Dragon Ball Z Kai Episode 1: Prologue to Battle! The Return of Goku!

Dragon Ball Z Kai is a high-definition remastered and recut version of Dragon Ball Z.  Most of the filler episodes have been cut out and it’s closer to the original manga.  It’s fairly different from the original Dragon Ball Z.  Now on to the episode breakdown.

We see baby Kakarot on the planet Vegeta just before he is to be sent to Earth.  High above the planet, Kakarot’s father is leading a revolt against Frieza but everyone is defeated with ease and the planet below is annihilated.  During his death, Kakarot’s father has a glimpse of his son confronting Frieza and his last thoughts are that his son has to avenge the Saiyan race.  Kakarot, now named Goku, landed on Earth and has had many adventures.  His childhood is recapped.

We meet Goku’s adopted father Gohan, his adventures collecting the Dragon Balls, Master Roshi, his battles with King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr, getting married to Chi-Chi (all of this happened in Dragon Ball).  In the present, Goku is punching down giant trees for firewood.  When he returns home, he discovers Gohan (his son) has wandered off, Chi-Chi wants Goku to find him.  Gohan is sitting on the edge of a raging river and falls in.  He is carried down stream and it looks like he is going to go over the waterfall but Goku is on his way to save him.  Goku doesn’t make it in time but Gohan is somehow on a branch well above the waterfall, like he jumped that high.

A ship from space crash lands on a farm and a large muscular alien emerges.  His first action is to murder a farmer who came to check out the crash site.  This guy is certainly evil.  The alien wears a scouter that detects a high power level, so he travels to discover who it is.  It’s Piccolo!  After some bickering, Piccolo attacks the alien and can’t even hurt him.  It looks like the end for Piccolo until the alien detects another high power level and flys off to find it.

Bulma arrives on Master Roshi’s island and talks about Yamcha being a jerk because he took another girl out on a date.  Krillin is also there.  Goku arrives last and everyone is shocked to find out he now has a son.  Gohan is afraid of everything and Goku explains that Chi-Chi won’t let Gohan train in martial arts.  Everyone reminisces about old times.

Goku senses someone with a higher power level than he has ever felt before.  The alien lands on Roshi’s Island.  He seems to know Goku but calls him Kakarot and says Goku looks just like his father.  Goku has no idea about his origins so he doesn’t know that Kakarot is his birth name.  Krillin talks to the alien and tells him to leave but is knocked into a wall and almost killed for his troubles.  Goku notices this alien has a tail just like he used to have!

Dragon Ball Z Episode 20: Goku’s Ancestors

Goku celebrates catching Bubbles and says he is ready for the next level of training.  King Kai yells at the top of his lunges which summons another creature named Gregory, or as Goku calls him “little Grasshopper man”.  Goku’s next test is to hot Gregory with a giant (and very heavy) hammer.  The problem is Goku can barely lift it and Gregory is extremely fast.  Gregory knocks Goku over multiple times before Goku can even do anything.  King Kai says to himself that he has never given anyone a hammer as heavy as this one.

Back on Earth, Piccolo continues to brutally train Gohan while the rest of the Z fighters train at Kami’s Lookout.  On King Kai’s planet it’s time for a lunch break…and a history lesson on the Saiyans.  King Kai tells Goku that the planet Vegeta once had two races of people.  The Saiyans were a primitive and violent people, while the other race was smaller and technologically superior.  The races fought for a long time (it started when the Saiyans attacked first) with neither side coming out ahead until the Saiyans saw the fullmoon and turned into giant apes (which only happens every 8 years on Vegeta).  This event won the war for the Saiyans.

The Saiyans then teamed up with another alien race because they had spaceships, which allowed them to leave the planet in exchange for conquering other worlds for the aliens.  King Kai says that just like on Earth, the planet Vegeta had a guardian and he had seen enough.  He called down a meteor shower and destroyed the planet because the Saiyans were so evil.  Knowing how evil the Saiyan are motivates Goku to keep training hard.  Kami sends the Z fighters back to Earth, having completed their training.

Goku once again uses his brains and hits Gregory (very lightly) with his hammer.  King Kai then tells Goku about a technique called kaio-ken and says no one has been able to master it.  Master Roshi asks his sister about the future and she says as it stands now, the Earth has no future.  The Saiyans pass by Jupiter.  Things are looking grim, the Saiyans are almost here, can our heroes rise to the occasion?  We shall see!

Dragon Ball Z Episode 19: Defying Gravity

King Kai observes Goku acting like an Ape and asks him who he is.  King Kai is a bit goofy for a martial arts master and is more concerned about telling jokes than anything else.  Goku has to pretend King Kai’s jokes are funny just to get Kai to consider training him.  King finally says he will train Goku if Goku can make him laughs.  After presenting some jokes in an intimidating way, Goku succeeds.

King Kai explains that the gravity on his planet is at least ten times that of the earth.  King Kai has Goku jump so he can feel the difference in the gravity.  King Kai is impressed with Goku’s ability to jump so high under such severe gravity.  Goku explains the situation to King Kai, about the Saiyans who are on their way to destroy the earth.  Kai uses his powers to search the cosmos and estimates the Saiyans will arrive on earth in 88 days.

King Kai doesn’t seem too worried and says he can get Goku ready in time.  Training with Kai full time for 88 days is equal to training on earth for thousands of years.  The problem is, King Kai says that the two Saiyans coming to earth are even stronger than he is so there is no guarantee that Goku can win.  Kai has Goku chase bubbles (the ape).  If Goku can catch bubbles under this gravity, he will be ready for further training.  Goku removes his weighted clothes which makes him much faster.  Goku still isn’t fast enough though.  Goku has to stop and take a break to eat (and insults Kai by saying his food isn’t very good).

King Kai starts talking about all of his hobbies, which mostly consist of him driving his car around his very small planet.  Kai wants Goku to put his weighted clothes back on because the Saiyans live on a planet with ten times gravity as well.  Goku will need every advantage he can to win this fight.  Back on earth, Piccolo is still training Gohan.  Gohan is definitely getting stronger, but he still isn’t strong enough.  Piccolo gives Gohan no mercy when it comes to training.

After training, Piccolo and Gohan talk.  Piccolo says that after they defeat the Saiyans, Goku is next on his hit list.  Gohan says that they don’t have to fight anymore because he can tell that Piccolo has changed.  Gohan says Piccolo is like a big green uncle to him.  Even though Piccolo doesn’t like to hear this, it’s true.  Piccolo has changed.  On Kai’s planet, Goku starts using some strategy and cuts bubbles off over and over again, wearing bubbles out.  Goku eventually masters the gravity and captures bubbles.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 18: The End of Snake Way

We open on Goku’s ship he arrived in as a child.  The ship is playing a recording telling Kakarot (Goku’s real name) to destroy all life forms.  Piccolo is training Gohan, trying to make him stronger than anyone else with his brutal training.  Goku is still training on Snake Way.  Gohan has a nightmare of his Dad fighting Raditz and wakes up in a panic.  He looks up and sees the full moon.  He doesn’t turn into a giant ape but he does go wild when he overhears Goku’s ship telling him to destroy all life forms.

Piccolo finds that both the moon and Gohan’s tail have someone come back. That is the least of Piccolo’s problems at this point, because Gohan transforms into a giant ape!  Piccolo attempts to destroy the moon again but comes to find out it’s not real.  This moon is a projection.  His blast goes right through it.  Elsewhere, Master Roshi and Bulma talk about how they managed to gather all of the Dragon Balls with time to spare and how the moon isn’t putting out any moonlight.

Piccolo launches an attack at ape Gohan but it doesn’t have any effect.  Gohan grabs and squeezes Piccolo, smashing him into the ground.  Piccolo finds Goku’s ship, which is where the moon projection is coming from, and destroys it with his special beam cannon.  Gohan returns to normal and is asleep like nothing happened.  Piccolo pulls his tail off to avoid this situation from happening again.

Goku finally comes to the end of Snake Way.  That was a LONG journey!  At first he can’t figure out where to go, as there seems to be nothing at the end of Snake Way.  The he sees a very small planet in the sky.  After jumping to the planet he discovers that the gravity is extremely high and he can barely stand.  Goku runs into an ape and mistakes him for King Kai.  After having “King Kai” throw him some fruit and some goofiness the real King Kai shows up.  Now the real training should begin…

Dragon Ball Z Episode 16: Plight of the Children

Gohan wakes up on a beach and is found by a couple of kids.  These children have been living on their own since a natural disaster destroyed their city.  A couple of adults show up and try to capture the children but they manage to escape.  It turns out the children have a leader and protector who looks after them.  These kids manage to survive by stealing what the need.  Having Gohan cry as a decoy, the rest of the children steal food.  After a police chase the kids manage to slip their would be captors again.

While all of this is going on, Goku continues his run on Snake Way.  Gohan discovers that he is actually very close to his home.  The other children offer to take him there.  Before they can leave, the children are ambushed by the police and orphanage workers.  Gohan escapes with Pigero, the leader of the children.  Pigero allowed the children to get caught on purpose.  He can’t take care of them anymore.  They need a real home with families.

Pigero lets Gohan out close to his home.  Gohan finds his home but decides not to go in.  Piccolo shows up and asks Gohan what his mission is.  Gohan knows he has to get ready for the Saiyans and defeat them.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 15: Dueling Piccolos

While Gohan studies and reminisces about better times with his parents, Piccolo is doing some reminiscing of his own.  Replaying the battle with Raditz in his head he splits himself into two for some serious training.  Piccolo has a lot of interesting powers that other characters on the show do not have.  It’s always cool to see him use them.

Gohan uses his high intelligence to make a sailboat which is able to travel on sand.  This will certainly help him make better time on his journey.  Unfortunately he is attacked by a giant bird.  He does manage to escape but his transportation is ruined.  Where is the flying nimbus when you need it?

After ending up on a beach, Gohan decides to find his way home.  Little does he know he is being stalked by a sabertooth tiger.  The tiger never presents any real danger to him though.  After a lot of travel Gohan eventually ends up where he started, on the beach.  He climbs a mountain to discover he is on a island.  Meanwhile, Chi-Chi’s Dad is attempting to get her to eat.

Piccolo keeps up his hard training against himself, trying to discover any weakness he may have.  Gohan trys a new method; he builds a boat but gets himself into trouble when he is out in the middle of the ocean and a storm hits.  Piccolo feels that Gohan is in danger and puts himself back together.  On Snake Way, Goku continues his journey.  Will he make it in time?

Dragon Ball Z Episode 14: Princess Snake

This is pretty much a goofy filler episode.  Still powered by the fruit he stole in the last episode, Goku has already made it back to where he fell off of snake way.  Past that point he finds a building that sucks him into it.  Goku gets confused and assumes Princess Snake is actually King Kai…no one ever said Goku was a rocket scientist!

Princess Snake mostly wastes Goku’s time by teaching him how to dance and fixing him dinner.  Everything she does, from giving him a bath to the dinner was a trick (they put a sleeping agent in his food).  Princess Snake actually wants to eat Goku.  Every time Goku attempts to leave, Princess Snake talks him into staying a while longer.  While sleeping, Goku has a dream about the Saiyans arriving without him there to save everyone.

Goku wakes up to find out that Princess Snakes palace is all an illusion and he is actually in a snake’s belly.  He manages to escape but the snake chases him.  Using his maneuverability, Goku tricks the snake into being tied into a knot.  Goku gets back on his path, traveling snake way.  So far, three months have passed.  While all of this was going on, back on earth, Gohan saw Piccolo training and everyone else arrived at Kami’s lookout.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 13: Goz and Mez

Goku wakes up to find out the strange fruit tree is guarded by a couple of Ogres.  No one is allowed to eat the fruit except for King Yemma.  Not only that, but once someone falls off of snake way, they can never return!  Meanwhile we also see Tien and the gang climbing up to Korin’s tower.

Goku isn’t one to give up so he attempts to jump back onto snake way but simply can’t jump high enough.  One of the Ogres, Goz, offers to wrestle Goku in exchange for a flying machine that will allow him to return to his journey.  Goku wins the match without much effort but it turns out Goz was just messing with him.  He doesn’t really have a flying machine and simply uses a giant teeter totter to send Goku flying upwards…into the clouds, which form a solid barrier he can’t get through.

Mez decides to mess with Goku as well and offers to tell him about a secret passage if Goku is able to catch him.  Once again, Goku takes up the challenge.  After a big chase, Goku catches Mez by tricking him.  Mez shows Goku the secret passage back to snake way when Goku reveals that he had managed to take a piece of fruit off of the tree when they weren’t looking.  Goku, thinking he got the last laugh, finds out he was tricked again.  This passage does lead back to snake way, but it leads back to the very beginning of snake way.  Goku has to start completely from scratch.  The good news is, the fruit Goku took from the tree gives him double the strength and fills him up for 3 months.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 12: Global Training

As this episode opens, Gohan is having a nightmare about his father, Goku.  With everything that has been going on, Gohan really hasn’t had a chance to grieve over Goku’s death.  Meanwhile, Bulma and the gang are on the lookout for Tien and Chiaotzu so that they can also receive special training from Korin.

During his journey, Goku runs into someone using a street sweeper to clean snake way.  The bad news is Goku finds out that he has only made it about a quarter of the way, the good news is the street sweeper told Goku he can hitch a ride on the back of his vehicle and he will take him half way.  Launch (a character from Dragon Ball who switches personalities when she sneezes) has fixed a meal for Tien and attempts to talk him into robbing banks with her.  Tien wants nothing to do with her and leaves to continue his training, with the goal of beating Goku.

Piccolo is training on his own, using his mind to lift pyramids.  He loses control of one and drops it, causing an earthquake.  During the earthquake Gohan is almost trapped underground but he uses his new skills to jump out before the ground closes up.  The earthquake does destroy Launch’s house though, and Tien is forced to save her.

Bulma uses the scouter to locate Tien and Chiaotzu.  After filling them in on all that has happened they are more then ready for the special training.  Launch (who is apparently obsessed with Tien) isn’t very happy about the situation.  Back on snake way, the street sweeper hits a bump on the road and a sleeping Goku is knocked off of the vehicle and falls off of snake way.  He wakes up to find some kind of fruit tress.  Just as Goku is ready to eat, someone or something knocks him out from behind.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 11: Terror on Arlia

Gohan wakes up and gathers breakfast and it seems like he is mastering the survival training Piccolo is putting him through.  He is no longer the whiny little kid who can’t do anything for himself.  The T-Rex from the previous episodes even shows up and Gohan toys with him before cutting off part of his tail to make a steak.  Meanwhile, out in space we see the dreaded Saiyans waking up from a deep sleep and on back on Earth Yamcha is still bragging about how strong he is going to be.

Besides a quick glimpse of Goku still running on snake way, the rest of the episode focuses on the Saiyan landing on a planet called Arlia.  This is an interesting episode because up to this point we have never really seen the Saiyans do anything.  Since they were flying by anyway on their way to Earth, Vegeta and Nappa decide make a quick stop to stretch their legs…and conquer the entire planet of Arlia out of boredom so they can sell it off and make a profit.

Arlia is a planet with an insect looking race living on it.  It has apparently been under the rule of a tyrant King for hundreds of years.  Just for sport, Vegeta and Nappa allow themselves to be captured by the Arlians.  While in prison the Saiyans come across some Arlian prisoners; one of them had his wife stolen from him so the King could take her as his Queen.  Vegeta gets bored and decides to end this.  The Saiyans break into the King’s throne room, where he has Arlians fight to the death for his amusement.

After easily defeating all of the King’s guards and even his giant monster he keeps for a pet, the Saiyans finish off the King as well as he begs for his life.  The rest of the prisoners escape and thank the Saiyans for all that they have done.  Deciding that the planet Arlia is worthless, Vegeta and Nappa get into their ships to finish the trip to Earth.  On Arlia we see the prisoner who had his wife stolen reuniting with her.  Back out in space Vegeta stops his ship and blows up the entire planet of Arlia, probably just because the whole experience ended up being a waste of time.

Even when celebrated as heroes by an enslaved race, the Saiyans do not care about life.  They didn’t free the people to help them, they did it just for the fun of killing people in single combat.  If we didn’t already know, we now understand just how evil and without mercy the Saiyans are.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 10: A New Friend

 
As this episode begins, it seems Gohan is starting to be able to take care of himself out in the wild.  He has caught a fish, gathered some fruit and even made himself some medicine to heal his wounds (which he learned how to do from watching Goku).  Unfortunately for Gohan, something big and mean is sneaking up behind him.

For the first time in the series we see Yamcha, an old favorite from Dragon Ball.  He has become a baseball player though he doesn’t seem very excited about it.  Turns out he misses fighting and only plays baseball because he is really good at it and it pays the bills.  Luckily for him, Krillin shows up and informs Yamcha about everything that has been happening and tells him about the offer for special training.  Without a second thought, Yamcha is in.  Yamcha and Bulma also have a little reunion but Bulma is still mad at Yamcha for going out with another girl.

Back in the cave, Gohan wakes up to find he is not alone.  There is a giant dinosaur in there with him!  He runs out of the save but then decides he needs to be brave so he goes back to challenge the beast.  Things are not as it seems though, and the dinosaur actually has a wound that is hurting him.  Gohan uses the medicine he knows how to make to heal him up.  The only problem is, a huge T-Rex (the one Gohan had run from in an earlier episode) shows up and starts attacking the other dinosaur.  Gohan does his best to fight the T-Rex but gets knocked out during the battles.  By the time Gohan wakes up, the dinosaur he had helped is dead and has been eaten by the T-Rex.

After Yamcha brags about how much stronger he will be from the special training at Korin’s tower, Bulma seems to get over being mad at him.  During all of this Goku is still traveling snake way, and it is starting to seem like it will never end.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 9: The Strangest Robot

Gohan wakes up to find out that not only is he down off of the cliff he was on but he has completely new clothes, a sword and his tail is missing!  He has no memory of turning into a giant ape or Piccolo destroying the moon to turn him back into his regular form.  Gohan doesn’t get a lot of time to figure out what happened as he is attacked by several wild animals, eventually falling down into some sort of cavern.

Inside of the cavern Gohan finds a strange robot.  After accidentally powering him up, Gohan is told by the robot to turn him back off and leave.  Gohan agrees but not before he asks for a way out.  The robot tells him to escape using the tunnel behind him, but that only leads to a huge cliff that is so high, Gohan can’t even see the bottom of it.  After waking the robot up again, and complimenting him, the robot decides to help Gohan get some food so he doesn’t starve to death.

Gohan wants to help the robot so he attempts to dig him out of the rubble he is trapped in but it just causes a cave in.  Using the last of his power supply, the robot throws Gohan out of the save and into safety.  Gohan comes back after the cave has collapsed to talk to the machine as he dies.  Motivated by not being strong enough to do anything, Gohan marches off to find his way home with a new determination.

This episode was mostly just a filler episode.  I assume it’s only reason purpose was to motivate Gohan to be tough and start taking things seriously, because there are consequences to being weak in a situation like the one he is in.  Goku is seen briefly a few times, but all he does is talk and dream about eating food.

I give this episode 2 out of 4 stars.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 8: Gohan Goes Bananas!

If you haven’t read my review of episode 7, you may do so here: Dragon Ball Z Ep 7: Day 1

Considering the Saiyans are on their way to destroy the earth and will arrive in one year, one would think it would be time to start the serious training.  But no, this episode is mostly filling in characters on plot (which the audience already knows) and is played for comic relief.

Gohan is still out in the wilderness with Piccolo keeping an eye on him.  Krillin is still dodging having to tell Chi-Chi that her husband is dead and her son has been taken by Piccolo, and Goku is still traveling Snake Way.

Bulma does manage to get the Saiyan’s scouter working and to make sure it’s reading correctly, she takes the power levels of Krillin, Master Roshi and Turtle.  We find out Krillin is the most powerful of the bunch and Master Roshi is disappointed to find out how weak he has become with his old age.

The biggest event taking place in this episode is that Gohan sees the full moon, which turns him into a giant ape.  As from the title of this episode, Gohan in ape form is a big problem!  He starts destroying everything in site and Piccolo has to come up with a quick plan to stop him or there won’t be an earth left to defend.  Piccolo remembers what Raditz says about needing the moon to transform so Piccolo blows it up, reverting Gohan back to his normal form.

This is an okay episode with a few funny moments, it seemed more like a review to catch people up more than anything.  2 out of 4 stars.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 7: Day 1

Here we are, Day 1 of Gohan’s crash course in Martial Arts training!  If our heroes are going to have a chance against the mighty Saiyans, it starts here.  It begins with, oddly enough, no Martial Arts training.  Piccolo informs Gohan that he is going to abandon him in the woods for the next six months and if he can survive, he will train him.

Elsewhere, Kami informs Mr. Popo that Piccolo seems to be changing.  That he might be developing some good in him judging by his actions.  He also says that he knows he will die in a year (if Kami or Piccolo dies, the other dies as well since they are actually 1 person split into 2-that also means the Dragon Balls will disappear).  We also see Goku leave snake way to find out that black shadowy hands come up through the clouds to try to pull him into a vortex of some kind.  Yeah, leaving snake way is not a good idea (even if it was an accident)!

Back in the middle of no where, Gohan gets chased by a T-Rex, only to have his true power manifest again.  This time not in an attack, but in speed.  Without even knowing how he did it he manages to end up on top of a high cliff, out of danger from the T-Rex.  In another example of Piccolo’s heart softening, he (secretly) leaves Gohan a couple of apples to eat when he is hungry.

This episode didn’t have a lot of action in it but it did reveal a few plot points.  I give this episode 2.5 out of 4 stars.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 6: No Time Like the Present

This episode begins with Piccolo telling the others that Goku disappeared at death because Kami, the guardian of Earth, took him for some unknown purpose.  Bulma, being curious as to how Raditz was able to find Goku so easily, is told by Piccolo that the device on Raditz’ face is some sort of scanner that detects people.  This information isn’t the only thing revealed to our heroes.  Piccolo also regrows his arm that was lost in the Raditz fight and tells everyone that he is taking Gohan to train him because he just might be the most powerful person on earth.

Meanwhile, in the afterlife we meet Goku again.  He has earned a chance to travel a path to King Kai on a trail called Snake Way.  All we know about it is that it is dangerous and Goku is told that if he falls of of it there is no coming back.  When he arrives at the entrance we find out Snake Way is 10,000 miles long and only one person has ever made it!  Before starting his journey he sends a message back to his friends not to wish him back for 1 year (that is how long he will train with King Kai).

Back on Earth Piccolo explains to Gohan what is happening and begins his training.  Very quickly Gohan’s true power is revealed and Piccolo tells him he will help him learn to harness it.  Piccolo will have no mercy on Gohan, which is something new for the pampered child.

I give this episode 4 out of 4 stars

Dragon Ball Z Episode 5: Gohan’s Rage

We open on Gohan’s true power being shown.  Somehow his power level is so high he manages to hurt Raditz with a headbutt to the chest.  Considering this child doesn’t even train and he managed to do something Goku and Piccolo combined couldn’t is pretty interesting and sets up the mystery of how Gohan is so strong.

While Raditz is distracted by his desire to kill Gohan, Goku grabs him from behind in a full nelson.  Now Piccolo has the time to charge up his attack, and he knows it will land because Raditz can’t move.  The only problem with this plan is that Goku will be killed by the attack as well.  Goku being the hero he is sacrifices his life so that this villain can be defeated.

Piccolo taunts Raditz before he dies by telling him it’s no big deal for Goku, as his friends will wish him back using the Dragon Balls.  Unfortunately for Piccolo and the Earth, Raditz isn’t the only one who hears this information.  Before Raditz dies he tells our heroes that there are other Saiyans listening in, who are even more powerful than he is, and they are on their way now that they know about the Dragon Balls.  We also see the mysterious Saiyans talking with each other, already deciding they want to wish for eternal life so that they can become something called a Super Saiyan.

This whole introduction is an important one, as it sets the course for this show. It opens our Dragon Ball universe up for endless possibilities now that we know there are other aliens out there who are very strong.  It also shows the writers are not afraid to kill off main characters even early in the series (even if they can be brought back).  Who would have guessed when DBZ started that Goku would be dead within 5 episodes?  We know at this point that anything is game in this series.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 4: Piccolo’s Plan

This episode begins with Raditz taunting our heroes, making Piccolo very angry.  Goku on the other hand keeps his cool and seems more confident than one would think he should given the situation.  After a very brief speech to his son, Gohan, Goku and Piccolo both attack Raditz at the same time.  Needed to say, this does not go well and both heroes are easily out maneuvered by Raditz and take a thrashing.

After the dust settles we find out that things are worse than thought; Piccolo has lost his arm during the exchange!  Meanwhile, Master Roshi and the gang discuss how they can’t trust Piccolo and that he is just as likely to betray Goku as work with him.  Back on the battlefield Piccolo reveals that he has developed a new technique that he had intended to use on Goku but he needs time to charge it.  Goku has to fight Raditz by himself for five minutes.  Can Goku make it?

After a Rocky type moment where Goku has to take a beating he manages to fire off an attack that seemed to take Raditz by surprise.  He ended up blocking it but it was more powerful than he expected.  While that was going on Raditz sees that Piccolo has his technique ready and it’s so powerful he can’t block it.  Realizing he has underestimated his foes, Radtiz has the special beam cannon fired at him.  The smoke clears and we find out Raditz is faster than the speed of light.  His shoulder his burnt but he managed to dodge Piccolo’s attack.  All of that effort for nothing.

After such a close call, Raditz is angry and focuses his attention on Piccolo, ready to kill him.  In his loss of focus he forgets about Goku who had one trick up his sleeve.  Goku grabs Raditz’ tail, dropping him to the ground in pain.  Unfortunately, Goku is way to trusting and he lets Raditz go after he said he wouldn’t actually hurt anyone.  Raditz lied and attacks Goku immediately.  Just as Goku is about to die, Raditz senses a huge power level.  Gohan bursts out of his prison and flys into the air, to the amazement of everyone.
This episode is action packed and leaves a mystery at the end with Gohan’s new found power.

I give this episode 4 out of 4 stars.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 3: Unlikely Alliance

The episode opens with Goku down and unable to get up. His brother Raditz wants him to kill 100 earthlings in 24 hours or threatens something bad will happen to his son Gohan. Frankly, with what we know about Raditz already, there is no reason to believe he is lying about hurting or killing Gohan, this is one bad guy.

On top of all of that, Raditz has decided to conquer the earth and clear it of life, so they can sell it as the Saiyans do with other planets. Though things seem hopeless, Goku remembers something that could aid him. When he had a tail, it hurt him when someone grabbed it. The same trick may work on his brother if he can get a hold of his tail.

Next thing you know Piccolo shows up on Roshi’s island and it looks like things just went from bad to worse but Piccolo makes an interesting offer. Piccolo suggests him and Goku should team up, forming an unlikely alliance, in order to defeat this new more powerful foe…..with the understanding that as soon as Raditz is defeated they become enemies again. It’s not the greatest deal ever but what choice to they have?

Meanwhile, Raditz gets a reading on his scouter that can’t be correct. His crying nephew Gohan has a power level higher than his Dad’s and Piccolo’s combined! He assumes his scouter is broken until Goku and Piccolo show up and that confirms what his scouter was reading off to him. How could such a little child, who doesn’t even train, be so powerful?

Goku and Piccolo reveal they are both wearing weighted clothes and when removed their power levels a little higher but still no match for Raditz and he easily moves past them both and attacks without them even being able to react to it. The episode ends with a standoff that it looks like our heroes just can’t win.

I give this episode 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 2: Reunions

Here we go, episode 2!  Things really swing into gear in this one.

We open on a little get together of some classic Dragon Ball characters like Krillin, Bulma and Master Roshi.  Not much has changed with them, besides not seeing each other for years.  Krillin wants a girlfriend, Bulma is mad at Yamcha for going out with another girl and Master Roshi is, well, still Master Roshi.

Goku and Gohan then shows up on Roshi’s Island with everyone else.  We find out that Gohan isn’t allowed to train in martial arts because his Mom thinks it’s a waste of time and instead spends his time studying (which is why he is such a wimp unlike his Dad at that age).  Goku apparently hasn’t been training much either but is still stronger (as noted by Master Roshi) then he was 5 years ago.

Here is where the revelations really start.  Goku’s brother Raditz shows up and explains that Goku is an alien who was sent to Earth to destroy it (making Goku like Superman, just coming to another planet for the opposite purpose).  Because Goku hit his head as a baby he forgot his mission and started over with a blank slate.  He then grew up to be the hero we all know.  We find out why Goku turns into a giant ape when there is a full moon, it’s an ability all Saiyans (Goku’s race) have.

Raditz wants to recruit Goku for a job, but when Goku turns him down we quickly learn Goku is no match for his brother who has been out fighting powerful beings his whole life.  Since Gohan still has his tail (which is what lets Saiyans turn into giant apes) Raditz decides to recruit him instead.  At this point we see that DBZ is going to be very large scale and have epic battles with beings far beyond anything we have seen so far in Dragon Ball.

4 out of 4 stars

Dragon Ball Z Ep 1: The New Threat

Hey guys, welcome to my first Dragon Ball Z review.  I have seen every episode before, but it’s been a while so I have the pleasure of rewatching them for this review.

Where else to start but at the beginning?  The New Threat is the first episode of the series and picks up 5 years after Dragon Ball ended.  Our heroes have been experiencing a time of peace but things are about to change when a mysterious new villain arrives.

This episode mostly just introduces us to several of the main characters, including Goku, Chi-Chi (Goku’s wife), Gohan (Goku’s son), and Piccolo (the strongest villain from the original Dragon Ball).  It also introduces a new villain we know nothing about except that he can from another planet, somehow knows Goku (but for some reason calls him a different name) and is very strong (stronger than Piccolo).

Though it’s a fairly tame episode for this series it does it’s job of showing what happened to some of the characters from the original Dragon Ball series, or introduces them to us for the first time if you have never seen the older series (you don’t have to have seen the old series to enjoy this one, you will just know a lot more about the main characters back stories and connections to each other).

This episode peaks a Dragon Ball fans interest to see what is going on and to find out who this new villain Raditz is and if he is stronger than Goku.  Though it’s not that action packed it does set everything up for a future fight.

I give The New Threat a 2.5 out of 4 stars.