Whoever manages to find the seven Dragon Balls scattered across the world will be granted one wish by Shen Long, the eternal dragon. They’re a central item in the eponymous anime, and thanks to their power, both heroes and villains alike chase them around the globe.
Of course, even magic has its limits, and so not all wishes can be granted. Plus, once a wish has been made, the balls turn into stone for a year and once again disperse across the Earth. But even those limitations aside, the various character’s wishes rarely go to plan.
The evil lord Pilaf wants to become the ruler of the planet, but a little pig interrupts his wish to get a pair of comfortable underwear. The good-hearted Mr. Popo wishes for many people’s lives to be restored after a tragic battle, but the dragon skips plenty of them over a technicality. Sometimes, the crew must wish for a specific fighter’s life back solely so they can fight an enemy too strong for Shen Long to handle himself. At other times, people mis-phrase their wish and end up as children instead of youthful versions of their adult selves. Clearly, wishing comes with a lot of caveats—and not just in the show.
We can wish very hard for an outcome, even put our very best effort behind it, yet never attain it. We might get a silver medal instead of a gold one, or none at all. Occasionally, we’ll be granted a wish we didn’t even know we had. At other times, we’ll have to sacrifice a personal desire in favor of the common good, and at other times still, we’ll get exactly what we want only to realize it was the wrong ambition to begin with.
Wishing is wonderful, and chasing the Dragon Balls you need is an honorable activity. But life is bigger than you, magic stones, and even the most important wish. Eternal dragons have bosses too, and whether you call them “karma,” “God,” or “universe,” trust in their plan no matter which of your wishes are granted, and which go unfulfilled.