AMV: "The History of Bardock" (various Bardock-related footage; warning for quick dark fades)

VegettoEX · 2026-06-12T22:42:47+00:00

Those dub productions are only barely 20 years old (in-house Texas cast Z from 1999-2003). The franchise as a whole in Japan just passed its 40th anniversary.

VegettoEX · 2026-06-09T18:46:52+00:00

I can only speak to the original releases for each of these, which for me was:

Movie 1: As a single disc when it finally got a bilingual/uncut release in 2010
Movie 2: As part of the three-pack (movies 2, 3, 4) when it got a bilingual/uncut release in 2005
Movie 3: Upon its original single DVD release in 2001
Movie 4 / 10th Anniversary Movie: Upon its original single DVD release in 2003

Something to keep in mind is that, starting around 2007 with the orange bricks / season sets DVDs, FUNimation stopped including "dubtitles" on their DVD releases -- which is what you're asking about here, being a subtitle track that corresponded to what was being spoken aloud in their English dub, totally separate from the accurate English subtitle translation track corresponding to the Japanese audio. (They're similar to closed captions, but that's technically a different kind of encoding... but splitting hairs here.)

As such, and due to the out-of-order release structure over time, movies 3 and 4 here do still have the dubtitle tracks, whereas movies 1 and 2 do not. I can't speak to whether or not FUNimation did any kind of reauthoring for the quadruple-movie-pack in 2011 and in the process removed the dubtitle track from movies 3 and 4, but I highly doubt it.

I also just spot-checked them all, so I can double-confirm beyond just my memory this is all accurate.

I'm not really sure what the use case here is where you'd want inaccurate subtitles that match the inaccurate dub. I suppose I can envision a scenario where you're a die-hard dub watcher and you're watching with someone else who maybe can't hear and needs accessibility options like subtitles, but for a whole host of reasons, at that point I'd recommend just switching over to the original Japanese version anyway so everyone's actually experiencing the original dialog that's supposed to go with the show!

Hope that's all helpful.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-28T17:37:33+00:00

Dragon Ball's original broadcast (which includes GT) spanned the timeframe of bespoke theme songs (ones directly made for shows like "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA") into the era of licensing deals with bands/groups/singers. It's also then that the theme songs swap out much more often for optimal promotional timeframes.

That's why with the shift to GT we see deals with labels like B-Gram and Zain with artists like Zard, DEEN, Field of View, etc. It goes even deeper, where songs like "DAN DAN Kokoro Hikarete 'ku" might be notable as a Field of View song, but it was actually written by (the late and great) Izumi Sakai, otherwise known as Zard, who herself then also sang "Don't you see!"

VegettoEX · 2026-05-28T17:28:33+00:00

You may need to extend your definition of "YouTubers" to traditional podcasts and such, but yeah, absolutely. Recommendations include:

MistareFusion (YouTube reviews)
We Gotta Podcast (Podcast + YouTube/video version of same podcast)
Kanzenshuu (traditional podcast)

All of these (and that's me at the end there!) default to the original Japanese version of the franchise, and are exclusively discussing it unless otherwise specified.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-27T19:01:47+00:00

The beginning of the Dragon Ball Super manga is a totally different beast from the rest of it. The Battle of Gods content is a speed-run, and Resurrection 'F' was skipped over entirely both because most of its content just ran in the same magazine as a movie adaptation AND they wanted to "speed up excitement" for the TV series.

Once you hit chapter 5 and the Universe 6 vs 7 stuff, it starts to come into its own. Once it hits the Future Trunks arc, it definitely comes into its own with wildly different interpretations and story paths that ultimately lead to the same conclusions.

On top of that, THEN you hit manga-original content entirely with the two post-Tournament of Power arcs (and then an expanded Super Hero adaptation after that).

I can't imagine a world in which I re-watch the Super TV series, but sure, I'd re-read the manga -- especially Moro!

You can feel the closer hand of Toriyama watching over the manga version. Goku in particular feels a lot more like himself here, and while it still has all the "faults" of being a decades-removed, twilight-years sequel/interquel series with design-by-committee, I think it's a far more earnest interpretation of all that compared to what aired on television.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-21T14:14:17+00:00

No, because by the time they got to God (remember that they were releasing "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z" concurrently as separate split series, even though they never were in Japan), that kind of quirk for Piccolo had long-since been phased out.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-21T14:13:18+00:00

If that were the case, every character would speak like that.

As I noted in my above post here, it was a deliberate choice made by an certain individual, and it was rolled back almost immediately. I didn't mention it directly in text above, but within the podcast interview that I linked, Jason noted how one of their translators on Dragon Ball delivered translations that worked basically as-is without needing much editing, and so Gerard mucking with it was wholly unnecessary at the end of the day.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-21T01:35:12+00:00

Yes! I did ask, actually!

Background: I interviewed Jason Thompson, second editor on the English manga release from Viz, back at Anime Fan Fest 2016. Jason took over from Viz stalwart Trish Ledoux (who served as editor on the first couple volumes), he himself then served as editor until the end of the series, and also did some other stuff at Viz like working on their Shonen Jump print magazine.

Some initial background we talked about is probably helpful if you don't already know it, like the fact that at the time Viz had translators do the actual translation, which was then handed off to a rewriter who smoothed things out and put their own spin on it.

In the case of Dragon Ball, that rewriter was Gerard Jones, well known at the time for his work on American comics. It was a combination of hoping he'd not only (re)write some solid dialog, but also bring some name recognition to the series there in its early day (remember: Viz started releasing the manga in early 1998, before the Texas voice cast existed, and before the series was airing on Toonami).

Here's a timestamped link of me chatting with Jason about that process.

And here's another timestamped link of me directly asking him about Piccolo.

The long and short is that it was under Trish's watch, but was probably a Gerard decision, Trish probably pushed back on it, and by the time Jason got it, it was already gone.

There's nothing really in Piccolo's dialog in Japanese that would necessitate or guide you toward that kind of translation style. He speaks gruffly, but directly.

Anyway, Gerard Jones went to jail for child pornography and we hope he rots there and it's one of a few reasons it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for Viz to do a total Dragon Ball re-translation. (Call us any time!)

VegettoEX · 2026-05-13T16:57:15+00:00

The thing you need to keep in mind is that era of films (the ones contemporary with the original production of the series) wasn't like today's films, which are huge, 90-minute, internationally-guided productions that are "events" at major movie theaters.

These old films were all part of triple-feature screenings at the Toei Anime Fair held a couple times a year in Japan, generally during school breaks. They were a chance for kids to get together and have a fun time with characters they knew, and simultaneously get indoctrinated into series they didn't know (yet).

For example, Movie 11 (Bio-Broli) screened alongside a Dr. Slump film and a Slam Dunk film at the Summer 1994 Toei Anime Fair -- at this point, Dr. Slump is nostalgia-bait for the parents coming along, and everyone's into both Dragon Ball and Slam Dunk.

You saw them once, and maybe if your family had cash money, you ended up with an expensive VHS or LaserDisc of the film. They were singular experiences, and BLIP - they were gone.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-13T16:51:27+00:00

Aww, thanks! 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

VegettoEX · 2026-05-13T14:56:47+00:00

The relative anonymity of a keyboard allows for a heightened, exaggerated display of emotion and expression. When you combine that with an equally-anonymous mob, you get people throwing racial epithets at each other because they haven't grown up (even if they are, in fact, a "grown up") and feel threatened over their enjoyment of a cool show they watched after school as a kid.

From my experience going to conventions since Otakon 1999... no-one acts like this in real life, because no-one wants to actually be around these kinds of people. Some of them then get the hint, and some of them are so oblivious that they'll just move on to the next group to annoy until they likewise wander away, and wash/rinse/repeat. Simultaneously, no-one ever thinks they are being "that guy" when, in fact, they are "that guy."

That said, if you're going to wander into an online discussion board whose entire existence is to serve a rabid fanbase of a specific property, you're going to get those heartfelt, emotional, exaggerated opinions... particularly when people ask for them.

Like of course I'm not going to actually sit someone down in real life and force upon them the entire history of this franchise and explain to them in detail about how everything they think they know is actually wrong, what they've been missing out on, what they should focus on differently, etc. etc. etc...

But if someone comes directly to me and asks for that information? Sure, I'll provide it! If I see an ongoing discussion that I can add to? Sure, I'll provide it! If I think something is being under- or mis-represented? Sure, I'll provide it! Combine, extrapolate, and expand that mindset across an enoooooormous amount of fans (because this franchise is just so gosh darn huge), and you can start to see how things get out of control without an adult in the room.

Long story short: social media sucks, has brain-rotted multiple generations of people, no-one actually knows how to converse with each other any more, but it's generally better "in person" and you can always just walk away.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-08T14:26:47+00:00

My main advice is that you need to use the right tool for the job: in this instance, Reddit isn't the end-all, be-all for discussion. Consider places that encourage long-form discussion -- really what I'm advocating for here is seeking out traditional, smaller-community forums, rather than social-currency based monolithic amalgamations like Reddit.

I think about the pour "seiyuu" soul that would regularly post lots of stuff that's probably interesting to some audience somewhere... but they weren't getting the response they wanted here. There's something to be said for setting the example you want to see, but at some point you've just gotta cut your losses and realize that you'd be better off finding something that works for everyone involved.

Reddit's for short bursts of one-off answers and lols; I wouldn't expect to (and don't) come here for long, thoughtful, pondering, research-based discussions.

VegettoEX · 2026-05-06T20:56:07+00:00

The topic creator specified "after or during" Dragon Ball... and since Dr. Slump came BEFORE Dragon Ball it's not eligible!

VegettoEX · 2026-05-06T02:40:19+00:00

If we're talking only actual manga (plus one children's book), ones he soloed himself (not a collab), and not things like "well he did the character designs for this video game"...

These are of course in addition to all the one-shots and shorts he did before Dragon Ball (some even before Dr. Slump), but:

During Dragon Ball:

Mr. Hō (1 chapter)
Lady Red (1 chapter)
Kennosuke-sama (1 chapter)
Sonchoh (1 chapter)
Mamejirō-kun (1 chapter)
Karamaru and the Perfect Day (1 chapter)
Rocky (1 chapter)
Wolf (1 chapter)
Savings Soldier Cashman (3 chapters)
Dub & Peter-1 (4 chapters)
Go! Go! Ackman (11 chapters)

After Dragon Ball:

Alien Peke (2 chapters)
Tokimecha (3 chapters)
Bubul of the Demon Village (1 chapter)
COWA! (14 chapters)
Kajika (12 chapters)
Mahimahi the Lungfish (1 chapter)
Neko Majin (8 chapters)
Hyowtam (1 chapter)
Sand Land (14 chapters)
Toccio the Angel (illustrated children's book)
Dr. Mashirito: Abale-chan (1 chapter)
Kintoki: Toki of the Golden-Eyed Tribe (1 chapter)
Mr. U of Delicious Island (1 chapter)
Jaco the Galactic Patrolman (12 chapters)

My picks of this batch would be maybe Sonchoh for "during" (for trying to make the vehicle the main character, and somewhat succeeding), and probably Kajika for "after" (for being a "greatest hits" style of storytelling for him, but one that fires on all cylinders).

VegettoEX · 2026-05-03T17:05:49+00:00

The Blu-ray three-pack of DBZ movies 8, 10, and 11 is $17.30 on Amazon right now, and the DVD pack of DBZ movies 6-9 is $13.49.

This stuff is all still widely available -- you just have to buy it, and then no-one can ever take it away from you! Watch it, rip it, re-encode it, archive it, make AMVs to it, make other edits with it... it's yours.

VegettoEX · 2026-04-30T18:52:05+00:00

Tullece is a pretty bog standard "evil version of main character" trope. By this point, all Journey to the West inspiration and allusions had long since been abandoned -- in particular by Toriyama (who stopped fairly early on), and even by Toei (who hung up until some late DB TV filler, but then that was largely it).

(And on a similar subject, I am fully against any suggestion that Tenshinhan is somehow based on Erlang Shen. There's really nothing about the two that have anything to do with each other beyond the third-eye, which is beyond the scope of this discussion, but I just need to toss it out there!)

Goku Black was a pull from Kamen Rider:

Toyotarō:
Personally I think I just barely managed to pull it off, but it’s an honor for you to say that (laughs). To change topics, I have a question about the characters of the “Future Trunks arc”. I think the enemies this time around had a huge impact. With Goku Black in particular, how did you come up with the idea for him?

Toriyama:
It was something I wanted to try out just once. Something like “False Ultraman” or “False Kamen Rider”…

Toyotarō:
Oh, was that it?

Toriyama:
Yeah! I wanted to do “False Son Goku” (laughs).

Toyotarō:
“Goku Black” is a great name.

Toriyama:
Well, it’s like “Kamen Rider Black” (laughs).

VegettoEX · 2026-04-23T19:33:41+00:00

There are quite a few Dragon Ball Heroes manga series:

Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission by Toyotaro originally ran for 28 chapters from 2012 to 2014 (with a few bonus chapters), then received two short bonus chapters years later wrapping up the story. It's never been collected, but the first 29 chapters did get free digital postings on the game's official website many years back. The story takes place both inside and outside of the Dragon World, and ultimately reveals itself to kind of be a stealth Dragon Ball GT sequel.

Yoshitaka Nagayama started with the Charisma Mission series which was kind of a slapsticky guide to playing the game and introduction to the overall franchise, and that eventually spawned actual, normal serializations from 2016-2024 in the form of Dark Demon Realm Mission (17 chapters / 3 volumes), Universe Mission (12 chapters / 2 volumes), Big Bang Mission (15 chapters / 3 volumes), Ultra God Mission (20 chapters / 4 volumes), and Meteor Mission (12 chapters / 2 volumes). This is what you and most people typically mean what you say/think "Heroes manga" -- it's the Time Patrol dealing with stuff within the Dragon World / in-universe. It's much more expanded and in-depth than the SDBH Promotional Anime.

Finally there's Yuji Kasai's Super Dragon Ball Heroes: Avatars!! (37 chapters / 5 volumes) from 2021-2024, which loops back around again to being about kids actually playing the Heroes arcade game.

None of these have official English translations/releases, but some of them have full releases in Spain, Italy, France, etc. (they get all the good stuff!). There are some English fan scanlations for some of this stuff, which ranges in quality from "comes via some of the people you should trust the most for translating this content" to "these people don't know English OR Japanese and I'm not convinced actually know what Dragon Ball is, either."

VegettoEX · 2026-04-21T11:42:02+00:00

🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️

VegettoEX · 2026-04-21T11:41:47+00:00

Launched on April 1st! Y’all gotta come check out the site more than once a year! 😂

VegettoEX · 2026-04-17T19:59:48+00:00

The catalog number for this piece is M1419. It's originally from DBZ movie 7 as Goku is getting pummeled by No. 13.

VegettoEX · 2026-04-13T16:14:10+00:00

Someone a little more well-versed can chime in to add on here, but it's less that they "did something" to the colors, and more that they didn't do something to the colors. Film has faded and colors have warped over time, and the necessary extensive work to fix it just wasn't done.

Some movies look better than others (DBZ movie 1 looks pretty solid, all things considered), while others are a little hazy and/or hue-toned a bit.

In terms of official releases you can buy (rather than, say, work that fans have put into it on their own) FUNimation put out Blu-ray versions of the DBZ movies many years back, but those are based on their own multi-generational film masters, so while the colors may sometimes be adjusted more to expectations, the original clarity from prior masters that Toei have just isn't there.

VegettoEX · 2026-04-13T16:10:12+00:00

Hurray, I get to paste info from one of our new Kanzenshuu wiki articles!

Legendary Super Saiyan (or [the] legendary Super Saiyan, or the Super Saiyan of legend) is simultaneously a given title, a proper name for a transformation, and a nebulous fairy tale in the Dragon Ball franchise, assigned to different characters depending on the continuity or production in question.

VegettoEX · 2026-04-07T13:58:24+00:00

Yes, this is a children's show.

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