This teaser for Dragon Ball Z Kai, a show formatted in a 4:3 aspect ratio, reveals that it will be aired with stylized pillarboxing. This solves the mystery of how the show will be aired in regards to its aspect ratio, but it brings up the question of why they aren't using stylized pillarboxing for other 4:3 shows that are currently airing (Naruto Shippuden in its earlier episodes, The Big O, Samurai Jack, etc.).
It largely has to do with how each show is managed. The DBZ Kai files that they use have the boxes built in, whereas trying to fit Big O into such a format would require going back to those files, decompressing them with an external program, and then adding in the bars, and unless it's a program they specifically want to show in such a fixed format, they're probably going to keep them the way they are.
The reduction of the block to a 3-and-a-half hour lineup was the result of bad ratings in the lower half of the block, leading to [adult swim] putting more comedy shows in those timeslots to help improve the ratings. This is despite the Toonami crew stating that the ratings around the lower half were more or less unimportant and that they could play anything they want there as long as it didn't cost money.
TOM claiming to be a vampire hunter "way back" is a subtle reference to when Cartoon Network aired Vampire Hunter D for Night of the Vampire Robotsnote A special event on January 29, 1995 (before Toonami was even conceived), where Cartoon Network aired Robot Carnival, Vampire Hunter D, and Twilight of the Cockroaches during the network's after hours, starting at midnight.
IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix was written off by Cartoon Network, but Toonami was still able to bring it back by exploiting a loophole. What is this loophole? Remember that Cartoon Network didn't produce IGPX by themselves, they co-produced it with Production I.G. Toonami simply had to talk with Production I.G. and was able to "relicense" the show for airing on [adult swim]. This could also give Beware the Batman a ray of hope, since again, Cartoon Network didn't produce that show (it was produced by Warner Bros.).
For Month of Movies 2014, at least one of the movies will be a repeat. Disappointing, but remember that Toonami has made some expensive decisions and acquisitions this past year. Dragon Ball Z Kai and Hellsing Ultimate, to name a couple of examples, probably costed enough money to put a dent in Toonami's budget.
It's been stated that the production crew for Toonami aren't being paid for the block (they're instead paid for producing commercials and bumpers for [adult swim]). While it may seem unfortunate that the staff aren't being paid for their hard work on the block, it also means that none of Cartoon Network's budget is being invested into the block. In turn, this effectively means that Toonami is safe whenever financial issues occur (such as the situation between Dish Network and Turner) and budgetary measures have to be taken.
Why is it the 7/4/2015 DBZ marathon ending with an Attack on Titan episode? Because when the Attack on Titan series started back up, it came with Sword Art Online 2, which has one less episode than Attack on Titan. By having this extra episode, Toonami can replace both series at the same time.
Not long after Toonami announced that Akame Ga Kill! would be their first acquisition from Sentai Filmworks, it was revealed that they also licensed Parasyte -the maxim-. Akame Ga Kill! is a rather polarizing show, to say the least, so Toonami probably decided to also license the highly-regarded Parasyte as a safeguard to make sure their business relationship with Sentai Filmworks starts off on a high note.
Those keeping up with the ratings will notice that Toonami had increased ratings the night that The Intruder II premiered. While many speculated that the event would help boost the ratings, there's another important factor: Dragon Ball Z Kai, a show that has gained some of Toonami's highest ratings, is currently on the fight between Super Saiyan Goku and Frieza. Combining both The Intruder II and one of the defining moments of the Dragon Ball franchise is sure to result in golden ratings.
On October 15th of 2016, when JoJo's Bizarre Adventure premieres, Toonami will be airing five long-running shows with only room for two other shows, which has led to fan complaints about the block airing nothing but long-runners. However, during an episode of Toonami Pre-Flight where Jason and Gil discussed Bleach, they stated that, when that show was nearing the end of its run, they were worried about what could potentially replace it in terms of ratings potential. It turned out all right due to the licensing of Dragon Ball Z Kai, which has done very well for Toonami ratings wise like Bleach did. The acquisition of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was announced when Dragon Ball Z Kai was nearing the end of its own run. Add Hunter × Hunter to the mix, and Toonami now has at least two ready replacements for Dragon Ball Z Kai once it inevitably ends (of course, this is going on the assumption that they won't immediately follow up with the The Final Chapters or Dragon Ball Super).
Sym-Bionic Titan and Beware the Batman, two shows that were screwed over by Cartoon Network, were rescued by and found their home on Toonami. Unfortunately, this hasn't stopped Cartoon Network from writing off both shows financially, preventing them from airing ever again. Not only does this mean that Toonami is one show away from becoming an anime-only block, but it also means something much worse: the production crew behind Toonami can't even make any sort of decision regarding their block on [adult swim] without the fear of Cartoon Network stepping in and interfering in some way.
It turns out that starting the week of Jan 31st, that's exactly what will happen!
Worse, it leads to a concern that this sort of thing could happen again. If Cartoon Network starts sticking their nose into Toonami business, they could start messing with more shows the same way. Even worse, it could imply that Cartoon Network is against Toonami and would try to cancel it again.
The crew has said that they still have the license to those shows, though only at the moment. There's no telling when the license to any of those shows (with the exception of Samurai Jack, IGPX, Season 2 of The Big O, and both seasons of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which they're able to air indefinitely) will expire while they're off the air.
A mix of both Fridge Brilliance and Fridge Horror: Why is the Intruder Suddenly Voiced by Sonny Strait? He voiced TOM 1, whose body the Intruder has seemingly assimilated with. This may also include whatever makes robots in the Toonami-verse speak.
It gets worse when you notice his voice is a Voice of the Legion, combining Straits' voice with Steve Blum's, due to The Intruder having assimilated both TOM 1 AND TOM 4.
Why was the Intruder targeting SARA before targeting TOM-5? He likely knows from TOM-1's remnant memories that SARA had been guiding a reluctant TOM-1 during his original attack on the Absolution I. He likely expected TOM-5 to have been weakened by losing SARA's help. He would also have been taking revenge on SARA before taking revenge on TOM.
for Dragon Ball Z Kai, a show formatted in a 4:3 aspect ratio, reveals that it will be aired with stylized pillarboxing