Dragon Ball Z (1989–2003)

Earth's defender Goku learns that he is from another planet. Now Goku and his allies must defend the planet from an onslaught of new extraterrestrial enemies.

Stars:

Jôji Yanami, Masako Nozawa, Christopher Sabat

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jôji Yanami	...	Narrator (280 episodes, 1996-2003)
Masako Nozawa	...	Son Goku (278 episodes, 1996-2003)
Christopher Sabat	...	Vegeta (267 episodes, 1996-2003)
Sean Schemmel	...	Goku (250 episodes, 1996-2003)
Doc Harris	...	Narrator (229 episodes, 1996-2003)
Mayumi Tanaka	...	Kuririn (223 episodes, 1996-2003)
Sonny Strait	...	Krillin (214 episodes, 1996-2003)
Brian Drummond	...	Vegeta (197 episodes, 1996-2003)
Ryô Horikawa	...	Vegeta (193 episodes, 1996-2003)
Terry Klassen	...	Krillin (192 episodes, 1996-2003)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Piccolo (188 episodes, 1996-2003)
Stephanie Nadolny	...	Gohan (181 episodes, 1996-2001)
Tiffany Vollmer	...	Bulma (173 episodes, 1996-2003)
Hiromi Tsuru	...	Bulma (165 episodes, 1996-2003)
Scott McNeil	...	Piccolo (165 episodes, 1996-2003)
Jillian Michaels	...	Goten (156 episodes, 2000-2003)
Kyle Hebert	...	Narrator (152 episodes, 1996-2003)
Kirby Morrow	...	Goku (134 episodes, 2000-2003)
Tôru Furuya	...	Yamcha (133 episodes, 1996-2003)
Mike McFarland	...	Master Roshi (133 episodes, 1996-2003)
Cynthia Cranz	...	Chi-Chi (130 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)

Storyline

In the version that is shown on YTV in Canada, the story begins mid-way through the Dragon Ball Z series. Raditz, Goku's brother has traveled to Earth to find out why Goku has not yet destroyed the planet as he was supposed to do. But while as a baby, Goku was dropped (down a huge cliff) and forgot his real mission. Kakarot, Goku's real name battles his brother Raditzs along with former enemy Piccolo and friend Krillin. Meanwhile, Gohan; Goku's son reveals his hidden powers against Raditz and nearly kills Raditz. However Goku is killed in the end, but Raditz is eventually defeated by Piccolo. Before he dies, he tells them that two evil-saiyans even more powerful then he is, are on route to Earth. The remaining fighters, Krillin, Yamcha, Tein, and Chaotsu begin their training to battle the evil saiyans, while Piccolo takes off with Gohan to train him in using his new found power. Meanwhile, Goku has to make his way back on Snake Way to King Kai's where he trains himself in the secret ...

---

Plot Keywords:

Warrior | Training | Warrior Race | Super Villain | Kung Fu Classic | 

---

Taglines:

The Saiyans have returned...

---

Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Canada USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

DBZ

Company Credits

Production Co:

FUNimation Entertainment, Ocean Group, Toei Animation Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

26 min 26 min (291 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After his fight with Vegeta, Goku is hospitalized in Wukong Hospital. Wukong is the Chinese name for Goku.

---

Goofs

On the hat Krillin wears en route to Namek, Krillin is misspelled as "Kulilin." Kulilin is Krillin's name in the original Japanese Version. This is because l's and r's are commonly confused when translating from Japanese.

---

Quotes

[Before Vegeta's final fight with Majin Buu]
Vegeta: There is one thing I'd like to know. Tell me, will I meet that clown Kakarot in the other world?
Piccolo: I'm not going to lie to you, Vegeta, although the answer may be difficult for you to hear. This is the truth. Goku devoted his life to protecting the lives of other. Because of his selflessness, when he died, he was allowed to keep his body and travel to King Kai's Planet. You, on the other hand, have spent your life in pursuit of your own selfish desires....
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

The show has three openings. The first opening (Saiyan and Frieza Saga) is a montage of the characters and battles, and it features a scene of Nappa and Vegeta walking through fire, and ends with the Z-Fighters assembled, joined by Goku who falls from above wielding his Power Pole (unusual considering he never uses it in Z.) The second intro (Cell Saga) is basically the same, however it eliminates the "Nappa and Vegeta in fire" sequence, and shows a more modern group shot of the Z-Fighters at the end, including Goku becoming a Super Saiyan. The third intro (Buu Saga) is completely different and features a new opening song, with footage of the Z-Fighters as they appear later in the series. The first two intros are accompanied by an end credits scene of Gohan running on a globe, intercut with other footage of Z-Fighters and allies. The third intro has an end credits scene featuring Gohan walking down a sidewalk, looking up to see Goku with angel wings, who drops a feather from them.

---

Connections

Followed by Doragon bôru Z 10: Kiken na futari! Sûpâ senshi wa nemurenai (1994)

---

Soundtracks

"Boku-tachi wa Tenchi Datta"
(ending song) (Original Japanese version)
Performed by Hironobu Kageyama
(Seasons 5 & 6)

User Reviews

Simply one of the best Anime series out there

This anime cartoon in my opinion, is better than any other cartoon I seen. I still watch it whenever I get the chance to. It's character development and the plots of the whole DBZ story is superb, the animation is full of action, and every ending of an episode leaves you wondering what may happen next. It also contains a bit of humor as well as subplots. When I first seen it in 1996, I was overwhelmed at how much action and comedy was fit into one anime series. I found Goku and Vegeta to be serious but a bit funny in between, and the roles of Gohan and Piccolo weren't shabby either. It has a whole saga inside which makes it worth watching.

Overall, I watched this cartoon more than all the other cartoons put together. I like it even better than Inuyasha, which is also good. My favorite episode is when Goku finally becomes a Super Saiyen, and Frieza later gets cut in half by a flying disk. You may have to watch this series from the beginning to get the full meaning of the story and what is going on, but if you see this on Cartoon Network or any other channel, watch it! Don't miss out! It is definitely worth seeing for the eye.