Dragon Ball Z ep 24 - Farewell, Ten-san! Chaozu's Suicide Strategy

"Let me show you the results of my training...!"

Kuririn cries out as he puts his full power into a ki blast.

Dragon Ball Z ep 23 - Yamcha Dies! The Terror of the Saibaimen

The fearsome Saiyan warriors, Vegeta and Nappa, have unleashed their monstrous minions, the Saibaimen. Piccolo, Kuririn, and Gohan look on as the Saibaimen strike.

Dragon Ball Z ep 22 - Unbelievable! Saibaimen, Born of the Soil

Vegeta and Nappa, the two Saiyan allies of Son Goku's brother, Raditz, have at last come to Earth. A month ahead of schedule, no less, with Goku a day away from making it back from Other World. The duo is delighted by the Planet Earth as they step out of the space pods in the center of Metro East. Muggles Citizens gather to witness the emergence of the strange aliens, just as Nappa decides to give the ones who killed Raditz a little greeting...

Dragon Ball Z ep 21 - Come Forth, Shen Long! The Saiyans Finally Arrive on Earth

Over the following weeks, Kaio-sama teaches Son Goku his signature technique, the Kaioken. It's a technique so deadly, and puts such strain on the user's body, that even Kaio has never fully mastered it. After five short months with the master, Kaio is ready to give Goku his last bit of training. Confident he has taught Goku everything he can in martial arts (though his comedy could use work), they review everything Goku has learned.

Merry Christmas!

To all my readers, I hope you and yours have a great Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope your 25th of December is excellent anyway. To all my readers who celebrate other holidays, I hope those are kick ass as well. Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and all that wonderful jazz.

The 12 Days of Dragon Ball Christmas

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my true love sent to me

Twelve redeemed rivals,

The perfect live action Kaio-sama,

is Mel Brooks.

You're welcome.

Dragon Ball Z ep 20 - The Saiyan Legend Reborn! Goku's Roots

Less than five months remain until the Saiyans arrive on Earth, and Goku has at last conquered Kaio-sama's planet's gravity, which is ten times that of Earth, by catching Bubbles. Goku impatiently says the time left to train is barely enough to catch his breath. Kaio wryly bellows, then waits for the sound to race across his tiny planet and come back to them (because sound works like that right?), making the joke that it takes awhile to catch one's breath. "Are you sure you're all that strong?" Goku asks, honestly astounded by the strange old master.

Dragon Ball Z ep 19 - The Battle With Gravity! Catch Bubbles-kun

Introducing Kaio-sama

The Strongest Man in Other World

(Until he's retconned out of that position.)

When Kaio-sama introduces himself to Son Goku, who at this point thought Kaio's pet monkey Bubbles was the real Kaio, he did so with a play on words... Slowly turning "mosquito" into "Kaio". What this means for Goku becomes clear immediately after Kaio makes his next joke...

My crack theory about Kaio-sama, and the whole of DB/Z/GT/Kai

Joji Yanami is a veteran of DB voice acting. Not only does he play Dr. Brief, the King, Dr. Frappe, and Babidi, but he’s most famous for portraying Kaio-sama and the Narrator, both of which he plays in his own natural speaking voice (though with some slight inflections, depending on the situation).

My theory is this: the entire story of DB/Z/GT is being told, in retrospect, by Kaio-sama, which is why he is the narrator. Even when he refers to “Kaio-sama” in the third person, it’s a completely in-character thing for Kaio to do.

For the last several years, whenever I watch DB, I can’t remove Joji’s narrations from his Kaio-sama. And I wouldn’t want to! My theory makes it more fun! Like Kaio is telling the legend of Goku to a future student!

(Possibly a student which asked, “How did you die?”)

Dragon Ball Z ep 18 - Last Stop on Serpentine Road! Are You Kaio-sama?

As Gohan and Piccolo continue to train, it's clear that Gohan doesn't take Piccolo seriously as a threat. He jumps around laughing and smiling, as Piccolo thrashes him about their rocky training ground. Piccolo spits, "You're even softer than your father."

Dragon Ball Z ep 17 - City of No Tomorrow! The Long Road to Victory

With only six months remaining until the Saiyans arrive on Earth, Gohan's real training under Piccolo begins. Having survived on his own for the last half a year, he will now learn martial arts. Piccolo sets out his goals plainly to Gohan. He must surpass him, so that he may surpass the Saiyans. If he's not sleeping or eating, he will be fighting Piccolo. And if he has time to whine, he has time to train.

Dragon Ball Z ep 16 - Run, Gohan! Longing for Mt. Paozu, Where Chichi is Waiting

Gohan wakes up in the bed of a cottage belonging to brother and sister, Rom and Chiko. The two orphans welcome Gohan to their town. A town which was swallowed up by a tsunami two years ago, and is now populated by the orphaned children. Before Gohan can explain to them that he isn't an orphan - that he is, in fact, searching for his mother - government workers arrive to take the children to the orphanage.

Dragon Ball Z ep 15 - Escape From Piccolo! Gohan Summons a Storm

I have something to say before we get started. As you've no doubt guessed, we're knee deep in the post-Raditz, pre-Vegeta filler section of the Saiyan Saga. For better or worse, a lot of American fans of DBZ have a soft spot for these episodes, from the original FUNimation/Saban production of DBZ from 1996. Filler episodes aren't necessarily a bad thing, and I hope if you've been following the blog long enough, you've realized that as I have. It's a dirty word, "filler". There should definitely be a different name for good filler. Episodes like Goku Goes to the Demon World, Time Traveling Goku, Mt Frypan Ablaze! A Deadly Split-Second Decision, and Don't Cry Gohan! His First Fight can hardly be called "filler". They add as much to the overall story as any canon episode.

This episode is not one of those episodes.

This episode is filler in every sense of the word.

This is the worst episode of Dragon Ball Z... EVER!

The Z-Senshi

Dragon Ball Z ep 14 - Such Sweet Temptation! The Snake Princess-sama's Hospitality

Son Goku only has nine months left to reach Kaio-sama's place and learn his martial arts until the Saiyans arrive on Earth. Having fallen off Serpentine Road, Goku had to start over from the beginning, retracing steps that took him three months to tread! But thanks to the extraordinary power of Great King Yama's Enseiju fruit, Goku has caught up to and doubled the ground he covered before falling off the road into Hell! Huzzah! (Maybe he should have grabbed more fruit?)

Dragon Blog... in Portuguese?!

It's true. I've made it in the world. My people's native language (though this is Brazilian Portuguese, and my family comes from Portugal. I don't understand either language, so the difference is lost on me) is now a victim to this beast known as the Dragon Blog.

Our friend over at Namekusei, Son ω, has taken up the task of translating my blog entry on Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins. You'll find his version here, and my version here. I think he plans to do more, and his site is pretty quality stuff (he's even doing a translation of Kanzentai's Intended Ending Guide, which should be required reading for every single Dragon Ball fan on the internet). So if you're a Portuguese reader, you should definitely visit his blog as often as you can. DO IT.

Dragon Ball Z ep 13 - Hands Off! Yama-sama's Secret Fruit

Goku has fallen into Hell, where he tries to eat a fruit from the Enseiju, the Tree of Circular Life. He meets two Ogres who keep him from eating the fruit, Gozu and Mezu, guardians of this district of Hell. It has been 1,500 years since a flesh-and-blood dead person has been in their midst, and they're eager to kill some time messing with Goku...

Dragon Ball Z ep 12 - Catnap on Serpentine Road -- Goku Takes a Tumble

Only nine months remain until the fearsome Saiyans arrive on Planet Earth. Gohan has become stronger than ever (now P-Rex runs from him), yet he's ready to go back to his mother. Confident in his abilities as he's become, he decides one fine morning as he washes his face that soon, without the consent of Piccolo, he will return to her.

Dragon Ball Z: Return My Gohan!! (DBZ Movie 1)

Dragon Ball Z ep 11 - The Saiyans, Mightiest Warriors in the Universe, Awaken!

 Son Goku struggles his way across Serpentine Road.

Dragon Ball Z ep 10 - Don't Cry, Gohan! His First Fight

In the days that followed, Gohan became increasingly brave as his strength grew. He collects food for himself - a variety of fruits, vegetables, and a fish as the main course - without complaint, these days. But he still has a long way to go. Startled by a strike of lightning and a boom of thunder, Gohan takes a tumble from a tall tree. As the lightning strikes again, Gohan takes what remains of his food supply and runs back to a cave he has turned into a shelter.

Dragon Ball Z ep 9 - Sorry, Robot-san -- The Desert of Vanishing Tears

The following morning is filled with confusion for Son Gohan. Not only is he mysteriously off the high mountain he'd gotten himself stuck on for two days, his tail is completely gone and his clothes have been changed as well. The last thing he recalls is looking up at the full moon - unaware of his monstrous transformation into an Oozaru!!

Dragon Ball Z ep 8 - A Great Transformation on a Moonlit Night! The Secret of Gohan's Power

Gohan sleeps atop the mountain where he had transported himself to in a moment of high emotion, and now cannot get down from. Tears streak down his cheeks as he calls quietly for his mother.

Dragon Ball Z ep 7 - Survival With Dinosaurs! Gohan's Harsh Training

"W-what should I do to train?" Gohan asks, biting back tears.

Dragon Ball Z ep 6 - Even Yama-sama is Surprised--The Fight Continues in the Next World

Goku's body has vanished from the field of battle, and Piccolo assures the others that it is Kami-sama's doing. With only a year to prepare for the arrival of the Saiyans, time is of the essence.

Dragon Ball Z ep 5 - Goku Dies! There's Only One Last Chance

 "Stop picking on..."

Dragon Ball Z ep 4 - Piccolo's Trump Card! Gohan, the Crybaby-kun

Son Goku and Piccolo Daimao are the two strongest fighters the planet Earth has ever seen. Their battles from five and seven years ago rocked the world with the force of their power. Now they both gaze at Goku's older brother - the Saiyan warrior, Raditz - utterly without hope of victory. Even if they manage to defeat him, a far stronger warrior than either of them, his allies - two other Saiyan warriors - are even more powerful than he is.

Dragon Ball Z ep 3 - All right! This is the Strongest Combo in the World!

"DAMN IT ALL!! He made a mockery of me!!"

Raditz, Son Goku's elder brother and Saiyan warrior, has kidnapped Gohan as an ultimatum to Goku. Either Goku murders 100 humans in the next 24 hours, and pile their bodies on Kame Island, or Raditz will kill Gohan. Worse still, before Raditz leaves he tells them that he and the other two Saiyans have decided to wipe out Earth once their current mission is complete. His own power vastly inferior to his brother's, Kuririn, Muten Roshi, and Bulma hold back Goku when he bellows for Kinto Un, keen to chase after Raditz without planning.

Dragon Ball Z ep 2 - The Mightiest Warrior in All of History is Goku's Older Brother!

The gang is reuniting at Kame House, and Bulma is the first to arrive, surprising a happy Kuririn, Umigame, and Muten Roshi. Especially Muten Roshi.

Banners of the past, Dragon Blog edition

As you may have noticed if you've been following the blog for a time, I frequently change the banner depending on the part of the story I'm in. I hadn't intended to do this initially, originally thinking I'd only change the banner for every TV series (kid Goku for Dragon Ball, adult Goku for DBZ, kid Goku again for DBGT, and adult Goku again for DBKai)... but since I've changed it more-or-less every Saga, I figured I throw them up in collections based on every TV series. So here it is, all the banners I used while watching and reviewing Dragon Ball.

Basic Goku with the "Kame" kanji and a Four-Star Ball, which I used for the Pilaf Saga.

Bonus Content! Artificial Post #5

As promised, here are the extra screencaps I took from the various Dragon Ball movies. There's a lot from The Path to Ultimate Strength, as it is the most beautiful of all DB/Z/GT animation for my money. Enjoy!

 Yamcha looking BAMF.

Dragon Ball Z ep 1 - Mini-Goku is an Overprotected Boy! "I Am Gohan"

We've arrived at last, Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Blog Z. It's documented internet fact (more factual than actual fact, according to the internet) that Dragon Ball Z (or DBZ as the kids call it) is a million times more epic and adult oriented than vanilla Dragon Ball.

(Little known fact; if you listen to this song enough, you'll grow an extra testicle.)

Take this first episode as an example of how mega awesome this show is compared to DB. It's about a little boy being lost in the woods where he cries for his mommy the whole time. OH MAN. THIS SHOW IS AMAZING. IT'S ALL ABOUT BLOOD AND TITS AND MUSCLES AND VIOLENCE AND BRUCE FAULCONER ROOAAAAR.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way...

Bonus Content! Shi-no-screencaps

I have a lot of extra screencaps this time. I wanted to wait to unleash all the caps from Mystical Adventure for the rest of the DB movies to get blogged. As I result, the Piccolo Jr. Saga plus five DB movies ended up being pretty huge. I've decided to divide it into two different posts. For this round of Bonus Content, the extra shots I got from the Piccolo Jr. Saga (and a few shots from earlier Sagas).

Goku laughs at Bulma.

From episode 2.

Dragon Ball: The Path to Ultimate Strength

Our story begins at Mt. Poazu, a place far, far away from civilization. Our hero, Son Goku, successfully fishes up his lunch (by kicking a giant talking fish in the face), and carries it down the dirt road back to his small home. Everything in his life, and the fate of the very world, changes that day. Bulma Brief, a teenage girl searching for the mystical Dragon Balls, nearly runs Goku over in her car. So Goku - logically deducing that she and her vehicle are monsters - destroys the car and challenges Bulma to a fight. Alarmed, Bulma takes out a small firearm and shoots him in the face. This annoys Goku greatly.

Super Battle of the Live Action Dragon Ball films!! "I will be the best!"

Now that I've finished watching all three Dragon Ball live action films, it's time to pit them against each other! I'm going to create 12 categories, and rank each movie in order of Best to Worst in how they did in each category. Whoever does Best in a category gets +1 point, whoever does Worst gets -1 point, and whoever is middle gets no point change. In the end, I'll tally up the points and we'll have a mathematically proven formula for which film is best.

Granted, being the Best DB Live Action film is like being the world's tallest midget.

Dragon Ball: Evolution

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Dragon Ball: Fight Son Goku, Win Son Goku

Called "Deuraegon Bor Ssawora Son o gong, Igyeora Son o gong" in its native South Korea, this is the infamous and rarely distributed unofficial 1990 Korean Dragon Ball movie. It's based fairly faithfully off the first story arc of the manga (The Pilaf Saga, in the anime). And as it is rare and mysterious, you can naturally watch the entire thing on YouTube. As far as I can tell, it has never been fansubbed into English, and I certainly don't speak Korean. So, when needed, I'll provide adequate dialogue.

Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins (also Dragon Ball: Ultimate Edition)

And that's what this movie is: Magic. There are actually two versions of this 1991 Hong Kong adaptation of the original Dragon Ball story: Original, and Ultimate (or simply remastered). I'd never seen either version before preparing for this blog entry, so I watched them both. When relevant, I'll point out differences between the two versions. Now let's let the magic begin...

Review: Piccolo Jr. Saga (DB episodes 124 - 153)

We've reached the end of Dragon Ball, the first of four TV series' in the Dragon Ball franchise. But before we move on, we've got a story arc to review! The other arc reviews can be found ... "Dragon Ball, the Goku era (episodes 1 - 81)" "Tenshinhan Saga/22nd Tenka-ichi Budokai (episodes 82 - 101)" and Piccolo Daimao Saga (DB episodes 102 - 123) - info on my 1, 2, 3 rating system can be found at the beginning of the first review. Engine tuned, let's start 'er up.

50 (+3) episodes in 50 (+3) pictures! DB 101 - 150 (+3)

Budokai end

Dragon Ball ep 153 - Mt. Frypan Ablaze! A Deadly Split-Second Decision

Annin-sama has been revealed as the Pyre Keeper of Mt. Gogyo's Eightfold Furnace. Cryptically, she insists that it's interesting that Goku and Chichi would throw the world into chaos to save a single life. Goku doesn't care about whatever she's on about (having no patience for her Lord of the Rings double talk), and Gohan scolds him. Annin takes a different approach.

Dragon Ball ep 152 - Hurry, Goku! The Mystery of Mt. Gogyo

Try as he might, Goku cannot put out the flames surrounding Gyumao's castle, even with the power of the Basho Fan! Just as Chichi is about to give up hope, Uranai Baba arrives - her cold shaken - with a startling revelation!! The flames which threaten to burn Gyumao alive come from the Eightfold Furnace, at the top of Mt. Gogyo, which is exactly on the other side of the world from Mt. Frypan! And the Basho Fan was originally created to fan the fires of the Eightfold Furnace, so it will only build them up stronger...! In order to save Gyumao, they must travel to the Eightfold Furnace and speak to the Pyre Keeper... but Mt. Gogyo is connected to the Other World... the realm of the dead... so they must make it past monsters and demons!

Sparking! METEOR/Budokai Tenkaichi 3 DRAGONBALL CHALLENGE

Let's face it: The "Dragon Ball" portion of the storymode in S!M/BT3 sucks. There are a lot of DB fighters in the game (though not nearly enough for this supergeek...), enough, in fact, to make a pretty decent "storymode" -- if you're willing to DIY!

So here's a fun challenge for all you DB gamers out there - see if you can "beat" the Dragon Blog story mode DRAGONBALL CHALLENGE! I'll post all the playable battles from DB; their participants, their stage, and the challenge.

You play as the first character listed for the fight (usually the winner, though that depends on the challenge). And not all the challenges are to beat your opponent, so be careful! You should turn off Player 2 transformations in Duel settings. You should also set your Duel Time to "Infinite", unless noted otherwise in the challenge.

Quick note: next to some of the fighters I will be putting a "Z" by their name. This is to denote that they should have some kind of Evolution Z enhancement during the fight. This is mostly to make it so the handicaps of the fights are closer to the original series. Though how you customize your characters is your own bag.

FIGHT: Goku (outfit 2) Vs Yamcha (outfit 3)
STAGE: Desert (Noon)
CHALLENGE: Finish off Yamcha using "Counterattack" (aka Jan-ken)

Dragon Ball ep 151 - All Thanks to Chichi's Wife Training

Goku and Chichi come to Ice Mountain, a mountain so harsh that the Fire-Eating Bird fears it, and they get caught in a terrible blizzard.

 They nearly freeze to death.

Dragon Ball ep 150 - The Magical Fire-Eating Bird

Goku and Chichi arrive at Kame House, hoping to find the instructions needed to create new Basho Fan from scratch, so that they might put out the magic flames engulfing Mt. Frypan. Of course, Muten Roshi hasn't returned home yet, as the Tenka-ichi Budokai only ended a little while ago! But Umigame (Turtle) greets them, and eventually recognizes the grown up Son Goku.