and the Red Ribbon Army.
Source: hitek.fr
