The letter Z was chosen not for its power or mystery, but simply because it was the final letter of the alphabet, signaling the end of a story that had run out of ideas. Akira Toriyama, the creator of the series, requested this title change to mark the conclusion of his original manga run, yet the resulting sequel would produce more episodes than its predecessor. Dragon Ball Z began its Japanese run on Fuji TV on the 26th of April 1989, taking over the time slot of its predecessor, and continued until the 31st of January 1996. This five-year run of 291 episodes adapted the final 324 chapters of the manga, which were serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1988 to 1995. The production team included director Kōzō Morishita and writer Takao Koyama, who were brought in to reboot the series with a more serious tone after the original producer was deemed too focused on cute and funny imagery. The decision to create a new series rather than continuing the old one was driven by the desire to generate more promotional money, a strategy that would eventually turn Dragon Ball Z into a global cultural phenomenon.
The Saiyan Bloodline Revealed
Five years after the original series concluded, the story picked up with Son Goku as a young adult and father to his son, Gohan, only to be confronted by a humanoid alien named Raditz who arrived in a spacecraft. Raditz revealed that Goku was actually his long-lost older brother and that they were members of a near-extinct elite alien warrior race called Saiyans. Goku had been sent to Earth as an infant to conquer the planet, but a severe blow to his head shortly after arrival caused him to lose all memory of his mission and his blood-thirsty nature. Raditz informed Goku that he and two stronger elites, Vegeta and Nappa, were the only remaining Saiyans after their home planet, Vegeta, was destroyed. When Goku refused to join them in conquering planets, Raditz killed Goku and Krillin with a single strike and kidnapped Gohan, threatening to murder the boy if Goku did not kill 100 humans within 24 hours. Goku decided to team up with his arch-enemy Piccolo to defeat Raditz, and during the battle, Gohan's rage momentarily made him stronger than both adults. The battle ended with Goku restraining Raditz so that Piccolo could hit them with a deadly move called Special Beam Cannon, mortally wounding them both. Before Raditz died, he revealed that the other two Saiyans were much stronger and would arrive in one year to claim the Dragon Balls.
The Prince Of All Saiyans
After a year of training, Goku was revived with the Dragon Balls, but King Kai panicked as he realized Goku would not make it back to Earth until hours after the Saiyans arrived. Goku's allies grouped up to fight until Goku got back, but they proved to be no match for Nappa and the Prince of All Saiyans, Vegeta. Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all perished in the battle, with Piccolo's death causing both Kami and the Dragon Balls to fade from existence. When Goku finally arrived, he avenged his fallen friends by easily defeating Nappa before crippling him by breaking his spine in half. A furious Vegeta then executed Nappa for his failure to kill Goku. Goku used several grades of the Kaio-ken to win the first clash with Vegeta, which concluded with a climactic ki beam struggle, but it came at a great cost to his body. Vegeta came back and created an artificial moon to transform into a Great Ape, which he used to torture Goku. Krillin and Gohan sensed that Goku was in trouble and returned for a group fight with the now-seemingly unstoppable Vegeta. They were aided at key moments by Yajirobe, who cut Vegeta's tail to revert him into his normal state. Goku gave Krillin a Spirit Bomb that he made, and Krillin used it to severely damage Vegeta. Vegeta was ultimately defeated when he was crushed by Gohan's Great Ape form, and he retreated to his spaceship as Krillin approached to finish him off. Goku convinced Krillin to spare Vegeta's life and allow him to escape Earth, with Vegeta vowing to return and destroy the planet in revenge for his humiliation at Goku's hands.
During the battle, Krillin overheard Vegeta mentioning the original set of Dragon Balls from Piccolo's homeworld, Namek. While Goku recovered from his injuries, Gohan, Krillin, and Goku's oldest friend Bulma departed for Namek to use these Dragon Balls to revive their fallen friends. Upon their arrival, they discovered that Vegeta and his superior, the galactic tyrant Frieza, were already there, each looking to use the Dragon Balls to obtain immortality. Vegeta was stronger than before, as Saiyans become stronger when they recover from the brink of death, so he seized the opportunity to rebel against Frieza. A triangular game of cat-and-mouse ensued, with Frieza, Vegeta, and Gohan plus Krillin alternately possessing one or more of the Dragon Balls. Vegeta managed to isolate Frieza's lieutenants one by one and kill them. When Frieza saw that Vegeta was posing too big of a problem, he summoned the Ginyu Force, a team of elite mercenaries led by Captain Ginyu, who could switch bodies with his opponents. Vegeta reluctantly teamed up with Gohan and Krillin to fight them, knowing that they were too much for him to handle alone. The Ginyu Force proved too powerful, but Goku finally arrived and defeated them single-handedly, saving Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin. Vegeta believed Goku may have become the legendary warrior of the Saiyans, the Super Saiyan. As Goku healed from a brutal fight with Captain Ginyu, Krillin, Dende, and Gohan secretly used the Dragon Balls behind Vegeta's back to wish for Piccolo's resurrection and teleport him to Namek. Vegeta found them using the Dragon Balls without him, but the Grand Elder died and rendered the Dragon Balls inert before he could wish for immortality. Just as this happened, Frieza arrived and decided to kill the four of them for denying him his wish for immortality. Piccolo arrived on Namek but was accidentally separated from the others due to a badly-worded wish. He found the strongest Namekian warrior, Nail, who was defeated by Frieza and fused with him to greatly increase his power. Despite both Piccolo and Vegeta's advances in power, they were greatly outclassed by Frieza, who went through several transformations before reaching his final form, which he then used to kill Dende. Goku arrived after healing from his injuries, and Vegeta told him that Frieza was the one who destroyed the Saiyan homeworld and massacred the Saiyan race, as he feared that he would one day be overthrown by a Super Saiyan. Frieza then killed Vegeta in front of Goku. Though Goku's power exceeded Vegeta's, he was still no match for Frieza. Goku used his last resort, a massive Spirit Bomb with the energy of Namek and the surrounding worlds, and it seemingly defeated the tyrant. However, Frieza managed to survive, and he unleashed his wrath upon the group by gravely wounding Piccolo and murdering Krillin. Goku's rage finally erupted, and he underwent a strange transformation that turned his hair blond, his eyes green, and caused a golden aura to radiate from his body. Goku had finally become a Super Saiyan. Even at 100% power, Frieza could not manage to defeat the Super Saiyan transformation. Goku outwitted Frieza, cutting him in half with his own attack, before escaping Namek as the planet was destroyed in a massive explosion.
The Androids And The Cell Games
One year later, Frieza was revealed to have survived and arrived on Earth with his father, King Cold, seeking revenge. However, a mysterious young man named Trunks appeared, transformed into a Super Saiyan, and killed Frieza and King Cold. Goku returned a few hours later, having spent the past year on the alien planet Yardrat learning a new technique: Instant Transmission, which allowed him to teleport to any location he desired. Trunks revealed privately to Goku that he was the son of Vegeta and Bulma, and had traveled from 17 years in the future to warn Goku that two androids created by Dr. Gero would appear in three years to seek revenge against Goku for destroying the Red Ribbon Army when he was a child. Trunks said all of Goku's friends would fall to them, while Goku himself would die from a heart virus six months before their arrival. Trunks gave Goku medicine from the future that would save him from the heart virus and departed back to his own time. When the androids arrived, Goku fell ill during his fight with Android 19 but was saved by Vegeta, who revealed that he had also achieved the Super Saiyan transformation. Vegeta and Piccolo easily defeated Android 19 and Dr. Gero, who turned himself into Android 20, but Trunks returned from the future to check on their progress and revealed that the androids they defeated were not the ones that killed all of them in the future. Goku was out of commission and his allies were overwhelmed by the arrival of Androids 16, 17, and 18, while an even stronger bio-Android called Cell emerged from a different timeline and embarked on a quest to find and absorb Androids 17 and 18, allowing him to attain his perfect form. Cell successfully absorbed Android 17, becoming considerably more powerful, but Vegeta returned to the battle, having greatly elevated his power, and easily overpowered him. However, Vegeta allowed Cell to absorb Android 18, believing that his perfect form would be no match for his Super Saiyan power. Vegeta was subsequently defeated, with Cell mockingly thanking him for helping him achieve perfection. Cell allowed everyone to live for the time being and announced a fighting tournament to decide the fate of the Earth, known as the Cell Games. Goku, recovered from the heart virus and having reached the zenith of the Super Saiyan form, took on Cell at the tournament. Goku eventually realized that Cell was far too powerful for him to handle, and forfeited the fight to the astonishment of everyone else. Goku proclaimed that Gohan would be able to defeat Cell. Though initially outclassed, Gohan was eventually able to tap into his latent power and achieve the Super Saiyan 2 transformation after Android 16 sacrificed himself in a failed attempt to kill Cell. Refusing to accept defeat, Cell prepared to self-destruct and destroy the Earth. Goku used his Instant Transmission ability to teleport himself and Cell to King Kai's planet, where Cell exploded and killed everyone there. However, Cell survived the blast and returned to Earth more powerful than ever, where he promptly murdered Trunks, but Gohan unleashed the totality of his power in a massive Kamehameha wave and obliterated Cell for good. The Dragon Balls were then used to revive everyone that was killed by Cell, while Goku chose to remain in the afterlife, refusing an offer by his friends to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to bring him back. Trunks returned to his timeline and used his bolstered power to finally slay the Future Androids and Cell.
The Magic Of Majin Buu
Seven years later, Goku was allowed to go back to Earth for one day to reunite with his loved ones and meet his youngest son, Goten, at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Soon after, Goku and his allies were drawn into a fight by the Supreme Kai against a magical being named Majin Buu summoned by the evil wizard Babidi. All efforts to stop the resurrection proved to be futile as Buu was successfully revived and began slaughtering Earth's inhabitants. Goten and Trunks were taught the fusion technique by Piccolo, while Gohan got his latent potential unlocked by the Elder Supreme Kai. Meanwhile, Buu befriended Mr. Satan and vowed to never kill anyone ever again, but was interrupted when a deranged gunman shot and nearly killed Mr. Satan. As a result, Majin Buu became so angry that he expelled the evil within himself, creating an evil Buu that proceeded to absorb the good Buu. The result was Super Buu, a psychopathic monster who wanted nothing more than the destruction of the universe. After numerous battles that resulted in the deaths of many of Goku's allies as well as the destruction of Earth, Goku was fully restored by the Elder Supreme Kai and defeated Kid Buu, the original form of Majin Buu, with a Spirit Bomb attack containing the energy of all the inhabitants of Earth, who were resurrected along with the planet by the Namekian Dragon Balls. Goku made a wish for Kid Buu to be reincarnated as a good person, and ten years later at another Tenkaichi Budōkai, he met Kid Buu's human reincarnation, Uub. Leaving the match between them unfinished, Goku departed with Uub so he could train him to become Earth's new defender.
The Voice Of The Saiyan
Throughout the production, the voice actors were tasked with playing different characters and performing their lines on cue, switching between roles as necessary. The voice actors were unable to record the lines separately because of the close dialogue timing. When asked if juggling the different voices of Goku, Gohan, and Goten were difficult, Masako Nozawa said that it was not and that she was able to switch roles simply upon seeing the character's picture. She did admit that when they were producing two films a year and television specials in addition to the regular series, there were times when they had only line art to look at while recording, which made giving finer nuanced details in her performance difficult. One of the character designers for Dragon Ball Z was Tadayoshi Yamamuro, who was responsible for designing and animating Goku's Super Saiyan form in the series. He used the martial artist Bruce Lee as a reference for Goku's Super Saiyan form, stating that when he first becomes a Super Saiyan, his slanting pose with that scowling look in his eyes is all Bruce Lee. In the original manga itself, Goku's piercing eyes in Super Saiyan form were also based on Bruce Lee's paralyzing glare. The series premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on the 26th of April 1989, and ran for 291 episodes until its conclusion on the 31st of January 1996. Because Toriyama was writing the manga during the production of the anime, Dragon Ball Z added original material not adapted from the manga, including lengthening scenes or adding new ones, and adding new attacks and characters not present in the manga. For example, Toriyama was asked to create an additional character for Goku's training with King Kai, resulting in the cricket Gregory.
The Global Phenomenon
In 1996, Funimation Productions licensed Dragon Ball Z for an English-language release in North America, after cancelling their initial dub of Dragon Ball half-way through their originally-planned 26-episode first season. Funimation worked with Saban Entertainment to syndicate the series on television, and Pioneer Entertainment to handle home video distribution. A Vancouver-based cast recording at the Ocean Studios were hired by Funimation to dub the anime. Contract musicians for Saban, Ron Wasserman and Jeremy Sweet, known for their work on the Power Rangers franchise, composed a new guitar-driven soundtrack. The dub's opening theme, nicknamed Rock the Dragon, was sung by Sweet, and afterwards Wasserman got hired by Saban to do background music for the dub. For contractual reasons, the background music and opening theme was officially credited to Saban founders Shuki Levy and Haim Saban, with the actual extent of their involvement in the soundtrack being unclear. Funimation's initial English dub of Dragon Ball Z had mandated cuts to content and length, which reduced the first 67 episodes into 53. Most of the edits were done to make the anime more tame and kid-friendly, most notably having references to death sidestepped with phrases like sent to the next dimension. It premiered in the United States on the 13th of September 1996, in first-run syndication, but halted production in 1998 after two seasons despite strong ratings. This was due to Saban scaling down its syndication operations, in order to focus on producing original material for the Fox Kids Network and its newly acquired Fox Family Channel. On the 31st of August 1998, reruns of this canceled dub began airing on Cartoon Network as part of the channel's weekday afternoon Toonami block. Cartoon Network eventually ordered more episodes of Dragon Ball Z, and Funimation resumed production on the series' English dub without Saban's assistance. Cartoon Network replaced the original Vancouver-based cast with an in-house voice cast at their Texas-based studio, with the goal of the new voices sounding similar to the Vancouver cast. The Saban-produced soundtrack from the first two seasons was replaced with a new background score composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi and his team of musicians, which was used throughout the rest of Funimation's Dragon Ball Z dub. This renewed dub featured less censorship due to both Saban's absence and fewer restrictions on cable programming, and aired new episodes on Cartoon Network's Toonami block from the 13th of September 1999, to the 7th of April 2003. In 2005, Funimation began to re-dub episodes 1 through 67 with their in-house voice cast, including content originally cut from their dub with Saban. This dub's background score was composed by Nathan M. Johnson. In January 2011, Funimation and Toei announced that they would stream Dragon Ball Z within 30 minutes before their simulcast of One Piece. The series was also available on the Funimation video streaming service upon its launch in 2016. In March 2022, Dragon Ball Z was added to Crunchyroll, a service that Funimation acquired a year before, which in turn was acquired in 2018 by its current parent company, Sony Pictures Television. The series was also available on the Funimation video streaming service upon its launch in 2016. In March 2022, Dragon Ball Z was added to Crunchyroll, a service that Funimation acquired a year before, which in turn was acquired in 2018 by its current parent company, Sony Pictures Television.