Dragon Ball Z is the anime adaptation of the second half of the
Dragon Ball manga. While the manga kept its original name throughout its run in Japan, the anime's title was changed from
Dragon Ball to
Dragon Ball Z in 1989, and the focus had changed from a martial-arts comedy to
more serious epic battles (and
Akira Toriyama thought it would be ending soon).
At the start it revealed that Goku was not simply a boy with a tail but one of the last of the alien race, the Saiyans. He was sent into space shortly before the Saiyan planet was destroyed (shades of
Superman). Goku and his friends, reinforced by former enemies (a recurring theme) had to fight
progressively more powerful villains. Although Goku and his martial arts skills (which let him and his friends fly, throw energy blasts and read minds) dominated the battles, the story was mostly about Goku's son Gohan and how he faces the challenges. Running seven years and nearly 300 episodes, the series can be broken down into the four primary
big bads of the series: Vegeta, Freeza, Cell, and Majin Buu. Both
Dragon Ball the manga and
Dragon Ball Z the anime came to a triumphant conclusion after Gohan is married and his own daughter Pan enters the "Strongest Under the Heavens" tournament.
Followed by
Dragon Ball GT. Also had a 2009 recut,
Dragon Ball Kai.
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