Kintoun

* Karin
* Kame-Sennin
* Son Gokū
* Son Gohan
* Son Goten
* Oob (Manga only)

The **Kintoun** (筋斗雲; *FUNimation* "Flying Nimbus", *Viz* "Kinto'un"; Literally meaning "Somersault Cloud") is a magical, yellow cloud that serves as a method of transportation. It's the gift Kame-Sennin gives to Gokū as a reward for saving his turtle, Umigame, though he originally obtained the cloud from Karin. Gokū later passed his cloud down to Gohan, who gave it to Goten, before it was finally given to Oob.

## History

In the past, many Kintoun flew around the skies. This number has diminished to the point where the cloud is now a very rare sight on Earth.

Karin, a martial arts cat god that lives on Karin Tower, possesses an overly large Kintoun, from which others can take portions of to create their own Kintoun. It's stated that Karin gave Rōshi his own, when the latter reached the top of Karin tower.

Gokū received his own Kintoun from Rōshi as a replacement reward for saving his turtle, Umigame, (in the manga and original Japanese anime dub, Rōshi originally intended to have his Immortal Phoenix grant Gokū immortality, but the Kame Sennin reminded the hermit that the creature had died from tainted birdseed).

When the Kintoun was later destroyed by Tambourine, he received another Kintoun, which is stored together as a single large Kintoun, from Karin before he went to face Piccolo Daimaō.

## Usage

The Kintoun is unique in that, while it can be used to fly at high-speeds, the cloud only accepts riders who are pure of heart, making individuals such as Bulma and Yajirobe unable to ride it. The cloud is also more than capable of rejecting individuals who it once accepted, such as Kame-Sennin, who owned a Kintoun but was no longer able to ride it in his old age due to a growing impurity (rather, he was a pervert).

While the Kintoun is impervious to any form of conventional weaponry, *ki*-based attacks will destroy the cloud. This was best seen when, while Kintoun survived an attack from General Silver's missile, it was completely destroyed when Tambourine shot Gokū down with a Kikōha from the Mouth.

Only in the anime, the Kintoun possesses a variation, the **Dark Kintoun**. This variation is used by Taopaipai, lent to him by Karin. The cloud was controlled entirely by the cat god, who let the cloud drop Tao halfway down the tower. Unlike the regular Kintoun, this dark variation can be ridden by anyone, regardless of moral standing.

## In Other Media

### Video Games

In *Super Dragon Ball Z*, Chi-Chi uses the Kintoun in lieu of proper flight to engage in aerial combat. Alongside the Kintoun, she wields her husband's Nyoibō, as well as the Bashōsen, using the trifecta of items from the *Journey to the West* that inspire the original story.

The Kintoun makes an appearance in *Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2*, alongside the Nyoibō, as part of the Earthling 'Awakening' skill. With it, the Earthling adopts a new combat system, riding on Kintoun as opposed to using the Air Dance Technique, and wielding the Nyoibō in tandem. Within this state, the Earthlings the ability to become temporarily invulnerable to hit stun, and their reach increases through the use of the Nyoibō. However, when knocked down, they are knocked off of the Kintoun. In the English versions of the game, this is called the "Power Pole Pro".

## Creation and Conception

Alongside the Nyoibō, the Kintoun is one of Gokū's items that finds its basis in the ancient Chinese folktale, *Journey to the West*. In the tale, Sun Wukong rides on a magic cloud from which the Kintoun draws its inspiration, though he is also depicted as leaping through the clouds as opposed to riding one. The cloud, or technique in which he uses to leap, was named **Jīndǒuyún** (筋斗云 *Somersault Cloud*) in the original tale.

## Trivia

* While the Kintoun is traditionally depicted as yellow in both the original manga colorization and the anime episodes, the later colorization of Part II of the manga show the cloud as both purple and yellow.
* Kintoun seens to be able to carry inanimate objects, such as Lunch's bag.

## References

1. ↑ Viz Media
2. ↑ *Dragon Power*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 *Dragon Ball* chapter 4
4. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 519, *kanzenban* edition
5. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 152, pages 10-11
6. ↑ Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 Trailer #3
7. ↑ *Dragon Ball XenoVerse 2*
8. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 26