In 1996, Dragonball Z¹, was unleashed in the USA and, still going strong through repeats, is one the few Japanese animations to have a big following in the West outside of the anime fanbase for (mostly male) children, teenagers and young adults alike. Dragonball Z was a sequel series, rather than a spin-off, of the events that took place in Dragonball.

Dragonball

Long ago, seven dragonballs were forged and scattered over the face of the planet. Once united, the Eternal Dragon will be called forth to grant the discoverer a single wish...

Beginnings

Dragonball had its beginnings in 1986 as a Manga strip, and was the brainchild of cartoonist Akira Toriyama. Toriyama was inspired by a live-action martial arts adventure programme called Monkey about a group of friends travelling on a journey from China to India². Then, added to the travelling idea, his own story with a plot that was a combination of humour, adventure and limited martial arts.

The Plot

The adventure begins with a young teenage girl named Bulma Briefs who has uncovered an old legend about seven magic dragonballs that, once collected, would summon a dragon that could grant wishes. Being a technical genius, she constructs a 'Dragon Radar' that gives the location of each dragonball³. Driving down a mountain road in the search for her third ball, she accidentally knocks down a young boy with a monkey's tail, who is living alone after the death of his grandfather. To her surprise, the boy is not only un-injured, but also has the four-star dragonball⁴.The boy, called Goku, refuses to give up his ball as it was a gift from his grandfather, so Bulma convinces the boy to join her. Along the way they meet many of the characters who would later make up most of the cast in Dragonball Z. Unbeknownst to the pair, the idiotic Emperor Pilaf had also discovered the legend and wanted to make himself king of the world⁵. Though many bad guys came and went, Emperor Pilaf was a mainstay throughout the series.

Originality

The series was split into different parts called sagas with each adventure. What was unique with the series was that the characters grew and aged which is rarely touched upon in any cartoon. Cleverly, as numerous people were after the wish⁶, actions and decisions made, along with the characters' personalities would affect the stories in Dragonball Z. The comic strip was developed into an animated TV series of just under 200 episodes, written for small screen by Toriyama, and became a hit for "children under ten" in Japan (through TOEI Animation), followed by France, Spain, and finally the USA (through FUNimation Inc. via Kidmark Entertainment)⁷, though the western dubbings had to be seriously edited down ⁸ before being suitable, as the Japanese version contained old men reading pornographic magazines and girls flashing.

Time for the Z

In 1991 Dragonball ended in Japan, with Goku a young man who had both defeated the evil King Piccolo, and married his new wife, Chi-Chi. Bulma was still in her on-again-off-again relationship with boyfriend, Yamcha which started way back in episode 13. Toriyama decided to drop the humour and add more attacks to the one 'energy blast'⁹ and integrate them into honourable fights ie one on one with only the body's strengths and limits. Fights were long and blood was more predominant. This gave the strip a new attitude which gave it wider audience.¹¹

It's a what?!

What surprises many viewers of Dragonball Z is that the programme, through media conventions, is in fact a soap opera. When it became a TV series (Japan 1991, USA 1996) each episode began with a "Last time on Dragonball Z..." and ended with a "Next time on Dragonball Z...". The 'next time', giving a quick peep at what would happen after the episode's cliffhanger. Another change from Dragonball was that the other characters of the huge cast were concentrated on as much as Goku, so he was not always the central character, though still the star. Toriyama also finally decided to explain the reasons for Goku's superhuman strength and why he had¹² a tail.

The Plot

Like Dragonball, the series was split into sagas. These however, were much larger and there were some sagas that were a metaphorical breather for the viewer. Toriyama continued to write the script in the Japanese version, but the American one, while remaining faithful to the spirit, changed the wording slightly.

It is over five years since the end of Dragonball. Goku has decided to have a reunion with his friends on the island of his first martial arts trainer, Master Roshi. His friends, Roshi, Krillin and Bulma are all surprised to see he has a child with him: Gohan, Goku's son, named after Goku's grandfather. Gohan also sports a tail, as Goku had, and wears a hat with the four-star ball on it
¹³. Piccolo, Goku's nemesis, has been in training after his defeat to Goku so he can beat him and take over the world, but when an alien with a tail shows up looking for a man called 'Kakarot', Piccolo's ambition gets disrupted...

Signature Moves

Although characters learnt many moves throughout the series, their signature move was the one that they tended to resort to when they were losing and/or desperate. Their techniques were usually performed by a hand movement followed by shouting out the name of their move. Goku's Kamehameha was the most famous signature move, mostly because it was the most common move (anybody who trained under Master Roshi learned how to do it). In this move each syllable would be shouted while clasping the hands together, then to let loose the blast the hands were outstretched together. They did, however, always seem baffled when an enemy dodged an attack they shouted out...

The Sagas

DBZ was well over 250 episodes long. As stated earlier, the series was split into 'sagas' to differentiate each plight the heroes got into. Unlike, Dragonball, Dragonball Z had sagas which linked together in some form as each episode was a cliffhanger. Sagas were usually named after their subject matter, with the longest ones having as many as 30 episodes¹⁵.

The Saiyan Saga: An alien with a tail named Raditz arrives on Earth, and after a brief confrontation with Piccolo, he goes off in search of a man called Kakarot. He confronts Goku and informs him that they are both Saiyans from the planet Vegeta... and brothers!

The Namek Saga: After a long battle with Saiyans: Nappa and Vegeta, who go to Earth searching for the dragonballs in a bid for immortality, Goku's friends Yamcha, Tien, Choatzu and even Piccolo are killed. Piccolo is linked to the dragonballs so when Piccolo dies, the balls are turned to stone forever. With Goku injured, it's up to Krillin, Gohan and Bulma to go where they have heard of a new set of dragonballs... On the planet Namek.

The Captain Ginyu Saga: Goku, now on Namek, has to stop the leader of the 'Ginyu Force' from destroying his son, Gohan, and best friend, Krillin!

The Frieza Saga: An evil, tyrannical alien called Frieza wants immortality so his being the 'strongest fighter in the universe' lasts forever.

The Garlic Jr. Saga: The Guardian of Earth, Kame, is under attack from the immortal Garlic Jr. who is determined to destroy Kame for imprisoning him inside the Makeo Star. With Goku away, it's up to Gohan and Krillin to fight.

The Trunks Saga: A purple haired boy from the future calling himself Trunks, informs the returning Goku that in three years time, two evil androids will show up and kill everyone that Goku knows except Gohan, while Goku himself will die of a heart disease which Trunks gives the antitode for. So Goku and his friends train for their arrival.

The Androids Saga: Following Trunks' prediction, the two androids (Androids #19 and #20) arrive and start destroying everything in sight... but they're not the androids Trunks was talked about...

The Imperfect Cell Saga: Another android travels back in time from Trunks' future and is obsessed with absorbing androids #17 and #18 to make himself 'perfect'.

The Perfect Cell Saga: Cell has found #17 and #18 but Goku and friends aren't prepared to let them be absorbed...

The Cell Games Saga: With the absorption of #17 and #18, Cell is complete and has no equal... so he wants to test his skills against the Earth's strongest with a tournament...

The Great Saiyaman Saga: Now a teenager, Gohan is going to high school. With his spare time he decides to become the city's superhero under the guise of the 'Great Saiyaman'...

The World Tournament Saga: Goku and co. take part in a large tournament to determine the world's strongest fighter but there are a few people present who look suspicious.

The Babidi Saga: Gohan and Goku need to stop the wizard Babidi from resurrecting the most devastating fighter in the universe: Majin Buu

The Majin Buu Saga: Majin Buu has been released and is destroying all life on Earth. Gohan is the only one whose power can stop it...

The Fusion Saga: Buu has become stronger and Gohan's power isn't enough. The Earth's fighters need to fuse together to become stronger...

The Kid Buu Saga: Buu has reverted into his most primal form: a child who doesn't have any guilt... Goku has only one last chance to rid the world of the pink menace....

During the course of the series, thirteen movies were made, but most of these did not actually go together with sagas, contradicting events, such as 'Dead Zone' which has Goku with Krillin rescuing Gohan. Set before the series, it contradicts the fact that Krillin is surprised that Goku has a son. Two, however: 'Bardock: The Father Of Goku' and 'History of Trunks' were made from references mentioned rarely. There is now talk of a live action DBZ movie, the first of a trilogy, in production by 20th Century Fox.

History of the Saiyans ¹⁶

The Saiyans are an aggressive warrior race from the Planet Vegeta. Goku is one of them. The Saiyans live to fight and are born with a monkey's tail which is the only thing that differentiates their appearance from that of humans. The effect of the light from a full moon on their tails causes the Saiyans to become Oozarou (50ft were-apes) and releases the Saiyans' full energy and strength potential. However, once transformed, the Saiyans have no control over their enormous power and run rampant. The only Saiyans that are still able to have full control are the elite: kings, princes and generals. The tail is also the Saiyans' weakness. If grabbed (in their human form), it forces the Saiyan to fall to their knees in pain. In ape-form it causes the Saiyans to feel the pain but get angry from it. To defeat a Saiyan's ape-form, the tail must be cut or the moon must be clouded for them to revert back to their human-like appearance. Once again, the Saiyan elite have evolved past their tails as a weakness.

The Saiyans worked as space pirates for alien species, using their aggression to destroy the inhabitants of planets ready for the potential buyers. When there is a planet that is deemed weak by the Saiyans¹⁷, they send Saiyan babies through space to those planets, and when the moon is up they will kill everything.

Since not all planets have moons, the one-man Saiyan spacepod will create a projection. Stronger planets require a few Saiyan warriors to fight.

Goku was sent to Earth as one of these babies. Found by an old man named Gohan who adopted him, Gohan could not control Goku's anger until the baby fell into a ravine and hit his head. The bump made Goku appreciate all life (and forget his Saiyan heritage). Unfortunately it was Goku's tail that would kill his adopted grandfather and set up the events in Dragonball though Goku had always believed his grandfather died at the hands of the 'monster that comes out at night'. Before Dragonball Z, Goku's tail was cut off permanently.

Even without a tail, Saiyans have bizarre attributes that make them potentially the most powerful race in the universe. Saiyans get stronger if they lose a fight. If they lose, their power doubles. They love to fight and without their tails they usually have to be destroyed to stay down¹⁸.

The Saiyans believed in the legend of the 'Super Saiyan' as did the tyrant Frieza. Knowing that as he would be destroyed by a Saiyan warrior, Frieza purged the universe of all but four Saiyans who weren't on Planet Vegeta at the time he destroyed it. These Saiyans were: Prince Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz and Goku.

The legend was that once every 1000 years a Super Saiyan would be born. In the climax of the Frieza Saga, it was Goku who transformed into the Super Saiyan to beat Frieza. But as the series continued, the ability to become a Super Saiyan was more 'scientific'. When Goku's rage became high enough he changed into a Super Saiyan. From then on he could change whenever he 'powered up'. This would later be the same for the Saiyan prince, Vegeta.

By the end of DBZ there are three Super Saiyan forms:

-Super Saiyan: When a Saiyan transforms, their pupils turn green and their hair spikes upwards, turning gold.

-Ascended Saiyan (Super Saiyan 2): With severe and lengthy training a Super Saiyan reaches the 'next level'. Their hair lengthens slightly and spikes more sharply. It also shows small lightning bolts.

-Super Saiyan 3: On surpassing the Ascended level, the Saiyan's hair lengthens back and over, reaching down to behind the knees. They also lose their eyebrows.

The Cast

As a soap, the number of characters in DBZ is big and their personalities are integral to events that occur.

What follows is a short summary of the more immediate cast and their special technique(s), if any, acknowledged in bullet points.

-Goku: The hero of the show. A Saiyan warrior born with ability to constantly better his strength and power. Though sometimes slow, it is his love for friends and family that helps him save the day.

KamehamehaSpirit Bomb

-Gohan: The first son of Goku. When first met ¹⁹ as a five and a half year old, he has a tail and supports the Four Star Dragonball on his hat. It is at this age Piccolo realises Gohan has 'hidden power' which could make him potentially the strongest fighter in the universe.

KamehamehaMasenko

-Goten: Second son of Goku²⁰ who has the strange ability to turn Super Saiyan although, when first seen, is only around seven. Looks up to Gohan as a role model and like all those with Saiyan blood, loves to fight. Gohan taught him.

Kamehameha

-Krillin: Goku's best friend, having grown up and trained with him since childhood. Initially bald, he is a short man, willing to do anything for Goku, and eventually also for Gohan. Although rather cowardly, he is a strong fighter when pushed to compete. He is mainly the show's comic relief.

Destructo Disc

-Bulma: A technical genius, part-owning the rich Capsule Corporation. Her father is the renowned Dr. Briefs, inventor of Dino-caps²¹. Another long-time friend of Goku, she is easily angered but flirtatious. The Dragon Radar that she invented initiated the entire series.

-Piccolo: A green alien figure from the planet Namek, who was a villain in the original Dragonball.
He is becomes reformed when he takes the 5 year-old Gohan under his wing for training after seeing the child's hidden power to combat the upcoming threat of the two Saiyan elite. Piccolo used to be one with Kame, a fellow Namek, but a separation occurred during Dragonball.

Special Beam Cannon

-Yamcha: Another character from Dragonball. Yamcha was once a thief who wanted to steal the wish from Bulma and Goku. He was, at the time, afraid of girls. That was until he saved Bulma from Goku in his ape form. Yamcha also has a sidekick in Puar (Pw-arr), a shape-changing cat.

Wolf's Fang Fist

-Tien: Though human, Tien has a third eye in the middle of his forehead. Usually seen with best friend Chaotzu, Tien is regularly there to help Goku in crisis.

Tri-BeamMulti-FormSolar Flare

-Vegeta: An extremely cocky and arrogant Saiyan who refuses to acknowledge when he's beaten. Knowing Goku by the name of Kakarot, his defeat at the climax of the Saiyan Saga was to fuel his attitude throughout the series. Not evil, but he extremely self-centred, he is in many ways Goku's equal. This character with his distinctive hair²² Vegeta portrays the attitude of DBZ. If any fan's favourite character is not Goku, then this guy almost certainly is. He is the unfortunate of censorship, decapitating and blowning up many evil foes were edited out. His character suffers most from censorship, as he decapitates or blows up many of his foes. He has been pivotal in the outcome of many battles, though flashbacks tend to avoid any acknowledgement of his role ²³.

Galek GunBig Bang AttackFinal Flash

-Trunks: A time-travelling teen from the future with a grave message for Goku about his fate in 3 years time at the hands of some androids created by an old nemesis- Dr. Gero.

Burning AttackBuster Cannon

-Shenron/Porunga: The eternal dragons that spring forth from the collective power of seven dragonballs. Shenron is the Earth dragon, with an appearance similar to Chinese dragon drawings. Porunga is the Namekian dragon, who can grant three wishes, while Shenron only grants one. Porunga doesn't look that much like a dragon, resembling more closely a large muscle-bound reptile. Their weakness is that they only have as much power as the Namek who created the dragonballs, taking away the omnipotent powers the balls seem to have had in Dragonball. Both dragons are rather impatient, seeming to prefer life in the dragonballs than out, always attempting to hurry up the wish decisions.

Find out about the cast and more at the official site: dragonballz.com.

Dragonball Z is going strong despite the failure of the follow-up, Dragonball GT²⁴.

Fans are eager to see more of Goku's adventures despite Dragonball GT, desiring as much action, thrills, even artistic detail that DBZ gave.

All they can do is keep on wishing.