Thoughts on the sudden resurgence of Kai?

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

An unexpected turn of events happened within the last few years. You see when Dragon Ball Super rolled around there was a prevailing narrative within the fandom that Dragon Ball Kai was old news that no one cared about anymore, but that seems to have changed.

The earliest example I'm aware of was in summer 2021 when Kai became available in a form it had not yet seen - streaming on WeTV in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Now, you could say that didn't mean anything, but fast forward to 2022 and we see Kai finally started coming to streaming in the western world with HBO Max in Latin America, and just recently Crunchyroll finally began streaming it in the UK, Ireland and France.

Of course, it was only last year we started getting a load of new dubs. First it was the Hindi (redub), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada dubs all coming to India, then Poland suddenly announced Kai was getting dubbed, now this year we've had the announcement of not just the Castillian Spanish dub, but as of yesterday we know a Dutch dub is coming.

And if that wasn't enough, in Spain Dragon Ball Kai was shown in theatres. Pretty big deal for a show that is 15 years old when Dragon Ball Daima is soon to be TOEI's big focus.

So what changed? Is it because Kai is now old enough to have a nostalgic following or is TOEI simply trying to milk it as much as they can before Daima since they did all they could for Super?

For me personally, as a staunch Ocean Kai advocate I'm quite happy about this and hope it continues .

[Tian]

I believe that since Toei managed to get licensing and marketing deals with Super and SUPER HERO in the most possible international markets they could, they now considered to switch the priority to Kai and try to get more international deals for it, specially in the territories they couldn't in the first run of distribution like the Castillian speaking Spain and Netherlands.

This current second run of distribution (which uses only the original Japanese version as source) was a big surprise to me. Just like you said, I thought Kai was becoming a thing of the past and Toei was done with distributing it but I was wrong.

Although, I'm glad I was wrong because there are more new dubs to follow. Maybe we'll hear news about a Italian or Hungarian dub of Kai soon or maybe not. Who knows.

[Cure Dragon 255]

As long as its dubbed good and or released subbed well, I am happy.

I would be ULTRA HAPPY if Ocean Kai came out.

[OmegaRockman]

Well, considering Kai is my favorite anime, I'm really excited about it. I'm glad Kai finally has streaming homes across the English-speaking world so I don't have to tell people to buy a ton of expensive home releases to try it out (even if the rollout on Hulu in the US has...issues). I'm also happy to see Kai make its return to US TV through reruns on Toonami, both the regular block and Rewind. Between Kai and Viz Sailor Moon, I'd say Rewind has been a solid win for English versions of anime that aim to preserve the originals' integrity.

I also always love seeing other countries use Kai as an opportunity to rectify issues with their past localizations, be it with how past dubs were handled or their countries never receiving dubs of the older series at all. Like, I'm super excited for Polish folks who finally get the show with a proper dub (and a pretty solid one from what I hear). Ditto for the Netherlands. I'm also excited for folks in Spain to finally get a dub that's shaping up to be on the same level of the Latin Spanish dubs (sans Kai 1-98, but at least Latin Spanish speakers weren't in desperate need of a better Z dub, even if I wish their Kai dub was better handled). India seems to be getting some great dubs too, even if they're still seemingly based on the Funimation version. At least that dub is good, so hopefully they haven't lost a ton in the game of telephone.

Ultimately, it warms my heart to see Kai once again accomplishing its original goal of being a gateway for new and returning fans alike. It doesn't hurt that tons of regions are getting better dubs on top of it all.

I have a feeling that with Super bringing the franchise back in a big way, some regions (especially those that haven't had complete dubs of the previous shows) are hungry for more Dragon Ball. However, they might not be willing to shell out for a long, possibly dated-feeling series like Z, so why not get the faster paced remaster that's 40% shorter? After all, it's remastered in HD, and the reduced episode count probably makes it cheaper license and DEFINITELY cheaper to dub. On the viewers' end, it's an easier week-to-week watch thanks to the improved pacing and modern dubs. It's a win-win for everybody.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Maybe we'll hear news about a Italian or Hungarian dub of Kai soon or maybe not. Who knows.

Possibly Hungarian, apparently Dragon Ball Z was in constant reruns for several years before Super, I guess since the series was fully dubbed and never had a complete run on RTL Klub it probably made more sense to capitalize on the unaired episodes that TOEI never got royalties from since the ban. Now it's been a few years since Z ended on Hungarian TV and I don't think Viasat 6 still air it, so it might make sense to revisit older material if they get a dub of Daima and that does well.

Don't think an Italian dub of Kai will happen, because apparently it was ruled out on the basis of being no different from Dragon Ball Z by at least two channels and one home video distributor:

Shiku wrote on December 11, 2015:

The Mediaset director of the children's segment stated since the release of the Kai series that he was not interested in purchasing it since it was not unreleased material; a thought that we now know is also shared by the director of Rai 4. As underlined by the broadcaster and the AnimeClick staff, all the no's, yes's and maybe's are not definitive. Many titles in the future could be taken into consideration with an expansion of the animation range, but Kai still seems destined to skip Italy now. Not even Dynit, for now, has shown itself interested in a purchase with its own distribution of DVDs and Blu-Rays.

^ translated from Italian via Google.

I'm hoping Denmark will finally get one Dragon Ball series completed with this upcoming Super dub. Maybe if it and Daima do well we could see a Danish dub of Super down the road, or better yet maybe Dragon Ball can finally find success in Scandinavia. I'd love for sangofe to finally get a Norwegian dub of Kai.

I like your idea about this being a second international rollout for Kai, as I don't think it's a coincidence TOEI started with India, which has now surpassed China as the world's most populated country. Its also great India are getting a second chance as the 2013/2014 Hindi dub doesn't seem to have done well (it's lost now and information on it is quite scarce).

Maybe TOEI could try get Kai out to Cambodia as they supposedly aired Z instead during the 2010s, although sadly if that happens we may never see any of it as it doesn't seen like enough people care to preserve Khmer dubs (supposedly the only anime being shared are Doraemon 79 and Reborn and Cambodian torrenting sites mostly just have Thai dramas).

As long as its dubbed good and or released subbed well, I am happy.

I would be ULTRA HAPPY if Ocean Kai came out.

Yeah same. Luckily from what I've heard fans in the respective target territories and even some international fans have given the recent run of Kai dubs generally favorable reviews. A recurring trend I've seen is that most of them are regarded as improvements over their Super dubs (I guess this is helped by the fact a lot of them like the Indian and Polish dubs came after Super).

I wish Corus didn't have such a monopoly on kids TV in Canada, as Kai would have had a much better chance there if the broadcasting market for anime wasn't so dominated by more toy-centric Pokemon/Beyblade type shows.

India seems to be getting some great dubs too, even if they're still seemingly based on the Funimation version. At least that dub is good, so hopefully they haven't lost a ton in the game of telephone.

I believe episodes 1-27 of their Super dubs is based on Bang Zoom because unlike South Africa, India never received the Funimation masters for those episodes. I wouldn't be surprised if the remainder of the recent dubs were based on Funimation though, its kind of a tradition now for India.

From what I've been told by fans who watched these dubs they rank them as follows:

1. Hindi
2. Kannada
3. Telugu
4. Tamil
5. Malayalam (although apparently the Kai dub was a step-up from Super)

[Tian]

Don't think an Italian dub of Kai will happen, because apparently it was ruled out on the basis of being no different from Dragon Ball Z by at least two channels and one home video distributor:

Shiku wrote on December 11, 2015:

The Mediaset director of the children's segment stated since the release of the Kai series that he was not interested in purchasing it since it was not unreleased material; a thought that we now know is also shared by the director of Rai 4. As underlined by the broadcaster and the AnimeClick staff, all the no's, yes's and maybe's are not definitive. Many titles in the future could be taken into consideration with an expansion of the animation range, but Kai still seems destined to skip Italy now. Not even Dynit, for now, has shown itself interested in a purchase with its own distribution of DVDs and Blu-Rays.

^ translated from Italian via Google.

I've heard about Mediaset's refusal to acquire Kai but had no idea it was also rejected by RAI and Dynit.

It's a pity but their point is understandable.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I am glad Italy's Z dub aint that bad, sure it is bit bad, but I can only begin to imagine what fans in a country that dubbed Z horribly would feel if everyone rejected doing Kai.

[JulieYBM]

I hope the extra attention from licensees leads to a remake of some sort for 2029. If they get the project rolling now while they still have Daima staff on hand they could do a really nice remake series with a similarly long production schedule.

[MasenkoHA]

Kai is probably cheaper (less episodes) and less problematic (no child peen, no characters flipping the bird, somewhat less gore) so that probably makes it easier/more desirable for licensees than Z. I can't really call it a victory being on a dying medium (traditional television). Being put on more mass appeal streaming services like HBOMax for Latin America and Hulu for US is definitely a good thing for Kai fans. It's just a shame Crunchyroll can't do one simple thing right and mixed the Nicktoons version with the home video versions...somehow....beyond all rational logic.

[90sDBZ]

Kai is probably cheaper (less episodes) and less problematic (no child peen, no characters flipping the bird, somewhat less gore) so that probably makes it easier/more desirable for licensees than Z.

Basically this.

It's the same forever popular Z story, but faster paced. Kai has its issues (awkward editing, redrawn scenes, limited Kikuchi score etc..), but the average viewer watching for the first time likely won't even care/notice.

For people who have no prior attachment to Z, Kai is a solid introduction to that portion of the story.

It got a lot of hate from older fans back when it aired in 2010, and it also failed to sell toys. But it also successfully introduced a new generation to the franchise. And many have come around to liking it in recent years, to the point that it often gets recommended to newcomers over Z.

I get the sense that its become slowly more liked and accepted by the wider fanbase over the years. For everyone who still hates it, there's someone else singing its praises.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I remember that Z Kai was mega popular on TV, many kids grew up watching it, The CW's broadcast was way more censored, but even more kids got introduced, and then came Toonami that outdid both and became Z Kai TV Home, even now.

Now I know NO ONE wants to hear me out on Me TV. But I do wonder, if a network that isnt Toonami, what dub would they go? Z Kai or Z? Z has more nostalgia (And Me TV is all too ready to exploit 80's nostalgia. Even more recent!) but it really doesnt stand on its own otherwise. For all its faults Z Kai is a way better show for new fans with no love or knowledge of Faulconer or Mondo Cool jokes.

[MasenkoHA]

Now I know NO ONE wants to hear me out on Me TV. But I do wonder, if a network that isnt Toonami, what dub would they go? Z Kai or Z? Z has more nostalgia (And Me TV is all too ready to exploit 80's nostalgia. Even more recent!) but it really doesnt stand on its own otherwise. For all its faults Z Kai is a way better show for new fans with no love or knowledge of Faulconer or Mondo Cool jokes.

Ignoring that in the context of the US Dragon Ball Z isn't 80s nostalgia but late 90s/early 2000s nostalgia, a network would almost definitely get Dragon Ball Z Kai. Aside from the fact that Kai is shorter there's still some blood in edited Z because of Cartoon Network's lax standards at the time. And if MeTV feels uncomfortable with Mr.Popo being a walking minstrel show, the Toonzai edit with Blue Popo is ready to go.

Also the edited version of Z has the Mike Smith, Scott Morgan, and Julius Dobos score and supposedly Bruce Faulconer gets royalties whenever their score is played on tv which is another reason for Crunchyroll to use Kai with the Kikuchi score.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Yeah, I couldn't see MeTV Toons or any channel being very happy with the constant need to pay Bruce Faulconer royalties that would come with a TV broadcast. It's understandable with home video because there's a lot more middlemen (retailers, multiple audio tracks, Steve Simmons, etc) so Crunchyroll/Funimation stand to make a lot more money from the sales of DVDs and Blu-Rays than Faulconer would (which would probably be miniscule in comparison to TV airings).

I think it's very telling when Toonami pulled that April Fools prank in 2012 and aired Dragon Ball Z on the one day but have never rerun it in the two years before they picked up Kai or anytime since. Cartoon Network clearly still had the rights to Dragon Ball Z but weren't willing to continue to capitalize it or renew their license so they went for Kai and never looked back.

In fact I think when Dragon Ball Z was streaming on Hulu the only dub track option was Funimation's dub with the Kikuchi score, which says it all really.

[TechExpert2021]

I remember that Z Kai was mega popular on TV, many kids grew up watching it, The CW's broadcast was way more censored, but even more kids got introduced, and then came Toonami that outdid both and became Z Kai TV Home, even now.

Now I know NO ONE wants to hear me out on Me TV. But I do wonder, if a network that isnt Toonami, what dub would they go? Z Kai or Z? Z has more nostalgia (And Me TV is all too ready to exploit 80's nostalgia. Even more recent!) but it really doesnt stand on its own otherwise. For all its faults Z Kai is a way better show for new fans with no love or knowledge of Faulconer or Mondo Cool jokes.

If MeTV were to go with DBZ, they would use the Funimation dub (from their faux-remastered Season Blu-Rays) with the original Japanese soundtrack. Also, they would have to use the original uncropped 4:3 broadcast masters of DBZ and sync it with the dub, as FUNimation's "Remastered" footage of DBZ looks godawful.

Because MeTV is a syndication network, DBZ has to be censored to be suitable for broadcast there, probably on the level of the Ocean/Saban dub of DBZ or the CW4Kids Toonzai broadcasts of FUNimation's DBZ Kai dub.

Or if it wants to be completely uncut, DBZ should be on a cable or premium channel that airs anime uncut. It can be either the dub or the original Japanese version, but I guess they should go with the original Japanese version subtitled into English.

In fact I think when Dragon Ball Z was streaming on Hulu the only dub track option was Funimation's dub with the Kikuchi score, which says it all really.

Hulu also had OG Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. OG DB on Hulu is only the original Japanese version with hard-coded English subtitles. I don't know about DBGT on Hulu though. Maybe it's the original Japanese version or the dub?

[Cure Dragon 255]

I remember that Z Kai was mega popular on TV, many kids grew up watching it, The CW's broadcast was way more censored, but even more kids got introduced, and then came Toonami that outdid both and became Z Kai TV Home, even now.

Now I know NO ONE wants to hear me out on Me TV. But I do wonder, if a network that isnt Toonami, what dub would they go? Z Kai or Z? Z has more nostalgia (And Me TV is all too ready to exploit 80's nostalgia. Even more recent!) but it really doesnt stand on its own otherwise. For all its faults Z Kai is a way better show for new fans with no love or knowledge of Faulconer or Mondo Cool jokes.

If MeTV were to go with DBZ, they would use the Funimation dub (from their faux-remastered Season Blu-Rays) with the original Japanese soundtrack. Also, they would have to use the original uncropped 4:3 broadcast masters of DBZ and sync it with the dub, as FUNimation's "Remastered" footage of DBZ looks godawful.

Because MeTV is a syndication network, DBZ has to be censored to be suitable for broadcast there, probably on the level of the Ocean/Saban dub of DBZ or the CW4Kids Toonzai broadcasts of FUNimation's DBZ Kai dub.

Or if it wants to be completely uncut, DBZ should be on a cable or premium channel that airs anime uncut. It can be either the dub or the original Japanese version, but I guess they should go with the original Japanese version subtitled into English.

In fact I think when Dragon Ball Z was streaming on Hulu the only dub track option was Funimation's dub with the Kikuchi score, which says it all really.

Hulu also had OG Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. OG DB on Hulu is only the original Japanese version with hard-coded English subtitles. I don't know about DBGT on Hulu though. Maybe it's the original Japanese version or the dub?

I was about to object but this is very much true, Me TV is not a traditional network but a syndication network, its a network that thrives on classic media being aired in syndication. The CW wants to follow that path, they are nuking all their scripted shows. One thing I disagree though. Me TV Or its Toons spinoff dont really mind violence or even guns being fired, or even suicide with actual guns. The one thing they dont like is Racism, but I doubt they would take out the 4kids Kai version. I think Funimation would subcontract a company (Ocean Maybe?) to do Blue Popo but in a less tacky and shoddily edited way. Violence is okay with them.

Also I really want to make a "A Showa Era show Vs a 90's show: The way Dragon Ball Is Perceived in the west". Dragon Ball, thanks to the time it took to get dubbed. Masenko Ha is right that its 90's kids and onward who feel nostalgia, NOT 80's kids.

I really hope continues to be an enduring success, no matter what. Z or Z Kai.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

I think Funimation would subcontract a company (Ocean Maybe?) to do Blue Popo but in a less tacky and shoddily edited way.

Sadly, I don't think Funimation has hired Ocean to edit any of their shows since Kai on Nicktoons. If they subcontract anyone to do a job like that it's more than likely a company like Bang Zoom who are not as far from Texas and probably cheaper (although Bang Zoom wouldn't do as good a job as Ocean).

[MasenkoHA]

If MeTV were to go with DBZ, they would use the Funimation dub (from their faux-remastered Season Blu-Rays) with the original Japanese soundtrack. Also, they would have to use the original uncropped 4:3 broadcast masters of DBZ and sync it with the dub, as FUNimation's "Remastered" footage of DBZ looks godawful.


Because MeTV is a syndication network, DBZ has to be censored to be suitable for broadcast there, probably on the level of the Ocean/Saban dub of DBZ or the CW4Kids Toonzai broadcasts of FUNimation's DBZ Kai dub.

They're not about to make extra edits for a tv broadcast that will be lucky to see half a million viewers

It would absolutely be the Toonzai edit of Kai with blue Popo

Hulu also had OG Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. OG DB on Hulu is only the original Japanese version with hard-coded English subtitles. I don't know about DBGT on Hulu though. Maybe it's the original Japanese version or the dub?

Its subtitled Japanese

Og Dragon Ball- Japanese with English subs

Kai- English dub alternates between home video release and Nicktoons version


GT- Japanese with English subs

Super- English dub

Super Broli- English dub

[Cure Dragon 255]

If MeTV were to go with DBZ, they would use the Funimation dub (from their faux-remastered Season Blu-Rays) with the original Japanese soundtrack. Also, they would have to use the original uncropped 4:3 broadcast masters of DBZ and sync it with the dub, as FUNimation's "Remastered" footage of DBZ looks godawful.


Because MeTV is a syndication network, DBZ has to be censored to be suitable for broadcast there, probably on the level of the Ocean/Saban dub of DBZ or the CW4Kids Toonzai broadcasts of FUNimation's DBZ Kai dub.

They're not about to make extra edits for a tv broadcast that will be lucky to see half a million viewers

It would absolutely be the Toonzai edit of Kai with blue Popo

Hulu also had OG Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. OG DB on Hulu is only the original Japanese version with hard-coded English subtitles. I don't know about DBGT on Hulu though. Maybe it's the original Japanese version or the dub?

Its subtitled Japanese

Og Dragon Ball- Japanese with English subs

Kai- English dub alternates between home video release and Nicktoons version


GT- Japanese with English subs

Super- English dub

Super Broli- English dub

They would because they know their audience HATES censorship. Not boomers, but animation lovers. Even the lightest, gentlest edits that are extremely understandable (A news article with a joke about a Japanese Warship sinking and mocking their deaths on a Looney Tunes cartoon.) Have an army of "CENSORSHIP IS RUINING OUR CARTOONS!" ranting at Me TV. It just occured me. Another reason to use Kai would be Killa. Killa has a normal voice in Kai but Z... Oh god.

Also It may reach only 500k... but in this day and age, that's a lot. Especially if you do the exact opposite of Toonzai and aim at adults instead. 500k in an adult demographic is extremely profitable. Like really profitable. Me TV's mainstreamiest hit Svengoolie, does 600k on a normal day (It has also seen 1 million too) One reason The CW killed Toonzai/Vortexx was that despite that 1 million viewers, the block couldnt really squeeze money out of it. Kids Commercial time is too regulated to be able to make a profit. Now that this channel is basically an adult syndicated network they REALLY can squeeze a lot of money.

So editing so adults can watch is worth it.

[Tian]

About Me Toons, I honestly don't really think it as a network likely to ever air any of the Dragon Ball series.

And I'm even saying this with the knowledge that TV networks from different genres and audiences have aired the series of the Dragon Ball franchise like Comedy Central in Spain (which as the name states airs sitcoms and stand-up routines) and AXN in Romania (which airs cops & crime shows)

Although, this doesn't mean I'm against Cure's wish of having Dragon Ball on that network. It's my just personal opinion about this Me Toons matter.

[sangofe]

I hope the extra attention from licensees leads to a remake of some sort for 2029. If they get the project rolling now while they still have Daima staff on hand they could do a really nice remake series with a similarly long production schedule.

I hope a remake never happens. I'd rather have an uncut properly remastered new hd scan of the classic series.