Dragon Ball (franchise)

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Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール), created by Akira Toriyama in 1984, is an internationally popular teen and young adult franchise, though it is also popular in the United States among younger children. It consists primarily of one manga series, three anime series, seventeen animated feature films, an unofficial live-action Chinese feature film, a collectible card game, and a large number of video games, collectible products, and action figures. Dragon Ball has an extensive online fanbase and (as of 2005) is consistently one of the most frequently searched-for terms on Google, Yahoo!, and Lycos.

The story of Dragon Ball got some of its inspiration and several characters from the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West, though it diverges from the novel very quickly. It follows the adventures of its lead character, Son Goku (based on the Monkey King of the folk legend, Sun Wukong) from his childhood into old age. The story includes both action and comedy elements, though the series became more action-oriented over time.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Before Dragon Ball 1.2 Dragon Ball manga 1.3 Dragon Ball anime 1.4 First US Release 1.5 Dragon Ball Z 1.6 Second US Release 1.7 Dragon Ball GT 1.8 Third US Release 1.9 Neko Majin Z 2 Timeline

[edit] History

[edit] Before Dragon Ball

Just prior to ending a successful six-year run on his humor manga, Dr. Slump, in the Weekly Shonen Jump anthology magazine, Akira Toriyama started toying with the ideas that he would later apply in Dragon Ball. In 1983, he wrote two issues of Dragon Boy manga for the Fresh Jump anthology magazine. This story, left unfinished, merged in the comic style of Dr. Slump with an action-oriented plot. It includes many elements which would be reused in the later series, including a very different kind of Dragon Ball. Also in 1983, he published (but also did not finish) The Adventures of Tongpoo, a science fiction manga also featuring a Goku-like character and plot elements (such as Hoi Poi Capsules) which he would reuse later.

[edit] Dragon Ball manga

Main article: Dragon Ball

In late 1984, the first issue of "Dragon Ball" appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump, the same anthology magazine where Dr. Slump had previously been published. The series was then published weekly and on a very tight schedule (14 pages per week, plus title page) for nearly eleven years, ending in May 1995. In total, 519 regular chapters and one bonus chapter were published. Unlike American-style comic books, Dragon Ball was largely produced in black and white. Some small number of pages in a subset of issues were colorized for emphasis. During the run of the manga in Japan, it was reprinted in (an eventual total of 42) tankôbon (Japanese graphic novels). Unlike the original print run of the manga, the previously colorized pages were reprinted only in grayscale.

A year and a half into the story of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama included an extended (three issue) cameo by some of the characters and locations from his previous popular manga, Dr. Slump. This is perceived by many fans as tying the two fictional universes together, although the Slump characters never make any further appearances in the manga.

Among fans, the Dragon Ball manga is considered the "authoritative" source of the events in the Dragon Ball universe (called Dragon World by the author). Events that take place outside the manga are generally not considered canonical.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Dragon Ball anime

Main article: Dragon Ball (anime)

Within a short time after the first publication of the manga, it had reached a level of popularity in Japan that convinced the people of Toei Animation to produce both an anime series and a feature film based on the characters. The anime series premiered in February 1986 on Fuji Television, running weekly and in prime time with new episodes every Wednesday night.

The anime series that was produced closely matched the manga that it was based on (as opposed to Sailor Moon, for example, which the manga and anime diverged significantly), but this had the major drawback that the anime would often catch up to the current point in the manga and the animators were left to create additional episodes and situations to allow them time for more source material to be written. Such material in the series (known by fans as filler) was often of a lower quality than the original manga and occasionally would directly contradict information that would be provided in the source material later. This is perhaps unsurprising due to the difficulty of producing 20 minutes of animation each week, with only 14 pages of manga to work from.

In December of 1986, the first theatrical film version of the anime was produced. Called simply "Dragon Ball" (in Japan, the movie's eventual English title is "Curse of the Blood Rubies"), it retold the events of the first several episodes of the anime series. That was followed by additional movies in July 1987 ("The Sleeping Princess in the Devil's Castle") and July 1988 ("Mystical Great Adventure"). (The first two films were directed by Daisuke Nishio, the third by Kazuhisa Takenouchi.)

Because of the popularity of the title in Japan, three video games (all for the Nintendo Family Computer) were produced. The first, released in 1986 as "The Mystery of Shenlong", was the only action game of the three. The other two (1988 and 1989) were card game / board game hybrids.

The anime series ended in April 1989 after 153 episodes (and Son Goku's marriage and transition to adulthood). Although the animated series ended, fans did not have to wait long for the continuation of the story. The sequel anime, "Dragon Ball Z" debuted the following week.

[edit] First US Release

In the first years after the Dragon Ball manga and anime became successful in Japan, an initial attempt was made to export the show to an American audience. These initial attempts to gain a foothold in the large American market were unsuccessful and short lived.

In 1986, right as the Dragon Ball anime was kicking off in Japan, a Dragon Ball video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System was produced by Bandai and exported to the US. Titled "Dragon Power" (or "Mystery of Shenlong" in Japan), it was a martial arts action game which loosely followed the plot of the first thirteen issues of the manga. Sales figures for the game are not available, but no further Dragon Ball video games were released in the US for another seven years.

In 1989, a first attempt was made to release the Dragon Ball anime in the US in the form of a limited number of episodes (and an edited form of the first and third movies) produced and dubbed by Harmony Gold. After being test marketed in several cities (with some resulting controversy over the subject matter of the early episodes-- something that would strike again in later attempts), it was withdrawn from the marketplace without a full season produced.

[edit] Dragon Ball Z

Main article: Dragon Ball Z

Picking up exactly where the previous series left off, "Dragon Ball Z" began airing in Japan a week after the "Dragon Ball" series ended, and in the same timeslot. A new series name was chosen by the producers to differentiate the "current" Dragon Ball manga series, with its reduced emphasis on comedy and its new science fiction themes, from the previous series-- even though they were still based on the same text. The new show also featured improved production values and animation quality. This transition point was attractive because not only did it follow a several year gap in the plot (one of several such gaps in the series), but it also featured revised origin stories for several lead characters and the introduction of several new characters. This made it a good jumping on point for new fans of the series.

Three months after the premier of the Z anime, in July 1989, the first Dragon Ball Z movie (entitled "Return my Gohan" in Japanese) premiered in theaters. This was followed by two additional theatrical movies released per year (one in March and one in July) until 1995. In total, thirteen Dragon Ball Z movies were produced. In addition to the feature films, two movie-length television specials were also produced for the series. (These initially aired in 1990 and 1993.)

Like the original "Dragon Ball" anime, "Dragon Ball Z" suffered from the same manga-to-anime pacing problems which resulted in the excess of filler material in the previous anime. In some ways, the problem was more pronounced during the production of the "Z" series as the increased focus on action resulted in many issues of the manga devoted entirely to action sequences. These combat-oriented issues were more difficult to "stretch" into episodes than more diverse action and this resulted in pacing problems throughout some sections of the series.

In May 1995, the long running "Dragon Ball" manga finally ended its run in Shonen Jump. Without additional issues of the manga to translate onto the small screen, the "Dragon Ball Z" series ended in January 1996 after 291 episodes. Once again however, Japanese fans would not have to wait more than a week for the continuation of the story, in "Dragon Ball GT".

During the production of Dragon Ball Z in Japan, popularity for the franchise was at its peak. Production of video games--first for the Nintendo Family Computer (Famicom), then later for Super Famicom, PlayStation, Game Boy, and Sega Saturn-- reached its peak during this period. Ironically, despite tremendous success in Japan and tons of marketable goods, the series had yet to take off in the US.

[edit] Second US Release

Shortly after the ending of Dragon Ball Z in Japan, momentum was building in the US for a second attempt at releasing "Dragon Ball" to an American audience. In the fall of 1995, the first episodes of "Dragon Ball" were redubbed by Ocean Group for syndicated release on American television by FUNimation Productions through SeaGull Entertainment. Ultimately, the show only lasted for less than one season before being cancelled in favor of jumping ahead to Dragon Ball Z. (The latter series was believed to have greater merchandise potential.) In total, only thirteen episodes (of the production order of 26) and the first Dragon Ball feature film were produced. In 1996, Vidmark Entertainment purchased the home video rights for the series.

As of 2004, Vidmark still retains the rights to the first season of Dragon Ball in the US. This has prevented FUNimation from releasing the first season unedited (with their dubbing) in the United States, though it has been released in other countries.

After the two failed launches of the Dragon Ball cartoon in the States, FUNimation switched distribution companies to Saban (at that time riding on the popularity of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, another Japanese import) and began releasing Dragon Ball Z on American television in the fall of 1996. The intended audience of the series (young children) did not work well with the more violent and adult nature of the Z cartoon. This resulted in extensive editing of the series (cutting out the equivalent of 14 of the first 67 episodes-- almost 21%), including the complete removal of references to character death ("sent to another dimension"), blood, etc. To many fans of the series, these edits actually made the series worse as violence was always shown without consequence.

In addition to the anime series, Saban also edited the third Dragon Ball Z movie ("Tree of Might" in the US) and released it as a three-part episode in the production run of the series. Two more movies (#1 and #2) were subsequently released by Pioneer Entertainment direct to video.

In part due to an early timeslot in most markets (6:30 AM), Dragon Ball Z again failed to find its target audience and was cancelled in January 1998 after a two season run of 53 episodes, or the equivalent of 67 Japanese episodes. However, this was still the most successful import of the property to the US to date.

[edit] Dragon Ball GT

Main article: Dragon Ball GT

Back in Japan, the third and final Dragon Ball series quickly followed the completion of "Dragon Ball Z" in February 1996. This new series, called Dragon Ball GT (for "Grand Tour"), was a complete departure from the previous two anime series. Unlike those series, GT was not based on the "Dragon Ball" manga by Akira Toriyama. Instead, it was completely new material. (As previously the only "new" material developed for the anime was the relatively low-quality "filler" episodes, this led to a fan contention that GT was an entire series of filler.)

From the beginning however, there were problems with the series. Dragon Ball fandom in Japan was waning. To help renew interest in the series and bring it back to its roots, a decision was made to return the series to the style of the original comedy "Dragon Ball" anime, rather than the more action-oriented "Dragon Ball Z". This decision led to the reintroduction of several villains not present since the original series, a return to the "Dragon Ball quest"-style plot of that series, and even the mystical de-aging of the series' lead character, back to roughly the age when the first series began. (Never mind that he had grandchildren by this time!) Unfortunately, this creative change did not improve ratings and the series focus was changed again after the completion of only sixteen episodes. The remaining episodes of the series returned to the more action-oriented style of the latter series. As a result of declining interest, the series had ended in November 1997 after only 64 episodes. There was no sequel the following week.

Dragon Ball GT was also less successful in its tie-ins than the previous series had been. Unlike the previous series, Dragon Ball GT did not spawn any theatrical films on its own. In March 1996, just one month after the introduction of the series, the Dragon Ball 10th Anniversary Special (called "The Path to Power" in the US) was released. Although produced in the artistic style of Dragon Ball GT, the plot was a modified retelling of the very beginning of the original Dragon Ball anime. (The intention of this film may have been to bring back viewers to see the series due to their similarities of tone.) Fittingly, this was the last Dragon Ball animated movie to be released to date. Other than that film, the final series was limited to a single television special, released in March 1997. In other product areas, such as video games and merchandise, Dragon Ball GT was also less successful than its predecessors.

[edit] Third US Release

The third season appeared on home video in 1999 and then on CN shortly after. End of substantial editing. DVDs in 2000. Dragon Ball Z was now in full production and continued to the end of series.

Original DB re-releases. Movie #3 in 2001. (When did movie #2 come out? Have to find out release dates for DB releases on CN.)

Release of GT in US in 2003.

Release of manga in US through comics and Shonen Jump.

[edit] Neko Majin Z

Main article: Neko Majin Z

(post DB projects)

[edit] Timeline

• 1980 - Dr. Slump begins in Shonen Jump. (February)
• 1983 - Dragon Boy and Adventures of Tongpoo appear in Fresh Jump.
• 1984 - Dr. Slump ends. (September)
• 1984 - Dragon Ball (manga) begins in Shonen Jump. (December)
• 1985 - Dragon Ball manga tankubon publication begins.
• 1986 - Dragon Ball anime premiers of Fuji TV. (February)
• 1986 - Dragon Ball "Mystery of Shenlong" game for NES released. (November)
• 1986 - Dragon Ball Movie #1 premiers (December)
• 1987 - Dragon Ball Movie #2 premiers. (July)

• 1988 - Dragon Ball Movie #3 premiers. (July)
• 1988 - Famicom game "Resurrection of the Demon King" released (Japan only). (August)

• 1989 - Dragon Ball anime ends. (April)
• 1989 - Dragon Ball Z anime begins. (April)
• 1989 - DBZ Movie #1 premiers. (July)
• 1989 - Famicom gane "Story of Goku" released (Japan only). (October)

• 1990 - DBZ Movie #2 premiers. (March)
• 1990 - DBZ Movie #3 premiers. (July)
• 1990 - "Bardock" special airs on Fuji TV. (October)
• 1990 - Famicom "Attack of the Saiyajin" released. (Japan only) (October)

• 1991 - DBZ Movie #4 premiers. (March)
• 1991 - DBZ Movie #5 premiers. (July)
• 1991 - Famicom "Battle Against Freeza" released. (Japan only) (August)

• 1992 - Super Famicom "Legend of the Super Saiyan" released. (Japan only) (January)
• 1992 - DBZ Movie #6 premiers. (March)
• 1992 - DBZ Movie #7 premiers. (July)
• 1992 - Famicom "Battle Against the Androids" released. (Japan only) (August)
• 1992 - Famicon "Plan to Destroy the Saiyajin" released. (Japan only) (August)
• 1992 - Famicom "Dragon Ball Z Barcode Battler" released. (Japan only) (December)

• 1993 - "Trunks" special airs on Fuji TV. (February)
• 1993 - DBZ Movie #8 premiers. (March)
• 1993 - Super Famicom "Super Butoden 1" released. (Japan only) (March)
• 1993 - DBZ Movie #9 premiers. (July)
• 1993 - Super Famicom "Super Butoden 2" released. (Japan only) (December)

• 1994 - DBZ Movie #10 premiers. (March)
• 1994 - Mega Drive "Buu Yuu Retsuden" released. (Japan only) (April)
• 1994 - DBZ Movie #11 premiers. (July)
• 1994 - Super Famicom "Super Butoden 3" released. (Japan only) (September)
• 1994 - Playdia "The Plan to Destroy the Saiyans Part 1" (Japan only) (September)
• 1994 - Turbo Duo "Legend of Son Goku" released. (Japan only) (November)
• 1994 - Game Boy "Goku Hishouden" released. (Japan only) (November)
• 1994 - Playdia "The Plan to Destroy the Saiyans Part 2" (Japan only) (December)

• 1995 - DBZ Movie #12 premiers. (March)
• 1995 - Super Famicom "Super Gokuden 1" released. (Japan only) (March)
• 1995 - Dragon Ball (manga) ends. (May)
• 1995 - DBZ Movie #13 premiers. (July)
• 1995 - PlayStation "Ultimate Battle 22" (Japan only) (July)
• 1995 - Game Boy "Goku Gekitouden" released. (Japan only) (August)
• 1995 - Dragon Ball manga tankoubon releases finish. (August)
• 1995 - Super Famicom "Super Gokuden 2" released. (Japan only) (September)
• 1995 - Saturn "Shin Butoden" released. (Japan only) (November)

• 1996 - Dragon Ball Z anime ends. (January)
• 1996 - Dragon Ball GT anime begins. (February)
• 1996 - Dragon Ball 10th Anniversary Movie released (March)
• 1996 - Super Famicom "Hyper Dimension" released. (Japan only) (March)
• 1996 - PlayStation / Saturn "Dragon Ball Z Legends" released. (Japan only) (May)
• 1996 - Dragon Ball Z anime arrives in the US. (first edited seasons) (September)

• 1997 - Dragon Ball GT "Goku" special airs on Fuji TV. (March)
• 1997 - PlayStation "Dragon Ball GT Final Bout" released. (Japan only) (August)
• 1997 - DBZ Movie #3 released to US. (broadcast) (November) (??)
• 1997 - Dragon Ball GT ends. (November)
• 1997 - DBZ Movie #1 released to US. (December)

• 1998 - DBZ Movie #3 released to US. (March)
• 1998 - Viz starts releasing DB & DBZ manga in US as comic. (March)
• 1998 - DBZ Movie #2 released to US.(May)
• 1998 - Dragon Ball Movie #1 released to US. (July)

• 1999 - Dragon Ball Movie #2 released to US. (April)
• 1999 - Dragon Ball Z 3rd Season (ginyu and frieza sagas) is released in the U.S. on Cartoon Network (September)

• 2000 - "Trunks" special released to US. (December)

• 2001 - "Bardock" special released to US. (January)
• 2001 - Dragon Ball Movie #3 released to US. (February)
• 2001 - DBZ Movie #4 released to US. (August)
• 2001 - Dragon Ball anime released to US again. (for real) (August)

• 2002 - DBZ Movie #5 released to US. (January)
• 2002 - DBZ Movie #6 released to US. (August)
• 2002 - Playstation 2 Dragon Ball Z Budokai Released. (December)
• 2003 - DBZ Movie #7 released to US. (February)
• 2003 - Viz ends monthly publication of Dragon Ball manga in US. (compilations only)
• 2003 - Dragon Ball 10th Anniversary Movie released to US. (April)
• 2003 - Dragon Ball Z ends new episodes in US. (April)
• 2003 - DBGT released on DVD in the US. (April)
• 2003 - DBZ Movie #8 released to US. (August)
• 2003 - Playstation 2 Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 Released. (November)
• 2003 - Dragon Ball ends new episodes in US. (December)

• 2004 - DBZ Movie #9 released to US. (August)
• 2004 - Playstation 2 Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 Released. (December)

• 2005 - DBZ Movie #10 released to US. (April)
• 2005 - First two seasons of DBZ are re-released uncut in the US (April)
• 2005 - DBZ Movie #11 released to US. (September)
• 2005 - Playstation 2 Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi Released. (November)
• 2006 - DBZ Movie #12 released to US. (March)
• 2006 - DBZ Movie #13 released to US. (August)
• 2006 - Playstation 2 Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Released. (October)
• 2007 - Wii Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2.