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Awesome Music / Dragon Ball Z Abridged

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While, for the most part, the series uses music from DBZ's original Japanese soundtrack by Shunsuke Kikuchi, Kai's soundtrack by Kenji Yamamoto, and both Super's and the last two movies' soundtrack by Norihito Sumitomo—much of which is already awesome on its own—occasionally we'll get something special.


  • "Freeza's Favorite Things", a parody of "My Favorite Things", where Freeza softly sings about how he loves being a tyrant and destroyer of lives. It takes a certain type of awesome to make such a dark version of one of the world's most beloved songs:
    Freeza: Peaceful young races with fire on their houses,
    Millions of voices all silenced like mouses,
    Watching the cowards bow to their new king,
    These are a few of my favorite things.
  • Episode 51 packs two of them:
    • "A Super Saiyan", an affectionate parody of "A Giant Woman" from Steven Universe. Doubles as Heartwarming, because it is about how much Goku wants to see Gohan grow strong and become a Super Saiyan.
    • "My Name is Perfect Cell", the second villain song of the series after "Freeza's Favorite Things":
      Perfect Cell: My name is Perfect Cell, and I'd like to say… Hello.
  • For Vegeta's iconic Final Flash against Perfect Cell, a faux orchestral remix of Vegeta's SSJ theme from the Bruce Faulconer soundtrack plays. Notable for being one of the only Faulconer songs used in Abridged, as TFS (mostly Kaiser) in general uses the Japanese soundtrack.
  • In Episode 53, Trunks' fight with Perfect Cell is underscored by an awesome remix of "Hikari no Willpower", Future Trunks' battle theme from the video games Ultimate Battle 22, Shin Butouden and Final Bout.
  • Episode 54 has this chilling remix of Perfect Cell's theme during his announcement of the #CellGames, a subtle but powerful reminder of just how terrifying a villain Cell can be.
  • The History of Trunks Abridged plays its end credits to "Doctor Chala" - an amazing mashup of the Doctor Who opening theme song and an instrumental of "Cha-La Head Cha-La". The music that helps makes Future Gohan's death such a Tear Jerker is the Doomsday theme from Doctor Who.
  • The Super Android 13 Abridged movie credits gives us the Trucker Hat version of Cha-La Head Cha-La.
  • The World's Strongest Abridged credits have "Kochin and the Brain," a song about Kochin and Dr. Wheelo set to the Pinky and the Brain theme.
  • Popo the Genie is a happy little song set to the melody of "Frosty the Snowman" all about how monstrous Popo is. Best summed up by Gohan and Goku at the end of the video.
    Gohan: We're all living on borrowed time, aren't we, dad?
    Goku: We always were, Gohan. We always were.
  • Just Give Up sung by and about Freeza blowing up planets and ruling the galaxy with an ironhanded fist. Set to the tune of "You'll Be Back" from Hamilton.
  • The first Broly movie has the song Broly Chronicles for its credits.
  • Episode 58 has Cell's Multi-Form fight against Goku play a hilarious and awesome instrumental rendition of "We are Number One", entitled "We Are Number One (But It's Perfect)". Here it is in full.
  • "Plan to Eradicate Christmas" has a pretty bitchin' soundtrack all its own. For example, take "Santa Claus Cometh", a slow and ominous dirge full of "Psycho" Strings before introducing chanting, brass instruments, and an organ to flow into "Christmas Eve-olution (Carol of the Hells)".
  • Episode 60 brings back the classic "Day of Fate ~Spirit VS Spirit~" theme, but in a haunting English-translated version provided by Paulo Cuevas, a very well-known Spanish singer who has done covers for actual Dragon Ball-related songs as well as other anime. Now with a Metal Cover by Jonathan Young.
  • The climactic, final Kamehameha beam struggle between Gohan and Cell and the build-up to it has an epic musical suite, the "Father-Son Kamehameha Song". It starts with a cue from Demon King Piccolo's leitmotif in Kikuchi's score, moves into using a fauxchestral rendition of "Day of Fate" with some dramatic rises and falls, and concludes with a cue from Perfect Cell's leitmotif in the Faulconer score. For bonus points, spliced in the middle of the fauxchestral is a rendition of "Gohan Angers" from the Faulconer scorenote , which transitions into a background instrumental that blends beautifully with the "Day of Fate" orchestral.
  • Cell's performance of "My Way" during his death. Takahata manages a completely straight-faced, full-throated rendition of the song to make Sinatra himself proud, and all while staying firmly in the character's voice.
  • "To The Third Power" plays during Goku's transformation into Super Saiyan 3 in the Buu Bits. Much like the themes for the Final Flash and Father-Son Kamehameha, it's a fauxchestral cover of the iconic theme from the Faulconer dub score, but just for good measure, it also incorporates the melody of "Stay Away From Me", the theme for the transformation's appearance Dragon Ball Z Kai!
  • As for the use of music not specifically made/remade for the series and/or awesome uses of it:
    • Much like Kai, the abridged series seems to have a fondness for using "A Formidable Warrior, The Saiyan" in awesome moments.
    • "Battle Point Unlimited", which played in the original DBZ when Trunks fought Freeza, is used in the exact same context by the abridged series to awesome effect.
    • "An Isolated Warrior" plays in the background when Krillin cuts off Freeza's tail and goads him.
    • The Daleks' theme is used when Mecha Freeza goes livid and tries to exterminate Trunks.
    • Tien's Heroic Sacrifice against Semi-Perfect Cell is done to "Counterattack" from Shadow of the Colossus.
    • When Broly finally transforms, it's accompanied by "Beerus' Madness" from Dragon Ball Super. It fits all too well.
    • Dr. Wheelo's rant and the reveal of his mechanical body in the climax of his movie are accented by "Regret" from Dragon Ball Super. The track is so perfect for an antagonist's rant that it is reused for Paragus' rant-inducing slight.
      Wheelo: Fifty years I was alone. And when I'm finally saved from that loneliness, all I find is horror. In this form, I am powerless. Doomed to witness this atrocities. I need a body. I WILL HAVE A BODY!
    • The final battle of Plan to Eradicate Christmas has "Christmas/ Sarajevo 12/24" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as the Background Music.
    • Piccolo's Big Damn Heroes moment in Episode 25 uses Magus' theme (specifically the Chrono Trigger Resurrection remix).
    • In the series, Kaiser will sometimes insert certain pieces composed by Shiro Sagisu, as a meta Shout-Out to the idea that he would have been perfect composer to succeed Shunsuke Kikuchi in Dragon Ball. Episode 60 for example features two tracks from Bleach: "Attack on the Beat" (for when Gohan kills all the Cell Jrs.) and ""Lucifers Dance" Pt. B_Opus1" (for when Vegeta attacks Perfecter Cell in a fit of rage after Trunks is killed). The abridged version of History of Trunks also uses "Marking Time, Waiting For Death" (another track composed by Sagisu) from Neon Genesis Evangelion, during Future Gohan's confrontation with Androids 17 and 18, which is filled with dread and anxiety, setting up this as the moment where Gohan's story ends.
    • Gohan finally curb stomping Perfect Cell with Freeza's Horrific Power playing really elevates that Gohan has been pushed over the edge and that he is dangerously close to losing his sense of identity in his need to kill Cell. Terrifying and awesome at the same time.
    • A beautiful music box version plays between the two parts of The Stinger in Episode 60 Part 3, accompanying a sweet picture of Android 16's soul relaxing with the birds in Heaven and a credit to the Patreon supporters.
    • An easily missed one can be heard as Goku explains why he chooses to be dead, it plays an instrumental version of We were Angels.

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