Puff-puff (Japanese:ぱふぱふ,Hepburn:pafupafu) is anonomatopoeia that conveys a woman's breasts being rubbed in someone's face. It was first coined byAkira Toriyama, creator ofDragon Ball and lead artist ofDragon Quest, both of which featured it. InDragon Quest, it appears in multiple games as a service a character may receive. It has been featured in a non-sexual way inDragon Quest as well through methods such as having twoSlimes being used to simulate the act, or by swapping the performer for a man, which has been criticized for lacking consent by critics. It has been censored in most games in theDragon Quest series in English untilDragon Quest XI. Multiple video games in other series include the puff-puff scene or make references to it, including3D Dot Game Heroes,Yakuza: Like a Dragon,Final Fantasy XIV, andDragon Ball Xenoverse.
Puff-puff is an onomatopoeia for the sound of a woman's breasts being rubbed in another person's face.[1][2] The term was first used to convey this act byDragon Ball creator andDragon Quest artistAkira Toriyama, having been originally featured in theDragon Ball manga.[3][4][5][6] It was featured in the firstDragon Quest game as a service offered by a woman in the town of Kol in exchange for money.[1] In addition to being a service offered by certain characters, some characters are able to use it as a special technique in battle, such asJessica Albert fromDragon Quest VIII in order to make enemies "swoon" over her.[7] It was also featured in the mobile gameDragon Quest Walk as a technique.[8]
The "puff-puff" scene has been depicted in theDragon Quest series in various ways, including women tricking the protagonist.[9] Most puff-puff sessions in the series do not involve women's breasts; in bothDragon Quest II andDragon Quest III, a woman tricks the player into having it performed by a man.[10][6] InDragon Quest VIII, a woman performs a "puff-puff" massage using twoSlimes, whileDragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies depicts the character's face being rubbed between two sheep's rear ends.Dragon Quest XI features multiple such scenes, includingbungee jumping, amakeup session, and a session where it was performed by a man.[6] The mobile gameDragon Quest Walk features a recreation of the puff-puff scene from the firstDragon Quest.[11] It has also been featured outsideDragon Quest video games, such as aLine sticker and a Puff-Puff Room offered as a reward in aDragon Quest III-themedescape room.[12][13]
The scene has been censored outside of Japan in multipleDragon Quest games as well as inDragon Ball.[6][14]Dragon Quest III replaces it with a fortune teller, whileDragon Quest IV andDragon Quest VI changes it to the non-sexual "Pufpuf therapy" and a makeup session respectively.[15][6] The "Puff-Puff" technique used by Jessica and other characters was changed to be called "Pattycake".[16] When asked byGamesRadar+ about the absence of "puff-puff" scenes from theDragon Quest series outside Japan,Dragon Quest VI producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto expressed disappointment that these scenes could affect the games' age rating, thus causing them change the scenes to be more subtle in English.[17] The English version ofDragon Quest XI did not have the puff-puff scenes censored.[5]
The scene has been a running joke in theDragon Quest series.[18]Inside Games writer Sushishi commented that, since being able to chat with the player's partner characters was not a feature yet byDragon Quest III, the "puff-puff" scene was a valuable character interaction experience.[19]IGN writer Jared Petty was critical of the depiction of a "puff-puff" scene inDragon Quest XI where it turns out that a man performed the "puff-puff", arguing that it was not funny and had issues with consent.[4] A writer forThe Independent was also critical of its use, feeling that the "puff-puff" scenes in the game were forced in for "cheap, innocuous laughs" and criticized the scene discussed by Jared Petty for similar reasons.[3] Author Daniel Andreyev discussed the various depictions of the act in the series, specifically how it evolved over time and manifested inDragon Quest XI. He argued that its use contributes to a feeling of nostalgia, particularly for 1980s Japanese pop culture.[20]
It has been referenced in multiple video games, including3D Dot Game Heroes andYakuza: Like a Dragon.[21][22] InLike a Dragon, the game calls it "nigi-nigi", coming from the verbnigiru, meaning to grasp or grip.[23] It is also called "honk-honk" in the sequelLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.[24] The "puff-puff" scene is featured inFinal Fantasy XIV as part of theirDragon Quest X collaboration.[25] It also appeared inDragon Ball Xenoverse as a gesture that can be performed by the characterMaster Roshi.[26] A t-shirt with the words "puff puff" printed on it was released as part of a set of t-shirts by Zozotown, which were based on theDragon Ball characterBulma.[27]
^Translation (from top to bottom, right to left)—Oolong (impersonatingBulma): Wouldn't it be better to have puff-puff? /Muten Rōshi: Pu... pu... puff-puff...? /Oolong: Put [your] face between [my] breasts... /Oolong: Puff-puff /Muten Rōshi: Puff-puff!!
