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

Director:

Daisuke Nishio

Writers:

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

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)

Series Directed by
Daisuke Nishio		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
John Burgmeier		(1 episode, 1996)
Chris Forbis		(1 episode, 1996)
Christopher Neel		(1 episode, 1996)
Steven J. Simmons		(1 episode, 1996)
Jack Phelan		(unknown episodes)
Andrew Rye		(unknown episodes)
Akira Toriyama		(unknown episodes)
Eric Vale		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Justin Cook	....	producer (21 episodes, 1996-2003)
Gen Fukunaga	....	executive producer (21 episodes, 1996-2003)
Carly Hunter	....	producer (21 episodes, 1996-2003)
Daniel Cocanougher	....	producer (20 episodes, 2002-2003)
Cindy Brennan Fukunaga	....	executive producer (20 episodes, 2002-2003)
Barry Watson	....	producer (20 episodes, 2002-2003)
Ian James Corlett	....	producer: early episodes (unknown episodes)
Terry Klassen	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Bruce Faulconer		(11 episodes, 1999-2002)
Ron Wasserman		(7 episodes, 1996)
Shunsuke Kikuchi		(unknown episodes, 1989-2003)
Shuki Levy		(unknown episodes)
Kussa Mahchi		(unknown episodes)
Jeremy Sweet		(unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Mike McFarland	....	adr director (56 episodes, 1996-1998)
Ryan Nowak	....	sound effects editor (33 episodes, 2000-2003)
Sonny Strait	....	adr director (30 episodes, 1997-1998)
Hennie Britton	....	adr recordist (27 episodes, 1996-2000)
Chris Ove	....	adr editor (23 episodes, 2000)
Christopher Bevins	....	adr looping (8 episodes, 2002-2003)
Gord Hillier	....	sound effects editor (unknown episodes)
Tyler Walker	....	adr looping engineer (unknown episodes)
Matthew Wilson	....	supervising sound editor (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Jeffrey Miller	....	digital compositor (3 episodes, 1996-1999)

Series Music Department
Julius Dobos	....	music editor (127 episodes, 2000-2003)
Drew DeAscentis	....	music editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Jeremy Carlile	....	script supervisor (1 episode, 1996)
David Stewart Cowles II	....	web consultant (unknown episodes)
Ward Perry	....	adr script: English dub (unknown episodes)
Jennifer Wilson	....	assistant to director (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• FUNimation Entertainment
• The Ocean Group (1996-1998)
• Toei Animation Company
• Toei Company

Distributors

• AB Distribution (Europe)
• Cartoon Network (1999-)
• FUNimation Entertainment (USA) (season 3-)
• Kids' WB (2001) (USA) (TV)
• Pioneer Entertainment (1996-1998)
• Saban Entertainment (USA) (seasons 1 and 2)
• Sociedade Independente de Comunicação (SIC) (1996-) (Portugal) (TV)
• YTV

Also Known As:

DBZ (USA) (short title)

Runtime:

26 min (291 episodes)

Country:

Canada | USA | Japan

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

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:

Originally airing in the United States in 1996, its initial run was heavily edited from the Japanese version, so much that out of the first 68 episodes, the American version was cut down to 53 episodes, 15 episodes worth of content. This was mostly due to the partnership between FUNimation productions (Who owned the rights) and Saban Entertainment (Who was responsible for the dubbing and editing) When the show gained a following on Cartoon Network, it was renewed and FUNimation had sole control. As a result, the episodes were not as clipped as before, following the Japanese episode number precisely from then on.

Goofs:

Plot holes: In numerous movies and episodes in the Garlic Jr. and Driver's License eras, Gohan's dragon appears. He got the dragon in The Tree Of Might - a movie that could never have taken place.

Quotes:

Trunks: Father, you're so tough and proud, hard and cold like a rock. But still, deep down, your heart beats like mine does... I know you feel... I'm your son and I will always love you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Merry Christmas (2001)

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.