CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA

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CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA is the first opening theme song for the Dragon Ball Z TV anime series, used from episode 1 until episode 199. It was written by Yukinojō Mori with vocals by Hironobu Kageyama. As the major theme used by the program for much of its run, the animation behind CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA was updated twice (in episodes 22 and 118) to reflect the changing plot and antagonists for the series. A widescreen version was also used for the first nine Dragon Ball Z movies, with special animation commissioned for Dragon Ball Z Movie 3 to reflect the plot of that film. Fifteen years after its last use in the anime, CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA was once again used as the opening theme of Dragon Ball: Heya! Son Goku and Friends Return!!, the Jump Super Anime Tour special. That version featured updated animation, as if the original has been further progressed into the Boo-arc and its characters.

Credits

• Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori
• Composition: Chiho Kiyo'oka
• Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
• Vocals: Hironobu Kageyama

Variations

Original Version

The original version and its variations depict Son Gohan's training, highlighting him as the key new character in the Z series.

Document original version used in episodes 1 - 21

The title page for Dragon Ball Chapter 1

Gohan flees from a dinosaur from Dragon Ball Z Episode 7

. The red background and green coloration on the dinosaur are different from the version in the opening.

	The opening begins with an eclipse which quickly comes into focus as the One-star ball with a reverse "Z" moving over the surface. The styling on the "Z" echos the top and bottom strokes on the kame (亀) on Son Goku's gi, with the crossbar in the Z echoing in the whitespace in the kana.
	This transitions into the new series logo for Dragon Ball Z. The dragon from this logo, like that of the preceding series, is taken from the title page of the first chapter of the manga. The one-star ball gradually slides into the "O" in "Dragon"
	The logo falls away to reveal a scene in the sky. Son Goku flies on the Kintoun with Son Gohan. Gohan is wearing his yellow and green Chinese clothes with the four-star ball on his hat. His design resembles that used in the first five episodes of the series, prior to being taken away by Piccolo.
	The scene shifts to a first-person view of flying between some oddly-shaped green hills. Suddenly, the Four-Star Ball slides into view before being passed by Goku and Gohan, still riding the Kintoun. The remaining Dragon Balls appear in the sky.
	The view changes to an aerial view of the same area, featuring the strange hills as well as woods and plains. An ocean can be seen in the distance.
	The scene shifts again, this time to a view of an iceberg collapsing into an ocean. The lyrics of this section (溶けた北極の中に, Toketa kōri no naka ni) refer to melting polar ice, the likely inspiration for this scene.
	The view transitions to a brown landscape dominated by a red aura and explosion. Kintoun, too far away to see clearly, flies in front of the malstrom. This section of animation appears to be calling back to a previous lyric (火山を爆発させる, Kazan o bakuhatsu saseru) about an exploding volcano.
	Gohan, now a bit older, flees from a dinosaur. This is a recolored (or an earlier version of a) shot from Dragon Ball Z Episode 7. This relates to a lyric (恐竜がいたら 玉乗り仕込みたいね, Kyōryū ga itara tamanori shikomitai ne) in the theme referring to training a dinosaur to ride on a ball.
	A silver energy ball or comet flies towards the camera.
	Three red streaks fall towards the Earth. These may refer to the arrival of Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta, however the pods did not arrive together in the series itself.

Character Appearances:

Todo: Document which opening sequence scenes were taken from specific episodes

Second Version

Document second version used in episodes 22 - 117

Third Version

Document third version used in episodes 118 - 199

Homage during the Cell Games

During the Cell Games, the animators made several callbacks to this original opening theme, already nearing the end of its run. In Dragon Ball Z Episode 178, Son Goku was in the early stages of his battle against Cell. As a display of power, Goku charged up his ki and then expelled it in a lightning-backed explosion that closely mirrored the same animation in the opening, albeit with Son Goku as a Super Saiyan rather than being in his base form. In the following episode, Piccolo was hit by a shockwave caused by that continuing battle. His silhouette against the explosion called back to a similar moment in the same opening animation.

• Episode 178 Homage
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  Episode 178 features the same flex...
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  ...and the same lightning and aura effect.

• Episode 179 Homage
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  Episode 179 shows Piccolo silhouetted against an explosion with the same cape movement and light effects.