Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

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Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by JustAlex1997 » Sun Mar 15, 2020 6:54 pm

As a Canadian, the versions of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT I grew up with differ from the versions people in the U.S. grew up with (and what's on most home video releases). As such, my only real knowledge of U.S. Dragon Ball is from the internet and those home video releases.

The three-episode (typically) DVD and VHS releases of Dragon Ball Z are often cited as being the closest to the U.S. broadcast version you can buy. However, I know of at least two lines in the first episode that were changed, and I've been hearing of audio tracks with different takes and such making their way into various home video releases.

As a whole, how accurate are these DVD and VHS releases to what you watched on TV?

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by MasenkoHA » Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:05 pm

Lines were changes but not all that much. Some examples

Edited Toonami version Vegeta: If there’s one thing I learned I’m an absolute genius

Uncut DVD singles Vegeta: If there’s one thing I learned I am a friggin genius.

Most of the line changes were inconsequential though. I think a few kills were changed to destroy but sometimes left as is. But even the uncut versions avoided saying kill at times.

Blood that looked more like scratches was okay blood that squirted or moved did not. So stuff like Vegeta coughing up blood when shot through the chest by Freeza was censored

Hercule was used for Toonami pretty sure Mr.Satan was used for the uncut dvds

Any scene of Roshi’s lechery was removed (which there was less of than the original Dragon Ball)

Freeza’s tortue of Krillin was edited down in the Toonami version where he spears him once then tosses him into the lake instead of continuously impaling him. Enough material was removed that three episodes became 2 and the uncut dvds just had an unnumbered bonus episode.

Home For Infinite Losers was still used for the Toonami version (specifically the Otherworld tournament when Goku ran into Cell and Freeza)

Bare asses and penises were obviously censored.


I’d say about 90 percent the same in both versions? The uncut versions were sanitized as is and the original Dragon Ball probably had more problematic material (visually)

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by 10gigtriforce » Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:10 pm

the edited vhs are the closest you'll get. sadly the last 4 of the cell saga were never released.

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:14 pm

Basically the edited versions on VHS are the closest, but even then the tapes themselves have some small differences from the Toonami airings.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Planetnamek » Mon Mar 16, 2020 3:36 am

SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:14 pm Basically the edited versions on VHS are the closest, but even then the tapes themselves have some small differences from the Toonami airings.
Yes such as Dale Kelly being replaced by Kyle Herbert as the narrator.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Robo4900 » Mon Mar 16, 2020 1:25 pm

There are three versions of the original Funimation dub. All were asesmbled from the original dub production materials -- the original dialogue recordings, the original assembly of the Faulconer score, etc. -- and all are equally worthy of being referred to as "The original Funi dub" for various reasons.

1. US TV edit (also aired in the UK, Australia, etc. where applicable)
Some excessive violence was edited out (leading the two episodes where Kuririn gets stabbed by Freeza to get cut into one episode), general minor edits for content were made, and quite a few alternate lines were used compared to the uncut version (some making no sense, like Kuririn saying "Ginyu is Goku" instead of "So this guy isn't Goku?" from uncut, but others such as any lines referencing Mr Satan's name, which was swapped out for "Hercule", are quite understandable).
The most interesting difference between this and uncut is that the TV edit couldn't immediately line up with uncut numbering. Saban's episode 53 ends half-way through uncut episode 67, so TV episodes 54-58 make various cuts for time, and each ends at a different point in an uncut episode, slowly bringing it into phase with uncut.
To Americans, Brits, Australians, etc. who saw Funi's DBZ on TV, this is the version you remember.

2. Home video edit
This is the uncut/uncensored version. Kind of.
It's uncut, except that episode 54 is still starting out half-way into uncut #67, but unlike the TV edit, they just dubbed the entire remaining runtime of #67, which is about 8 minutes I think, then go straight into the entirety of #68, and boom, they're synced up to uncut.
A lot of alternate lines compared to the TV edit, of course, and any stuff cut from the TV edit remains here.
99% of the time, paint edits present on the TV edit are not present here. Though I know of one instance for certain where the home video version kept a paint edit that wasn't present on uncut, and it's in the first damn episode; when Bulma is feeling sorry for herself and briefly flashes back to happier times when she'd first met Goku, she has a thought bubble showing images from early DB. When an image flashes up of kid Goku taking a bath, uncensored sources such as the Dragon Box have Goku's genitalia visible under the bath water, whereas the uncut DVD single retains the TV version's paint edit that makes the bath water opaque.
There is also the problem that most of the next-episode-previews (and I think a lot of the recaps?) were left off. And even if you can locate TV airings to stand in, they won't fit episode 54-58, since the TV and home video versions of the show were out of alignment for those episodes, and you can't swap these in from the modern releases, because the narrator is wrong.
Speaking of the narrator, the TV edits kept Dale Kelly for a few more episodes than the home video version; I believe the home video version has Kyle Hebert show up sometime in the Cell Games, whereas in broadcast, Dale Kelly was still the narrator until the Afterlife Tournament, I think? (I may have my cutoffs slightly off; I'm not exactly an expert on the US dubs)
But yes, this is essentially an uncut/uncensored version of Funi's original dub, with a lot of alternate lines and such compared to the US TV version. While it's not exactly what you'd remember from back in the day, this is the closest you can reasonably get to experiencing the original TV version without resorting to tracking down shitty-quality, rare pirate recordings.
To those who are looking for Funi's original dub without TV censorship, this is it... Though like all of Funi's Dragon Ball dubs, it does still have a lot of censorship inherent to it. :lol:

3. Canadian YTV edit
This is an oddball one that not everyone is aware of.
YTV in Canada aired Funimation's dub of DBZ for episodes 54-167 (they switched to airing the Westwood Ocean dub from 168 onwards), but starting from about when they aired the Garlic Jr saga, they stopped airing the US TV edit (even for reruns), and switched to a slightly different edit that seems to have been produced by Ocean.
The placement of the music is slightly different, seeming to be the same pre-final placements that would eventually be reverted to for Funimation's "remastered" dubs; most likely the reason for this is that the adjustments that were made by one of the Team Faulconer guys to finalise the music placements happened right before the masters were completed, and the base music & SFX tracks that Funi properly archived were from before the finalised music track had these last-minute changes. Ocean were consequently sent this not-quite-completely-finalised music track along with all Funi's other edit materials, and from this, they made a different TV edit for YTV; quite similar to the US TV edit, but definitely distinct in a lot of ways too.
The OP/ED is the familiar Westwood Ocean opening and ending, except that -- much like the YTV airings of Westwood Z, but much unlike the UK airings of that dub -- the OP visuals are the original Rock The Dragon visuals (which this OP was, in retrospect, clearly designed to fit, as the SFX and voices over it clearly fit the Rock The Dragon visuals, and not the UK visuals that added some Freeza saga footage).
The YTV edit uses a lot of alternate lines (it uses a lot more uncut lines than US TV lines, but it often uses lines used by neither; both the US TV and home video edit have Dende say "don't piss off the Dragon God of Love", but the YTV edit has him say something else that I can't remember), and makes a lot of edits slightly differently to the US version. It also makes some adjustments to the SFX track.
The most interesting thing about this edit is that for episodes 108-167, its visuals exactly match the Westwood/Ocean dub. (Naturally, the Westwood/Ocean dub didn't cover 54-107, and YTV switched to that dub for 168+, so 108-167 are the only episodes that cover both Westwood Ocean and YTV Funi)
This is the most rare of the three versions, though I'm aware of at least one full run recording in subpar quality, and several small runs of recordings in better quality.
To those who saw Funi's DBZ dub on TV in Canada, this is the version you remember.

-

So...

The DVD singles are one of the three versions of the original Funi dub, so if you're just looking for a way to watch the OG Funi dub, the DVD singles will do you well.
But they're not exactly either of the TV versions, because there are quite a few alternate lines and other edits made on those TV edits, so if you really want to see the original... Well... Unless you want to start collecting the edited VHSes (which I don't think covered the whole run? And they're missing almost all the next-episode-previews -- and I think the recaps? At least some, anyway -- and they're probably quite expensive and unwieldy to collect), you're kinda out of luck.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by funrush » Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:09 pm

The DVDs were all uncut so those weren't accurate. The VHS tapes were released in two types, both edited and uncut for each tape starting with the Captain Ginyu stuff when Funi started dubbing in-house. If the tape said uncut, it was uncut, if it didn't mention anything about that it was the edited one.

IIRC the edited ones were pretty much exactly the same as what aired on Cartoon Network, unless there's minor changes I'm not aware, and maybe TV spots were different. But the "Stand by for DRAGON BALL Z" cinematic intro is on the tapes, and I'm pretty sure that aired on TV often but I mostly watched the show via tapes back then so my memory's a bit fuzzy. I know Toonami put their own intros on it too for certain arcs.

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by TheBigBoy » Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:28 pm

funrush wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:09 pm
But the "Stand by for DRAGON BALL Z" cinematic intro is on the tapes, and I'm pretty sure that aired on TV often but I mostly watched the show via tapes back then so my memory's a bit fuzzy. I know Toonami put their own intros on it too for certain arcs.
Man I love that intro. Got me sooo excited. I think it was on the tapes and on syndicated episodes in the second season but I don't think they used it on Cartoon Network.

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by TheSeductiveTomato » Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:44 am

SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:14 pm Basically the edited versions on VHS are the closest, but even then the tapes themselves have some small differences from the Toonami airings.
Do you know any of these differences right off hand or have a list of them? I remember on one of the edited Frieza tapes, Dende says something like "don't piss off the god of love" but that doesn't sound like the type of line they'd use in a TV friendly dub at the time. Had to double check my tape and make sure it was actually edited.
funrush wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:09 pm If the tape said uncut, it was uncut, if it didn't mention anything about that it was the edited one.
Another way to be sure is, if you look on the back toward the bottom, it will either say Uncut or Edited for TV
Image

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by MasenkoHA » Wed Mar 18, 2020 12:00 pm

TheSeductiveTomato wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:44 am [I remember on one of the edited Frieza tapes, Dende says something like "don't piss off the god of love" but that doesn't sound like the type of line they'd use in a TV friendly dub at the time. Had to double check my tape and make sure it was actually edited.
It was in the tv airing too. Dragon Ball Z Uncensored made note of the scene

Ironically, the aimed at adults who grew up with the show remastered season sets changed the line to “Please don’t disrespect the dragon” though its possible that was the original line and the “Don’t Piss off the God of love” line was some weird ad lib/outtake that accidentally made its way to the edited version?

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Robo4900 » Wed Mar 18, 2020 1:26 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 12:00 pm
TheSeductiveTomato wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:44 am [I remember on one of the edited Frieza tapes, Dende says something like "don't piss off the god of love" but that doesn't sound like the type of line they'd use in a TV friendly dub at the time. Had to double check my tape and make sure it was actually edited.
It was in the tv airing too. Dragon Ball Z Uncensored made note of the scene

Ironically, the aimed at adults who grew up with the show remastered season sets changed the line to “Please don’t disrespect the dragon” though its possible that was the original line and the “Don’t Piss off the God of love” line was some weird ad lib/outtake that accidentally made its way to the edited version?
For the record, I believe the "Don't disrepsect the dragon" line was used for the Canadian airings of Funi DBZ. (It's possible it wasn't specifically that, but I know they used an alternate take that didn't have "piss" in it)
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:29 pm

TheSeductiveTomato wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 10:44 am
SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Sun Mar 15, 2020 9:14 pm Basically the edited versions on VHS are the closest, but even then the tapes themselves have some small differences from the Toonami airings.
Do you know any of these differences right off hand or have a list of them? I remember on one of the edited Frieza tapes, Dende says something like "don't piss off the god of love" but that doesn't sound like the type of line they'd use in a TV friendly dub at the time. Had to double check my tape and make sure it was actually edited.
funrush wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 2:09 pm If the tape said uncut, it was uncut, if it didn't mention anything about that it was the edited one.
Another way to be sure is, if you look on the back toward the bottom, it will either say Uncut or Edited for TV
Image
I don't recall every last little change between the TV and video versions, but i know for certain based on memory from seeing them as a kid on Toonami that they changed Vegeta's "I am a friggin' genius" line to "I am an absolute genius" and Butta's/Burter's from "Bite me" to "Turkey" on both the TV broadcasts and the edited tapes so a few had alterations from both, that includes all the editing and things like Freeza's brutal impaling of Kuririn/Krillin and his tortuting Gohan being heavily cut down or removed entirely. Unless i'm mistaken, they were more or less the same content wise until the Cell arc when the narrator change from Dale Kelly to Kyle Herbert happened.
Last edited by SuperSaiyaManZ94 on Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:53 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by funrush » Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:33 pm

IIRC the Krillin gets impaled episode was cut from the editeds entirely and they slapped the few usable minutes of footage onto the next episode.

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by MasenkoHA » Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:41 pm

funrush wrote: Wed Mar 18, 2020 2:33 pm IIRC the Krillin gets impaled episode was cut from the editeds entirely and they slapped the few usable minutes of footage onto the next episode.
No, they did keep Freeza impaling Krillin and even showed the horn sticking out the other end, what they removed was him bouncing Krillin up and down on his horn. They also, iirc, removed a lot of the Freeza tortures Gohan footage and some other stuff so three episodes became two episodes for the edited version..

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Kakacarrottop » Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:58 am

The Tree of Might originally aired in syndication as a three-part episode during November 1997, with part one airing the same day as "Immortality Denied" (ep 45) and parts 2 and 3 airing the following week. Obviously it wasn't included as part of the singles Pioneer released. On the singles it just goes from ep 45 to ep 46 ("Big Trouble for Bulma"), which aired in early 1998. So if you wanted an absolutely authentic experience that mimics the 1996-2003 syndication/Cartoon Network broadcast, then the singles wouldn't quite be able to provide it, simply because they don't include the episodic Tree of Might dub.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Robo4900 » Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:04 pm

Kakacarrottop wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:58 am The Tree of Might originally aired in syndication as a three-part episode during November 1997, with part one airing the same day as "Immortality Denied" (ep 45) and parts 2 and 3 airing the following week. Obviously it wasn't included as part of the singles Pioneer released. On the singles it just goes from ep 45 to ep 46 ("Big Trouble for Bulma"), which aired in early 1998. So if you wanted an absolutely authentic experience that mimics the 1996-2003 syndication/Cartoon Network broadcast, then the singles wouldn't quite be able to provide it, simply because they don't include the episodic Tree of Might dub.
In fact, it's impossible to acquire the episodic Tree Of Might dub.

The Rock The Dragon DVD set is the first time Saban's dub of it was released, but they released the single feature version, which is missing NEPs, recaps, eyecatches, etc.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by MasenkoHA » Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:11 pm

Pretty sure the edited Tree of Might was never considered part of the official episode count. It was always treated as a tv special of sorts that Toonami just aired as a movie anyways. Just like Piccolo the Super Namek isn't "offically" part of the 276 episode count and is just an unnumbered bonus episode for the uncut release.

The Rock the Dragon release is a faithful representation of how the movies were aired on Toonami. Movie 1 and 2 lightly edited for BS&P and the Japanese OP and ED replaced with Rock the Dragon and the Instrumental outro and the Saban approved syndicated version of Tree of Might with the Saban music and Ian Corlett as Goku stitched together as a single movie.

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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Metalwario64 » Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:30 pm

The Tree of Might three parter was aired on Toonami once though. I distinctly remember it.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by SuperSaiyaManZ94 » Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:53 pm

Metalwario64 wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:30 pm The Tree of Might three parter was aired on Toonami once though. I distinctly remember it.
The few times i saw it on Toonami as a kid it was always the movie version they played.
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Re: Dragon Ball Z Singles - Faithful to Broadcast?

Post by Metalwario64 » Sun Mar 22, 2020 12:09 am

SuperSaiyaManZ94 wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:53 pm
Metalwario64 wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 8:30 pm The Tree of Might three parter was aired on Toonami once though. I distinctly remember it.
The few times i saw it on Toonami as a kid it was always the movie version they played.
If I recall correctly, they only played it like that once, and I think it was at the end of the Namek arc like the original syndication.

It was definitely Toonami, because I didn't watch the series until it was on Toonami (maybe even the first or second run, since I remember Moltar). I was a bit confused, but every time they aired it as a movie, it was the combined version, which they did way more frequently.
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