May 3rd, Age 763: after 130 days spent idling around Capsule Corp, the Namekians’ dragon balls revive. Kuririn’s spirit is returned to Earth and resurrected, but Goku opts out of a free ride home, so that he can continue training with Pybara. #HistoryofEver
With one wish still free, Bulma resurrects Yamcha. Now they can live happily ever after! Another full (Namekian) year later on September 10th, Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu are revived, and the Namekians depart for a new vaguely Namek-y planet. Now they can live happily ever after!
It’s not all good news in 763 though: sometime during this year, a time machine arrives from an alternate timeline, and a big cicada monster crawls out and burrows underground. Around this same time, Kami starts feeling real uneasy, but he can’t quite put his finger on why…
The wishing logistics are spelled out by the narrator in the manga, while in the anime we get to see it happening. Notably, the significance of the 130 day recharge period is unexplained in the manga, with the anime adding that it’s the length of a Namekian year.
Speaking of logistics, if you’re wondering how all the Namekians can hang out at Capsule Corp, keep in mind that there was only about 100 of them (even fewer now, since Tsuno’s village wasn’t revived). Obviously the late Great Elder was big on family planning.
Another detail that’s easy to forget: all of the Namekians on Namek at this time are the Great Elder’s children (Dende notes that he’s the 108th). Not grandchildren/descendants/etc, but direct offspring. So Muri, Nail, and Dende are all brothers.
Precisely why this should be is never addressed. Apparently it’s just their custom for only the Great Elder to lay eggs, ant queen style. Which means presumably Muri takes on this duty now as new Great Elder, unless he decides to let others have a crack at it.
In the manga, Ginyu is never seen again after he hops off in his new frog form. The anime adds filler of him briefly switching bodies with Bulma, then later getting zapped to Earth along with everyone else, where he settles down…a thread the DBS anime picks up on
While investigating Cell’s time machine, Trunks says that it arrived four years ago, a year before he first came to warn everyone about the androids. Kami notes how he’s been feeling uneasy these last four years, but naturally he didn’t bother to tell anyone about it until now.
Trunks wonders if Cell’s arrival is what caused the timeline to diverge so much from the history he knew…though frankly it’s hard to see how Cell sitting around underground would lead to 16’s presence (for instance). But more on this later, I suppose.
Cell says the time machine was preset to arrive in this time. Piccolo guesses that Trunks wanted to come tell everyone he had defeated the androids. Even if that’s true…why come a full year before his initial warning? Seems like that would lead to a rather awkward conversation.
(Viz has Piccolo say “three years ago”, when of course it should be four. In Japanese he just vaguely says この時代/“this era”. But there’s reason for Viz’s confusion, namely…)
Another loose end: Cell says his development underground takes three years, so why did he only come out now? Seems like it would’ve been easier to nab 17+18 while they’re still at Gero’s lab. Unless Gero only completed them in 767?
(Based on Piccolo’s question, it does seem like Toriyama maybe forgot Cell game 4 years ago rather than 3. Yep, we really are entering into a troublesome phase of the series, timeline-wise. Oh well.)
The dates for the wishing sessions are from the Daizenshuu 7 timeline, and come from adding 130 days twice-over to December 24th, the date it gives Namek’s destruction. The timeline dates Cell’s arrive to “sometime in Age 763”, but places it after the Garlic Jr stuff in October
Dragon Ball Daima, ep.20: it’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for. The fight with Gomah is samey but looks amazing and is over soon enough for Kuu to ascend the Iron Throne, plus other fun wrap-up stuff. Thanks for everything Toriyama, and farewell. #DAIMA #ep20
Since Daima airs at 11:40 PM in Japan, the final episode on February 28th ended right as the date ticked over into March 1st, marking the one year anniversary of Toriyama’s death. So far there’s no word on if this was intentional on the part of the production team, though.
The title ゼンカイ/Zenkai comes from 全開, meaning “full power”, hence the translation “Maximun” (see also the DBZ ending theme ZENKAI Power). I’ll give it another week, but if there’s no further clues on the red letters, I’ll assume it was just about using all 20 dakuten letters
Executive producer Akio Iyoku discusses Daima’s origin: 6 years ago during DBS: Super Hero’s production, they decided to do a new TV series. At first Toriyama’s involvement was going to be minimal, but he really got into it, creating most of it in the end. mantan-web.jp/article/202502…
Iyoku says Daima was intended as a show that parents could watch with their children, so it was made to appeal both to kids and adults in their 30s who were kids back when DBGT first aired. So yes, making Goku and co kids was specifically done to appeal to the GT generation.
While making Goku a kid was seen as making the series accessible to a wider audience, it was Toriyama’s idea to turn the entire main cast into kids too. Toriyama was also concerned many people wouldn’t know DB’s story, hence the general overview at the start of each Daima episode
It’s already November 20th in Japan, which means Dragon Ball has officially reached its 40th anniversary. In case you weren’t paying attention and/or born at the time, here are some highlights from the first 40 years of DB history… #DragonBall40th
1984: gag manga superstar Akira Toriyama concludes megahit Dr. Slump, and in November debuts its follow-up in Weekly Jump. This Journey to the West-inspired kung-fu adventure kicks off as inventor girl Bulma recruits monkey boy Goku to track down the titular dragon balls.
1985: after last year’s tail-end teaser, things begin in earnest. The initial “quest for the dragon balls” arc wraps up in May, and Toriyama shifts gears to a tournament arc (always a fan favorite in his Dr. Slump days) with the lecherous Roshi and Goku’s new cueball-esque BFF.
According to Bunshun Online, Dragon Room head honcho Akio Iyoku has stepped down from Shueisha and established his own company, Capsule Corporation Tokyo. Supposedly he wants Shueisha to keep DB’s manga publishing rights but for CC Tokyo to handle DB games/anime/etc.
As you might imagine, Shueisha is reluctant to part with DB to any extent, and negotiations are still ongoing. According to this article, anyway. Shueisha has apparently confirmed that Iyoku is stepping down, but not confirmed any of the particulars so far.
Bunshun Online reached out to Toriyama and asked if he would be working with Iyoku in future, but Toriyama said he couldn’t comment publicly, only through Shueisha. He also said the company name “Capsule Corporation Tokyo” was Iyoku’s idea, not his own.
Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai ep.41: Pissed Myst’s great and the logistics of Dai’s sword are interesting, while the castle’s just there to be knocked down. But it knocks down well. 4/5 #DragonQuest#ep41
Rewatching the DBS panel, there’s a few things I want to note about the subtitles. They’re fine overall but there’s a few things I think are oversimplified or left out. Going through roughly in order of importance…
When discussing the artwork for New Character 1 and 2, in Japanese Hayashida says how it’s Toriyama’s original artwork, unlike the Piccolo/Pan/etc images that have been developed into full-fledged anime designs. The subtitles instead say it was made before movie production began
Now, it might indeed be true that Toriyama would’ve made the initial artwork before movie production began, but that’s not really what Hayashida is talking about. He’s contrasting this image with the earlier ones shown of Piccolo and co, which weren’t Toriyama’s original artwork