Senbei Norimaki, a genius inventor residing in Penguin Village, was initially conceptualized as his series' main protagonist before editorial input shifted focus to his creation, Arale. He possesses a portly build with bushy black hair and a mustache, typically wearing a lab coat or "Slump"-labeled cap, though his appearance occasionally shifts to a taller, more rugged look during bursts of confidence. Orphaned young, he developed a lasting aversion to dogs after one insulted his intelligence during childhood. His early inventions included a talking alarm clock and a future-predicting camera. Creating Arale, an android presented as his younger sister or daughter depending on context, transformed his life. To conceal her robotic nature, he enrolled her in Penguin Village Junior High, where he developed a recurring infatuation with her teacher, Midori Yamabuki. His inventions often stem from comical or lecherous motivations, like the See-Thru Glasses—designed to study female anatomy after misinterpreting Arale's belly button request—though they typically backfire. Other creations include the Big-Small Gun for resizing objects, the ineffective Numb Ray Gun used against dinosaurs, the time-traveling Time Slipper, a robotic tracking dog, and the Reality Machine, which materializes objects from images. He later upgraded this to the Reality Machine 2, generating items through thought alone. Senbei's relationship with Midori evolved across the series. After a space-date prank by Arale's friends posing as elderly future residents, he accidentally proposed to Midori while she used a toilet, leading to their marriage. They later had a biological son, Turbo Norimaki, who exhibits telekinetic abilities. The family expanded with Gatchan, a winged hatchling from a prehistoric egg acquired during a time-travel adventure. In Dragon Ball crossovers, Senbei's scientific reputation extends beyond Penguin Village. During Goku's pursuit of General Blue, he struggled to repair Bulma's Dragon Radar until Turbo covertly fixed it. Decades later, he attended the World Invention Award in West City, where his Reality Machine 2 won over Bulma's entry. There, he collaborated with her to summon Beerus and thwart his rival Dr. Mashirito, who possessed Arale and Gatchan. The 1997 series remake revealed his initial goal in creating Arale was an attractive maid, though this backfired, resulting in her childlike android form. His personality combines high intellect with a lack of common sense, eccentricity, and perennial lechery. He exhibits brief "serious" transformations to impress women, lasting only three minutes. Despite his flaws, he demonstrates genuine care for Arale, risking his safety to rescue her during kidnappings and rebuilding her body after she sacrificed parts to save a cyborg bear. His inconsistent stories about Arale’s origins—alternating between sister and daughter—became a running gag. Senbei's name derives from "senbei norimaki," a type of Japanese rice cracker, reflecting the series' pun-based naming conventions. His character design drew partial inspiration from his creator's self-perception, intentionally made less cool to avoid outshining the author.