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Dragon Ball Z

Rating:
"At least as far as the Japanese version goes, those who like it like it a lot"

Plot Review DVD Content Notes/Trivia Availability

Summary Information

US Release:
FUNimation

Genre: Action
(Martial Arts / Comedy / Action / Drama / Thriller)

Suggested Age/Content Guide:
13-up / V3 N2 M2 L2

Series Type: TV Series

Length:
291 25-minute episodes

Production Date:
1989-04-19 - 1996-01-31

What's In It

Categories:

Look for:
Martial arts
Tournaments
Fistfights
Aliens
Spaceships
Demons
Monsters
Heaven and Hell
Limbo
Alternative Universe
Big guys with big hair that glow and fight really, really fast

Plot Synopsis

Can someone go from being one of the weakest to one of the strongest? In this case, yes! Join Son Goku has he trains to be the strongest warrior in the universe while he and his friends protect earth from destruction!

Quick Review

> Quick Review < Full Review

Rating: 5 / 5
Reviewer: Legion
Review Date: 2003-09-07

Dragon Ball Z is the kind of anime you will either love or hate. I think it's a great action series, one of the kings of its genre and a classic among anime. The plot may be worthy of its nickname Drag-On Ball Z (even more-so in the Japanese version), but it's the characters that make the story. With more than 200 characters in the Dragon Ball/Z universe, many main characters' pasts intertwine with the current plot to give the show a solid backing. The animation is on the poor side for a while, but improves gradually, and DBZ has some of the greatest, most insanely well-choreographed fights ever throughout its run as well as character designs unlike you'll see anywhere else.

I'm really not sure how to rate the heavily edited and altered English versions anymore, so I'll leave that to you. As for the Japanese Dragon Ball Z, it can be summed up like a famous Canadian beer slogan, "Those who like it like it a lot."

US DVD Review

Separate extensive reviews are available for the six DVD sagas:

Content Guide

Plenty of fighting, lots of death but there are few very graphic scenes. Probably a 13-up equivalent.

Violence: 3 - It can get violent at times, though DBZ isn't the 24/7 splatterblood/gore fest people think it is.

Nudity: 2 - Surprisingly, there's only male nudity in DBZ (unlike Dragon Ball...).

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Maybe the occasional mature theme here and there, though it's not as bad as Dragon Ball.

Language: 2 - Even though some fansub groups (AnimeLabs) may fool you, Dragon Ball Z doesn't have much swearing.

Notes and Trivia

Based on a long-running manga series by Akira Toriyama.

The "Z" in the title is, in Japanese, pronounced the British way, not the American way--"zed."

Original Japanese Cast

Note: As of this writing there is no officially translated Japanese cast in North America. Thus the information provided here is incomplete and may not be entirely correct.

Main Cast

Son Gokou/Son Gohan/Son Goten: Masako Nozawa
Kuririn/Yajirobe: Mayumi Tanaka
Buruma (Bloomer)/Bra: Hiromi Tsuru
Piccolo Daimaou: Toshio Furukawa
Kami: Takeshi Aono
Sheng Long: Kenji Utsumi
Mr. Popo: Toku Nishio
Karin: Ichiro Nagai
Vegeta: Ryo Horikawa
Trunks: Takeshi Kusao
Yamucha: Toru Furuya
Tenshinhan: Suzuoki Hirotaka
Chaozu: Hiroko Emori
Chichi: Mayumi Sho (1-88), Naoko Watanabe (88-291)
Gyuumaou/Sea Turtle/Mr. Satan: Daisuke Gori
(North) Kaio/Narrator/Dr. Briefs: Joji Yanami
Buruma's mother: Mariko Mukai
Kame Sennin Mutenroshi: Kohei Miyauchi
Artifical Human #18: Miki Ito
Oolong/Bubbles: Naoki Tatsuta
Puar: Naoko Watanabe
Gregory: Yuji Mitsuya
Videl: Yuuko Minaguchi
Dende (child): Tomiko Suzuki
Dende (teenage): Hiro Yuuki
Marron (Kuririn's daughter): Yuko Kobayashi

Saiyan Saga Cast

Nappa: Shozo Izuka
Raditz: Shigeru Chiba
Lunch: Mami Koyama

Freeza Saga Cast

Freeza: Ryusei Nakao
Zarbon: Sho Hayami
Dodoria: Yukinori Hori
Namek Grand Elder/Polunga: Junpei Takiguchi
Nail: Katsuji Mori
Captain Ginyu: Hideyuki Hori
Butta/King Vegeta: Yukimasa Kishino
Jheese: Kazumi Tanaka
King Cold: Daisuke Gori

Cell Saga Cast

Cell: Norio Wakamoto
Artifical Human #17: Shigeru Nakahara
Artifical Human #19: Yukinori Hori
Dr. Gero (Artifical Human #20): Koji Yata
Artifical Human #16: Hikaru Midorikawa
Marron (Kururin's ex-girlfriend): Tomiko Suzuki

Boo Saga Cast

Boo: Kozo Shioya
Babidi: Joji Yanami
Bibidi: Isamu Tanonaka
Dabura: Ryuuzaburou Ohtomo
Kibit: Shin Aomori
North Kaioshin: Yukinori Hori
East Kaioshin: Yuji Mitsuya
South Kaio: Toku Nishio
Old Kaioshin: Reizo Nomoto
West Kaio: Bin Shimada
South Kaioshin: Kazuyuki Sogabe
East Kaio: Keiko Yamamoto
Paikuhan: Hikaru Midorikawa
Jewel: Yusuke Numata
Budokai Announcer: Hirotaka Suzuoki

English Dub Cast (Ocean Group/Holland)

Note: There are name changes in both DBZ dubs. To avoid confusion, I'm using the changed names for the dub casts. Some information will be incomplete and may be incorrect (especially since the Holland version has virtually no credits whatsoever).

Main Cast

Gokou: Ian Corlett (1-37), Peter Kelamis (38-?), Kirby Morrow (?-present)
Young Gohan: Saffron Henderson
Adult Gohan: Kirby Morrow
Krillin: Terry Klassen
Bulma: Lalainia Lindbjerg
Piccolo: Scott McNeil
Kami: Ian Corlett (1-37), Dave Ward
Mr. Popo: French Tickner
Vegeta/Yajirobe: Brian Drummond
Yamcha/Future Trunks: Ted Cole
Tien: Matthew Smith
Chiaotzu/Puar: Cathy Weseluck
Chichi: Lisa Ann Beley
King Kai: Dave Ward
Master Roshi: Ian Corlett (1-37), Dave Ward (38-53), ?
Dr. Briefs: Alvin Sanders
Oolong: Alec Willows
Bubbles/Gregory: Doug Parker
Dende (child): Paulina Gillis
Hercule: Don Brown
Narrator: Doc Harris

Saiyan Saga Cast

Nappa: Scott McNeil
Raditz: Jason-Gray Standford
Lunch: N/A (edited out of English version)

Frieza Saga Cast

Frieza: Pauline Newstone
Zarbon: Paul Dobson
Dodoria: Ward Perry
Guru: Lee Tockar
Nail: Michael Dobson
Captain Ginyu: Richard Newman
Burter: Alec Willows
Jeise: Scott McNeil
Recoome: David Kaye
Goldo: Terry Klassen

Cell Saga Cast

N/A

Buu Saga Cast

Dabura: Scott McNeil
Paikuhan: Brian Drummond

English Dub Cast (FUNimation)

Main Cast

Goku/King Kai: Sean Schemmel
Young Gohan: Stephanie Nadolny
Adult Gohan: Kyle Hebert
Goten/Videl: Kara Edwards
Krillin: Sonny Strait
Bulma: Tiffany Vollmer
Piccolo/Vegeta/Yamcha/Kami/Mr. Popo: Christopher Sabat
Future Trunks: Eric Johnson
Young Trunks: Laura Bailey
Android 18: Meredith McCoy
Tien: John Burgmeier
Chiaotzu/Puar: Monica Antonelli
Chichi: Cynthia Cranz
Ox King/Oolong (former): Mark Britten
Oolong (present): Brad Jackson
Master Roshi/Yajirobe: Mike McFarland
Dende (young): Cevli Delgadillo
Mr. Satan (uncut version), Hercule (edited version): Chris Rager
Narrator: Dale Kelly, Kyle Hebert

Frieza Saga Cast

Frieza: Linda Young
Zarbon/Guru/Jeise/Recoome/Porunga/King Vegeta: Chris Sabat
Nail: Sean Schemmel
Captain Ginyu: Mark Britten
Burter: Mark Britten
King Cold: Bart Myer

Cell Saga Cast

Cell: Dameon Clarke
Andoid #17: Chuck Huber
Artifical Human #19: Phillip Wilburn
Dr. Gero (Artifical Human #20): Kent Williams
Artifical Human #16: Jeremy Inman
Marron (Krillen's ex-girlfriend): Tiffany Volmer

Buu Saga Cast

Buu: Josh Martin
Babidi: Duncan Brennan
Dabura: Rick Roberston
Supreme Kai: Kent Williams
Kibito: Chuck Huber
Paikuhan/West Kaio: Kyle Hebert
Killa: Dameon Clarke
Budokai Announcer: Eric Johnson
Pui Pui: Mike McFarland

Availability

Available in the US from FUNimation; episodes 1-53 are available on edited dubbed VHS and dubbed DVD, episodes 54+ available on edited and uncut dubbed VHS and uncut bilingual DVD.

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