What if DB came to America in the 1980s?

[Son Geeko]

This poped up in my mind not too long ago, while DB was first airing in Japan back in the 1980s, what if DB came to America around the same time it was still airing in Japan and became a big success? Would all the same kids who watched Transfomers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, He-Man, and Thunder Cats wake up every Saturday Morning to watch action-packed episodes of Dragon Ball Z where Goku and his friends fight the evil forces of Freeza? Would they keep the original opening and closing songs or replace them with new catchy songs? Would there be strong merchandise sales? Would they add PSAs at the end of every episode with Goku telling kids not to do drugs? Would the title be changed? Would it be "americanized" to make it look like other popular kids shows at the time? How would the voices and the script sound like? Would there be name changes and if so how many characters would had their names changed? Or maybe best of all, how would they edit it?

Discuss. =P

(Yes, I know about the Harmony Gold dub of DB movies 1 and 3, but this is about how you would imagine how any kind of DB american dub in the 80s would be like.)

[Super Sonic]

The voices would likely be different as Funimation's cast were for the most part in their teens or younger.

[MetaMoss]

If it was in the 80s, then probably would be Harmony Gold doing the dubbing, since they were the pretty much premiere American anime dubber/distributor in the 80s. If Robotech is any indication, they would create a new soundtrack, but it would be more on the tone of the original, or at least not be synthesized. They would also try to keep censoring to a minimum, but they subsequent FHE video release would cut out stuff... But it would be Dragon Ball that they would be watching, not DBZ. If it was successful, they would air the whole series, with probably a 2 to 4 year delay behind the Japanese production. Also, it would be probably one of the shows my dad would have fond memories of watching during the late 70s through the 80s (when he was in, then out of college). But, like Robotech, there would be the name changes...

[19Nyoi-bō95]

We'd know Goku as Zero..... Yeah

[Son Geeko]

The voices would likely be different as Funimation's cast were for the most part in their teens or younger.

Obviously Funimation would not dub it since they weren't around at that time.

[linkdude20002001]

If it was in the 80s, then probably would be Harmony Gold doing the dubbing, since they were the pretty much premiere American anime dubber/distributor in the 80s. If Robotech is any indication, they would create a new soundtrack, but it would be more on the tone of the original, or at least not be synthesized. They would also try to keep censoring to a minimum, but they subsequent FHE video release would cut out stuff... But it would be Dragon Ball that they would be watching, not DBZ. If it was successful, they would air the whole series, with probably a 2 to 4 year delay behind the Japanese production. Also, it would be probably one of the shows my dad would have fond memories of watching during the late 70s through the 80s (when he was in, then out of college). But, like Robotech, there would be the name changes...

Well, we DID get DB in the 80's. 1989, but still the 80's. And it WAS Harmony Gold. It had the original score, and an English version of Makafushigi Adventure! with lyrics by Kathryn Nelligan. I don't know how long it lasted, though...

[Chibi Gohan]

You'd also have Bongo (Kuririn), Lena (Bulma), and many different names... However my personal favorite would've been Whiskers the Wondercat.

[Chuquita]

It would've completely missed me, that's for sure; I would have been too young or not born yet at all.

I'm willing to bet that the character name changes (like Zero) would have stuck. I don't think there would have ever been U.S. releases for the Dragon Box either.

[Hellspawn28]

I think things would very different today if the DB anime was released a year later after it did in 1986. I was not born in the 80's, but from what I have seen, I doubt the series would be very popular in the 80's in the US. The early episodes of Dragon Ball seem like something that kids would not be into.

I'm gald we got Dragon Ball in the mid 90's. I have no idea what Harmony Gold dub of Dragon Ball Z and GT would have been like?

[Kendamu]

I have a feeling that the dubbing would be horrible, but it would be one of those things that's looked back upon with nostalgia. It'd be a very fun thing to check out once in awhile with fond memories, the series would eventually be released on DVD, and on some corner of the Internet there'd be a small group of fans who demanded an awesome Japanese language release.

So... not much different than how things actually turned out!

[MetaMoss]

Well, we DID get DB in the 80's. 1989, but still the 80's. And it WAS Harmony Gold. It had the original score, and an English version of Makafushigi Adventure! with lyrics by Kathryn Nelligan. I don't know how long it lasted, though...

I know all about that. I'm just saying that if we got it a little earlier in the 80's when the other popular 80's cartoons were airing, what I wrote would happen. And another thing to add, if it did happen, Harmony Gold would have had enough cash to finish up Robotech II: The Sentinels instead of that hour-long special that got no where into the story!

[laserkid]

As someone who DID grow up in the 80s, I can tell you part of WHY I love Dragonball so much IS that it feels like those older shows I grew up with, it fits very well with them, and I'm sure it would have taken off wonderfully. Ironically when I first saw the 1995 dub of DB, I thought it WAS an 80s cartoon. xP

As for how it would've been handled, I think the HG dub we have seen is an excellent indication.

[Vhanos]

If it was in the 80s, then probably would be Harmony Gold doing the dubbing, since they were the pretty much premiere American anime dubber/distributor in the 80s. If Robotech is any indication, they would create a new soundtrack, but it would be more on the tone of the original, or at least not be synthesized. They would also try to keep censoring to a minimum, but they subsequent FHE video release would cut out stuff... But it would be Dragon Ball that they would be watching, not DBZ. If it was successful, they would air the whole series, with probably a 2 to 4 year delay behind the Japanese production. Also, it would be probably one of the shows my dad would have fond memories of watching during the late 70s through the 80s (when he was in, then out of college). But, like Robotech, there would be the name changes...

Well, we DID get DB in the 80's. 1989, but still the 80's. And it WAS Harmony Gold. It had the original score, and an English version of Makafushigi Adventure! with lyrics by Kathryn Nelligan. I don't know how long it lasted, though...

Not that long I assume. It was in a time slot where not that many people would get up for. Also, the first Dragon Ball isn't a draw like Z is.

Z will always be the more glamorous one over the first DB.

[Super Sonic]

If it came to America in the 80s be it a dub of Mystical Adventure or an original for the US one, the theme song might've been pretty cool. A lot of those 80s cartoons themes were pretty nice and still are, even to guys who didn't watch the shows or don't remember them. For example, I don't really remember watching M.A.S.K. and was too young to remember watching Mighty Orbots, though I apparently watched it with my dad as he quoted from it quite a bit, but when I saw their themes on youtube I thought they were pretty nice.

[Raki]

Dragonball would be a cult hit like Transformers and GI Joe.

[Gaffer Tape]

GI Joe and Transformers were pretty damn popular in mainstream culture. I wouldn't say they were cult hits.

[Herms]

Ironically when I first saw the 1995 dub of DB, I thought it WAS an 80s cartoon. xP

Well, DB did first air during the 80s.

[Kunzait_83]

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