The Demon Realm
Japanese Term: 魔界 (makai)
Translation(s): Demon Realm, Demon World
Other Name(s): The Underworld, The Netherworld, The Spirit World
Also Known As: 悪魔界 (akumakai; “Devil Realm”), 暗黒魔界 (ankoku-makai; “Demon Realm of Darkness”)
The Demon Realm is the lower half of the living world, a dimension that exists on the reverse side of outer space. It is not to be confused with Hell, which exists in the afterlife. According to Daizenshuu 7, the Demon Realm is a chaotic place where magic has more influence than science. The Kaiō and Kaiōshin themselves do not really understand the Demon Realm, as not even the gods’ eyes can reach it. As a result, not much is known about it other then that it is the home of evil life-forms. Daizenshuu 7 recounts these life-forms interfering with the peace of the universe’s planets. In fact, it states that one of the factors in the 43 nations of the Dragon Ball Earth unifying into a single world state was to guard against such threats from the Demon Realm.
Similar to the divisions of outer space into four cardinal directions, the Demon Realm is divided into several different spatial areas, though it is unknown how many there are or what these divisions are based on. All of these areas are unified under the rule of Dabra, the king of the Demon Realm, who according to Kaiōshin was its strongest resident until being brainwashed by the wizard Bobbidi into becoming his servant. Dabra has been working for Bobbidi for at least the last 300 years and it is not known if anyone else has taken control of the Demon Realm in Dabra’s absence.
According to Akira Toriyama in his Super Exciting Guide: Character Volume interview, the Demon Realm has its own special gods, the “Makaiō” and “Makaiōshin”. They are the antitheses of the Kaiō and Kaiōshin, and govern evil. For more information about the Makaiō and Makaiōshin, visit the “God Hierarchy” section of this guide.
The Demon Realm is never officially shown in the manga, but when Gohan faces off against Dabra, Bobbidi teleports them to some different world, one of rocky plains and blood-red water. Since Bobbidi transported his other henchmen Pui-Pui and Yakon to their respective home worlds during their fights with Goku and company, it is possible that this is actually the Demon Realm. When Dabra dies, King Enma sends him to Heaven on the reasoning that he would be happy to go to Hell. This implies that Hell and the Demon Realm are similar, and in fact the place where Gohan and Dabra fight does somewhat resemble Hell as seen in the animated adaptation.
Son Gohan Fighting Dabra on Bobbidi’s Ship
The Demon Realm is featured in Dragon Ball episode 81, when Goku travels there through the Demon Realm Gate in order to rescue Princess Misa, who was kidnapped by Shura, the martial arts master of the Demon Realm. This reference is made years before the Demon Realm was ever mentioned in the manga, although it should be noted that the “Demon World” is a fairly generic term that pops up in numerous manga and anime series, so its use here is likely a coincidence. In the episode Goku visits a village being attacked nightly by beings from the Demon Realm. In another premonition of things to come, the inhabitants of the Demon Realm are called majin in this episode, with females being called majo, literally “demon woman” but generally used to mean “witch”. These fiends are coming to mortal realm through the Demon Realm Gate, a portal in a cave linking the living world to the afterlife. This portal is only supposed to be used by grim reapers, who are authorized to do so by King Enma and God.
This filler version of the Demon Realm has several inconsistencies between the Demon Realm that later figures in the Majin Boo arc (such as the Demon Realm apparently being part of the afterlife), as would be expected from filler material that existed many years before the original author would independently visit such types of ideas.
