Kintoun

The Kinto'un'' (, calledFlying Nimbus'' in the English-language adaptation of the anime, is the name of the small flying cloud that Gokū and later Gohan and Goten use for transportation in the manga and anime series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Travel is accomplished by sitting or standing on the cloud and giving it verbal commands.

History

The cloud originally belonged to Karin, who gave it to Muten Roshi when Roshi had climbed Karin Tower. Roshi used this cloud in his youth, when he was pure of heart and before he was a hermit who lived on a tiny island in the ocean. A couple hundred years later, Roshi's pet turtle was lost on the main land and returned to the sea by a young boy named Goku. Roshi gives this cloud to Goku as a token of his appreciation, however when he attempts to demonstrate the standards of the cloud to Goku, he is unable to sit on it due to his impurity of heart because of his love of women.

The cloud's usage is deminished when the characters who can use it learn the bukujutsu technique, or the ability to fly.

Goku uses the cloud for most of his childhood into his early adulthood. It is then passed on to his oldest son Gohan, then to his youngest son Goten, and then he gives it to his would-be successor named Uub.

• In the King Piccolo Saga, Goku's Kinto'un was destroyed, but when he climbed Karin Tower, Karin gave him a new one. However, for some reason, in the 3rd Dragon Ball movie, "Mystical Adventure", Karin is surprised to see a cloud like Kinto'un.

• Gohan uses it in Dragonball Z to travel to school and back in the beginning of the Great Saiyaman saga but quickly passed it on to Goten after receiving his Great Saiyaman costume from Bulma. Goten seldom used it throughout the rest of the arc, and it all but disappeared after he learned how to fly. In the ending of the kanzenban version of the manga Goku gives it to Uub. The last appearance of it is seen in the final episode of Dragon Ball GT where Goku rides on it.

Standards

Only the pure of heart can ride the Kinto'un, otherwise one will fall through the cloud and not be able to ride it at all(and thus fall through to the ground). This has been humorously used many times over to prove that only Goku and Chi Chi are pure hearted, as both the strongheaded Bulma and the seemingly pure Kuririn were unable to ride it, despite claiming to be pure.

Other info

The Kintoun was a very important item in Dragon Ball, being the fastest and safest way of transportation available for Gokū; however, in Dragon Ball Z and GT, it became useless since pretty much everyone was able to fly by themselves. It seemed have been used as a mode of transportation in which ki didn't need to be wasted flying.

In the Anime, the Kintoun has a counterpart called the "Kurō Kintoun", or "Black Nimbus" which anyone that Karin choses can ride. However, unlike the Kintoun, it is under Karin's direct control. Tao Pai Pai receives this version of the cloud after climbing Korin's Tower himself, but as he was making his way down, Korin had it not support him anymore, sending him down to the Earth.

Appearences

• In the video game Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure (which story is based on the original Dragon Ball) in the game's main Story Mode, Gokū can ride it in certain stages after he receives it from Muten-Rôshi after the first stage. In most of these stages he uses it to fight bosses in the air and flying enemies.

• In a One Piece/Dragonball Z crossover Luffy was shown able to ride the Kinto'un suggesting that Luffy is pure of heart also. However, this is not considered canon and so cannot be taken as fact.

ja:筋斗雲 th:เมฆสีทอง fr:Nuage magique