The DragonBall Universe: General Info & Manga Guide

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The DragonBall Universe: General Info & Manga Guide - 12/15/2006 9:36:21 PM

MagicBox

Posts: 6566
Joined: 6/26/2006
From: Georgia
Status: offline

I couldn't help but notice that many of the questions being asked on the Dragon Ball Forums have been answered or discussed in previous threads. For those of you who aren't aware, we do have a Search Function at the upper right corner of the Forums, which all are encouraged to use. However, with a long franchise such as Dragon Ball, it's only natural to have a few questions. That's why this thread has been created. I'll list the general information about each specific series so that each fan who views this forum can at least know the basics. Hopefully this will reduce the problem of multiple threads being created about the same topic.

Before we dive into anything, there is one thing that I think I should mention, just for reference. I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee of FUNimation Productions. When reading this thread, I want you all to keep in mind that this is just a fan-made directory. These aren't words from the company; they're words from me. Just want to clarify that before anybody mistakes me for a FUNimation representative.

Notice: This thread is not meant for discussion; it is simply a reference thread for people to look at for answers. I will keep this thread locked so that it doesn't get flooded with discussion.

Table of Contents:
- Post 1: Dragon Ball
- Post 2: Dragon Ball Z
- Post 3: Dragon Ball GT
- Post 4: Dragon Ball Z Kai
- Post 5: Manga Guide

With that said, let's begin with the one that started it all.

Part One of Five: Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a comedy/action/adventure manga by author Akira Toriyama. It tells the story of a girl named Bulma, who begins a journey to find seven magical spheres called Dragon Balls. Why are they called Dragon Balls, you ask? Well, when gathered, the Dragon Balls release a magical dragon named Shen Long, who has the ability to grant any wish a person desires. After already gathering two of the balls, Bulma travels to Mount Paozu, where she runs into (or more correctly, runs over) a strange boy named Son Goku. Semi-based on Sun Wukong, a character from the Chinese Tale "Journey to the West", Goku is a cheerful little boy with amazing strength, a carefree personality, and one very fluffy monkey tail. Upon seeing Goku's strength (and his prized possession, a Dragon Ball), Bulma convinces him to travel along with her as a bodyguard, and the two set off on an adventure that will change their lives forever...

Dragon Ball is the inescapable battle of good versus evil, right versus wrong, and pure hearts versus empty souls. It's the continuing saga of the quest for fervent dreams, the realization of secret innermost wishes, and the insatiable hunger for a ham sandwich.

Dragon Ball was published in Shonen Jump Japan from 1984-1995, spawning 42 graphic novels (Also known as "Tankobon"), a huge fanbase, and two highly successful television shows: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The Dragon Ball anime aired from February 26, 1986 to April 12, 1989, with 153 episodes in total.

Anime Opening / Ending Animations

Openings

The Dragon Ball anime had only one opening song: "Makafushigi Adventure!", or "Mystical Adventure!" in English. There were two different animations for the song; it basically breaks down like this:

1.) "Mystical Adventure!" (First Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 1-101)

(Performed by Hiroki Takahashi)

2.) "Mystical Adventure!" (Second Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 102-153)

(Performed by Hiroki Takahashi)

The second version of the opening was not given to FUNimation, meaning it does not appear on any of their DVDs.

Endings

The ending song for Dragon Ball is titled "Romantikku Ageru Yo", or "I'll Give You Romance" in English. There are four different animations of the ending song for Dragon Ball.

1.) "I'll Give You Romance" (First Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 1-21)

(Performed by Ushio Hashimoto)

2.) "I'll Give You Romance" (Second Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 22-101)

(Performed by Ushio Hashimoto)

3.) "I'll Give You Romance" (Third Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 102-132)

(Performed by Ushio Hashimoto)

4.) "I'll Give You Romance" (Fourth Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 133-153)

(Performed by Ushio Hashimoto)

The first, third, and fourth versions of the ending were not given to FUNimation, which means that the second version appears as the ending for all 153 episodes of FUNimation's English dub. In their English dub, FUNimation dubbed their own English versions of these Japanese songs, which is what they do with many of their licensed shows, like Case Closed and Yu Yu Hakusho. FUNimation also kept all of the original Japanese musical score, and even left some of the Japanese insert songs in the dub. Some, however, were removed. For more information, look here.

Theatrical Movies

The Dragon Ball anime inspired three theatrical movies in its original airing, and a fourth one created for the 10th Anniversary of the manga. Even though each of the first three movies weren't even an hour in length, they were still very fun stories that fans could enjoy without even having to have seen the show. They each had their own "what if..." aspect to the plot, because they were alternate retellings of the actual television/manga series. The movies were:

Movie 1: "Curse of the Blood Rubies"
              ("The Legend of Shen Long" in Japan)
              (Released to Japanese Theaters on 12/20/86)

Movie 2: "Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle"
              ("The Sleeping Princess of Devil's Castle" in Japan)
              (Released to Japanese Theaters on 07/18/87)

Movie 3: "Mystical Adventure"
              (Released to Japanese Theaters on 07/09/88)

Movie 4: "The Path to Power" (10th Anniversary Movie)
              ("The Road to Being the Strongest" in Japan)
              (Released to Japanese Theaters on 03/04/96)

Important People

- Akira Toriyama (Original Creator)

- Daisuke Nishio (Anime Director)

- Shunsuke Kikuchi (Musical Score. This music was kept in FUNimation's English dub.)

- Hiroki Takahashi (Sings "Makafushigi Adventure!", the Japanese opening theme.)

- Ushio Hashimoto (Sings "Romantic Ageru Yo", the Japanese ending theme.)

Voice Cast Guide

Here's where you can find a list of voice actors for the main cast of characters in the series.

Son Goku
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Stephanie Nadolny (English, Child)

- Sean Schemmel (English, Adult)

Bulma
- Hiromi Tsuru (Japanese)
- Tiffany Volmer (English)

Kuririn / Krillin
- Mayumi Tanaka (Japanese)
- Laurie Steele (English, Child)

- Sonny Strait (English, Adult)

Yamcha
- Toru Furuya (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Tenshinhan / Tien
- Hirotaka Suzuoki (Japanese)
- John Burgmeier (English)

Chaozu / Chiaotzu
- Hiroko Emori (Japanese)
- Monika Antonelli (English)

Muten Roshi / Master Roshi

- Kohei Miyauchi (Japanese)

- Mike McFarland (English)

Lunch / Launch
- Mami Koyama (Japanese)
- Meredith McCoy (English)

Oolong
- Naoki Tatsuta (Japanese)

- Brad Jackson (English)

Pu'erh / Puar
- Naoko Watanabe (Japanese)
- Monika Antonelli (English)

Piccolo Junior
- Toshio Furukawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Emperor Pilaf
- Shigeru Chiba (Japanese)
- Chuck Huber (English)

Narrator
- Joji Yanami (Japanese)
- Brice Armstrong (English)

Next: Dragon Ball Z!

< Message edited by MagicBox -- 4/4/2010 9:51:15 PM >

Post #: 1

Dragon Ball Z: General Info - 12/15/2006 9:52:57 PM

MagicBox

Posts: 6566
Joined: 6/26/2006
From: Georgia
Status: offline

Before we dive into anything, there is one thing that I think I should mention, just for reference. I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee of FUNimation Productions. When reading this thread, I want you all to keep in mind that this is just a fan-made directory. These aren't words from the company; they're words from me. Just want to clarify that before anybody mistakes me for a FUNimation representative.

Part Two of Five: Dragon Ball Z

For years the brave young warrior Goku circled the globe in search of adventure and the chance to put his combat skills to the test. But when a powerful villain from another planet reaches Earth, Goku learns the truth about his heritage and of the incredible power that until now has laid dormant inside his body. With friends both old and new, Goku faces wave upon wave of new and outrageous enemies that threaten Earth and her people with destruction. With new powers and a little help from the trusty Dragon Balls, Goku and his friends must find a way to maintain the peace that they have fought so hard to secure.

The Dragon Ball Z anime aired on Japanese televisions from April 19, 1989, to January 31, 1995, with 291 episodes in total.

Anime Opening / Ending Animations

Openings

Dragon Ball Z had two opening songs throughout its run on television. The first opening had three different animations, similar to the opening and ending to Dragon Ball, but the second opening had one version only. Unfortunately, while the first version of the first opening shows up on FUNimation's DVDs for movie one, it is absent in the show itself. This means that for episodes 1-21 on FUNi's DVDs, the second opening appears in the first opening's place.

1.) "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" (First Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 1-21)

(Performed by Hironobu Kageyama)

2.) "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" (Second Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 22-117)

(Performed by Hironobu Kageyama)

3.) "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" (Third Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 118-199)

(Performed by Hironobu Kageyama)

4.) "We Gotta Power"

(Plays from Episodes 200-291)

(Performed by Hironobu Kageyama)

If you want to see the first version of the first opening, watch the opening of DBZ movie 1: Dead Zone, on either its remastered double-feature release or on FUNi's first Dragon Box DVD set. Those are the only releases where the first version of that opening appears on any of FUNimation's DVDs.

Endings

Dragon Ball Z also had two ending songs, each with its' own animation. Both of these were given to FUNimation.

1.) "Come On Out, Full-On ZENKAI Power!"

(Plays from Episodes 1-199)

(Performed by MANNA)

2.) "We Were Angels"

(Plays from Episodes 200-291)

(Performed by Hironobu Kageyama)

In FUNimation's English dub, all of these songs, in addition to the original background music, were replaced. Many different songs and pieces of music have been used as the opening and ending songs for the English version of Dragon Ball Z, the most well-known being "Rock the Dragon", which was used as the opening for the original FUNimation / Pioneer dub.

With FUNimation's recent season sets and Dragon Box releases for the series, fans were finally given the option to watch the English dubbed episodes with the original Japanese musical score and opening/ending songs. For more information on which songs were kept and which songs were replaced/removed, look here.

Theatrical Movies

Dragon Ball Z inspired 13 theatrical films during its television run. Instead of the "alternate-retellings-of-the-original-story" plots that the original Dragon Ball movies were known for, the Dragon Ball Z movies each had their own specific villain, who would cause trouble for most of the movie, until ultimately being defeated by our heroes, usually Goku. Out of all 13 of the movies, only two of them can actually fit into the timeline of the show/manga, but fans of the series enjoyed these little gems nonetheless. The movies were:

Movie 1: "Dead Zone"

("Give me Back My Gohan!!" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/15/89)

Movie 2: "The World's Strongest"

("The Strongest Guy in the World" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/10/90)

Movie 3: "The Tree of Might"

("Super Showdown for the Whole Earth" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/07/90)

Movie 4: "Lord Slug"

("Son Goku the Super Saiyan" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/19/91)

Movie 5: "Cooler's Revenge"

("The Extraordinary Mightiest vs. Mightiest" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/20/91)

Movie 6: "The Return of Cooler"

("Charge!! 10-Billion Power Warriors" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/07/92)

Movie 7: "Super Android 13"

("Extreme Battle!! The Three Great Super Saiyans" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/11/92)

Movie 8: "Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan"

("Burn Up!! Hot Fight, Fierce Fight, Super Violent Fight" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/06/93)

Movie 9: "Bojack Unbound"

("The Galaxy at its Threshold!! The Phenomenally Awesome Guy" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/10/93)

Movie 10: "Broly: Second Coming"

("A Pair in Peril! Super-Warriors Cannot Rest" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/12/94)

Movie 11: "Bio-Broly"

("Superwarriors Crushed!! I Will Be the One Who Wins" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/03/94)

Movie 12: "Fusion Reborn"

("Fusion Reborn!! Goku and Vegeta" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 03/04/95)

Movie 13: "Wrath of the Dragon"

("Dragonfist Explosion!! If Goku Doesn't Do It, Who Will?" in Japan)

(Released to Japanese theaters on 07/15/95)

Television Specials

In addition to the movies, two television specials were produced, each one showing a major event in a certain character's past. They aired on television, and are not theatrical movies, which is what some fans consider them to be.

Special 1: "Bardock: The Father of Goku"

("A Final, Solitary Battle: The Z-Warrior Son Goku's Father Challenges Freeza" in Japan)

(Aired on 10/17/90 on television, between episodes 63 and 64)

Special 2: "The History of Trunks"

("Defiance in the Face of Despair!! The Remaining Superwarriors: Gohan and Trunks" in Japan)

(Aired on 02/24/93, between episodes 175 and 176)

Important People

- Akira Toriyama (Original Creator)

- Daisuke Nishio (Anime Director)

- Shunsuke Kikuchi (Original Musical Score. This music was replaced in FUNimation's English dub, but re-inserted later.)

- Shuki Levy (English Version Music: FUNimation/Ocean Edited Dub)

- Nathan Johnson (English Version Music: Episodes 1-67 (with Matt Cheney), Movies 2, 3, 12, & 13)

- Matt Cheney (English Version Music: Episodes 1-67 (with Nathan Johnson))

- Bruce Faulconer (English Version Music: Episodes 68-291, assorted pieces in Movies 4 & 8)

- Mark Menza (English Opening/Closing Music, English Version Music: Movies 1, 6, 7, 9, & 11)

- Hironobu Kageyama (If you've heard a Japanese Dragon Ball Z song, you've probably heard this man. With the exception

of the first ending theme and a few insert songs, Mr. Kageyama has been the voice behind every song in

Dragon Ball Z, including the two opening songs, the second ending song, and every single original ending

song for the movies and 2 television specials.)

Voice Cast Guide

Here's where you can find a list of voice actors for the main cast of characters in the series.

Son Goku
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Stephanie Nadolny (English, Child)

- Sean Schemmel (English, Adult)

Son Gohan
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Stephanie Nadolny (English, Child)

- Kyle Hebert (English, Adult)

Son Goten
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Kara Edwards (English)

Vegeta
- Ryo Horikawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Piccolo
- Toshio Furukawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Kuririn / Krillin
- Mayumi Tanaka (Japanese)
- Sonny Strait (English)

Yamcha
- Toru Furuya (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Tenshinhan / Tien
- Hirotaka Suzuoki (Japanese)
- John Burgmeier (English)

Chaozu / Chiaotzu
- Hiroko Emori (Japanese)
- Monika Antonelli (English)

Trunks

- Takeshi Kusao (Japanese)
- Laura Bailey (English, Child)

- Eric Vale (English, Adult)

Bulma
- Hiromi Tsuru (Japanese)
- Tiffany Volmer (English)

Kaio-sama / King Kai
- Joji Yanami (Japanese)
- Sean Schemmel (English)

Muten Roshi / Master Roshi

- Kohei Miyauchi (Japanese)

- Mike McFarland (English)

Mr. Satan / Hercule
- Daisuke Gori (Japanese)
- Chris Rager (English)

Freeza / Frieza
- Ryusei Nakao (Japanese)

- Linda Young (English)

Cell
- Norio Wakamoto (Japanese)
- Dameon Clarke (English)

Majin Boo / Majin Buu
- Kozo Shioya (Japanese)
- Josh Martin & Justin Cook (English)

Narrator
- Joji Yanami (Japanese)
- Kyle Hebert (English)

Next: Dragon Ball GT!

< Message edited by MagicBox -- 4/4/2010 9:54:31 PM >

(in reply to MagicBox)

Post #: 2

Dragon Ball GT: General Info - 12/15/2006 11:47:33 PM

MagicBox

Posts: 6566
Joined: 6/26/2006
From: Georgia
Status: offline

Part Three of Five: Dragon Ball GT

Five years after the events of Dragon Ball Z, we join Goku as he finally finishes training Oob to be the new defender of the planet Earth. Goku is very excited to finally be able to go see his wife and family again, but little does he know that his oldest nemesis, Emperor Pilaf, is plotting to take over the world once again. Pilaf obtains the Black Star Dragon Balls, which can grant any wish one desires... at the cost of the planet the balls are currently on! By accident, Pilaf wishes that Goku were a child again, a wish that the dragon easily grants. Just as Goku is transformed into a child, the balls are scattered throughout the universe, and if they are not returned to the planet Earth within one year, it will explode! The fate of the entire human race is at stake, and once again, it's up to the pint-sized Saiyan to save them. Along with his good friend, Trunks, and his granddaughter, Pan, Goku travels through space, going from planet to planet, desperately trying to find the seven Black Star Dragon Balls before time runs out for the Earth.

As many people already know, Dragon Ball GT was not written by Akira Toriyama; it is an original series by Toei Animation. Because of this, most fans don't consider what happens in GT to be canon with the first two shows, and that's understandable, considering the number of plot holes this 64 episode series contains.

Dragon Ball GT aired on Japanese televisions from February 2, 1996 to November 19, 1997, with 64 episodes total.

Anime Opening / Ending Themes

Openings

There was only one opening song for Dragon Ball GT, but it had two animations to go with. It was called "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikarete ku," or "DAN DAN, Little by Little, My Heart's Being Charmed" in English.

1.) "DAN DAN, Little by Little, My Heart's Being Charmed" (First Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 1-26)

(Performed by Field of View)

2.) "DAN DAN, Little by Little, My Heart's Being Charmed" (Second Animation)

(Plays from Episodes 27-64)

(Performed by Field of View)

Endings

GT had four ending songs, more than Dragon Ball and Z put together. Like the opening, these made the show look much better than it actually was. The first opening, "Hitori Ja Nai," means "I'm Not Alone" in English, and the fourth opening, "Sabitsuita Machine Gun de Ima o Uchinuko," means "We'll Take This Rusty Machine Gun and Blast Through the Here and Now" in English.

1.) "I'm Not Alone"

(Plays from Episodes 1-26)

(Performed by Deen)

2.) "Don't You See!"

(Plays from Episodes 27-41)

(Performed by ZARD)

3.) "Blue Velvet"

(Plays from Episodes 42-50)

(Performed by Shizuka Kudo)

4.) "We'll Take This Rusty Machine Gun and Blast Through the Here and Now!"

(Plays from Episodes 51-64)

(Performed by Wands)

Episode 64 had "DAN DAN, Little by Little, My Heart's Being Charmed" as an insert song; the song played as a montage of clips were shown from all three shows, while the narrator said "Goodbye" to the DragonBall Universe. When episode 64 originally aired, there wasn't an ending credits sequence. The credits were just pasted over the musical montage in the episode itself. However, in future airings and on FUNimation's DVDs, the credits were removed from the episode and put into an ending credits sequence (in this case, ending 4) just like the other episodes.

In FUNimation's original dub of Dragon Ball GT, these songs, in addition to the original background music, were replaced. The dub opening for GT was "Step into the Grand Tour!", a rap song.

However, with FUNimation's recent release of the series in season sets, a new audio option was added: an English-dub-with-Japanese-music track. The GT Rap was done away with. Now all of Dragon Ball GT's dub can be viewed with the original background music and faithfully English-dubbed opening/ending songs. For more information, look here.

Television Specials

While there were no movies created for Dragon Ball GT, a television special was made. This special took place 100 years after the defeat of Baby, and we get to meet Goku's cowardly great-great-grandson as he sets out on his own adventure to find a Dragon Ball.

Special 1: "A Hero's Legacy"
("Goku's Side Story! Si Xing Qiu is a Testament to Courage" in Japan)
(Originally aired on 03/26/97, between episodes 41 and 42)

Important People

- Daisuke Nishio (Series Director)

- Osamu Kasai (Series Director)

- Akihito Tokunaga (Original Musical Score. This music was replaced in FUNimation's English dub, but re-inserted later.)

- Mark Menza (English Version Music)

Voice Cast Guide

Here's where you can find a list of voice actors for the main cast of characters in the series.

Son Goku
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Stephanie Nadolny (English, Child)

- Sean Schemmel (English, Adult)

Pan
- Yuko Minaguchi (Japanese)

- Elise Baughman (English)

Trunks

- Takeshi Kusao (Japanese)
- Eric Vale (English)

Gill / Giru

- Shinobu Satochi (Japanese)
- Sonny Strait (English)

Oob / Uub
- Atsushi Kisaichi (Japanese)
- Sean Michael Teague (English)

Vegeta
- Ryo Horikawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Piccolo
- Toshio Furukawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Mr. Satan / Hercule
- Daisuke Gori (Japanese)
- Chris Rager (English)

Narrator
- Joji Yanami (Japanese)
- Kyle Hebert (English)

Next: Dragon Ball Z Kai!

< Message edited by MagicBox -- 4/4/2010 9:59:40 PM >

(in reply to MagicBox)

Post #: 3

The Manga Guide - 8/23/2009 1:20:01 AM

MagicBox

Posts: 6566
Joined: 6/26/2006
From: Georgia
Status: offline

Part Four of Five: Dragon Ball Z Kai

Dragon Ball Z Kai is a revised version of 1989's Dragon Ball Z created to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary. To eliminate most of the "filler" moments and stay closer to the storyline of the original comic books, footage was taken from Dragon Ball Z and mixed with newly redrawn scenes to form a "trimmed down" version of the animated show, reducing the original 291-episode series to roughly 100 episodes. Composer Kenji Yamamoto provided an all-new musical score and most of the original Japanese voice cast returned to reprise their roles. FUNimation's English dub brings back most of the established cast, with revised dialogue and terms (written to be more faithful to the original Japanese version), English versions of the theme songs, and the original background music.

Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered on April 5, 2009 in Japan and currently airs weekly, with over 50 episodes to date.

Anime Opening / Ending Themes

Openings

Kai only has one opening song so far. Keeping tradition with the previous three shows, the animation is occasionally updated to address story developments.

1.) "Dragon Soul" (First Animation)
(Plays from Episodes 1-29)
(Performed by Takayoshi Tanimoto)

2.) "Dragon Soul" (Second Animation)
(Plays from Episodes 30-54)
(Performed by Takayoshi Tanimoto)

3.) "Dragon Soul" (Third Animation)
(Plays from Episodes 55-Present)
(Performed by Takayoshi Tanimoto)

Endings

Kai has one ending song so far, composed and performed by the same team that produced the opening song.

1.) "Yeah! Break! Care! Break!"
(Plays from Episodes 1-54)
(Performed by Takayoshi Tanimoto)

2.) "Wings of the Heart"
(Plays from Episodes 55-Present)
(Performed by Team Dragon)

In their English dub, FUNimation dubbed their own English versions of these Japanese songs, which is what they do with many of their licensed shows, like Case Closed and Yu Yu Hakusho. FUNimation also kept all of the original Japanese musical score. For more information, look here.

Important People

- Akira Toriyama (Original Creator)

- Yasuhiro Nowata (Series Director)

- Kenji Yamamoto (Original Musical Score. This music was kept in FUNimation's English dub of the series.)

Voice Cast Guide

Here's where you can find a list of voice actors for the main cast of characters in the series.

Son Goku
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Sean Schemmel (English)

Son Gohan
- Masako Nozawa (Japanese)
- Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

Vegeta
- Ryo Horikawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Piccolo
- Toshio Furukawa (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Kuririn / Krillin
- Mayumi Tanaka (Japanese)
- Sonny Strait (English)

Yamcha
- Toru Furuya (Japanese)
- Christopher Sabat (English)

Tenshinhan / Tien
- Hirotaka Suzuoki (Japanese)
- John Burgmeier (English)

Chaozu / Chiaotzu
- Hiroko Emori (Japanese)
- Brina Palencia (English)

Bulma
- Hiromi Tsuru (Japanese)
- Monica Rial (English)

Narrator
- Joji Yanami (Japanese)
- Doc Morgan (English)

Next: The Manga Guide!

< Message edited by MagicBox -- 5/1/2010 7:29:51 PM >

_____________________________

"Magic's Detective Agency" - The Ultimate Guide to Changes in Detective Conan - Updated 06/28/10!

(in reply to MagicBox)

Post #: 4

RE: The Manga Guide - 4/10/2010 8:54:56 PM

MagicBox

Posts: 6566
Joined: 6/26/2006
From: Georgia
Status: offline

Since I have a manga guide for Detective Conan, I figured that instead of just lazily getting rid of the DB manga guide altogether, I could retype it so that I was happy with it. I'm not going to even bother listing the edits in each particular wave because now it's gotten so complicated and impossible to report that it would end up misinforming members more than anything. If you want to look at the old list of edits, visit the old thread.

Before we dive into anything, there is one thing that I think I should mention, just for reference. I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee of FUNimation Productions or Viz Media. When reading this thread, I want you all to keep in mind that this is just a fan-made directory. These aren't words from a company; they're words from me. Just want to clarify that before anybody mistakes me for a company representative.

Part Five of Five: Manga Guide

(Pictured Above: Japanese DB Volume 1)

As you may know, the DragonBall manga is 42 graphic novels (or "Tankobon") long, which is what the entire DragonBall anime trilogy is based on. I'm going to try to cover all of the American manga releases so that you manga fans can have a better idea of which version to buy.

First, I think I should mention one of the biggest changes the manga underwent upon being brought to the United States. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that there is a separate manga for both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. That may be true in America, but in the original Japanese publications, the manga was simply titled DragonBall; it was one long series. The "Z" in "Dragon Ball Z" was simply something that was added to the anime title so that fans could tell the two TV shows apart. When the manga was brought to America, the chapters that are adapted to make the Dragon Ball Z anime were put into a separate manga so that fans would not be confused when thinking of the TV show. Okay, let's get started.

After releasing many of the chapters in comic book format, the first version of the manga to be published in graphic novel form was an edited version of the first three volumes of Dragon Ball. Due to a huge amount of fan complaints, these were discontinued by Viz and replaced by the second wave of Dragon Ball manga, which was uncut and unedited. I know it probably sounds like I'm hurrying past this wave of manga, but there really isn't much more to say about this version.

Uncut, White Novels (Dragon Ball Vol. 1-10, Dragon Ball Z Vol. 1-10)

(Pictured Above: DB Volume 2 & DBZ Volume 1)

This version of the manga was almost 100% uncut and unedited, artwork-wise. Each volume had a "For Ages 13 & Up" sticker on the front cover to let readers know that these were completely unaltered from the original version. The only exception is that one of the Dragon Ball Z volumes featured some artwork that was edited to remove an instance of nudity. 10 volumes from Dragon Ball and 10 volumes from Dragon Ball Z were released in this wave, and fans were very pleased with this fan-friendly version of the manga. The best way to tell these volumes apart from the other waves is the white background with little dragons spread throughout it, and the fact that these were much bigger than normal manga (They were about two inches taller and two inches wider than the normal manga size.). These are extremely hard to find nowadays, and have been completely replaced by Viz's later waves of the DragonBall manga in retail stores. After manga started becoming more popular in the states, Viz decided to discontinue this wave and release novels that were the proper size.

Shonen Jump Graphic Novels (Dragon Ball Vol. 1-16, Dragon Ball Z Vol. 1-26)

(Pictured Above: DB Volume 1 & DBZ Volume 1.)

This wave was released about the same time that Viz started producing and English version of the popular manga magazine Shonen Jump. Because of its popularity, Viz decided to include Dragon Ball Z in the magazine, and with that, the DragonBall manga became part of Viz's Shonen Jump brand of graphic novels. The Dragon Ball graphic novels were produced with a red background on the cover, and the Dragon Ball Z graphic novels were produced with a plain-white background. Because the Shonen Jump brand was meant to appeal to a wider audience than the previous waves, Viz edited more of the manga's content so that the material would be more family-friendly. Artwork edits include removing some instances of nudity, removing middle fingers when characters "flip each other off," and sometimes editing weapons. This is the most confusing wave of the manga to explain because Viz has re-published this wave numerous times and each different publication has a different number of edits and alterations. Because of this, making a complete list of edits and assigning them to a specific publication version is almost impossible. There is one easy way to tell apart some of the earlier publications with the newer ones, however. If the spine of the book has a Viz logo that looks like this, then it is from an earlier publication. If the spine has a Viz logo that looks like a black-&-white version of this, it is from a later publication. Dragon Ball Z volumes 15-26, regardless of the publication version, all feature the newer spine logo.

Complete Collector's Boxes (Dragon Ball Vol. 1-16, Dragon Ball Z Vol. 1-26)

(Pictured Above: DB & DBZ Boxes)

Viz released all 42 Shonen Jump Graphic Novel volumes of the manga in two collector's boxes: one for Dragon Ball and one for Dragon Ball Z. The complete series can be purchased this way. Each box comes with every volume for its respective series and a poster. Scroll up for information about the volumes themselves.

Hardcover Collector's Editions (Dragon Ball Vol. 1 & Dragon Ball Z Vol. 1)

(Pictured Above: DB Volume 1 & DBZ Volume 1)

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the American version of Shonen Jump, Viz re-released the first issue of the popular manga anthology in a hardcover edition. To coincide with the release, selected Shonen Jump brand titles were re-released in hardcover editions as well. Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were among the titles chosen. Volume one of each series was re-released in hardcover books featuring a dust jacket, a bigger size than normal graphic novels, and color pages when appropriate. This release was for volume one of each series only. The rest of the volumes will not be receiving collector's edition re-releases. Here is a list of the color chapters that were included in each volume.

Dragon Ball, Volume One
Chapter 001:  Title Page; Pages 01-30.
Chapter 002:  Title Page; Page 01.
Chapter 003:  Title Page; Page 01-14.
Chapter 004:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Chapter 005:  Title Page; Pages 01-03.

Dragon Ball Z Volume One
Chapter 002:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.

Shonen Jump VizBig Editions

(Pictured Above: DB Volumes 1-5 & DBZ Volumes 1-9.)

This is Viz's most recent wave of the manga. In this release, three volumes (sometimes four volumes) of the original manga are combined to make one big volume, hence the name "VizBig" for the wave. This means that the number of releases will be significantly lower than the original 42 volumes. Viz stated that each volume will contain three normal volumes of the manga, along with "bonus color content and updated text." "Color content" means that some chapters that were originally colored during the manga's serialization will be reprinted as such. "Updated text" can mean anything from correcting past typos to script changes. It sometimes means going back to revise and correct translations, but it can also mean more edits to the material. The first volumes for Dragon Ball and DBZ were released on June 3, 2008, with a standard retail price of $17.99 per volume.

Here is a guide to which volumes are in which VizBigs:

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume One: Volumes 1-3
Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Two: Volumes 4-6
Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Three: Volumes 7-9
Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Four: Volumes 10-12
Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Five: Volumes 13-16

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume One: Volumes 1-3
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Two: Volumes 4-6
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Three: Volumes 7-9
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Four: Volumes 10-12
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Five: Volumes 13-15
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Six: Volumes 16-18
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Seven: Volumes 19-21
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Eight: Volumes 22-24
Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Nine: Volumes 25-26

At the time of the release, early purchasers confirmed that while Viz had provided an overall decent release with this VizBig wave, there were numerous problems that could not be overlooked. One of the main problems was the exclusion of color pages for certain chapters. It was confirmed that while some of the color chapters were printed as such, some other chapters that were originally printed in color were left in grayscale for some reason (Possibly to ensure more purchases by including them in color on a future release.). Another point of interest was the amount of censorship. All of the edits that appeared in previous waves of the manga are intact in these VizBigs, much to the disappointment of fans.

Below is a list of every color chapter produced for the DragonBall manga. Pages that are colored in red have been kept in color for the VizBig release, and pages that are colored in black have sadly been printed in grayscale.

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume One
Volume 01, Chapter 001:  Title Page; Pages 01-07; Pages 08-30.
Volume 01, Chapter 002:  Title Page; Page 01.
Volume 01, Chapter 003:  Title Page; Page 01; Pages 02-14.
Volume 01, Chapter 004:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 01, Chapter 005:  Title Page; Pages 01-03.
Volume 02, Chapter 019:  Pages 01-04; Pages 05-15.
Volume 03, Chapter 025: Title Page; Pages 01-09.
Volume 03, Chapter 033:  Title Page; Pages 01-08.

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Two
Volume 04, Chapter 040:  Title Page; Pages 01-02.
Volume 04, Chapter 044:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-16.
Volume 04, Chapter 045:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Volume 04, Chapter 048:  Title Page; Pages 01-06.
Volume 05, Chapter 055:  Title Page; Pages 01-05.
Volume 05, Chapter 057:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 06, Chapter 062:  Title Page; Page 01; Pages 02-14.
Volume 06, Chapter 070:  Title Page; Pages 01-08.

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Three
Volume 07, Chapter 075:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 07, Chapter 081:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Volume 08, Chapter 086:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Volume 08, Chapter 093:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 09, Chapter 106:  Title Page; Pages 01-04; Pages 05-14.

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Four
Volume 10, Chapter 110:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-15.
Volume 11, Chapter 121:  Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-13.
Volume 11, Chapter 130: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 12, Chapter 134:  Title Page.

Dragon Ball VizBig Volume Five
Volume 13, Chapter 149: Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Volume 13, Chapter 155: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 14, Chapter 163: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 15, Chapter 178: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 16, Chapter 187: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume One
Volume 01, Chapter 002:  Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 02, Chapter 011:  Title Page; Pages 01-14.
Volume 03, Chapter 034:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Two
Volume 04, Chapter 035:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 04, Chapter 043:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 05, Chapter 053:  Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-15.
Volume 06, Chapter 061:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 06, Chapter 062:  Title Page; Pages 01-03.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Three
Volume 07, Chapter 078:  Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-14.
Volume 08, Chapter 093:  Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Four
Volume 10, Chapter 111: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-13.
Volume 11, Chapter 129: Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-16.
Volume 12, Chapter 143: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-13.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Five
Volume 14, Chapter 160: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-15.
Volume 15, Chapter 177: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-15.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Six
Volume 17, Chapter 192: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-14.
Volume 18, Chapter 210: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-17.
Special Chapter - Trunks the Story: Title Page; Pages 01-02.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Seven
Volume 19, Chapter 217: Title Page; Pages 01-13.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Eight
Volume 22, Chapter 258: Title Page; Pages 01-03; Pages 04-12.
Volume 24, Chapter 288: Title Page; Pages 01-11.

Dragon Ball Z VizBig Volume Nine
Volume 25, Chapter 307: Title Page; Page 01; Pages 02-12.
Volume 26, Chapter 318: Title Page; Pages 01-02; Pages 03-12.
Volume 26, Chapter 325: Title Page; Page 01; Pages 02-19.

DragonBall: The Complete Illustrations

In Japan, there are ten official guidebooks for DragonBall known as the Daizenshuu ("Great Complete Collections"), which were released after the manga finished its Japanese serialization. This is the first of those volumes, a 218-page hardcover artwork compilation of manga title pages, illustrations, promotional images, and covers drawn by Akira Toriyama himself throughout the manga's serialization (1984-1995), presented in full color. This guidebook features a special introduction by Akira Toriyama, a collection of illustrations sorted by the year they were drawn, a gallery of graphic-novel-exclusive images (volume coverart, spine images, etc.), a gallery of Japanese Weekly Jump magazine DragonBall covers, a poster, and a five-page interview with Akira Toriyama himself. Only this first Daizenshuu has been released in English by Viz Media. The localization of future guidebooks likely depends on the sales of this volume.

Thanks for Reading!

< Message edited by MagicBox -- 7/15/2010 1:33:40 PM >

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