Actor Existence Failure: Daisuke Gouri, who was the Japanese voice actor of Ox King, Enma Daiou and Porunga, died partway through the run and his ongoing roles were recast with Ryuzaburo Ohtomo. Mr. Satan (whom he voiced in the original) was voiced by Unsho Ishizuka.
Similarly, the role of Tenshinhan, whose voice actor (Hirotaka Suzuoki) died in the intervening years between Z and Kai, and was replaced in Kai by Hikaru Midorikawa.
Likewise with Dende's voice actress (Tomiko Suzuki), who passed away in 2003; she was replaced by Aya Hirano.
Takeshi Aono, Kami-Sama's Japanese voice actor, suffered a stroke in between the Freiza and Cell sagas, so Bin Shimada took over for his final few appearances. Aono subsequently passed away in 2012.
Alas, Poor Villain: Astoundingly, Ryusei Nakao manages to make Freeza's suffering as he laid dismembered and begging for Goku's help invoke the pity and sorrow that the latter felt from the audience this-time-round; living and breathing the character for the last twenty one years helped him to bring a genuinely pathetic vulnerability and sincere "humanity" to his performance. Kenji Yamamoto's choice to use a heartbreaking cello score during the recut made the scene a borderline Tearjerker (when the score was replaced, the recycled music from DBZ worked very well too, but not quite the same way as Yamamoto's).
Auto Tune: On display in Sean Schemmel's version of "Dragon Soul".
Adaptation Distillation: The intent of this recut was to distill the original show into a much faster-paced, action-oriented adventure more akin to the original manga. The efficiency of the recut is up for debate, but it has been largely praised for avoiding the filler, shortening the talk breaks that plagued the original show, and including flashbacks as far as the original Dragon Ball.
Prior to the Buu Saga announcement, Kai only goes to the end of Cell saga. The original Dragon Ball Z had 194 episodes at that point. Kai got to the same point in 97 episodesnote The 98th episode mentioned earlier is a bonus episode. For those who don't feel like doing the math, that means exactly 50% of Dragon Ball Z was able to be cut.
And Zoidberg: King Kai once refers to Bulma as "that other lady" after talking about Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo.
Animation Bump: Even disregarding the new opening, within the show there are some digital clean-ups alongside other moments of the series that really looks its age.
Art Shift: An accidental and relatively minor example. Because of the recut of the story, the first episode ends up opening with scenes from n movie made much later in the series' run, then cuts to the original beginning of the series, and the difference in the art is pretty noticeable.
For that matter, the fact episodes are made of several episodes cut-and-pasted togetehr makes for some obvious shifts when you go from a well-animated episode to a not-so-well-animated one (see Freeza's death).
Big "NO!": When Goku seems to be stuck on the exploding Namek.
Here is a handy in-depth Nicktoons edit guide, the following is a basic summarization:
The Kai dub contains a considerable amount of cursing which of course is censored on Nicktoons, often substituting swears such as "damn" with "darn it" much like on Toonami.
Though, there is one swear they missed in the "lost episode":
Actual mention of the words "death" or "die" as well as "kill" (and even "funeral" at least once) are replaced with "destroy" or "defeat". However, there are still occasional instances where the word die and kill are still left in. This is definitely a step up from simply referring to death as "another dimension" like in the Saban/Ocean dub, and a step down from Toonami leaving in nearly all references to death for DBZ.
Considerably more censored than the Nicktoons version, for example, one of the most confusing and rather pointless edits is the removal of Shenron from the opening.
Gallick Blast too. Not nearly as bad, though, since Gallick Gun is only used twice in the series.
Goku punching Vegeta in the stomach while using the Kaioken is changed to a shot of Vegeta's surprised face and Goku looking constipated. The scene in the opening "Dragon Soul" where Vegeta punches Goku in the face is also cut.
Apparently when you explode and die you turn into glitter.
Unlike Nicktoons, 4Kids care heavily about death. All references, even vague references to death (for example, sacrificed himself) would be edited (gave himself).
In one episode, Trunks cries out "Damn it!". The very same episode cut out every scene that showed #18 being absorbed into Cell.
Curb-Stomp Battle: The same as the original, but more apparent because some footage is cut out and the fights are shorter.
Cut Short: The original Japanese airing ends after the Cell Games. The Majin Buu arc will be covered, but it won't be airing in Japan.
Due in part to the Earthquake and Tsunami in Sendai, the episodes were delayed by a week. Since they didn't have broadcast space to add an episode, the final episode (98) was delayed until August 2011 in Japan. It's available on DVD and Blu-ray as a bonus episode.
Each successive volume has its own singer (Justin Cook for the 2nd volume, Vic Mignogna for the 3rd volume and in the Nicktoons version, Greg Ayres for the 4th volume, Sonny Strait for the 5th volume, and Brina Palencia for the 6th volume).
He also reads porn magazines and utters, "Naughty, naughty girls, hee hee hee."
Yes, even present in the edited version... this line here.
Trunks: (to Goku) Please don't say anything, especially [Bulma and Vegeta getting together]! If things end up getting weird between the two of them, I might blip out of existence, because they won't have... well, they won't... you know!
Good News, Bad News: The good news is Freeza wants his fight with Goku to last a bit longer. The bad news is that Goku will spend his remaining time in excruciating pain.
Home Version Soundtrack Replacement: Due to the copyright infringements made by Kenji Yamamoto's compositions (as noted below), the show's soundtrack has since been replaced with Shunsuke Kikuchi's compositions from the original DBZ.
Hostile Show Takeover: During the On The Next segment after Captain Ginyu uses his Body Change technique on Goku, he declares that he should be the star from now on and the show should be called "Ginyu Force Kai."
Nappa (genuinely horrified): Augh! I smell? Why you - it's not my fault! I've been cooped up in a space pod for a year, what do you expect?!
Late Arrival Spoiler: The first five minutes of the first episode reveals that Goku is an alien, and that Freeza destroyed the planet Vegeta. Both of these are plot twists in the original series, and treated as such in Kai itself when they come up again.
Lighter and Softer: Editing laws in Japan have gotten much stricter since Dragon Ball Z's original run; some of the blood and nudity had to be cut out.
Market-Based Title: The series is marketed internationally as Dragon Ball Z Kai. This is likely to lessen confusion about which series this actually is.
Goku: "I'm a proud Saiyan who calls Earth home, and I'm here to defeat you. I am the warrior you've heard of in legends, pure of heart, and awakened by fury. That's what I am. I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN, SON GOKU!!!"
Never Say "Die": Either played straight or averted with the edited dub; it uses "gone" and such usually, with mentions of "death" being rare but very much present and/or implied. A huge step up from the very first dub which sent the death concept into another dimension.
Even the Toonzai/Vortexx version lets people die. But with added sparkles and/or agonizing breathing beforehand.
Granted, the world of the dead is still referred to as "Other-World"note a literal translation of the Japanese Ano Yo, but King Yemma does specifically mention "heaven" when he first meets Goku, and while it's a pretty generic term, it still has some minor religious overtones.
Note, the line is clipped out of the Toonzai/Vortexx version, merely having Yemma state that Goku is a "shoe-in".
All references to death on Toonzai/Vortexx get wiped out. For example:
Piccolo: Your father gave himself.
Compared to:
Piccolo: Your father sacrificed himself.
The Yemma scene is highly edited too.
King Yemma: So even though (Goku) is a shoe-in, he still wants to risk training to meet with King Kai.
Goku (to Kami): So this is the place everyone goes when they... you know, right?
Kami: Yes. Every being, human or not, gets judged to see where they will spend their time.
Goku (to Yemma): Yo! Did a big guy named Raditz come here?
King Yemma: Yeah. He went, go figure.
Goku: And he didn't give you any trouble? Hey, maybe I oughta stick around with this big guy here!
Kami: Oh, no. King Kai is much stronger then him.
King Yemma: What was that, Kami? Maybe you need a demonstration of just how strong I am!
Kami: Oh no, sir. You must have the demon's own ears, the demon himself!
Compared to:
King Yemma: So even though (Goku) is a shoe-in to go to Heaven, he still wants to risk training to meet with King Kai.
Goku (to Kami): So this is the place everyone goes when they get killed, right?
Kami: Yes. Every being, human or not, gets judged to see where they will spend their afterlife- heaven, or down below.
Goku (to Yemma): Yo! Did a big guy named Raditz come here?
King Yemma: Yeah. He went, go figure.
Goku: And he didn't give you any trouble? Hey, maybe I oughta stick around with this big guy here!
Kami: Oh, no. King Kai is much stronger then him.
King Yemma: What was that, Kami? Maybe you need a demonstration of just how strong I am!
Kami: Oh no, sir. You must have the devil's own ears, the devil himself!
Off Model: The openings, outside of a few scenes, tend to forget that Krillin has six spots on his forehead.
And during the moments before 2nd form Frieza guts Krillin, we actually hear this song in the English dub.
Also present as Krillin, Gohan and Piccolo are attempting to fight Frieza's final form. Mind you, in the Nicktoons version, as well the Toonzai/Vortexx version, simply plays the instrumental.
The Other Darrin: Used for quite a few characters whose original voice actors were either dead or unavailable. Several characters were replaced in the dub as well like Gohan and Bulma (the narrator was also replaced), among others.
Invoked midway due to the death of Daisuke Gouri; his roles have been filled by Ryuzaburo Ohtomo.
Bin Shimada later replaced Takeshi Aono as Kami during his last appearances in the Android saga following Aono's hospitalization for a stroke (he subsequently passed away in 2012).
Todd Haberkorn, the voice of Allen Walker in D. Gray-Man, took over duties as Android 19, sounding even more robotic than the original dub voice. Similarly, Colleen Clinkenbeard now voices Android 18, although her original voice actress, Meredith McCoy, was supposedly contacted, Colleen was brought in anyway as a last minute substitute (since she had filled in for a video game before, and was voicing Gohan anyway).
The broadcast dub also switched Sean Schemmel for Vic Mignogna as the singer for the shortened opening, while the second DVD boxset switched him for Justin Cook.
The Mexican Spanish dub is heavily criticized for not bringing back half the cast, including the voices for Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Frieza. This was apparently because of the smaller budget, and the original voice actors asking for more money. However, Laura Torres (the original Spanish voice of Gohan) was brought back to voice Kid Goku in a few flashbacks.
The Mexican Spanish dub has another interesting case: Yajirobe is voiced by the daughter of the original Mexican voice actress, since her mother died in a house accident years ago between the original DBZ and Kai.
Power Levels: Same as before involving the scouters, but they seem to have adjusted some bits of dialogue and how the whole process works to highlight the need for strategy along with their "combat rating." It was implied that although Goku had a higher power level than Nappa, if he actually focused, he could give Goku a good fight.
“Anyone ever tell you you fools put way too much stock in those silly little gadgets!? I think fighting these Earthlings would have taught you that by now!”
Retcon: At the end of the Cell Saga, King Kai, Bubbles, and Gregory were revived along with everyone else wished back by the Dragon Balls in the Kai series finale. This is contrary to both the original anime where the wish only covered just the people on Earth and the manga where King Kai declined revival largely so that he could guide Goku around in Other World.
Role Reprisal: Quite a few. For some, Dragon Ball Z was their first voice acting role before becoming major players in the industry.
If Scott McNeil is to be believed, The Ocean Group dub will do this as well. (Although the American DBZ Kai dub is being used for all international English-speaking markets, including the UK. It appears Canada may be an exception).
Series Continuity Error: One conversation between Zarbon and Frieza before the former's death reveals that they knew about Goku and Gohan (that they are Saiyans, they live on Earth, and are father and son). But later, before Frieza's final transformation, he seems genuinely surprised that Gohan is a Saiyan from Earth, and also wonders who the father could be before settling on Raditz.
The broadcast version had a minor case of this where Piccolo's attack name is "Special Beam Cannon" to accommodate the original dub name but then becomes the "Makkankosappo" in a flashback, which the DVD version uses.
During the Vegeta saga on the Nicktoons airing, Krillin uses the Destructo Disc attack, but calls out the attack name by the original Japanese name, Kienzan. Krillin calls it "Destructo Disc" in later uses in the Nicktoons airings.
His recast English voice actress Maxey Whitehead could count given her recent breakout role of Alphonse Elric, but she'd already developed a niche for voicing young boys by then.
Suspiciously Similar Song: This ended up being so widespread in composer Kenji Yamamoto's work that Toei Animation actually kicked him off the show towards the end of its run, and the music for the series, except for the eyecatch and opening/closing themes, was replaced with the original Japanese DBZ soundtrack. The English dub followed suit starting with episode 64 and all reruns of episodes previous to this. The DVD releases were also affected beginning with the fifth DVD set.
It should be noted that Yamamoto was doing this as far back as his days working on DBZ: the insert-song "Battle Point Unlimited" (used in episode 120, when Trunks goes Super Saiyan and kills Freeza) is a pastiche of an entire album (1985's A Secret Wish) by the German synth-pop band Propaganda.
Talking to Himself: Sean Schemmel as Goku and King Kai; Christopher Sabat as Yamcha, Piccolo and Vegeta; in Japanese, Masako Nozawa as Goku and Gohan.
Toilet Humor: When Goku first meets King Kai, the latter lists off benefits of his home planet, ending with being able to "pee for distance!" The edited version appears to have erased the urine streams.
In the uncut version, Master Roshi was taking a crap. It was taken out in the Nicktoons version.
Un-Canceled: The show was cancelled in Japan after the end of the Cell arc, presumably due to low merchandise sales. However, due to the show's overseas popularity, more episodes are being produced for the international market.
Vocal Evolution: Compare the Japanese/English voices from the original series in 1989/1999, and compare them to the voices now. Playing the same role for over 10-20 years works wonders. Even those assigned new roles seem to fit in.
For example, compare Christoper Sabat's Vegeta when FUNimation just started dubbing DBZ's season 3 in-house in 1999 (when they finally broke away from Saban) to his performance in Kai. In 1999, Sabat was simply trying to imitate Brian Drummond's Vegeta, making him sound constipated. Only a few episodes later in the same dub, Sabat gave Vegeta his current deeper voice but gained a strange accent along the way (although Sabat later redubbed all of this for the Remastered boxsets with a voice fairly resembling his Kai voice). Sabat's ''Kai'' Vegeta compared to his 1999 Vegeta is worlds better.
Compare Sean Schemmel's Goku voice & screams in ''Kai'' to that of Schemmel's voice back in 1999.
Hell, compare the original FUNimation dub of Goku's first transformation into a Super Saiyan to Kai.
Goku (original dub): I... won't let you... get away... with this! I won't... let you...!
Goku (Kai uncut): You, you ruthless... heartless... bastard! I will... make you... suffer!
Goku (Kai edited): You, you ruthless... heartless... monster! You're going... to pay... for that...
Also Sabat greatly improved his voice for Piccolo, whom in the original series had quite a hoarse and harsh sounding voice but in Kai sounds much cleaner, (it's somehow wiser due to that fact), and it's actually a lot closer to his natural speaking voice.
, albeit somewhat belatedly.The vast majority of the original Japanese and English voice actors reprised their roles. Masako Nozawa returns as Goku's Japanese voice, while Sean Schemmel returned for the English dub. Christopher Sabat again directs the English dub by Funimation.The English dub of Kai is noted to be considerably more accurate than the Z dub, without any of the character rewrites, replacement scores (though the entire Japanese score for Kai was replaced around the world with recycled music tracks from DBZ when it was discovered that the composer was infringing upon other artists' work), or massive dialogue changes (though there are a few dialogue alterations in the Toonzai/Vortexx broadcast of Kai) that the Z dub was most notable for.A character sheet can be found over here.
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