Ocean Studios' "Dragon Ball Kai" Dub Turns 15; Still Unreleased

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Can anyone confirm if Crunchyroll has released anything Dragonball related in Canada because if not it might be able to be distributed there if I’ve read everything else right?

Canada gets all the same home releases as America, so yes. At this moment Crunchyroll has released Super Hero and repackaged Funimation's season Blu-Rays and GT The Complete Series in both territories, but theoretically they should still have the rights to everything else, like Kai, even if the existing copies retain Funimation's branding. The only way a distributor can work around this to get a physical release of Kai out in North America or the UK is if Crunchyroll lose the rights, and unfortunately even if Kai goes out of print it doesn't mean they lost the license.

I know that Ajay had a contact at Manga UK, and he was able to pull some strings with certain decisions they made, like fixing a subtitling error on Super Broly and advising them against releasing the 2013/14 Blu-Rays in the UK (which they did). Manga UK is now the London office of Crunchyroll and seem to have lost whatever autonomy they had (which was little to begin with but since being bought by Funimation it has seemingly become nothing) so it's a long shot to consider them doing anything exclusively for us here in Europe anymore. I also don't know if the same team still work at the company, other than Josh Pittaway (who I've spoken to on Discord and he was really helpful but is harder to reach now) or David Martinez (who may or may not still work there, his LinkedIn is not very clear), but if anyone can help with talking to the company, who has enough reach within this community it's definitely Ajay.

I've suggested this before, but there is a new UK kids channel called Moochi we could try pitching Kai too, their target audience leens a bit younger (3-9 years), but hey the US has been doing the reverse for almost a decade now airing Kai and Super exclusively for adult audiences on Toonami, so who knows. We know aside from some mentions of "Hell" this Kai dub is probably extremely kid friendly so worth a shot.

Also, I know I wasn't around when you last posted, but welcome back to the forums.

[dbzforeverUK]

Can anyone confirm if Crunchyroll has released anything Dragonball related in Canada because if not it might be able to be distributed there if I’ve read everything else right?

Canada gets all the same home releases as America, so yes. At this moment Crunchyroll has released Super Hero and repackaged Funimation's season Blu-Rays and GT The Complete Series in both territories, but theoretically they should still have the rights to everything else, like Kai, even if the existing copies retain Funimation's branding. The only way a distributor can work around this to get a physical release of Kai out in North America or the UK is if Crunchyroll lose the rights, and unfortunately even if Kai goes out of print it doesn't mean they lost the license.

I know that Ajay had a contact at Manga UK, and he was able to pull some strings with certain decisions they made, like fixing a subtitling error on Super Broly and advising them against releasing the 2013/14 Blu-Rays in the UK (which they did). Manga UK is now the London office of Crunchyroll and seem to have lost whatever autonomy they had (which was little to begin with but since being bought by Funimation it has seemingly become nothing) so it's a long shot to consider them doing anything exclusively for us here in Europe anymore. I also don't know if the same team still work at the company, other than Josh Pittaway (who I've spoken to on Discord and he was really helpful but is harder to reach now) or David Martinez (who may or may not still work there, his LinkedIn is not very clear), but if anyone can help with talking to the company, who has enough reach within this community it's definitely Ajay.

I've suggested this before, but there is a new UK kids channel called Moochi we could try pitching Kai too, their target audience leens a bit younger (3-9 years), but hey the US has been doing the reverse for almost a decade now airing Kai and Super exclusively for adult audiences on Toonami, so who knows. We know aside from some mentions of "Hell" this Kai dub is probably extremely kid friendly so worth a shot.

Also, I know I wasn't around when you last posted, but welcome back to the forums.

Thank you it’s good to be back aswell , I’ve been keeping an eye on things from time to time but feel it’s now or never for Kai. I’ve just been doing a bit of looking around and Crunchyroll can be messaged on instagram so it’s worth a shot right? The reason I mentioned Shenmue 3 earlier was because this dub of Kai has now entered that sort of limbo and thanks to everyone here discussing it and putting time into trying to establish the who’s and what’s of this dub we can now try and coordinate an effort into making it known to the rights holders that we definitely want this dub and that some of, if not most would pay for the privilege of watching it aswell. On a side note maybe getting a few of the voice actors involved to help create public awareness for it might help gather support especially if a kickstarter was to happen?

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I’ve just been doing a bit of looking around and Crunchyroll can be messaged on instagram so it’s worth a shot right? The reason I mentioned Shenmue 3 earlier was because this dub of Kai has now entered that sort of limbo and thanks to everyone here discussing it and putting time into trying to establish the who’s and what’s of this dub we can now try and coordinate an effort into making it known to the rights holders that we definitely want this dub and that some of, if not most would pay for the privilege of watching it aswell. On a side note maybe getting a few of the voice actors involved to help create public awareness for it might help gather support especially if a kickstarter was to happen?

Admittedly I don't know anything about Shenmue 3, but everything you say sounds great. I feel because Ocean Kai is such a unique case of a project for a high-profile IP that's been missing in action for such an extraordinary length of time it's hard to convince people, because so many fans who would have liked to see it have given up by now and they feel their doubts have been vindicated. Equally if it were to be released it would send a positive message should the release of another production ever get held up this much again, people would be like "Oh, but remember that Canadian dub of Dragon Ball Kai no one ever thought would be seen?".

Even Karl Willems said he wasn't aware it wasn't released, he just assumed it was, as he's directed many anime dubs over the years, said sometimes things get delayed, but when he heard Kai wasn't released (maybe even many years after he assumed it would be) he just thought that was a shame. He's not usually interested in the logistical side of these things, but he said he would make enquiries and see is there any paperwork with information about what's the holdup. Now he could do that, but that begs the question would the powers that be share this with him? Like the actors, this stuff is generally none of their business and is for those above their pay grade to manage.

So, sure, any of us could talk to Ken Morrison, but for all we know he's probably been negotiating with distributors, channels, whatever the past 14 years, more aggressively at the beginning when Kai was the new hotness, but naturally less so now because so many companies just said no, or in rare cases expressed interest

• Kix : Prior to Kai's UK debut in 2012 we heard from a reliable source Subzero Ice Ocean's dub was close to being released, but they got Funi Kai for still unknown reasons
  • Subzero Ice said TOEI only gave Kix the option of Funimation's dub, though other credible rumours suggest Funimation pulled some strings to prevent Ocean's dub being on the table
• Wow Unlimited :Showed interested, talked to Ocean but didn't have the money to launch a linear channel
• Toon-A-Vision : Talked to Ken Morrison, he said, at the time Ocean had other priorities, but then after I messaged Adam Mimnagh he emailed Ken again who told him it was up to the head office in Japan and they would hear back in January 2021

So we had two established channels that tried, we have no idea why one (Kix) aired Kai but with a different dub than what was expected, and I've never been given an update on the other (Toon-A-Vision). Adam Mimnagh went silent on me after that and didn't respond to any more of my Facebook messages. I was taking that as a good sign he signed an NDA and couldn't say any more until Kai was released, but it's been over 3 years now, so I don't know if he wasn't willing to pay what TOEI of Japan was asking for the license or they just said no.

Lisa Yamatoya of TOEI USA was willing to discuss options with Marni Shulman of Wow Unlimited, but then tried to suggest Funimation's dub on the basis of it being HD and The Final Chapter's being completed. It may be the case that Lisa tried a similar tactic with Kix and for that reason Ocean Kai didn't pass negotiations with TOEI USA to move up to the final stage with TOEI of Japan.

I am only guessing but if Ken Morrison told Adam Mimnagh the decision was in the hands of "the head office in Japan" (in Mimnagh's words to me, we know that's the main TOEI headquarters) then Toon-A-Vision must have got past that point with TOEI USA (which was promising at the time) an Kix didn't. Presumably Wow Unlimited did too because many of us who tweeted Marni Shulman asked her to be sure she was getting the rights for Ocean's dub, not Funimations, and she said she would keep that in mind. I believe if Wow had the resources to launch their channel it would have happened. Maybe Adam Mimnagh is waiting around for a better deal but sadly I don't think he can tell me any more than he already has, given his silence.

There's been another strong rumour Ocean approached one channel on and off for many years about getting Kai released but gave up when they made it absolutely clear they were not interested. I wouldn't be surprised if the channel in question was YTV as they have a history with this franchise, and would be the most logical option for the series to return to. YTV has largely moved away from anime unless they are super toy-centric like Pokemon or Beyblade. There may be people within the company who grew up watching Dragon Ball and want this dub to be released, as they said at one point they miss the franchise and paid tribute to Akira Toriyama. It's usually low ranking staff who run these socials, so even if this is the case they are probably powerless unless they move up within the company, in any case we've no reason to suspect whoever is in charge of YTV doesn't have any interest in airing Ocean Kai, and we can only hope for a shakeup in management or the current execs to step down and for someone who cares to take their place.

For what it's worth Diana Gage did tell SX10 people should express their desire for this dub to be released. Anime Time Machine (who do livestreams every month or so on Instagram I urge everyone to follow) told me the same thing, that fans should keep talking about Ocean Kai if they want it released. Admittedly Anime Time Machine is just a group of voice actors and Karl Willems and Diana Gage as the creative supervisor of this production and many more dubs is above them, so they are likely just echoing what she said.

In any case at one point Ocean were adamant about keeping this dub a secret, VegettoEX was even asked to have mentions of it removed by an unnamed party, and Richard Ian Cox refuses to acknowledge being a part of it. Based on what Diana Gage told SX10 though, it seems as if their stance softened somewhat, so maybe Ocean realised they weren't fooling anyone. No one was supposed to know about this dub, but news about it being in the works leaked, inspiring this 379-page thread, which I agree is proof enough that there are those of us who want it released.

That was the biggest issue with a Kickstarter in the beginning, TheBlackPaladin feared if Ocean got word they were working on Kai the whole thing would be shut down and hurt its chances of being released more. Now we know because several of us here have spoke with Ocean directly, they know the cats out of the bag, and have likely just accepted people need to talk about it because otherwise it will just be forgotten and there will be even less reason for companies like Crunchyroll or broadcasters to care.

I think any opportunity we get to speak to the voice actors and spread the word about spreading awareness of this dub. Robo4900 suggested tweet campaigns with hastags, which I could see work, but it would have to have a large backing. VegettoEX said he wants none of it, which is disappointing but not surprising as he's made it crystal clear he doesn't care about English dubs and this site is for promotion of the original Japanese version (which is fine, but so many of us enjoy dubs too, and I feel every version of this show should be celebrated). I wish Geekdom101 would help, he's apparently said most of his audience are people who watched the series on Toonami, hell a lot of them are casual fans and not even aware there is an Ocean dub of Kai, but someone with a large following like him would have more sway than the vast majority of us. Brian Drummond would probably be willing, he really understood fan's frustration and has asked his production co-ordinator (who I assume is Diana Gage) a few times but to no avail. Maybe if he tried something like this that fans can quote, retweet and use the hashtag, and if we make some noise something can happen:

Who wants to hear some good screams for old times sake #I'mVegeta #ReleasetheOceandubofKai

[dbzforeverUK]

I’ve just been doing a bit of looking around and Crunchyroll can be messaged on instagram so it’s worth a shot right? The reason I mentioned Shenmue 3 earlier was because this dub of Kai has now entered that sort of limbo and thanks to everyone here discussing it and putting time into trying to establish the who’s and what’s of this dub we can now try and coordinate an effort into making it known to the rights holders that we definitely want this dub and that some of, if not most would pay for the privilege of watching it aswell. On a side note maybe getting a few of the voice actors involved to help create public awareness for it might help gather support especially if a kickstarter was to happen?

Admittedly I don't know anything about Shenmue 3, but everything you say sounds great. I feel because Ocean Kai is such a unique case of a project for a high-profile IP that's been missing in action for such an extraordinary length of time it's hard to convince people, because so many fans who would have liked to see it have given up by now and they feel their doubts have been vindicated. Equally if it were to be released it would send a positive message should the release of another production ever get held up this much again, people would be like "Oh, but remember that Canadian dub of Dragon Ball Kai no one ever thought would be seen?".

Even Karl Willems said he wasn't aware it wasn't released, he just assumed it was, as he's directed many anime dubs over the years, said sometimes things get delayed, but when he heard Kai wasn't released (maybe even many years after he assumed it would be) he just thought that was a shame. He's not usually interested in the logistical side of these things, but he said he would make enquiries and see is there any paperwork with information about what's the holdup. Now he could do that, but that begs the question would the powers that be share this with him? Like the actors, this stuff is generally none of their business and is for those above their pay grade to manage.

So, sure, any of us could talk to Ken Morrison, but for all we know he's probably been negotiating with distributors, channels, whatever the past 14 years, more aggressively at the beginning when Kai was the new hotness, but naturally less so now because so many companies just said no, or in rare cases expressed interest

• Kix : Prior to Kai's UK debut in 2012 we heard from a reliable source Subzero Ice Ocean's dub was close to being released, but they got Funi Kai for still unknown reasons
  • Subzero Ice said TOEI only gave Kix the option of Funimation's dub, though other credible rumours suggest Funimation pulled some strings to prevent Ocean's dub being on the table
• Wow Unlimited :Showed interested, talked to Ocean but didn't have the money to launch a linear channel
• Toon-A-Vision : Talked to Ken Morrison, he said, at the time Ocean had other priorities, but then after I messaged Adam Mimnagh he emailed Ken again who told him it was up to the head office in Japan and they would hear back in January 2021

So we had two established channels that tried, we have no idea why one (Kix) aired Kai but with a different dub than what was expected, and I've never been given an update on the other (Toon-A-Vision). Adam Mimnagh went silent on me after that and didn't respond to any more of my Facebook messages. I was taking that as a good sign he signed an NDA and couldn't say any more until Kai was released, but it's been over 3 years now, so I don't know if he wasn't willing to pay what TOEI of Japan was asking for the license or they just said no.

Lisa Yamatoya of TOEI USA was willing to discuss options with Marni Shulman of Wow Unlimited, but then tried to suggest Funimation's dub on the basis of it being HD and The Final Chapter's being completed. It may be the case that Lisa tried a similar tactic with Kix and for that reason Ocean Kai didn't pass negotiations with TOEI USA to move up to the final stage with TOEI of Japan.

I am only guessing but if Ken Morrison told Adam Mimnagh the decision was in the hands of "the head office in Japan" (in Mimnagh's words to me, we know that's the main TOEI headquarters) then Toon-A-Vision must have got past that point with TOEI USA (which was promising at the time) an Kix didn't. Presumably Wow Unlimited did too because many of us who tweeted Marni Shulman asked her to be sure she was getting the rights for Ocean's dub, not Funimations, and she said she would keep that in mind. I believe if Wow had the resources to launch their channel it would have happened. Maybe Adam Mimnagh is waiting around for a better deal but sadly I don't think he can tell me any more than he already has, given his silence.

There's been another strong rumour Ocean approached one channel on and off for many years about getting Kai released but gave up when they made it absolutely clear they were not interested. I wouldn't be surprised if the channel in question was YTV as they have a history with this franchise, and would be the most logical option for the series to return to. YTV has largely moved away from anime unless they are super toy-centric like Pokemon or Beyblade. There may be people within the company who grew up watching Dragon Ball and want this dub to be released, as they said at one point they miss the franchise and paid tribute to Akira Toriyama. It's usually low ranking staff who run these socials, so even if this is the case they are probably powerless unless they move up within the company, in any case we've no reason to suspect whoever is in charge of YTV doesn't have any interest in airing Ocean Kai, and we can only hope for a shakeup in management or the current execs to step down and for someone who cares to take their place.

For what it's worth Diana Gage did tell SX10 people should express their desire for this dub to be released. Anime Time Machine (who do livestreams every month or so on Instagram I urge everyone to follow) told me the same thing, that fans should keep talking about Ocean Kai if they want it released. Admittedly Anime Time Machine is just a group of voice actors and Karl Willems and Diana Gage as the creative supervisor of this production and many more dubs is above them, so they are likely just echoing what she said.

In any case at one point Ocean were adamant about keeping this dub a secret, VegettoEX was even asked to have mentions of it removed by an unnamed party, and Richard Ian Cox refuses to acknowledge being a part of it. Based on what Diana Gage told SX10 though, it seems as if their stance softened somewhat, so maybe Ocean realised they weren't fooling anyone. No one was supposed to know about this dub, but news about it being in the works leaked, inspiring this 379-page thread, which I agree is proof enough that there are those of us who want it released.

That was the biggest issue with a Kickstarter in the beginning, TheBlackPaladin feared if Ocean got word they were working on Kai the whole thing would be shut down and hurt its chances of being released more. Now we know because several of us here have spoke with Ocean directly, they know the cats out of the bag, and have likely just accepted people need to talk about it because otherwise it will just be forgotten and there will be even less reason for companies like Crunchyroll or broadcasters to care.

I think any opportunity we get to speak to the voice actors and spread the word about spreading awareness of this dub. Robo4900 suggested tweet campaigns with hastags, which I could see work, but it would have to have a large backing. VegettoEX said he wants none of it, which is disappointing but not surprising as he's made it crystal clear he doesn't care about English dubs and this site is for promotion of the original Japanese version (which is fine, but so many of us enjoy dubs too, and I feel every version of this show should be celebrated). I wish Geekdom101 would help, he's apparently said most of his audience are people who watched the series on Toonami, hell a lot of them are casual fans and not even aware there is an Ocean dub of Kai, but someone with a large following like him would have more sway than the vast majority of us. Brian Drummond would probably be willing, he really understood fan's frustration and has asked his production co-ordinator (who I assume is Diana Gage) a few times but to no avail. Maybe if he tried something like this that fans can quote, retweet and use the hashtag, and if we make some noise something can happen:

Who wants to hear some good screams for old times sake #I'mVegeta #ReleasetheOceandubofKai

Wow thank you for the run down it’s definitely helpful for those out of the loop or new to the discussion in general, but I agree with everything you’ve said and it’s great to hear others are still just as passionate about ocean Kai, I think a monthly tweet/ hashtag on socials aimed at toei and Crunchyroll could be the way to go about and it would be a great way to gauge interest, a bit like an Ocean dub spirit bomb! It’s a similar tactic the shenmue fans did in getting Sony to help with there game.

[MasenkoHA]

Wow thank you for the run down it’s definitely helpful for those out of the loop or new to the discussion in general, but I agree with everything you’ve said and it’s great to hear others are still just as passionate about ocean Kai, I think a monthly tweet/ hashtag on socials aimed at toei and Crunchyroll could be the way to go about and it would be a great way to gauge interest, a bit like an Ocean dub spirit bomb! It’s a similar tactic the shenmue fans did in getting Sony to help with there game.

Crunchyroll can't do anything and isn't going to do anything. Toei can't make uninterested Canadian networks air a show that's about to be 3 series out of date. Best hope at this point is Toei dumps it off on Tubi or PlutoTV

[sangofe]

Wow thank you for the run down it’s definitely helpful for those out of the loop or new to the discussion in general, but I agree with everything you’ve said and it’s great to hear others are still just as passionate about ocean Kai, I think a monthly tweet/ hashtag on socials aimed at toei and Crunchyroll could be the way to go about and it would be a great way to gauge interest, a bit like an Ocean dub spirit bomb! It’s a similar tactic the shenmue fans did in getting Sony to help with there game.

Crunchyroll can't do anything and isn't going to do anything. Toei can't make uninterested Canadian networks air a show that's about to be 3 series out of date. Best hope at this point is Toei dumps it off on Tubi or PlutoTV

I don't see why a kick starter can't work.

[MasenkoHA]

Wow thank you for the run down it’s definitely helpful for those out of the loop or new to the discussion in general, but I agree with everything you’ve said and it’s great to hear others are still just as passionate about ocean Kai, I think a monthly tweet/ hashtag on socials aimed at toei and Crunchyroll could be the way to go about and it would be a great way to gauge interest, a bit like an Ocean dub spirit bomb! It’s a similar tactic the shenmue fans did in getting Sony to help with there game.

Crunchyroll can't do anything and isn't going to do anything. Toei can't make uninterested Canadian networks air a show that's about to be 3 series out of date. Best hope at this point is Toei dumps it off on Tubi or PlutoTV

I don't see why a kick starter can't work.

A kickstarter for what exactly? The dub has been made, there's nothing for fans to fund. It's a lack of broadcasters interest.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

No problem dbzforeverUK.

Crunchyroll can't do anything and isn't going to do anything. Toei can't make uninterested Canadian networks air a show that's about to be 3 series out of date. Best hope at this point is Toei dumps it off on Tubi or PlutoTV

Poland just got Kai on TV for the first time ever last year after airing Super, India had Super since 2017 with Bang Zoom's dub but only got it dubbed in the local languages in 2022 after Kai premiered for the first time in at least 4 of those languages (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada) and a Castillian dub of Kai is finally coming to Spain.

I don't see any reason Canada can't get Kai on TV for the first time when it's not uncommon even now for dubs of Kai to be aired in various languages before the channels move on to Super, especially when the dub is already complete, which is half the battle.

A kickstarter for what exactly? The dub has been made, there's nothing for fans to fund. It's a lack of broadcasters interest.

Wow Unlimited didn't have the money to launch a linear channel, Toon-A-Vision tried to get Kai, we never heard anything since so it can be assumed the license was too much for them. Raising the funds to get Ocean's dub aired can be a resolution to both problems.

Alternatively, if Ajay can convince people at Crunchyroll to release a Blu-Ray for the British and Irish market, as he did with getting the subtitling error fixed and successfully discouraged the 2013/14 season sets when they were Manga UK the money would go to whatever it would cost to license Ocean Kai and put out a physical release.

[dbzforeverUK]

No problem dbzforeverUK.

Crunchyroll can't do anything and isn't going to do anything. Toei can't make uninterested Canadian networks air a show that's about to be 3 series out of date. Best hope at this point is Toei dumps it off on Tubi or PlutoTV

Poland just got Kai on TV for the first time ever last year after airing Super, India had Super since 2017 with Bang Zoom's dub but only got it dubbed in the local languages in 2022 after Kai premiered for the first time in at least 4 of those languages (Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada) and a Castillian dub of Kai is finally coming to Spain.

I don't see any reason Canada can't get Kai on TV for the first time when it's not uncommon even now for dubs of Kai to be aired in various languages before the channels move on to Super, especially when the dub is already complete, which is half the battle.

A kickstarter for what exactly? The dub has been made, there's nothing for fans to fund. It's a lack of broadcasters interest.

Wow Unlimited didn't have the money to launch a linear channel, Toon-A-Vision tried to get Kai, we never heard anything since so it can be assumed the license was too much for them. Raising the funds to get Ocean's dub aired can be a resolution to both problems.

Alternatively, if Ajay can convince people at Crunchyroll to release a Blu-Ray for the British and Irish market, as he did with getting the subtitling error fixed and successfully discouraged the 2013/14 season sets when they were Manga UK the money would go to whatever it would cost to license Ocean Kai and put out a physical release.

Dragon ball Ireland I think getting a UK & Ireland physical release by Crunchyroll is worth looking into especially if Ajay is willing to look into it but I also agree with what masenkoHA is saying and it does beg the question toei is sat on an alternative dub for Kai which people are interested in why not just let someone air it?

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

No updates on Kai, but wanted to thank sangofe, TheQuazz, Tian and dbzforeverUK for emailing RTÉ requesting this dub air in Ireland. Some of you may feel this country is too small a market, but anything is better than nothing when it comes to this dub being released.

The contact email again is info@rte.ie

If I've not mentioned anyone I apoligize, your awesome, just remember the person in charge of acquisitions may have not made any promises he said they would consider it. It may well happen if he gets enough recommendations and sees the demand is there.

Also, I'm running the new Ocean Dub Fans Facebook page so if anyone wants to give it a like, share and help grow this community once again here it is. I plan to keep it active and use for any social media campaigns, if needed.

[2quid]

I've suggested this before, but there is a new UK kids channel called Moochi we could try pitching Kai too, their target audience leens a bit younger (3-9 years), but hey the US has been doing the reverse for almost a decade now airing Kai and Super exclusively for adult audiences on Toonami, so who knows. We know aside from some mentions of "Hell" this Kai dub is probably extremely kid friendly so worth a shot.

Moochi was the channel I was telling you about last year that was supposed to launch in September

You know I've spoken with one of the higher-ups of that channel, and I'm not gonna discourage you because channels can always change focus, but the way it was pitched to me (we were discussing something unrelated) was with more of a focus on the pre-school/infant school market. DBZ Kai isn't a super great fit for that....

I know on their website they say 3-9 but judging by their programming output, it's very much geared to the younger side of that. Again! They can always shift focus, so we can definitely still try to push for Ocean Kai, but just wanting to give you a bit of a heads up.

Also, I do just want to absolutely confirm that Dragon Ball Z Kai did air on CN Pakistan during 2013-2014 with the Funi English dub, and a Hindi dub which I presume was based off that. As CN Pakistan runs off CN India but with opt outs for certain programming and ad breaks, there's been multiple instances of Pakistan having slightly different programming and schedules. Nowadays, the schedules diverge quite a lot more than they used to in the past. This was a bit off topic but I saw you mention it in another post so just thought I'd mention it.

I have nothing more to say here but the Anime Limited option sounds fantastic! Their team is always super on things so I'm sure now that it's in their radar they'll be waiting to pounce on those licenses. But perhaps looking at Dutch licensor or broadcasters isn't a bad shout.... neither is RTE. Big reminder that Yugioh Capsule Monsters debuted there. I'm hoping to get in touch with some other broadcasters soon about this but it's hard to get the time of day.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Moochi was the channel I was telling you about last year that was supposed to launch in September

You know I've spoken with one of the higher-ups of that channel, and I'm not gonna discourage you because channels can always change focus, but the way it was pitched to me (we were discussing something unrelated) was with more of a focus on the pre-school/infant school market. DBZ Kai isn't a super great fit for that....

I know on their website they say 3-9 but judging by their programming output, it's very much geared to the younger side of that. Again! They can always shift focus, so we can definitely still try to push for Ocean Kai, but just wanting to give you a bit of a heads up.

Welcome back

And yes I have been pushing Moochi for a while, even though I had my doubts when I did more research and seen they aim towards a younger demographic, apparently that was the reason Nicktoons UK had no interest in picking up Kai despite it being so successful for their US channel. I wish the main channel could have picked it Kai though, as they did in France. I remember when Nickelodeon used to air the original Yu-Gi-Oh here and from what I could tell it did very well for them.

What's really weird is that Nicktoons were going out of their way to promote a competing channel (Cartoon Network was mentioned in both their initial reply and follow-up), which makes me wonder if at one point Ocean were in negotiations with Cartoon Network UK? SubZero Ice did say Turner UK weren't interested in Kai but hypothetically if they did they would air the Ocean dub. Granted in theory Cartoon Network UK airing Kai shouldn't have stopped Nicktoons from getting it for their channel or the main channel, but it's possible because original Yu-Gi-Oh aired on 2 channels (Sky One and Nickelodeon) or 3 (RTÉ2) in the case of Ireland, Nickelodeon feared with declining numbers for traditional TV sharing profits with other channels wouldn't make it worthwhile. That would also explain why the rep in that email suggested based on how Kai did in the US (like if it did EVEN better than it already did) it wouldn't be impossible for it to come to the UK too.

I know NitroEX suggested a broken promise or TV deal gone wrong as being the reason for this dub's absence. Ocean clearly saw a valid reason to dub all 98 episodes so they must have been under the impression they could get a return on their investment. It would truly be a shame if Cartoon Network UK betrayed them by deciding at the last minute they didn't want to air any more Dragon Ball.

Also, I do just want to absolutely confirm that Dragon Ball Z Kai did air on CN Pakistan during 2013-2014 with the Funi English dub, and a Hindi dub which I presume was based off that. As CN Pakistan runs off CN India but with opt outs for certain programming and ad breaks, there's been multiple instances of Pakistan having slightly different programming and schedules. Nowadays, the schedules diverge quite a lot more than they used to in the past. This was a bit off topic but I saw you mention it in another post so just thought I'd mention it.

No problem, thanks for the confirmation. Hopefully recordings of that first Hindi Kai dub are out there. I'm pretty sure what aired in 2013-2014 was a different Hindi dub to what Cartoon Network aired in India last year because Ankur Javeri said he only learned when he joined social media in 2020 people were fond of his Goku from the Hindi dub of Dragon Ball Z so the recent dubs were his return to the role after well over a decade.

I have nothing more to say here but the Anime Limited option sounds fantastic! Their team is always super on things so I'm sure now that it's in their radar they'll be waiting to pounce on those licenses. But perhaps looking at Dutch licensor or broadcasters isn't a bad shout.... neither is RTE. Big reminder that Yugioh Capsule Monsters debuted there. I'm hoping to get in touch with some other broadcasters soon about this but it's hard to get the time of day.

So, since I made the suggestion I have spoken to Andy Hanley of Anime Limited, he said it would be possible but only if Crunchyroll lost the UK rights, which he didn't think was likely for anything Dragon Ball. Only one distributor can have home video rights in a given territory at once.

As much as I hate the fact Crunchyroll is trying to kill off the physical media market for anime in the UK and Ireland with their absurd pricing, lack of communication about releases etc, maybe that could become a blessing in disguise if they decide renewing their UK home video license for Kai isn't worth it. Might be worth checking on and off to see if the Kai DVDs and Blu-Rays go out of print again, it doesn't mean they've lost the license but it could be a sign.

Anime Limited are also getting fond of reissuing titles Manga UK and Animatsu (who were basically a sister distributor and later merged) once released, including the just announced Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children, so hopefully Kai too will one day end up in better hands here.

I don't know what the TV market in the Netherlands is like nowadays, but hopefully there is a channel that's a suitable fit for Kai out there. For home video Periscoop Film released Super Broly although they didn't release Super Hero, I hope that was more a case of Crunchyoll getting the Dutch rights but not releasing it rather than Broly underperforming.

And yes I do remember when RTÉ aired Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters in 2006 and being as shocked as everyone was as I'd never heard anything about a new mini-series being in the works until it aired. My only concern would be the fact that RTÉ2 initially removed it after 4 episodes, they did air the remaining episodes a few months later, but I guess that was because they received the masters in error and weren't supposed to broadcast it before other territories. It was still nice to have a world exclusive premier of anything anime-related while it lasted. Maybe RTÉ wouldn't be as hesitant if enough people reached out to them about Ocean Kai because its 14 years old now, especially if they negotiate with Ken Morrison directly as there should be no issues with them getting it before anyone else.

While I don't think RTÉ2 has aired any anime since the mid-2010s with Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal based on the reply I got I would assume they're not exactly opposed to changing focus and revisiting the medium. The person in charge of acquisitions is the same guy whose been there since the early 2000s when they aired Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh and likely knows the demand is there, including properties they've never aired but their British competitors did.

RTÉ is also under pressure now to broadcast better programming especially since the recent scandal which revealed certain presenters were overpaid and the company was spending the public's money on frivolous items. Many are even boycotting the TV license despite threats of fines and court summons. Reportedly if the TV license gets scrapped it will be replaced by a broader media tax, so they may take streaming numbers into consideration, which would be good if a lot of people use Crunchyroll for Dragon Ball.

[Cure Dragon 255]

2QUID IS BACK 2QUID IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this thread, every member that shares the dream of seeing Ocean Kai is an ally in a mighty battle!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Small update, but I commented on one of Lee Tockar's Facebook posts about whether Ocean were still shopping this dub around and here was his response:

Spoiler:

i’m so glad you were inquiring… As to oceans actions I have no idea nor would I ever speak out of turn or out of school on anything that I do know.

All we can do is await for ocean Studios to release the dub at their own leisure, but I do believe that they are missing out on a golden opportunity because now the ocean divers of Dragon Ball Kai is the thing most in demandand I have heard this from many people.

And I really want to be out there in the world among the other freezes… It is a proud lineage that I was proud to be part of.

Best.

Lee Tockar

While there is certainly some wishful thinking here (Ocean Kai sadly isn't the most in demand Dragon Ball production, English or otherwise) but if Lee is still being told how much this dub is wanted that's always good to hear, even if it doesn't promise anything.

[dbzforeverUK]

For those who don’t know Dutch streaming channel Goanime have announced they will stream DragonBall Z Kai on September 6th I’ve asked about which dub they intend to air let’s hope and pray

[mecha3000]

I don't really follow this thread too much, but is there ANY chance of a home release for Ocean's dub of Kai? I would buy the hell out of that! I'm a HUGE Kai fan and the Ocean dub is a perfect chance to relive Kai and make it new again for me and other Kai English dub fans. Especially since Funi Kai has now been released in its entirety and is old news now.

Like, is there any way we can bring it to Crunchyroll's attention to re-release Kai but with the added bonus of the Ocean dub? I'm a little naive on this and I do understand that Funi Kai and Ocean Kai are handled by two different companies, so it's not so simple. Still, that would definitely be an incentive for kids who grew up in the 90s on the Ocean dub, but also for fans like me to get a new experience with Kai. And like I said in another thread, Kai is overdue for a re-release in my opinion.

I mean, if Chris Sabat can bring Brian Drummond on as Copy Vegeta in Super and attend conventions together, then there's clearly no bad blood there. I know that's entirely different than releasing Funi Kai and Ocean Kai together on one release, though. But seriously, Funimation took the time to release the Dragon Ball Z Rock the Dragon set back in 2013, YEARS after they had already used their own in-house cast!!! And if Crunchyroll just marketed this Kai home release as "For the DBZ fans of the '90s comes Kai, the way you remember it as a kid" and "featuring the return of Brian Drummond as Vegeta", this would be MORE THAN ENOUGH to peak interest in these home releases.

At this point, instead of desperately hoping a TV channel can air Ocean Kai, why don't we let Crunchyroll (since they're the only ones who can put out home media of Kai) know that we would love for them to release Ocean Kai alongside a re-release of Funi Kai?

I mean, honestly, Dragon Ball has NOTHING in the pipeline for home releases right now from Crunchyroll. I'm sure they'll go all out for Daima, but Ocean Kai (and for God's sake, the 2008 special which I get has rights issues, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, and Episode of Bardock) would definitely give Dragon Ball a boost in home media sales.

Seriously, stop with the endless re-releases and actually put out new content, Crunchyroll! (I'm aware there's a bit of irony there considering Kai would be a re-release, but hopefully it would include Ocean Kai).

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

There's a saying that I think sums this up well.

"It's showbiz, not showfriends".

Because, yes I'd love for Crunchyroll to put out an Ocean Kai Blu-Ray but the problem is themselves and Ocean are competing companies and they each have their own dubs it's their job to sell.

Businesses generally don't help each other though, unless it's seen as mutually beneficial (i.e. Funimation hiring Ocean to edit their dub of Kai for Nicktoons) but Crunchyroll probably don't see licensing Ocean Kai in that light, as its probably assume it would be too niche a release that wouldn't be worth the cost of acquiring.

That said I don't think all hope is lost for a home release, and I think maybe it could be pulled off if enough of us strike while the iron's hot now.

You see a company that releases home video has just gotten the rights to Kai in the Netherlands (where the Westwood Z and Blue Water GT dubs aired). dbzforeverUK pointed out GoAnime/Periscoop are streaming Kai soon, but they also release Blu-Rays, and released Super Broly with an English audio option.

I urge everyone who wants Ocean Kai released to ask GoAnime/Periscoop (which appear to be the same company to:

• Contact Ocean Studios and make enquiries about licensing their Kai dub
• When they decide to add an English audio option for Kai on their streaming service ensure its the Ocean dub they've picked up for that purpose
• If Kai does well on the streaming platform put it out on home video (I think we should let Periscoop know they would get a lot of imports if they put out an Ocean Kai home release, which wouldn't be the case if they released the Funimation/Crunchyroll dub because thats already widely available)

The September 6th date, I would suspect, is for when Kai will be coming to GoAnime with the Japanese version and Dutch dub but they said they will add English audio if people are interested so expect that to come some time after. The important thing is we make our voices heard in time.

I'm also going to be writing up a new petition. DBZImran said he would be willing to do a video to raise awareness of this dub if I make something like that he can link his viewers too, so hopefully I can get that going this weekend.

I'd love it if Geekdom101 could make a video too, I'm sure it would blow up for him given how massive a following he has, he's even said he would like to see this dub as he's a fan of the Ocean cast. I really think people give up too easily but if we could pull together as a fandom to really advocate for this dub, spreading the message far and wide on socials I believe that we can finally get it out there.

[Cure Dragon 255]

PEOPLE I DONT KNOW if Dragon Ball Ireland shared this already but he said if we email some dutch companies who ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK Ocean Kai will finally air at last. If you are interested in seeing this, even a little, PLEASE HELP OUT!!!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

To Cure Dragon 255's point yes, please everyone contact the Dutch streaming services GoAnime and Videoland before they make a decision about adding an English dub. GoAnime can be reached at info@goanime.nl and Videoland's contact options are here.

I've also created a Twitter (not calling it X) page for the purpose of (hopefully) creating a successful social media campaign. Please like and retweet this with #ReleaseOceanKai or any hashtags you think would be helpful.

Also sign the new petition. It's at 40 signatures but I plan to keep it open as long as I can.

Ocean Kai will never die as long as I'm in this fandom, so let's continue to spread the good word far and wide, especially now in the Netherlands.

[sangofe]

I've emailed goanime.