あAwkward Japanese

"Pafu Pafu" (ぱふぱふ) is one of the most infamous and long-running gags in the Dragon Ball series and the wider Dragon Quest universe (both created by Akira Toriyama). While "Waku-waku" is about pure excitement, "Pafu Pafu" is a bit more... "adult" in its humor. The Literal Meaning - Onomatopoeia: "Pafu Pafu" is the Japanese sound effect for something soft being rubbed or pressed. - The Action: In the context of Dragon Ball, it refers to the act of a woman placing a man's face between her breasts and massaging his ears or face with them. Cultural Context & Origins The joke started very early in the original Dragon Ball manga when Master Roshi (the "Turtle Hermit") asked Bulma for a "Pafu Pafu" in exchange for a Dragon Ball. It is the ultimate symbol of his "dirty old man" trope. The Censorship: When Dragon Ball was first localized for Western audiences, these scenes were heavily edited or cut entirely because they were considered too suggestive for a children's cartoon. The RPG Legacy: Akira Toriyama also designed the characters for the Dragon Quest video game series. Because of him, "Pafu Pafu" became a recurring "service" you can find in almost every game in that franchise, though it's often played as a "bait-and-switch" joke. How to Translate It There isn't a direct English equivalent that captures the "sound" of it, so it is usually handled in a few ways: - Literal: It is often kept as "Puff-Puff." - Descriptive: "Motorboating" (though this is more aggressive than the "soft" image the Japanese sound implies). - Euphemistic: "Cozied up" or "Special treatment."