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

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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.

Dragon Ball ep 149 - The Wedding Dress Inside the Flames

"Chichi! Old man Gyumao's castle is up ahead, right?"

"Goku-sa, don't call him 'old man'! From now on my dad is your dad too!"

"How come?"

"That's what happens when people get married!"

"So old man Gyumao's gonna be my dad? How weird... Getting married sure is strange!"

Dragon Ball ep 148 - I Did It! The Strongest Man on Earth

Despite coming back from the brink of death, Son Goku's vitality is no match for Piccolo. He beats our hero to the ground, then breaks both of his legs in a single motion. His right arm and both legs utterly useless from his injuries...

Dragon Ball ep 147 - Grim Situation!!

Piccolo is gathering all of his ki for his last resort, the Super Bakurikimaha. Goku shouts for everyone to leave Papaya Island, and quickly. He's never felt a ki as terrifying as Piccolo's in this moment. Kami-sama begs for Goku to come along with them, but he refuses -- the match isn't over, so he'll withstand it! Tenshinhan uses a Kikoho to blast a hole in the ground so that everyone can take shelter. Chichi desperately doesn't want to leave Goku, so Yamcha has to lead her away from her new husband.

Dragon Ball ep 146 - Son Goku's Trap

"I doubt you can pick up my finger, now! So what will you do?!"

"You fell for it! I've been waiting for this moment!"

Dragon Ball ep 145 - Piccolo Daimao and the Super Giant Technique

As the smoke clears on Son Goku's Super Kamehameha, the crowd and Goku alike are stunned to see Ma Junior still levitating high above the stadium... still very much alive. And really, really mad.

"Damn you...!!" Piccolo growls. "Even though it was only for a split second... you had me terrified!"

Dragon Ball drinking game

How it’s played: Turn on Dragon Ball (or DBZ/GT if you fancy) in Japanese, and wait for the following things to happen - when they do, take a shot. (And be the legal age of alcohol consumption in your region, and always chase your shot with water.)

Dragon Ball ep 144 - There It Is! The Ultimate Super Kamehameha

Goku is unfazed by Piccolo's ki barrage, lifting himself up from the crater once Piccolo calls him on his shenanigans (Goku pretended to be legitimately knocked out, presumably as a possum strategy.) But now it's a real fight -- Goku's shirt is torn. (For those of you playing along at home, take a shot.)

Dragon Ball ep 143 - With the Fate of the World in the Balace!

To the audience, Shen has lost the match to Ma Junior by a knock out. Mr. Announcerman wakes up the bemused Shen, informing him he's lost - Shen is confused as to why he's in the middle of the Tenka-ichi Budokai. He leaves, embarrassed, and thinking he must have had too much to drink, as the crowd cheer on "his" performance. But in reality, they had all witnessed something much more horrifying... Piccolo sealing away Kami-sama.

Dragon Ball ep 142 - Who's Stronger?! Kami vs Piccolo Daimao

The 23rd Tenka-ichi Budokai continues, with Son Goku advancing to the Final. His new wife Chichi clings happily to his arm, praising his strength. (Her displays of affection still confuse him. Wait until she shows him her mouth hug.) Yamcha and Kuririn congratulate Tenshinhan on such a close match, but Ten shakes his head, frowning... the thing is, the match wasn't close. Goku hadn't even used a Kamehameha...

Dragon Ball ep 141 - Four Tenshinhans

Tenshinhan promised to show Son Goku his new technique - and with it, win their match at the 23rd Tenka-ichi Budokai. Despite Goku's superior speed and strength, Ten says that with his new power, he'll have 12 eyes and no blindspots... making it impossible for Goku to evade him! Tenshinhan focuses his ki, and then splits into two different Tens!! "It's still too early to be surprised." Tenshinhan smirks, as those two separate fighters then split into two, totaling four different Tenshinhans!!

Dragon Ball ep 140 - True Strength

The 23rd Tenka-ichi Budokai's semi-final match between Son Goku and Tenshinhan continues, as the two fighters dash across the ring, trading high speed blows. Goku knocks Tenshinhan into one of the ring's walls, shattering it. Ten recovers, then retaliates by headbutting Goku into the other wall. The two launch at one another again, and become locked in a grapple struggle. Their very ki emanates off of them, as an aura. As Goku shows signs of gaining the advantage in the grapple, Ten lets out a mighty kiai -- bursting their auras apart, and wrenching Goku from Tenshinhan!

Dragon Ball ep 139 - Another Intense Battle! Goku vs Tenshinhan

Dragon Ball ep 138 - Shen- Man of Mystery

After Kuririn showed him that he's not to be underestimated, Ma Junior (Piccolo's pseudonym) has promised to show our hero a little of his true power. Unknown to all but Goku and Tenshinhan, this is the power of Piccolo Daimao... though Kuririn, Yamcha, Muten Roshi, and even Bulma and the others can tell it's not a power to be trifled with...

Dragon Ball ep 137 - Son Goku's Wedding

The mysterious girl, Anonymous, is not at all pleased with Son Goku. Before Mr. Announcerman can finish his sentence to start their match, she flies at Goku, launching into a flurry of kicks and punches!!