Dragon Ball Z
Series, 1989, The Moltar years, Set in Saiyan to Buu
Dragon Ball Z is #3 of 16 in release order and #3 of 16 in chronological order in the Toonami Classics.
The story
Now happily married and with a son, martial arts champion Goku must defend Earth from a series of extraterrestrial invaders bent on destruction.
Dragon Ball Z recap
Dragon Ball Z picks up with Goku grown up and a father to Gohan. In the Saiyan saga, Goku learns he is an alien Saiyan when his brother Raditz arrives; Goku dies to stop him, trains in the afterlife and returns to fight Nappa and Vegeta, the proud Saiyan prince. In the Frieza saga, Gohan, Krillin and Bulma go to Planet Namek for its Dragon Balls, where the tyrant Frieza is hunting them too; when Frieza kills Krillin, Goku becomes a Super Saiyan and defeats him. In the Android and Cell sagas, Trunks, Vegeta's son from the future, warns of killer androids, and the bio-android Cell absorbs them. Goku dies again during the Cell Games, and Gohan, unleashing his full power, destroys Cell. Seven years later, in the Buu saga, the wizard Babidi releases the magical creature Majin Buu. Vegeta sacrifices himself, Goku and Vegeta fuse into Vegito, and the last form, Kid Buu, is destroyed by a Spirit Bomb powered by everyone on Earth.
Dragon Ball Z ending explained
After Buu's defeat, the finale jumps ten years ahead to a World Martial Arts Tournament, where Goku meets Uub, a village boy who is the human reincarnation of Kid Buu. Goku leaves the tournament with Uub to train him, flying off into the distance. The story continued in Dragon Ball GT (1996 to 1997), Dragon Ball Super (2015 to 2018) and later films and series, including Dragon Ball Daima.
Where to watch Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z is streaming on Crunchyroll in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 8.8/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after ThunderCats, before Sailor Moon.
- Chronological order: after ThunderCats, before Sailor Moon.
Cast
- Masako Nozawa as Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice)
- Ryo Horikawa as Vegeta (voice)
- Toshio Furukawa as Piccolo (voice)
- Mayumi Tanaka as Krillin / Uranai Baba (voice)
- Naoki Tatsuta as Oolong / Karin (voice)
- Joji Yanami as Dr. Briefs (voice)
- Naoko Watanabe as Puar / Chi-Chi (voice)
- Hirotaka Suzuoki as Tien Shinhan (voice)
- Miki Ito as Android 18 (voice)
- Hiroko Emori as Mama / Chaozu / Bulma / Bulla (voice)
- Mayumi Shou as Chi-Chi (voice)
- Toru Furuya as Yamcha (voice)