Movie
Description
King Gourmet, also known as King Gurumes, is the main antagonist of the first Dragon Ball film, Curse of the Blood Rubies, serving as an original character created for that movie. His name is a direct pun on the word gourmet, reflecting his defining characteristic of being a connoisseur of fine food. He rules over his own domain, the Land of Gurumes, and his appearance changes drastically over the course of the story. Originally a normal if obese human, he transforms into a large, monstrous being with purple, warty skin, a grotesque face with mismatched eyes, pointed ears, and fangs due to a curse linked to the discovery of blood rubies beneath his kingdom.
King Gourmet was once a typical king, but his life changed when the valuable blood rubies were unearthed on his lands. Instead of bringing prosperity, this discovery triggered a mutation that gave him an agonizing, insatiable hunger that cannot be satisfied unless he consumes food even more delicious than his last meal. This physical and psychological affliction corrupts him entirely, transforming him into a selfish and greedy tyrant. His personality is defined by this overwhelming gluttony, driving him to become desperate and cruel. To fund his endless quest for the world's finest cuisines, he orders the aggressive and destructive excavation of the blood rubies, ruining his kingdom's farmland and impoverishing his people without a second thought. He is shown to be demanding and critical of his servants, but his primary motivation is not malice for its own sake; it is a desperate, painful need to end his supernatural hunger. Eventually, he concludes that only the wish-granting Eternal Dragon, Shenron, has the power to remove his curse, which becomes his ultimate goal.
In the story, King Gourmet holds the position of the central villain, a replacement for the manga's Emperor Pilaf. By the time the film begins, he already possesses several of the seven Dragon Balls and has set his two most trusted henchmen, Pasta and Bongo, to find the rest. His soldiers are shown terrorizing villages, destroying homes, and attacking farmers to excavate the blood rubies, which directly leads the young girl Penny to seek help from Goku and his friends. King Gourmet's role in the climax is unconventional. After ingesting multiple Dragon Balls, he battles Goku, demonstrating immense strength by withstanding a direct Kamehameha wave. His defeat is not through combat but through ingenuity, as Bulma throws the final Dragon Ball into his mouth. Shenron is summoned from within him, and when Penny wishes for the land to be restored, the dragon removes all the blood rubies, which in turn breaks the curse on the king.
King Gourmet has two primary relationships that define his rule. The first is with his subordinates, Pasta and Bongo, who oversee the destructive mining operations and the search for the Dragon Balls, reporting directly to him. They are loyal enforcers of his greedy will. The other crucial relationship is an antagonistic one with the young girl Penny. She is a native of his ravaged land whose village is destroyed by his forces, and she is the one who ultimately wishes for the kingdom's restoration. Her wish inadvertently saves him, making her instrumental to his redemption. His interactions with Goku are purely adversarial, as Goku is the main obstacle to obtaining the final Dragon Ball.
King Gourmet undergoes a complete physical and spiritual development by the film's end. His monstrous, gluttonous form is reverted to that of a short, bald, and rather ugly human man when the curse is lifted. More importantly, his endless hunger is cured not by a grand feast, but by the simple act of Penny handing him a common apple. The shock of finding satisfaction in such a simple food seemingly breaks the psychological hold of his gluttony, implying a return to a more normal, if not necessarily benevolent, state.
In his transformed state, King Gourmet possesses several notable abilities. He can increase his size dramatically, growing into a giant purple monster. He is incredibly durable, able to take Goku's Kamehameha attack with virtually no damage, a feat that shocks the young hero. Physically, his massive form is strong enough to crush a man simply by stepping on him. He also has access to an attack called the Gurumes Cannon, where he fires a green ball of energy from his mouth, and can use a jetpack to fly despite his enormous weight, as seen in video game adaptations. These monstrous traits, however, are all a direct result of the curse from the blood rubies, and they vanish along with his hunger when the wish is granted.
King Gourmet was once a typical king, but his life changed when the valuable blood rubies were unearthed on his lands. Instead of bringing prosperity, this discovery triggered a mutation that gave him an agonizing, insatiable hunger that cannot be satisfied unless he consumes food even more delicious than his last meal. This physical and psychological affliction corrupts him entirely, transforming him into a selfish and greedy tyrant. His personality is defined by this overwhelming gluttony, driving him to become desperate and cruel. To fund his endless quest for the world's finest cuisines, he orders the aggressive and destructive excavation of the blood rubies, ruining his kingdom's farmland and impoverishing his people without a second thought. He is shown to be demanding and critical of his servants, but his primary motivation is not malice for its own sake; it is a desperate, painful need to end his supernatural hunger. Eventually, he concludes that only the wish-granting Eternal Dragon, Shenron, has the power to remove his curse, which becomes his ultimate goal.
In the story, King Gourmet holds the position of the central villain, a replacement for the manga's Emperor Pilaf. By the time the film begins, he already possesses several of the seven Dragon Balls and has set his two most trusted henchmen, Pasta and Bongo, to find the rest. His soldiers are shown terrorizing villages, destroying homes, and attacking farmers to excavate the blood rubies, which directly leads the young girl Penny to seek help from Goku and his friends. King Gourmet's role in the climax is unconventional. After ingesting multiple Dragon Balls, he battles Goku, demonstrating immense strength by withstanding a direct Kamehameha wave. His defeat is not through combat but through ingenuity, as Bulma throws the final Dragon Ball into his mouth. Shenron is summoned from within him, and when Penny wishes for the land to be restored, the dragon removes all the blood rubies, which in turn breaks the curse on the king.
King Gourmet has two primary relationships that define his rule. The first is with his subordinates, Pasta and Bongo, who oversee the destructive mining operations and the search for the Dragon Balls, reporting directly to him. They are loyal enforcers of his greedy will. The other crucial relationship is an antagonistic one with the young girl Penny. She is a native of his ravaged land whose village is destroyed by his forces, and she is the one who ultimately wishes for the kingdom's restoration. Her wish inadvertently saves him, making her instrumental to his redemption. His interactions with Goku are purely adversarial, as Goku is the main obstacle to obtaining the final Dragon Ball.
King Gourmet undergoes a complete physical and spiritual development by the film's end. His monstrous, gluttonous form is reverted to that of a short, bald, and rather ugly human man when the curse is lifted. More importantly, his endless hunger is cured not by a grand feast, but by the simple act of Penny handing him a common apple. The shock of finding satisfaction in such a simple food seemingly breaks the psychological hold of his gluttony, implying a return to a more normal, if not necessarily benevolent, state.
In his transformed state, King Gourmet possesses several notable abilities. He can increase his size dramatically, growing into a giant purple monster. He is incredibly durable, able to take Goku's Kamehameha attack with virtually no damage, a feat that shocks the young hero. Physically, his massive form is strong enough to crush a man simply by stepping on him. He also has access to an attack called the Gurumes Cannon, where he fires a green ball of energy from his mouth, and can use a jetpack to fly despite his enormous weight, as seen in video game adaptations. These monstrous traits, however, are all a direct result of the curse from the blood rubies, and they vanish along with his hunger when the wish is granted.