MistareFusion's Dragon Ball Dissection! (Updated 12/31/25!)

[Gaffer Tape]

The Forgotten Crossover - Dragon Ball Dissection: Dr. Slump (1997)

We begin our look at Dragon Ball's dead era of the late '90s and early 2000s. That journey brings us to an unexpected place and an unexpected hidden gem. This time period saw a revival of Dr. Slump, and the inhabitants of Penguin Village are more than happy to give Goku a place to stay (and a story arc) while he's between series. What could have been a retreaded bit of fluff ends up going in amazing new directions that force us to reflect on the nature of crossovers! I hope you like it!

[Gaffer Tape]

Freeza's Secret Son? - Dragon Ball Dissection: Neko Majin

Dragon Ball Dissection returns to the late '90s and early 2000s, Japan's dead era of Dragon Ball. Perhaps it's not as dead as people thought, because while there wasn't a running Dragon Ball series, it did see Neko Majin, an irreverent Toriyama comedy that constantly wants to remind you that Dragon Ball exists. From Vegeta and Goku cameos to secret sons to Oob in training, is this the canon sequel to Dragon Ball that we otherwise never got?

This definitely takes me back. Unlike most of what I've covered, this is something I remember happening when I was in the fandom! I hope you like it!

[Vegeta th3 4th]

I'm surprised this has not been animated yet considering it's the only Toriyama project to take part after End of Z (despite not making the most sense). With Sand Land getting animated, hopefully this will be next. I'm very much looking forward to your thoughts on the modern material, so it's great to finally move there starting with the 2008 OVA.

[Gaffer Tape]

I'm surprised this has not been animated yet considering it's the only Toriyama project to take part after End of Z (despite not making the most sense). With Sand Land getting animated, hopefully this will be next. I'm very much looking forward to your thoughts on the modern material, so it's great to finally move there starting with the 2008 OVA.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to the JSAT too. That's probably the first Dragon Ball thing I was there for to see when it was brand-new, and it was quite exciting. I remember watching it online over and over again when Toei was hosting it for a limited time. A new piece of media hosted online? That had never happened before!

[dragonballhero]

Dragon Ball Dissection is back for 2025, baby!

Toriyama's Dragon Ball Prototypes - Dragon Ball Dissection: Dragon Boy and The Adventure of Tongpoo

Dragon Ball Dissection continues forward by going all the way back to the beginning. Before the beginning! When Toriyama began brainstorming a new martial arts series, he drew two stories, Dragon Boy and The Adventure of Tongpoo. From characters to plot points to jokes, these one-shots should feel eerily familiar to anyone who is experienced with Dragon Ball. Today we dive into those stories and explore where Dragon Ball came from. Hope you enjoy it!

I finally got around to watching this dissection yesterday, and I have to admit that it's legit fascinating to see how proto-DB was formed. I hope I don't sound odd for saying this, but Tantong and Tongpoo actually look kind of... adorable, honestly.

What's more, Toriyama using such designs twice over (in addition to Goku himself being set to use that design) make me wonder... given how Dr. Slump was going to be more of a parody of Astro Boy by having the android character be a boy instead of a girl, do you think the 2 proto-Gokus were meant to be what Toriyama's male android character was going to look like for that series?

By the way, do you think the Princess (from Dragon Boy) and Plamo (from Tongpoo) also served as respective proto-designs for Chi-Chi and Bulma's big sister Tights?

Well, in the case of the latter... maybe it's moreso that Toriyama remembered Plamo during Jaco's development and decided to reuse her general design for Tights.

The Forgotten Crossover - Dragon Ball Dissection: Dr. Slump (1997)

We begin our look at Dragon Ball's dead era of the late '90s and early 2000s. That journey brings us to an unexpected place and an unexpected hidden gem. This time period saw a revival of Dr. Slump, and the inhabitants of Penguin Village are more than happy to give Goku a place to stay (and a story arc) while he's between series. What could have been a retreaded bit of fluff ends up going in amazing new directions that force us to reflect on the nature of crossovers! I hope you like it!

Personally, I'm happy that you decided to take a little 'detour' and cover this! Dr. Slump '97 is already such an obscure piece of Toriyama-related media that any love it gets is a plus in my book. Given how even the Japanese fanbase doesn't seem to care all too much for this show, I always looked this situation in this lens: 'If Dr. Slump '81 is Disney's DuckTales '87, then Dr. Slump '97 is Disney's Quack Pack.'. Both shows are a product of their time, but clearly, one managed to develop a longer-lasting legacy compared to the other.

Really, this whole crossover makes me wish that Dr. Slump wasn't written off by so many people in English-speaking territories just because it was a gag series. Dr. Slump ALWAYS helps remind me that Toriyama was a gag writer at heart and, BOY, did that series hammer that point in whenever it could. I mean, I'm STILL floored by the sight of Goku attending ACTUAL school of all things.

Anyways, I have to admit that this crossover in particular reminds me that, even though DB itself had come to an end in mid '95 (the manga)/late '97 (the anime), it's not as though Goku and the gang TOTALLY went away. In a way, I sort of like that feeling of the DB gang being like Japanese idols who (by all accounts) retire, and simply make the occasional guest appearance in future stuff.

Which actually leads into my thoughts regarding the next DB thing you cover...

Freeza's Secret Son? - Dragon Ball Dissection: Neko Majin

Dragon Ball Dissection returns to the late '90s and early 2000s, Japan's dead era of Dragon Ball. Perhaps it's not as dead as people thought, because while there wasn't a running Dragon Ball series, it did see Neko Majin, an irreverent Toriyama comedy that constantly wants to remind you that Dragon Ball exists. From Vegeta and Goku cameos to secret sons to Oob in training, is this the canon sequel to Dragon Ball that we otherwise never got?

This definitely takes me back. Unlike most of what I've covered, this is something I remember happening when I was in the fandom! I hope you like it!

While I brought up the whole Japanese idols making guest appearances following their retirement bit, I'd say your Fonzie reference is definitely WAY more fitting for Uub and the Son family's cameo in Neko Majin's final chapter. Embarrassingly enough, I'm actually someone who brings up "that panel" to explain that Goku didn't 'abandon his loved ones and returned as he promised.

Anyways, Neko Majin is probably my favorite of Toriyama's non-DB works or at the very least, in the top 5. I adore the 'What if Bugs Bunny was dropped into Dragon Ball?' vibe the series had going on and I have to admit that seeing the DB cast (and DB-adjacent cast) get involved in situations that DIDN'T involve high-stakes battles was SUCH a refreshing sight to me, ESPECIALLY after following Super for all of this time.

Ngl, there was a part of me that legit wondered if you were going to throw a REALLY quick '2005 DB Fashion Extravaganza' on us, but I guess not.
If anything, I was curious to hear your thought on Uub wearing a Kame-dogi, Pan looking totally different than what we get from her in GT (and by extension, looking more like a taller version of the version of her we see at the end of the OG manga) and Goten's leather jacket casual fit (which, BTW is my favorite older Goten design ever and I really hope modern DB uses it someday).

Frankly, with how forgetful Toriyama could be? There's a part of me that was (and still kind of is) surprised to see that he seemed to remember what Pan and Goten looked like near the end of the OG manga to NOT use their GT designs for their Neko Majin cameos (especially in Pan's case).

That aside, I have a confession to make... despite everything I've said about Dr. Slump earlier, I think it's more accurate to say that Neko Majin is where I TRULY began to find new appreciation for Toriyama as a gag mangaka, not to say that I ever disliked his gag stuff prior to that point, of course. In fact, this newfound appreciation is something I've been thinking about recently ever since learning about how Toriyama truly WAS forced to continue DB into the Majin Buu arc, and the reason for that arc's tone shift after Cell.

Between that and Daima, it makes me remember that I just don't think we're ever going to get a comedian like Toriyama to work on DB ever again, so I make sure to appreciate what the man himself was able to give us while he was still around.


Well, with all of that said... I can't wait to see you cover DB's 2008 OVA! If anything, that AND Neko Majin were THE pieces of 'dead-era DB' content that I've really been waiting to hear your thoughts on. This might sound a bit odd, but I'm curious as to what were your thoughts on CHA-LA HEAD CHA-LA getting used as the OP theme AND the fact that the Majin Buu arc (sort of) has its own version of the song now.

[Gaffer Tape]

The Origin of Modern Dragon Ball - Dragon Ball Dissection: Heya! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!

Dragon Ball Dissection tackles the 2008 Jump Super Anime Tour Special! Does it still hold value amid Battle of Gods and everything since? What makes something a "movie"? Why do so many people think there's a "Yo!" in the title? And whatever happened to Vegeta's brother, anyway?

[Scsigs]

I really wish that special was able to be dubbed & included on an international release. I think it was rumored to have been dubbed into English years ago, but considering no clips from said dub have surfaced & none of the actors have mentioned it, I'm very certain it was never dubbed & someone either made that up, or got confused. I think that may have also come from the fact that Tarble appeared in Raging Blast 2 where Todd Haberkorn voiced him in English. Even Episode of Bardock & Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans got released on the discs for DBZ For Kinect & Raging Blast 2 (hell, Raging Blast 2 is what the second was made for since they also featured Hachiyack as the main villain in it), so I'm surprised they never did something like that. Even if they did something like reanimating it, I would love to see it.

[Gaffer Tape]

I really wish that special was able to be dubbed & included on an international release. I think it was rumored to have been dubbed into English years ago, but considering no clips from said dub have surfaced & none of the actors have mentioned it, I'm very certain it was never dubbed & someone either made that up, or got confused. I think that may have also come from the fact that Tarble appeared in Raging Blast 2 where Todd Haberkorn voiced him in English. Even Episode of Bardock & Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans got released on the discs for DBZ For Kinect & Raging Blast 2 (hell, Raging Blast 2 is what the second was made for since they also featured Hachiyack as the main villain in it), so I'm surprised they never did something like that. Even if they did something like reanimating it, I would love to see it.

While researching this video I remember seeing a convention interview with Chris Sabat and Sean Schemmel where the former talked about their issues with licensing/dubbing it, and how, if they did end up dubbing it, they might feel compelled to recast Haberkorn after having cast him as Jaco.

[Scsigs]

While researching this video I remember seeing a convention interview with Chris Sabat and Sean Schemmel where the former talked about their issues with licensing/dubbing it, and how, if they did end up dubbing it, they might feel compelled to recast Haberkorn after having cast him as Jaco.

I can see that, but only if the voice he used sounds close enough to his Jaco one. They COULD maybe go with Justin Briner. The only DB roles he's had are kid Vegeta in the games & Super, Uub for some reason in Xenoverse 2, & the World Tournament announcer in the overworld for Kakarot. He'd probably be a good fit since he can do a pretty spot-on imitation of Sabat's Vegeta inflections, just as a kid.

[Gaffer Tape]

Magnificent Cringe - Dragon Ball Dissection: The Korean and Taiwanese Live-Action Movies

This was an amazingly fun one. I had never watched these movies before, and they were an experience I'll never forget. From cowboy Yamcha with a pet bird to a Kamehameha-firing Oolong to Goku with a gatling gun, there are just some parallel universes that are more interesting than others. I decided to do a live premiere for this one last night, and it's been one of the great joys of my 13 years doing DBD to get to see people react to every WTF moment in real time. So if you haven't checked this one out yet, I hope you will!

[Kid Buu]

- I'd seen the Taiwanese film but never even knew of the Korean one.
- Yet, it looks like the Korean one came out first?
- 3:43 YES SAILOR MOON PGSM SHOUT OUT
- I love the first arc so I kinda want to watch the Korean film lol.
- Love Sailor Luna PGSM btw.
- Damn, even in Korean film form, Yamcha is more useless than Oolong and the turtle.
- Saw the Taiwanese on International Channel once, but there were no subtitles.
- Budget looks better than the Korean one.
- Taiwan!Roshi is entertaining
- Heh was gonna mention Reboot too.
- James Bond Goku at the end lol. Never thought of that crossover.
- I kinda dig Evolution lol, but that's a discussion for another time.

South Korea and their film industry have both come a long way since that film got made. Would be cool if they did another take.

[WittyUsername]

I remember watching a YouTube upload of the Taiwanese film in 2009, around the same time DBE was in theaters. It was definitely not the “special edition” though. It’s rather annoying how that’s apparently a thing.

[Gaffer Tape]

- I'd seen the Taiwanese film but never even knew of the Korean one.
- Yet, it looks like the Korean one came out first?
- 3:43 YES SAILOR MOON PGSM SHOUT OUT
- I love the first arc so I kinda want to watch the Korean film lol.
- Love Sailor Luna PGSM btw.
- Damn, even in Korean film form, Yamcha is more useless than Oolong and the turtle.
- Saw the Taiwanese on International Channel once, but there were no subtitles.
- Budget looks better than the Korean one.
- Taiwan!Roshi is entertaining
- Heh was gonna mention Reboot too.
- James Bond Goku at the end lol. Never thought of that crossover.
- I kinda dig Evolution lol, but that's a discussion for another time.

South Korea and their film industry have both come a long way since that film got made. Would be cool if they did another take.

I will always take the opportunity to stan PGSM. I'm really looking forward to seeing Evolution again. I remember not hating it.

I remember watching a YouTube upload of the Taiwanese film in 2009, around the same time DBE was in theaters. It was definitely not the “special edition” though. It’s rather annoying how that’s apparently a thing.

Yeah, that was such a weird choice. Like I said in the video, it only makes sense to me if they were trying to make it easier to laugh at.

[Kid Buu]

DB Evolution always had B-movie Sci Fi Channel vibes. Nothing great, but somewhat watchable.

Also love how they managed to tie Ayumi Hamasaki in the Dragon Ball IP.

[Gaffer Tape]

An Evolutionary Dead End - Dragon Ball Dissection: Dragonball Evolution

Not to be outdone by Taiwan and Korea, the good old U.S. of A decided to try their hand at a Dragon Ball movie. How did it turn out? Well, um... hey, all of you angry commenters finally get a video where I say "Bulma." Aren't you excited? No, but for real, there's a lot to break down about this movie, emphasis on breaking. I hope you like it!

[Scsigs]

Just gonna copy/paste my YouTube comment here.

I gotta say, it's pretty surreal to hear you pronounce some of the names like a regular English-speaking DB fan rather than your usual ways (mainly Goku).

Yeah, the fact that the script writer threw in weird references to Airbending is just really weird & reeks of him researching something that was popular at the time that a lot more people, which ended up being Avatar: The Last Airbender for some reason. Funnily enough, Avatar would receive its own adaptation the next year, which while being closer to its source material than DB Evolution, definitely was as much of a letdown as it because M. Night Shyamalan also came into it without much passion for the original series (he literally said he did it because his daughter loved the show) & it showed with how he adapted the episodes of the show he did in the script & how elements of the film came out filmmaking-wise. Avatar's a good show, but it's not that compatible with Dragon Ball.

I think it's only more recently that most fans have realized that most DB characters have only 1 name with no surname, hence why "Bulma Briefs" is used for her since a lot of English-speaking fans at the time assumed that was her last name since her dad's name is Dr. Briefs. Though his name is more of a Dr. Phil situation.

You're...actually right when it comes to where this movie takes most of its narrative inspiration. I didn't even realize the parallels between this movie & the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie. I get that that movie was a hug success & is a good movie, but that doesn't fit Dragon Ball, at least when looking at anything with Goku as the main protagonist.

I think the best piece of trivia about this movie is that McFly was apparently tapped to write a song for this movie which they recorded a demo of, but didn't make it into the movie. They then rerecorded it a few years ago & released it as a single. The song's story has nothing to do with either the movie or the show, but it's pretty good, imo.
https://youtu.be/qNHiEuIBC5Y?si=OwMRr4klyU4YnLqB

Also, the serendipity that a band named after Marty McFly and Mr. Fusion from Back to the Future would be involved in something DB related. Though, McFly I think was tapped because they were in a shitty Fox movie 3 years earlier & Fox liked them enough to ask them about it.

[Zephyr]

Still catching up, haven't watched the Evolution video yet.

Magnificent Cringe - Dragon Ball Dissection: The Korean and Taiwanese Live-Action Movies

These movies look like they'd be a real fun time with friends. The Turtle throwing hands with Pilaf is hilarious.

Minor translation nitpick, but I think "Xian" is basically just the Chinese equivalent of "Sennin". So, they actually did a pretty straightforward translation/adaptation with his name. "Turtle Fairy", while technically correct, wouldn't be a very good English translation.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

You spent an hour and a half watching this movie, thirty minutes talking about it, and god knows how long writing the video's script. Someone get this reviewer a Senzu bean...two Senzu beans.

[Zephyr]

Okay, finally watched the Evolution video.

I remember seeing trailers for this at the time, and it not even registering that it was a live action adaptation of Dragon Ball. It looked so unlike DB that I thought the name was 100% coincidental.

When I did finally watch this, it was with some friends and some beers. I was hoping it would at least be a fun disaster to watch, but I just found it really dull and boring.

As said before, the Korean and Taiwanese films look like they'd actually be fun to watch with friends while drinking.

[Vegeta th3 4th]

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this movie has done irreversible damage to anime in Hollywood. This movie was so bad, so disliked, that Hollywood just never attempted to bring anime to life again, despite being known for attempting something multiple times before giving up on it. This one movie made them go "nope, never again". Your movie has to be a special kind of bad to not just kill any potential in your franchise, but every franchise from Japan. I do realize that we've gotten small projects here and there, but nothing on the level of current comic book movies.

In a world where we have movies such as Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame, I do believe that Dragon Ball in live action can work, but pulling it off wouldn't be easy. As far as tech goes, the advancements made since 2009 make it possible to pretty much bring any anime or book to live action now, so that's no longer a concern. Finding the right talent shouldn't be too difficult either, as a good actor can play any role given to them, assuming of course they fit said role. With these two out of the way, here are the three issues that I believe make it difficult to bring Dragon Ball to the big screen:

1- The director: It's one thing to find a talented director, it's another to find one who also understands Dragon Ball as envisioned by Toriyama back in the 80s and 90s. Considering how little the people in-charge of the franchise itself in Japan don't understand it, I don't know how likely it is to find a Hollywood director who does, much less one talented enough to bring it to life.

2- The budget: A series as action-packed as Dragon Ball would not be cheap to make, and considering how basically every anime project from Hollywood has either under performed or outright failed, I don't know how likely it is to find a studio willing to invest upwards of $200 million in any anime movie. Even the best directors need money to work with, so without it, their talent and knowledge of the franchise will only take them so far.

The marketing: Dragon Ball as a brand has been severely diluted thanks mostly to its three sequels: GT, Super, & Daima. If Dragon Ball as a franchise was only its original manga and its anime adaption (DB & Z), then I think the marketing team would have an easier time convincing people to go see it in theaters. Considering how front and center trash like Super has been, chances are that's what someone will think of or find when they hear "Dragon Ball", which will instantly kill their interest in the movie.