#Senzu bean how to#
#Senzu bean full#

In addition to Internal Alchemy, sennin were famous for their practice of External Alchemy, wàidān (外丹): creating magical pills of immortality and elixirs that granted supernormal abilities. The sennin and Daoist monks that later codified their teachings referred to this as Internal Alchemy, nèidān (內丹). Through special physical exercises, breathing methods, and meditation, you cultivate yourself just as you would cultivate plants, growing higher and producing “fruits” or “seeds.” “Cultivation” is the English translation of the Japanese shugyo (修行) and Chinese xiūliàn (修练), which means “to refine yourself” or do “austere training.”

#Senzu bean how to#

In China these sennin masters would teach their disciples how to cultivate. They are hermetic martial arts masters with incredible powers, and Goku trains with these sennin his entire life. Paozu, while Kame Sennin lives by himself on Kame Island, and so on. For example, Grandpa Gohan lives by himself on Mt. Hermits play a large role in Dragon Ball, as all of Goku’s teachers are hermits or ascetics. The sennin were believed capable of flying through the air, riding clouds, transforming into mist, or riding on the back of animals such as dragons, turtles, and fish. They did not have ordinary minds and did not live according to society’s rules, and this is why they could achieve incredible feats. They left society in order to cultivate their character, ascend to great heights, and become immortal, True Men (Chinese: zhēnrén, 真人). Sennin was the term used to describe men who dedicated themselves to following the Dao (道). The sen (仙) in senzu is shorthand for “sennin” (仙人), derived from the original Chinese term xiānrén (仙人). Like almost everything else in Dragon Ball, they’re inspired by Daoist culture. So where do these magic Hermit Beans come from? If you remember anything about their taste, please tell me in the comments. In the FUNimation dub Yajirobe says they taste like fish, which is most likely wrong. Regarding the taste of senzu, I read that somewhere in the Japanese dub Krillin says they taste bitter. They can also be broken in half and when eaten in the anime they have a crunchy sound, which implies they have a hard texture. They are about the size of a small coin, and Goku often carries several of them around in his cloth bag. Senzu resemble green lima beans in shape and appearance. That is why it’s more proper to just say senzu. Saying ‘senzu beans’ is redundant, because zu (豆) already means “beans,” so you’re really saying senzu beans beans. On top is ichi (一), which means “one.” In the middle is kuchi (口), which means “mouth,” and on the bottom is nijū (廿), which is an ancient way of writing “twenty.” My guess is that the original character implied “twenty in one mouth.” Nowadays zu means “beans” or “peas.” The second character, zu (豆) consists of three parts. The first character, sen (仙) consists of two parts, a stylized, upright nin (人) character that means “man,” and yama (山), meaning “mountain.” The two characters together mean “mountain man,” “hermit,” or “ascetic.”

#Senzu bean full#

The kanji are inherited from Chinese and carry the full meaning of their traditional Chinese culture. Senzu is written in Japanese kanji as 仙豆. Nevertheless, the senzu are highly regarded by all of the Z-Warriors as life savers. Their only limitation is that they cannot cure diseases, such as Goku’s heart virus, nor can they erase scars or wounds that have already healed naturally, such as the scars on Yamcha’s face, Future Gohan’s missing arm, or a Saiya-jins severed tail.

Without the senzu he could not have increased his power level so quickly. While Goku is on board the Capsule Corporation Spaceship on his way to Namek he uses the senzu to immediately restore his vitality and continue his intense training in increased gravity. Senzu are also valuable training tools for warriors who exhaust their bodies in extreme ways, as they help them recover from exhaustion. Other methods, such as Dende and Kibito’s energy healing, require a bit more time and effort. It doesn’t matter how vast a persons energy reserves are, a single senzu does the trick.

But with the help of a senzu he recovers in an instant. For example, when Goku is in Wukong hospital after defeating Vegeta, he says the medical staff told him it will take 4 months to recover. They’re also used to speed up the healing process. For example, when Gohan has his neck broken by Recoome on Namek, and Krillin has his spine broken, Goku gives both of them a senzu and they recover immediately. Senzu are used to recover from near death injuries. They also eliminate injuries and can keep a man full for 10 days. Senzu are magical beans that restore the vitality of any person that eats one. Senzu, the magical beans that save lives.