Dragon Ball 

Son Gokû, a fighter with a monkey tail, goes on a quest with an assortment of odd characters in search of the Dragon Balls, a set of crystals that can give its bearer anything they desire.

Stars:

Masako Nozawa, Jôji Yanami, Brice Armstrong

Top Rated TV #176 | See the Top Rated TV as rated by our users.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Masako Nozawa	...	Son Gokû 153 episodes, 1986-1989
Jôji Yanami	...	Narrator / ... 153 episodes, 1986-1989
Brice Armstrong	...	Narrator / ... 152 episodes, 1986-1989
Stephanie Nadolny	...	Goku 126 episodes, 1986-1988
Hiromi Tsuru	...	Bulma 114 episodes, 1986-1989
Mayumi Tanaka	...	Kuririn / ... 105 episodes, 1986-1989
Tôru Furuya	...	Yamcha 101 episodes, 1986-1989
Naoko Watanabe	...	Puar / ... 101 episodes, 1986-1989
Kôhei Miyauchi	...	Kamesennin Muten Roshi / ... 99 episodes, 1986-1989
Naoki Tatsuta	...	Oolong / ... 91 episodes, 1986-1989
Mami Koyama	...	Lunch / ... 78 episodes, 1986-1989
Kenji Utsumi	...	Announcer / ... 71 episodes, 1986-1989
Hirotaka Suzuoki	...	Tenshinhan 64 episodes, 1987-1989

Storyline

What starts off as a bizarre re-telling of the Chinese legend "Journey to the West" quickly transforms into pure madness. On a twisted version of Earth, the ridiculously strong child-fighter Son Gokû is joined by several companions in the quest for the seven "dragon balls", which, when assembled, will summon the Grand Dragon, who will grant the bearer of the balls one single wish. The problem is, the Grand Dragon can only be invoked once a year, and villains battle Goku and friends constantly for possession of the Dragon Balls.

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Plot Keywords:

older actors younger roles | supernatural power | superhero | dragon ball | based on manga | 

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

TV-Y7

Did You Know?

Trivia

The France-based AB Groupe was responsible for handling the distribution of the series and merchandise across a portion of Europe. Thus, in some European countries, the series was advertised as a French cartoon, along with a variety of other popular anime properties that they had the rights for at the time. These were also notable for containing heavy censorship and the drastic rewriting of several scenes and the renaming of several characters, as well as original intros and closing sequences, made to ensure that the series would be suitable for very young audiences.

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Goofs

When the Red Ribbon Army opens fire in Suno's house, they destroy the "toilet" sign on the bathroom door. Yet in all subsequent scenes after Goku has defeated this division of the army, the sign is restored.

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Quotes

[Japanese closing song]
Singer: Come along in a fantasy, a likable mystery / Don't hide your youthfulness / Want to have a mystery, want to have an adventure / Everybody's itching to go / If you give up pretending to be an adult / you can't solve like a simple puzzle / Try to be wilder and stronger, / in life! / I'll give you romance, I'll give you romance / Show us your true bravery! / I'll give you romance, I'll give you romance / The glisten light flutters in the hearts, / I'll give you a dream!

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are a montage of images based on covers from the "Dragon Ball" manga.

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Alternate Versions

The Latin American version, dubbed in Mexico, changed Chi Chi's name to Milk, due the relation in Mexico of the word 'Chichi' and breasts. Despite that major change, most of the characters names and techniques names were translated straight from japanese and kept their original names. Content related to nudity and sexual references were not translated in the first episodes, in order to get the approval for 'all audiences', but characters like Master Roshi, Yamcha, Bulma, etc., all kept they personality and most of their dialogues intact. Violent content was not cut by the dubbing company, but some TV channels in different countries of Latin America made their own cuts while broadcasting.

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Connections

Spin-off Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)

User Reviews

It's a good show.

I have watched this show and i guarantee its good. Well it may start off a little slow but it gets really good. It's child friendly and adults will enjoy it too. Like Dragonball Z and Dragonball Gt it will keep your interest. The fighting and powers of the warriors can keep children and adults all over the world amused. The show does have a little bit humor to it than the other two series, but thats what it was originally created for. The humor doesn't stop the show from having a good plot. Throughout the show they have great adventures and they always meet new allies and villains. To the last comment, I wouldn't say that your comment wasn't true, but I don't want to say it was true. The creators have made special uncut versions, but those must be bought on DVD or VHS. The edited version airs on television. They just wouldn't put extreme adult content on a show for children. So, what if a few of the characters like girl magazines and one is obsessed with females its all part of the humor. There are no female body parts that are revealed in the show, not even on the uncut versions. So, when i was reading the last comment I figured that the person who wrote must be misjudged. Watch the edited version. If you are not offended by anything enjoy the uncut version which is more adult oriented.

Details

Official Sites:

TOEI Animation Co., Ltd

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 February 1986 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Dragon Ball

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Bird Studio, Toei Animation, Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min (153 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3