Dale Kelly narration

[brotwater]

I recently acquired the original Funimation dvd singles for Cell Games and noticed that the narrator isn’t dale kelly, but Kyle Herbert? I see videos online of the opening narration for the same episodes and they have dale kelly on them? Are there two versions for the dvd singles or did they just remove dale kelly for the home releases?

[MasenkoHA]

I recently acquired the original Funimation dvd singles for Cell Games and noticed that the narrator isn’t dale kelly, but Kyle Herbert? I see videos online of the opening narration for the same episodes and they have dale kelly on them? Are there two versions for the dvd singles or did they just remove dale kelly for the home releases?

It was Dale Kelly for the Toonami broadcast and I think VHS release. The latter Cell Games dvds weren’t released until 2004 around the time they were working on The Uncut redub of the first 67 episodes of which Hebert was also the narrator for. I guess Funimation decided to redub Hebert as the narrator for those dvds as well to sell Kyle Hebert as the “true” narrator of English DBZ or something?

[brotwater]

I noticed they used Kyles Heberts voice beginning with the 4th dvd single of the cell games. Everything before has Dale Kelly. If they went back and just removed him for the home release it’s a shame. He stopped narrating after the cell games anyway, I feel like they should’ve just left his voice in until the end of cell games for the dvd releases.

[WittyUsername]

If I recall, the last episode on the singles to use Dale Kelly’s narration is episode 171.

[BluezaBladeNZ]

For the VHS release from what I've seen when capturing them, the FUNi/US release looks to go to The Games Begin, haven't looked at them all and the Madman release goes up to Awakening, while the last two Cell Games volumes are the Uncut version (doesn't say it). That one took me by surprise, with Madman having an extra three edited volumes for Cell Games.

[brotwater]

Funimation’s releases for dbz is so convoluted lol. It’s cool to see the vhs releases got dale kelly for a couple more volumes though

[ikaos]

Dale was removed as narrator from the show due to various conflicts relating to the use of his music for the two TV specials, which started with the release of the Boo saga, and then he was retroactively removed from DVD/VHS releases of the Cell Games (at different points depending on the release/region and even whether or not the VHS was edited or not). In some cases he was only partially replaced on the DVD - there are instances in the early cell games where Dale was replaced in the recap but was left in the closing narration.

Obviously this was all a moot point once the "remastered" dub was released, which for consistency replaced all of Dale's remaining narration with Kyle Hebert.

Also fan restoration projects exist that retain Dale's narration through the end of the Cell Games using TV recordings.

[MyVisionity]

Yeah it's a shame. Dale Kelly was a great narrator and I put him above Brice Armstrong and Kyle Hebert. I wish that he would have had the chance to finish out the series at least.

I also loved him as Captain Ginyu and wish he would have done more character roles in the show.

[ABED]

Yeah it's a shame. Dale Kelly was a great narrator and I put him above Brice Armstrong and Kyle Hebert. I wish that he would have had the chance to finish out the series at least.

I also loved him as Captain Ginyu and wish he would have done more character roles in the show.

Why do you put him above Armstrong or even Hebert? That over the top monster truck rally announcer performance is not DB. The narrator is supposed to play it straight. That's the joke.

I like Kelly's voice for Ginyu, just not necessarily his performance.

[MasenkoHA]

Dale Kelly’s narration was just too try hard to be funny and edgy for me. Like just encapsulated what was wrong with season 3 and felt off coming from season 1 and 2 with Doc Harris.


I never minded Hebert as the narrator but he was rough for the first part of the Saiyaman saga when he seemed like he was trying to imitate Kelly.

[MyVisionity]

It's all in the writing. Dale Kelly has proven he can do both over-the-top and subdued depending upon the material. He has a great voice that I think would work for the entirety of DB, not just Z.

Brice Armstrong was a talented actor with a great voice, but he's just all wrong for DB in my view. When I hear his narration, it's like I'm watching a completely different show.

I never thought of there being a "joke" to the narration where it was supposed to be played straight. I also thought that Kelly actually was playing it straight most of the time. He can be over the top, but that's because the series calls for it at times. I think the right DB narrator needs to be instantly recognizable, have lots of energy, and sound slightly unhinged.

[ABED]

It's all in the writing. Dale Kelly has proven he can do both over-the-top and subdued depending upon the material. He has a great voice that I think would work for the entirety of DB, not just Z.

Brice Armstrong was a talented actor with a great voice, but he's just all wrong for DB in my view. When I hear his narration, it's like I'm watching a completely different show.

I never thought of there being a "joke" to the narration where it was supposed to be played straight. I also thought that Kelly actually was playing it straight most of the time. He can be over the top, but that's because the series calls for it at times. I think the right DB narrator needs to be instantly recognizable, have lots of energy, and sound slightly unhinged.

DB is a wacky folktale. I don't see how the monster truck announcer fits that description. The narrator plays it straight which is another grounding element. It helps the more earnest moments and shifts in tone to land.

Yes, the joke is that this wacky story is narrated like it's completely straight. It's very similar to how Animal House's score plays it straight.

[MyVisionity]

DB is a wacky folktale. I don't see how the monster truck announcer fits that description. The narrator plays it straight which is another grounding element. It helps the more earnest moments and shifts in tone to land.

Aren't monster truck rallies, or better yet, WWE wrestling matches essentially "wacky folktales" themselves? And Dale Kelly played the straight moments just fine.

Yes, the joke is that this wacky story is narrated like it's completely straight. It's very similar to how Animal House's score plays it straight.

I never picked up on that at all. This is the only time I've ever heard that DB's narration was supposed to be part of a joke.

[MasenkoHA]

It's all in the writing. Dale Kelly has proven he can do both over-the-top and subdued depending upon the material. He has a great voice that I think would work for the entirety of DB, not just Z.

He proved he could do neither. Thank God he wasn’t hired to do Dragon Ball and got replaced in Z.

Brice Armstrong was a talented actor with a great voice, but he's just all wrong for DB in my view. When I hear his narration, it's like I'm watching a completely different show.

How was he all wrong for Dragon Ball? Yanami was an elderly man narrating Dragon Ball like a grandfather telling a story to his grandkids which was exactly the same thing with Armstrong. My only problem is Funimation made the narration way too wordy.

I also thought that Kelly actually was playing it straight most of the time.

I don’t know how anyone could get that out of Kelly’s narration.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I liked Kelly's narration as a kid but the later narrators of Dragon Ball's dubs blew him out of the water. I still have some nostalgia for Kelly's narration, even if it's not a good fit for the series, I'd probably rather rewatch the original dubbed episodes with his narration as Herbert, while good (and better as Gohan) is a bit bland as a narrator. Doc Morgan, and Brice Armstrong were much better castings for Kelly's part.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

It's all in the writing. Dale Kelly has proven he can do both over-the-top and subdued depending upon the material. He has a great voice that I think would work for the entirety of DB, not just Z.

Brice Armstrong was a talented actor with a great voice, but he's just all wrong for DB in my view. When I hear his narration, it's like I'm watching a completely different show.

I never thought of there being a "joke" to the narration where it was supposed to be played straight. I also thought that Kelly actually was playing it straight most of the time. He can be over the top, but that's because the series calls for it at times. I think the right DB narrator needs to be instantly recognizable, have lots of energy, and sound slightly unhinged.

How is Armstrong all wrong? It fit with what they were going for more or less and comes close to Joji Yanami's sage like delivery. They didn't need an over the top WWF/monster truck style delivery there.

I mean, this doesn't sound like what i would want in DB. Kelly's narration fit the bastardized reversioning of DBZ though Dragon Ball OTOH...yeah no. That faux try hard "ZOMG EDGY HARDCORE AWESOMNESS!!!!" vibe just feels wrong to me and went hand in hand with the other decisions FUNi made when going in house for Season 3 onward back in 1999.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhbMDFSveQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUpWkpuLYAM

Doc Morgan, and Brice Armstrong were much better castings for Kelly's part.

Definitely, they both come a lot closer to Yanami's version and sound so much more fitting overall.

[WittyUsername]

This is the first time I’ve ever heard that Yanami’s narration is meant to be ironic. As for Dale Kelly, his narration is clearly meant to be silly and over the top like a WWE announcer or a monster truck narrator. I don’t know if “edgy” is the word I’d use to describe that. When I think of “edgy” Dragon Ball narrators, I think of Andrew Chandler in GT.

[ABED]

DB is a wacky folktale. I don't see how the monster truck announcer fits that description. The narrator plays it straight which is another grounding element. It helps the more earnest moments and shifts in tone to land.

Aren't monster truck rallies, or better yet, WWE wrestling matches essentially "wacky folktales" themselves? And Dale Kelly played the straight moments just fine.

Yes, the joke is that this wacky story is narrated like it's completely straight. It's very similar to how Animal House's score plays it straight.

I never picked up on that at all. This is the only time I've ever heard that DB's narration was supposed to be part of a joke.

No, folktales are stories that were passed down word of mouth generation to generation. Pro Wrestling was a form of entertainment that's a cross between theater and spectator sport.

[90sDBZ]

I loved Dale Kelly as the narrater because of how over the top his delivery was. I always felt like he was just as excited to watch the show as I was, which made me even more excited. He was also great at handling the more low key moments, like the somber scene were Piccolo walks away from Gohan's house at the end of the Frieza saga.

It's a real shame Funimation did him dirty. I like Kyle Hebert's narrater, but Kelly is still my favorite, and it sucks that his performance hasn't been preserved.

Kelly's Ginyu was also a real standout during Season 3. He could do both goofy and intimidating, and his screams were awesome.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I loved Dale Kelly as the narrater because of how over the top his delivery was. I always felt like he was just as excited to watch the show as I was, which made me even more excited. He was also great at handling the more low key moments, like the somber scene were Piccolo walks away from Gohan's house at the end of the Frieza saga.

It's a real shame Funimation did him dirty. I like Kyle Hebert's narrater, but Kelly is still my favorite, and it sucks that his performance hasn't been preserved.

Kelly's Ginyu was also a real standout during Season 3. He could do both goofy and intimidating, and his screams were awesome.

I can't fault his Ginyu, as that was a fine performance. And yeah, it's a shame that Funimation's treatment of Kelly set a precedent for their revisionist history practices.