"Dragon Ball Z" (1989/I) TV series 1989-2003

Director:

Daisuke Nishio

Writers:

Andrew Rye (writer) (episodes)
Akira Toriyama (comic book)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | unknown

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

The Saiyans have returned...

Plot:

In the version that is shown on YTV in Canada, the story begins mid-way through the Dragon Ball Z series...

Plot Keywords:

Training | Super Power | Famous Opening Theme | Full Moon | Manga

Cast

Jôji Yanami	...	Narrator / ... (280 episodes, 1996-2003)
Masako Nozawa	...	Son Goku / ... (278 episodes, 1996-2003)
Christopher Sabat	...	Vegeta / ... (269 episodes, 1996-2003)
Sean Schemmel	...	Goku / ... (253 episodes, 1996-2003)
Doc Harris	...	Narrator (232 episodes, 1996-2003)
Mayumi Tanaka	...	Kuririn / ... (224 episodes, 1996-2003)
Sonny Strait	...	Krillin / ... (215 episodes, 1996-2003)
Brian Drummond	...	Vegeta / ... (197 episodes, 1996-2003)
Ryô Horikawa	...	Vegeta (193 episodes, 1996-2003)
Terry Klassen	...	Krillin / ... (193 episodes, 1996-2003)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Piccolo (190 episodes, 1996-2003)
Stephanie Nadolny	...	Gohan / ... (184 episodes, 1996-2001)
Tiffany Vollmer	...	Bulma / ... (173 episodes, 1996-2003)
Scott McNeil	...	Piccolo / ... (167 episodes, 1996-2003)
Hiromi Tsuru	...	Bulma / ... (165 episodes, 1996-2003)
Jillian Michaels	...	Goten / ... (156 episodes, 2000-2003)
Kyle Hebert	...	Narrator / ... (155 episodes, 1996-2003)
Mike McFarland	...	Master Roshi / ... (134 episodes, 1996-2003)
Kirby Morrow	...	Goku (134 episodes, 2000-2003)
Tôru Furuya	...	Yamcha (133 episodes, 1996-2003)
Cynthia Cranz	...	Chi-Chi / ... (132 episodes, 1996-2003)
Takeshi Kusao	...	Trunks (129 episodes, 2000-2003)
Daisuke Gôri	...	Gyuumao / ... (128 episodes, 1996-2003)
Ted Cole	...	Yamcha / ... (125 episodes, 1996-2003)
Naoko Watanabe	...	Puar / ... (121 episodes, 1996-2003)
Hirotaka Suzuoki	...	Tenshinhan / ... (114 episodes, 1996-2003)

Also Known As:

DBZ (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

26 min (291 episodes)

Country:

Canada | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Denmark:7 (DVD) | Denmark:7 | Netherlands:MG6 | USA:TV-Y7 (edited version) | South Korea:All | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | USA:TV-PG (uncensored version) | Canada:PG (some episodes)

Company:

FUNimation Entertainment

Trivia:

Like in the previous series Dragonball, Dragon Ball Z has many naming conventions/jokes. Saiyans are all named after vegetables. Vegeta, both the prince, his king father and the Saiyan home planet (originally named Planet Plant), means Vegetable; Raditz is 'radish', and Kakkorotto is 'carrot'. The villain Freeza (originally Friezer) comes obvious, and his brother Cooler and their father King Cold. All Namekians born from the villain in Dragonball were named after instruments (Piccolo, Drum, etc.) The Briefs family were all named after underwear, Bulma meaning panties, Doctor Briefs himself, Trunks, and Bra. And of course, various characters named after foods. Oolong, as in the tea; Videl, like the onion variety; Ginger, obvious; Spice; Blueberry; Raspberry; Raisin; Almond; Apple; and in Dragonball there was an entire family (of about 12) named after desserts. The name Videl is actually an anagram of "Devil" because her dad is Mr. Satan (at least in the Japanese version).

Goofs:

Continuity: (English dubbed version) In the episodes where Goku is training on King Kai's planet, it takes him six days to catch Bubbles. But in the Frieza saga when Goku's dead friends arrive there to train, King Kai tells them it took Goku three weeks to catch Bubbles.

Quotes:

Goku: Wow how cute. Is he yours Yamcha?
Yamcha: Huh! He's not my kid.
Goku: [Trunks cries] Okay! Okay! You know? Come to think of it he does look a little bit like Vegeta.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (2007) (VG)

Absolutely brilliant and awe inspiring

In my mind dragonball z has to be one of the greatest crossovers of comic to cartoon, for this simple reason its not real and its a break from reality and thus it had no boundaries in what it could do with its characters.

I admit that the basic story was already there but what Funimation did was to make the dialog less wooden although due to limitations with strength of vocabulary and the inability to use words of a stronger nature that would have given the characters more of an edge, but the key thing in my mind is the music which in the original series from Japan was basic and frankly old fashioned so with the music created by Bruce faulconer the series went from being good to brilliant and thus gave it the ability to appeal to people today, but due to it being taken off air people don't have the chance now to enjoy it as much as I did when I was younger.