ra's ethnicity

[pariah-1972]

I thought Ra's was supposed to be of middle eastern decent but his father is apparently oriental?
Does this make him of mixed race or maybe this Sensei is not his literal father?

[frostedone]

I am not sure either. Sensei is indeed Asian, but "Ra's Al Ghul" is Arabic for the Demon' Head.

I guess I'll need to read The Birth of the Demon.

[flapjaxx]

Denny O'Neil has said (I think in the forward to the Tales of the Demon compilation) that Ra's was intentionally created to resemble no one race, or any clear mix of specific races. The idea was that yes he'd have some vaguely "eastern" ethnicity to him, but no matter where Ra's went in the world he would appear as an "other".

[Chad]

no matter where Ra's went in the world he would appear as an "other".

Something that Neal Adams did to acheive this was to always draw Ra's without eyebrows. I don't think it's something subsequent artists picked up on, but it was something I had never noticed until Adams himself pointed it out.

[pariah-1972]

Something that Neal Adams did to acheive this was to always draw Ra's without eyebrows. I don't think it's something subsequent artists picked up on, but it was something I had never noticed until Adams himself pointed it out.Eyebrows are for pussies anyways:evilsmile:

[frostedone]

In Batman The Animated Series, he didn't have any eyebrows either.

[Damiean Dark]

Asia is so vast so there are many mixed people of arab,asian western looking decent the tennis player Jalena Jankovic is a perfect example she looks traditionally asian in her features but is serbian.

[foxley]

And the Sensei being Ra's father does not tie in with the established history for either character, so I chose to believe that the Sesei was not speaking literally.