Dragon Ball Z 

After learning that he is from another planet, a warrior named Goku and his friends are prompted to defend it from an onslaught of extraterrestrial enemies.

Stars:

Doc Harris, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil

Top Rated TV #74 | See the Top Rated TV as rated by our users.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Doc Harris	...	Narrator 223 episodes, 1996-2003
Christopher Sabat	...	Piccolo / ... 214 episodes, 1999-2003
Scott McNeil	...	Piccolo / ... 205 episodes, 1996-2003
Sean Schemmel	...	Goku / ... 202 episodes, 1999-2003
Terry Klassen	...	Krillin / ... 199 episodes, 1996-2003
Brian Drummond	...	Vegeta / ... 179 episodes, 1996-2003
Sonny Strait	...	Krillin / ... 171 episodes, 1999-2003
Stephanie Nadolny	...	Gohan / ... 148 episodes, 1997-2003
Don Brown	...	Hercule / ... 136 episodes, 1997-2003
Tiffany Vollmer	...	Bulma / ... 129 episodes, 1999-2003
Dale Kelly	...	Narrator / ... 127 episodes, 1999-2000
Cathy Weseluck	...	Trunks / ... 126 episodes, 1996-2003
Michael Dobson	...	Supreme Kai / ... 123 episodes, 1996-2003
Jillian Michaels	...	Goten / ... 122 episodes, 2000-2003
Kyle Hebert	...	Narrator / ... 121 episodes, 2000-2003
Kirby Morrow	...	Goku / ... 118 episodes, 2000-2003
Ted Cole	...	Yamcha / ... 113 episodes, 1996-2003
Cynthia Cranz	...	Chi-Chi / ... 111 episodes, 1999-2003
Mike McFarland	...	Master Roshi / ... 110 episodes, 1999-2003
Chris Rager	...	Hercule / ... 91 episodes, 2000-2003
Lisa Ann Beley	...	Chi-Chi / ... 91 episodes, 2000-2003

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, Tien, and Chiaotzu 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

actor voicing multiple characters | antihero | cult favorite | friend | elderly man | 

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Taglines:

There & back again - A Saiyan Tale

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Genres:

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

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site (Japanese)

Country:

Japan USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 September 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

DBZ

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ocean Group, Toei Animation, Toei Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

24 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Original Japanese)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After he fuses with Kami, Piccolo temporarily becomes the most powerful Z Fighter in the series. He surpasses the Super Saiyan powers of Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks. His power was proven to be equal to that of Android 17 when he did fight him afterwards.

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Goofs

In one of the episodes when Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin put Goku in the recovery chamber in Frieza's ship in the Frieza Saga, Vegeta says "By typing into this system, we should have Goku up to speed in no time." when he's supposed to call him "Kakarot" since both Goku and Vegeta were from Planet Vegeta before it got destroyed by Frieza. All of the Saiyans from Planet Vegeta called him "Kakarot" since "Goku" wasn't his real name.

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Quotes

Vegeta: Trunks, I never hugged you as a baby... let me hug you.

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Crazy Credits

During the Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans "lost movie", there is a scene in the second part in which "fake" closing credits begin rolling, which are quickly cut off and the feature resumes after.

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Alternate Versions

In the censored American version, all audio and visual references to the name of character known as "Mr. Satan" have been changed to "Hercule". The name originated from the French dub, however the reasons for the name change were different in the two countries: in America, the name had to be changed due to religious reasons, but in France, it was changed because another character (Piccolo) has already been renamed to Satan. In the French version, the name was only changed in the dialogue, not in the animation.

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Connections

Referenced in Ted 2 (2015)

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Soundtracks

DragonBall Z
(theme song) (English version)
Performed by Faulconer productions
Written and Composed by Faulconer productions
(Broadcast Seasons 4 - 7)

User Reviews

Why I like DBZ!

The Characters - There are many characters in the world of Dragon Ball. Some powerful, some average, some good, some bad, some silly... some plain weird, but they're all colorful and full of personality (ALL 250 of them.)

The Story - Definitely one of the most gripping, dramatic, and intricate stories of all time. So very dramatic to get to the end of one episode and to ponder "what is going to happen next? Is Tien gonna kill himself trying to kill Cell? Is Goku gonna make it to King Kai's planet? Can Evil King Piccolo be stopped?" so many cliff hangers over the years.... so many episodes battles... which brings us to

The Action - GREATEST FIGHTING EVER! The fighting in DBZ isn't your every day martial arts. We see super warriors who have trained in over 100X gravity performing incredible feats of power, speed and energy, and yet they still seem like real people to us because the characters are so well thought up.

The Morals - Yes, DBZ teaches us life lessons. It teaches us to overcome our fears and to have confidence (Gohan). It teaches us to be strong but gentle (Goku/Mirai Trunks) and to be determined and never give up (Vegeta) and that brains are as important as brawn (Piccolo/Bulma) and that , yes, it's okay to be silly (Gotenks/Mr. Satan). We learn so much from the characters on DBZ.

The Relationships - So many wonderful relationships since the beginning of DB. Many friendships and even romantic attachments. Goku and Krillin, lifelong friends forever, both students of Kame Sennin. Bulma and Vegeta, an unlikely romance between a space warrior and a mere human.... yes, Piccolo and Gohan, perhaps the most touching and unlikely friendship of all..the story of how a boy taught a demon to love. So very nice. It adds a lot to the story.

All in all, as far out as it is, DBZ isn't that different from real life. It's definitely character driven for me. People get stronger, grow older, die... learn important lessons about life, love and happiness. It's really just a great anime that anyone could enjoy if they'd just watch it.