Staff Officer Black

"Well, that may be the case, but at least I wasn't beaten by a girl."
— Staff Officer Black in "Piccolo's Best Bet"

Staff Officer Black (ブラック 参謀, Burakku Sanbō; FUNimation "Staff Officer Black") is the assistant of Commander Red. He is not given much of a role until later in the series. Soft-spoken and quick-witted, Black carries out Red's orders and informs Red of the current situations with the remaining Red Ribbon Army officers.

Biography

Dragon Ball

Black about to face off against Goku.

Black in his Battle Jacket.

Black during the Commander Red Saga.

When Son Goku is storming the headquarters, Black repeatedly attempts to persuade Red to evacuate the fortress to a much safer and secure location, but Commander Red refuses. Black actually ends up having to fight Goku by himself and he doesn't land a single hit, but sure takes some himself. Goku actually ends up unwittingly saving Black's life, as the final punch Goku delivered made Black crash through a window. When a trap door ceiling fell down on Goku, Black survived because he was hanging onto the windowsill. Overhearing Red's joyful speech about becoming a taller person, Black was appalled, saying that his mad ambition has cost the Army dearly as shown in Goku's invasion, and may eventually lead to its defeat. Commander Red replies it doesn't matter how many soldiers he risks as long as he reaches his goal, and makes it clear that he is just a lackey, and is as the rest of the Red Ribbon Army, expendable. Angered, Black then shot Commander Red in the head with his pistol, killing him instantly.

Goku survived the falling ceiling and was offered a position in Black's new army – the Black Ribbon Army – which Goku refused. The two battled again and Goku was predictably too powerful for him. Black then got into a super-powered robotic suit called the Battle Jacket and the tables were turned since Goku was no match for him in the suit. The fight continued outside and Black in the suit threw Goku onto the ground. He attempted to finish him off with a blast, but the boy quickly recovered and proved too nimble and even had Black attack himself. Black then snapped and fired a rocket to destroy Goku, threatening even his soldiers and staff, but Goku kicked the rocket away. After realizing the boy was too powerful, Black tried to escape from Goku and the young warrior sufficed and headbutted straight through the Battle Jacket. It then exploded with Black trapped in it... as the one thing not installed in the Battle Jacket was a parachute.

Dragon Ball GT

Blue and Black in Dragon Ball GT.

Black made a brief cameo in Dragon Ball GT after he and several other Red Ribbon Army members were killed by Son Pan. He was seen speaking to General Blue in Hell. Yama was busy stamping villains back into the dimension. The work load was heavily packed as all the villains were in a long line that extended out of the Check-In Station. As Yama announced his frustration, Blue and Black chatted in line. Black declared that it did not take long for all of them to be defeated and sent straight back to Hell, referring to everyone in line as "losers". Blue responded by reminding him that he was also in line with all those losers. They were all awaiting to meet their fate together.

It is important to note that the Red Ribbon Army members, including Black, who appeared in DBGT were drawn in a style based on their appearance in the original Dragon Ball, not in the "redesigned" forms that appeared in The Path to Power.

Films

Black redesigned in The Path to Power.

Black had a similar role in Dragon Ball: The Path to Power, but his appearance was completely changed and he resembled a Native American. Black was still Red's right-hand man. Black killed his boss, renamed the organization the Black Ribbon Army, and then got ready for a battle against Goku. He was ultimately killed by Goku.

Video games

Black appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Sūpā Gokū Den: Totsugeki Hen.

Black (using the Battle Jacket) is a playable character and a boss character in Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure.

Voice actors

• Japanese dub: Masaharu Satō
• FUNimation dub: Christopher R. Sabat
• Portuguese dub: Ricardo Spínola

Trivia

• During the Great Saiyaman Saga, a man who closely resembles Black is seen working as a producer of some sort in "I'll Fight Too!" along with a director who closely resembles Red.
• Black claims that he was not killed by Pan in Dragon Ball GT when he responds with the phrase "At least I didn't get beaten by a girl". He was in fact seen in his Battle Jacket being killed by Pan.