FLOW and Ki/oon Music have released promotional videos for both of the band’s musical contributions to the upcoming film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods — a cover of “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” and an original song called “HERO ~Song of Hope~” — to YouTube.
Unfortunately, both videos are region-restricted. The video for “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” showcases the band from a live performance synced up with the studio version of the song, while the video for “HERO ~Song of Hope~” puts the band in a more traditional Japanese PV style performing atop a CG-rendered background.
Both songs will be included on the band’s upcoming “double A-side” CD single set for release 27 March 2013, just three days before their respective movie’s release. Both songs will also be featured on the band’s upcoming eight studio album, “FLOW THE MAX!!!”, due out a week earlier on 20 March 2013. A “Limited Edition” version of the album will be packed with a bonus DVD that contains music video content, but it has not been confirmed if these two promotional videos will be that bonus content.
Along with the promotional videos, it was confirmed that the band will indeed be at Differ Ariake on 16 March 2013 for the special “Tenka’ichi Preview” screening of Battle of Gods with a special “mini concert”. You can also apply to get into the screening if you are a mileage club members with Toho Cinemas or by purchasing all five ringtone versions of “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” available from “Reko-choku” by 04 March 2013.
We are just about one month out from the debut of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods in Japanese theaters, and excitement has finally reached the level beyond excitement which itself is beyond the level that previously surpassed excitement. This week on the show, in addition to breaking down all of the recent news (particularly about “Birusu”, the God of Destruction himself), we check in on what our expectations are for the movie, and where we think this darn thing is actually heading.
SHOW DESCRIPTION:
Episode #0325! VegettoEX and Hujio check in on “Battle of Gods” now that we are one month out from its debut in Japan. What have we learned about “Birusu” from the latest tidbits in magazines and video games? Where do we think the deeper plot elements are heading? What are our updated expectations for the movie? What questions do you all have that we can clarify based on what (little!) we know? Our collective excitement is maximum!
At the beginning of the month the first “Dragon Ball Full Color” volumes hit bookstores across Japan, along with the first Chōzenshū volume, and we are finally getting around to really digging through them in more depth. While each “Full Color” volume contains a brief “Enter the DRAGON BALL” recap giving new readers a look back at the beginning of the series, they each also contain a short Q&A section covering seven different questions about the Saiyan arc. The first six questions of each section are answered by Shueisha, but original author Akira Toriyama was brought in to answer the seventh and final question of each volume.
Shueisha’s questions are for the most part very simple, covering some of the basic aspects of the story arc, but Toriyama seems to expand a bit more with his answers. In fact, he even delves a bit into some interesting Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods background information with the answer to his final question:
Q7: Why is Kaiō’s planet so small?
A: The fact is, it was destroyed by the God of Destruction!!
It used to be so big that its diameter was about 100 times that of Kaiō’s current planet. Apart from the size it was completely the same as it is now, with nothing but grassy fields and roads. Kaiō-sama enjoyed his hobby, driving, but then one day Birusu, the God of Destruction, stopped by and they played a video game together (it was a car racing one). Birusu lost, and so the planet was destroyed by the peeved God of Destruction. Kaiō then took a large leftover fragment, whittled it down to a sphere, and built a road on it so that he could have fun driving there. This became Kaiō’s current planet.
You can read the entirely of these Q&As in our “Translations” section, and find more information about this release in the appropriate section of our “Manga Guide”.
The April 2013 issue of V-Jump contains the usual amount of Dragon Ball video game news, updates, and general coverage. In addition to the issue, a few tidbits of coverage have been popping up in other locations, as well, so it is time to wrap it all up in one nice package!
Nintendo held a Japanese-only “Nintendo Direct” — an online video focusing on upcoming games, products, and updates — earlier this week to show off some of the third-party support for the 3DS. Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission was shown off quite a bit, highlighting features such as using the camera as a “scouter”, StreetPass functionality, QR codes, and more.
This month’s issue of V-Jump includes a special QR code for use with Ultimate Mission which grants the player “numerous limited cards” — the physical versions of which were previously exclusive to V-Jump — that “will be yours right from the start!!” These include:
UP1-01: Bardock
UP1-02: Son Goku
UP1-03: Son Gohan – Boyhood
UP2-01: Son Goku
UP2-02: Vegeta
UP2-03: Gotenks
All Super Saiyans as well as Goku and Gohan are “Berserker Type”. The UP2 cards are all Super Saiyan 3, and you can fuse Goku and Vegeta together for Super Saiyan 3 Gogeta. Add your hero avatar to the mix, and you can pull off an “unrivaled super-technique”.
While Ultimate Mission (due out exclusively in Japan 28 February 2013) will only cover up through “Galaxy Mission 4” from the original arcade game, it will include bonus material from the upcoming film, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, that is being included in different ways for both “Galaxy Mission 6” and “Galaxy Mission 7” of the arcade game.
“Galaxy Mission 7” kicks off 17 March 2013, and three special cards will be distributed — as “presents” — at stores tying in with the update. The first will be a “kira card” (a shiny, foil-type card) of Vegeta with his Final Flash and a Card Action ability of changing to a Super Saiyan. A Gotenks card will be available 24 March 2013, and a Goku card will be available 31 March 2013.
The update will also contain a brand-new mission with Birusu. You progress along a large map, which recreates places Goku has had adventures, on your way to the God of Destruction. By fulfilling a certain requirement — “if you show Birusu hospitality” — in this mission, you can unlock a secret stage. Also, Vs. mode introduces “Porunga Dragon Balls” — by winning against Charge Impacts and collecting seven Porunga Dragon Balls, you can try your luck at “Porunga Battle Slot”. You could get something that affects the playing field during the battle, and on top of that, after the battle, there is a “Porunga Big Bonus” stage where you have the chance to collect lots of experience points. Also introduced is the God Card Action Ability: “Z”, first teased in this month’s chapter of Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission by the character “Froze”. The Z-Warriors who play an active role in Battle of Gods combine their power to unleash a super finishing-move. After dealing damage to your opponent, there are also extra effects that are beneficial to you, which you can share among your characters. There are eight cards with the “Z” ability, and each has its own extra effects, such as “energy recovery”.
The Japanese-only, arcade-only, multiplayer fighting game Zenkai Battle Royale received a very brief update in this month’s V-Jump. “God of Destruction”, Birusu, has already been announced as coming to the game during the upcoming “Competition for Dragon Balls” event upon the movie’s release 30 March 2013, but the magazine does little to expand upon what we already know about the character, and provides the same two screen shots from the game’s official website:
His power is one that brings about destruction!!!
Giant balls of light appear from Birusu’s hands!! Their power and their effects are a mystery, but it’s not hard to imagine that it will have incredible force!! You can’t wait for its appearance!!
Beyond this, the second “Ultimate Battle Royale” is currently underway in the game. Normally, the top two remaining players win, but in this case, there is only one winner. Apart from awards based on your ranking, with the total number of trophies, everybody will be able to get something. You can participate from class C3, and you have two tries for a single coin; you are ranked based on the number of trophies you get, and high-ranked players get a special title. By collecting trophies, you can get special items — showcased in the magazine are four of the Ginyu Special Force members, as well as Videl dressed up as Great Saiyaman Mk.II.
Next month’s issue of V-Jump will be a doozy with a “super special report” covering “Galaxy Mission 7” and the new movie, plus a bonus Birusu card and a (JIS) B2-size movie poster.
The 109MEN’S clothing store in Tokyo, Japan has announced a new special collaboration campaign with the upcoming Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film. The collaboration will include a special “Tenka’ichi Preview” of the entire film at the Differ Ariake indoor sporting arena in Tokyo on 16 March 2013. The event will include special guests Masako Nozawa (Son Goku, et al.), the band FLOW, and a few others that have yet to be decided. A total of 100 tickets (50 sets) will be given away to those that spend ¥10,500 (~$110) or more at the 109MEN’S store. The campaign will run from 22 February 2013 to 03 March 2013, with the winners randomly chosen at that time. Online purchases are eligible to win tickets by entering the promo code “DBZ” at checkout, although only 10 of the 100 allotted tickets will go toward purchases made online.
The campaign announcement does provide a breakdown of the event’s schedule, which lists the movie as having an “estimated running time of 85 minutes”, giving us our first glimpse at the film’s actual length. In the past the franchise’s movies were limited to shorter running times due to the fact that they were screened at festivals along with other movies back-to-back, but Toei has since gone away from that approach.
Thanks goes to Chuquita for a heads up about this!
The April 2013 issue of V-Jump hit Japanese shelves yesterday, and we are still making our way through the magazine to bring all the best Dragon Ball news and information tidbits we can. In addition to teasing the concept of a new “Super Saiyan God” form for the upcoming theatrical film, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the issue contains a three-way question-and-answer session with voice actors you are likely familiar with by this point: Masako Nozawa (Son Goku, et al.), Shōko Nakagawa (“Oracle Fish”), and Kaori Matsumoto (police officer).
Apparently, it’s been 17 years since the last animated Dragon Ball movie! For all the animation up to now, I’ve basically just left everything up [to the staff], so this is my first try at being involved starting from the story’s creation. The key words this time, “God of Destruction Birusu” and “Super Saiyan God”, were suggestions from the scriptwriter, but they were good ideas for presenting a crisis for the main characters, who had grown so strong that they’d reached a point where there was nothing higher. After first deciding on Birusu’s character design and background, I tried thinking up an original story, imagining it as though [the manga’s] serialization had continued. What’s more, the God of Destruction Birusu, who I drew the design for myself (something I don’t usually do), is a terrifying opponent so overwhelmingly strong that he surpasses the dimension of the previous enemies. But it’s my trademark to not let things get too dark. At the very least, I’m satisfied that it’s been finished up as a very entertaining piece of work.
By the way, the battle scenes in the second half are particularly overwhelming! I was moved because the presentation exceeded my expectations. Just as you’d expect, Japan’s animation is superb! Everyone on the staff, you really did a great job!! Well, please enjoy the first Dragon Ball in a long time!
The official “Battle of Gods” website announced earlier today that the Dydo Drink Co. will be releasing two new Dragon Ball lines of drinks next week, beginning 25 February 2013. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen such drinks, as numerous lines of Dragon Ball themed cans have been released over the years. Oddly enough, although this announcement comes from the movie’s official site, it isn’t directly stated whether these drinks are actually in promotion of the film. Nevertheless, these drinks will be available in vending machines nationwide in Japan through the upcoming spring and summer months.
The “Dragon Ball Cola Zero” line will be comprised of six zero calorie drinks featuring artwork from our hero’s battle with the Saiyans on Earth. Each drink will contain seven amino acids, in honor of needing the seven Dragon Balls to make your wish come true.
The “Dragon Ball Cider” line will also be comprised of six drinks, although they will instead each contain seven vitamins and feature artwork from our hero’s adventures on Planet Namek. In both cases, the first five cans can be placed side-by-side to form a larger image of their respective battles.
The Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods “Original Soundtrack” was only just announced a few short days ago, and while cover art was revealed, no track listing was provided beyond the inclusion of the two main vocal songs from FLOW (“CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” and “HERO ~Song of Hope~”).
Birusu’s Approaching Shadow (Seeking Out the Super Saiyan God)
The Curtain Opens on a Bingo Tournament
The Pilaf Gang Arrives (Baby Gang)
Birusu’s Wrath
Fun Bingo
Birusu’s Overwhelming Power
Vegeta Enraged
The Invulnerable Birusu
Goku Appears
Shenlong Comes Out
The Legendary God
Chosen Warriors
One More Saiyan
Super Saiyan God is Born
Super Saiyan God’s Power
Goku in Trouble
Mortal Combat with a God
HERO: Song of Hope —Short Ver.—
Life that Must Be Protected
As Long as He Lives
The Eternal Universe (Budding Friendship)
Certain Death
The Eternal Universe (Parting)
The Blackness of Space (After the Battle)
CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA (A Peaceful Earth)
CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA
Other story elements confirmed or teased by the titles on the list include Bulma’s birthday party (first hinted at during the movie’s panel at Jump Festa ’13), Pilaf and his gang, etc. What is this “One More Saiyan” that is also hinted at…?
Sony’s posting currently contains a typo of ゴット (gotto) instead of ゴッド (goddo) for Track #18, and “CHA-LA HAED-CHA-LA” for Track #42; this has been corrected in all of our listings.
The 43-track soundtrack for the movie (KSCL-2109), with music by Norihito Sumitomo, is due out 27 March 2013 (three days before the film hits theaters) for a pretty standard ¥2,800.
The full track listing for the soundtrack, including the original Japanese text and romanizations, can be found on the “Movie Music” page of our “Music Database“.
While much of the trailer audio is buried under FLOW’s rendition of “CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA” and the TV host’s narration, two lines from Birusu, God of Destruction, and Goku can be heard:
ビルス 「地球は破壊させてもらおう」
孫悟空 「破壊を楽しんでんじゃねえぞーー！」
Birusu: I’ll have the pleasure of destroying Earth. Son Goku: Destruction ain’t somethin’ t’ take pleasure in——!
In addition to many of the previous story bits we have seen in the prior trailer and had revealed over the last few weeks, this new preview gives us a glimpse of Goku in a sweet track suit up at Kaiō’s, Piccolo apparently singing karaoke, Gohan as Great Saiyaman, Majin Boo attacking Birusu, Goku in action as Super Saiyan 3 against Birusu, and a glimpse of an Ōzaru, as well as a tease of the new “Super Saiyan God” form.
This is the typical cycle for these types of new previews; before the clean, final version makes its way to official outlets, Fuji TV gets a sneak-peek airing on morning news- and entertainment-digest shows such as Mezamashi TV with some additional narration on top.
The April 2013 issue of V-Jump, released today in Japan, teases something — apparently a new “form” — called “Super Saiyan God” for the upcoming film, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, due out 30 March 2013:
The legend among legends — what is “Super Saiyan God”?!
The mightiest warriors in the universe, the “Saiyans”. The mightiest being, passed down to this people holding wondrous legends –. That is “Super Saiyan God”!!
Just what sort of form is it, with what kind of strength?! The answer will be revealed at the theater…!!
So what is this new “Super Saiyan God” form…?! It is worth noting that it is written out as 超サイヤ人ゴッド (Sūpā Saiya-jin Goddo), using the English word “god”. The issue goes on to explain:
The Oracle Fish’s revelation holds the key!!
39 years ago, the Oracle Fish foretold the appearance of the “Super Saiyan-God” to Birusu, God of Destruction. This revelation hastened the God of Destruction’s awakening, and is the genesis of this tale…!!
That is the extent of story-related information in this latest issue of V-Jump. We are a little over a month out from the movie’s release at this point, and things are certainly heating up!
The April 2013 issue of V-Jump, released today in Japan, teases something — apparently a new “form” — called “Super Saiyan God” for the upcoming film,