What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

Post Reply
Jord
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1484
Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 8:13 am

What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by Jord » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:12 pm

I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find a topic on it. I've read a lot of explanations on it online but is there an official reason why it's called 'Z'?
Jord doesn't have a avatar because the combination of Jord and a equally cool avatar would cause the universe to implode.
Top
User avatar
Rukura
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1848
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:29 pm
Location: Space Lisbon, Space Portugal

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by Rukura » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:18 pm

Jord wrote:I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find a topic on it. I've read a lot of explanations on it online but is there an official reason why it's called 'Z'?
The long and the short of it is that Toei wanted to rebrand the anime for that point onward. They went to Toriyama and he went with "Dragon Ball Z". The "Z" was to make people think it was gonna end soon.

The rest is deliciously ironic history :lol:
Full checklist of all Xenoverse clothing pieces, accessories and Z-Souls (Many thanks to jrdemr for the Z-Souls sheet): https://www.dropbox.com/s/u8vxc8m0fehev ... .xlsx?dl=0
Top
User avatar
DBZGTKOSDH
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 12401
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:45 pm
Location: Greece

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by DBZGTKOSDH » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:25 pm

Rukura wrote:The "Z" was to make people think it was gonna end soon.
Well, he wanted to make himself think it was gonna end soon, actually. :lol:
He added Z because it's the last letter of the English alphabet, because it was supposed to end soon.
James Teal (Animerica 1996) wrote:When you think about it, there are a number of similarities between the Chinese-inspired Son Goku and that most American of superhero icons, Superman. Both are aliens sent to Earth shortly after birth to escape the destruction of their homeworlds; both possess super-strength, flight, super-speed, heightened senses and the ability to cast energy blasts. But the crucial difference between them lies not only in how they view the world, but in how the world views them.

Superman is, and always has been, a symbol for truth, justice, and upstanding moral fortitude–a role model and leader as much as a fighter. The more down-to-earth Goku has no illusions about being responsible for maintaining social order, or for setting some kind of moral example for the entire world. Goku is simply a martial artist who’s devoted his life toward perfecting his fighting skills and other abilities. Though never shy about risking his life to save either one person or the entire world, he just doesn’t believe that the balance of the world rests in any way on his shoulders, and he has no need to shape any part of it in his image. Goku is an idealist, and believes that there is some good in everyone, but he is unconcerned with the big picture of the world…unless it has to do with some kind of fight. Politics, society, law and order don’t have much bearing on his life, but he’s a man who knows right from wrong.
Top
User avatar
desirecampbell
Moderator
Posts: 4296
Joined: Sat Oct 22, 2005 9:55 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada
Contact:
Contact desirecampbell

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by desirecampbell » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:26 pm

Jord wrote:I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find a topic on it. I've read a lot of explanations on it online but is there an official reason why it's called 'Z'?
I can't remember which interview it was (one of the "Shenlog Times"?) but I believe Toriyama said he chose the name "Dragon Ball Z" because Z is the last letter of the English alphabet and he thought the series would be ending soon.
Top
User avatar
dbboxkaifan
Banned
Posts: 8906
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:32 pm

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by dbboxkaifan » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:36 pm

It's the sequel of Dragon Ball and the last by Akira Toriyama in terms of manga-to-anime (?). Possibly.

The DB in DBZ in Japanese stands for Zetto, in English it's Zed (UK) or Zii (US).
FUNimation 2015 Releases I want:
- Kai 2.0 on Blu-ray
Top
User avatar
DBZGTKOSDH
Namekian Warrior
Posts: 12401
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:45 pm
Location: Greece

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by DBZGTKOSDH » Wed Jun 13, 2012 1:40 pm

Here: http://www.kanzenshuu.com/production/toriyama/#dbz
James Teal (Animerica 1996) wrote:When you think about it, there are a number of similarities between the Chinese-inspired Son Goku and that most American of superhero icons, Superman. Both are aliens sent to Earth shortly after birth to escape the destruction of their homeworlds; both possess super-strength, flight, super-speed, heightened senses and the ability to cast energy blasts. But the crucial difference between them lies not only in how they view the world, but in how the world views them.

Superman is, and always has been, a symbol for truth, justice, and upstanding moral fortitude–a role model and leader as much as a fighter. The more down-to-earth Goku has no illusions about being responsible for maintaining social order, or for setting some kind of moral example for the entire world. Goku is simply a martial artist who’s devoted his life toward perfecting his fighting skills and other abilities. Though never shy about risking his life to save either one person or the entire world, he just doesn’t believe that the balance of the world rests in any way on his shoulders, and he has no need to shape any part of it in his image. Goku is an idealist, and believes that there is some good in everyone, but he is unconcerned with the big picture of the world…unless it has to do with some kind of fight. Politics, society, law and order don’t have much bearing on his life, but he’s a man who knows right from wrong.
Top
kei17
I Live Here
Posts: 4142
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 9:23 am

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by kei17 » Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:02 pm

I personally guess that he also got the idea from Mazinger Z.
Top
User avatar
Ringworm128
Banned
Posts: 2976
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 3:27 am

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by Ringworm128 » Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:02 pm

I'm sure it's not true but I once heard that the Z was also thought up because it was fitting for an action series (which DB had become at the time).
Top
User avatar
Zestanor
Regular
Posts: 556
Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 4:28 pm
Contact:
Contact Zestanor

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by Zestanor » Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:02 pm

ringworm128 wrote:I'm sure it's not true but I once heard that the Z was also thought up because it was fitting for an action series (which DB had become at the time).
I don't think the letter Z had anything to do with fighting series until it was actually used for Dragon Ball Z.
Top
User avatar
DragonBoxZTheMovies
I Live Here
Posts: 2831
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2010 8:01 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: What does the Z in Dragon Ball Z stand for?

Post by DragonBoxZTheMovies » Fri Jun 15, 2012 12:37 am

When I was 11, I thought it stood for Zenkai. :P
Top
Post Reply

Return to “General Franchise Discussion”