Dragon Ball Creator Explains the Secret Behind Satan's Real Name

Dragon Ball has been around for decades now, so you can forgive fans for having a number of questions about the series. Whether they're new or old, it is easy to come up with questions about the Saiyan's history or the birth of King Piccolo. Even the most boring of Earthlings in the series have forums dedicated to fan-questions, but Hercules isn't complaining. If fans are confused about his name, that is fine. But if you happen to have questions for the burly man, you should know Dragon Ball's creator answered them already.

Over the years, Akira Toriyama has answered questions from fans in various interviews, and Hercule was the focus of one in the past. The truth was spelled out in the Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide which was released in Japan, and the fan-site Kazenshuu translated Toriyama's discussion about Hercule here.

Or rather, it was his chat about Mr. Satan. The Japanese dub has also referred to the man by that ring name, and the devilish name is yet another example of Toriyama's strange naming conventions.

"Mr. Satan is a ring name; his real name is different," Toriyama confirmed. "His daughter Videl is not a ring name, but her real name. It's an anagram of "devil"."

Clearly, Mr. Satan and Videl have a thing for dark names, but the trend did not carry forward another generation. Videl's daughter with Gohan was given the name Pan, but the parents could have picked a devilish pun to make Mr. Satan happy. After all, that is what he did for himself and his precious daughter.

Of course, Toriyama said it himself. Mr. Satan is not the man's real name. His actual name is Mark with no surname attached. This name is good, but it was plain enough to force the man to create Mr. Satan as his moniker. But as it turns out, the title was too spicy for North America back in the day. When Dragon Ball Z was first dubbed and subbed into English, censors were wary of naming a fairly visible character after Satan, so the name Hercule was chosen instead. And when Videl was born, well - you can see why the naming convention fell apart.

Did you ever put together this history behind Mr. Satan? Does his real name suit him or...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.