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 #177 | 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

In the Spanish version of the series, the song from the beginning was played by "Baron Rojo", a famous Spanish rock band from the 70's and 80's.

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Goofs

When Master Roshi is introduced he knows nothing about the Dragon Balls. Yet later in the series, he tells Goku and company an extremely detailed story about their origin.

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Quotes

Son Gokû: Well, this blows.

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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: The Return of Cooler (1992)

User Reviews

Where it all started!

Dragonball is the king off all anime.One of the best animated series of all time.An anime for all kinds of ages,being both gentle and violent.Although dragon ball z is even better,everybody needs to start with the early years of the most iconic anime character of all time,Goku,the tenacious warrior with a heart of gold.You follow Goku on his quest to find the dragon balls as he grows to be a strong warrior while making friends and enemies through the years.The plot gets better as Goku grows older and the stories are getting more and more interesting with stronger rivals and more information about Goku's life and past .You get to know all those enjoyable characters that so many kids grew up with and loved.The show gives out strong messages to kids about loyalty,friendship,hard work,having dreams and never giving up.I watched the show when i was 8 and i still watch it now,almost 20 years later,with the same excitement.It is pure gold and i recommend it to everyone.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

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