Dragon Ball Z Episode 1

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Mini Goku is Just Precious! I'm Gohan
Japanese English
ミニ悟空はおぼっちゃま！ボク悟飯です Mini Gokū wa Obotchama! Boku Gohan Desu
Air Date	26 April 1989 (Fuji TV)
Opening	CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA
Eyecatch	1st Eyecatch
Ending	Come Out, Incredible ZENKAI Power!
Episode Data
Chapters	Dragon Ball Chapter 195
TV Rating	18.2%
Format	4:3 (NTSC)
Main Staff Credits
Scenario	Takao Koyama
Art	Yūji Ikeda
Animation	Masayuki Uchiyama
Director	Daisuke Nishio
FUNimation English Dub
Title	The New Threat
Air Date	14 June 2005 (Cartoon Network)

"Mini Goku is Just Precious! I'm Gohan" is the first episode of the Japanese animated television series Dragon Ball Z. The episode first aired in Japan on Fuji TV on 26 April 1989, receiving a ratings share of 18.2%. It was written by series organizer Takao Koyama and directed by series director Daisuke Nishio.

Synopsis

It has been five years since the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budōkai. Goku and Chi-Chi have a son, Gohan, and they live on Mount Paozu. But meanwhile, a spaceship lands far away, and from it an alien appears! As he searches for "Kakarrot" the man discovers Piccolo, who is giving off strong power. But even Piccolo, Goku's equal, is petrified before this man's tremendous power!! The alien then picks up another strong power, and heads off in that direction.

Summary

Prologue

It is a beautiful day in the countryside. Adults are laboring and children are playing at a large farmhouse where pink ostrich-like creatures graze. Five years have passed since Son Goku defeated Piccolo, and peace has reigned ever since. However, there is a new threat on the way to Earth in a space pod.

Part A

At Mount Paozu, Chi-Chi calls for Gohan, telling him that lunch is ready. Goku searches the forest for firewood; when he finds an appropriate tree, he fells it with a single punch. Chi-Chi is still calling for Gohan when Goku drops the tree in front of their house. She asks him where Gohan is, but he only complains that he is hungry. Frustrated, she asks him again if he has seen Gohan, and Goku says he has not. Chi-Chi wonders aloud where he could have gone, noting that if they do not eat and get going, Muten Rōshi will get impatient waiting for them. Goku offers to go find Gohan; Chi-Chi says he cannot have gone far. As Goku leaves, Chi-Chi wonders what she is going to do with Gohan.

Back at the farm, a farmer is forking hay into the bed of a Chevrolet pickup truck, thinking about how close he is to being finished, when a space pod crashes into the nearby farmland. The farmer is alarmed, wondering whether it is a meteor or a UFO, and he rushes to investigate in his truck. When he arrives at the crater, he exits the truck and approaches the crater with a shotgun in hand. Seeing that it is not a meteor, he wonders what it could be. Just then, Raditz emerges from the pod and floats out of the crater, coming to land in front of the farmer. Raditz realizes that the planet's inhabitants are still alive, and curses Kakarrot. The farmer demands to know who he is, and Raditz touches a button on his scouter, reading the farmer's battle power. Seeing that it is only 5, he dismisses the farmer as trash. The farmer warns Raditz not to come any closer or he will kill him; Raditz steps closer anyway, and the farmer shoots. Raditz catches the bullet in his hand and then flicks it back at the farmer, propelling him into his truck and to his death. Raditz scoffs at the weakness of Earthlings, and then notices a significant battle power on his scouter at a range of 4,880. He takes off, wondering if this could be Kakarrot.

The Farmer's truck was probably based on this 1981 Chevrolet C Series pickup.

Gohan is wandering through the forest, crying and calling for his father. He sits down by a tree trunk where a giant butterfly lands and then flies away. Gohan chases after the butterfly, asking it to wait for him, but it alights up a tree. Gohan resolves to jump to its location but he falls short, and the butterfly flies away. Gohan continues his search until he notices a rustling bush. He goes to investigate, and is scared when a large saber-toothed cat emerges from the bush. Gohan decides to play dead, hoping the cat will ignore him. The cat licks him and steals his hat, causing Gohan to cry because it was a gift from his father. Gohan chases after the cat in tears of anger, and the cat runs from him. When Gohan is about to catch up, the cat changes direction. Gohan doesn't notice, plunging ahead through a group of bushes, where he finds himself over open air. As he falls, his eyes close in apparent sleep.

Part B

When Gohan awakes, he is hanging by his tail from a branch over a small ledge. He drops to the ledge, dusts off his clothes, and starts crying again. Goku searches the forest, calling for Gohan as he passes the tree stump where Gohan encountered the butterfly. Gohan continues to wander, crossing a small, rocky river and crying for his parents as he walks alongside it. He spots a colorful bird sitting on the end of a log that juts out over the water. Gohan is fascinated by the bird's headdress, and he carefully walks out on the log, settling down when he reaches the bird. He compliments the bird, which it seems to acknowledge, and then Gohan introduces himself. The bird flies away, and as Gohan reaches for it, the log falls in the water. He tries desperately to hold on, calling for his parents as he floats down the river. Meanwhile, Goku spots Gohan's hat passing by above the bushes. He sees the saber-toothed cat wearing it, and inquires after the hat, informing the cat that it belongs to his son, and asking how the cat acquired it. The cat tries to growl threateningly, which causes Goku to ask more forcefully. The cat is frightened and runs away, leaving the hat behind.

Gohan continues to float down the river, which is getting progressively wider and more perilous. He almost loses his log when it hits a rock, but he manages to grab hold of it again. Goku is searching the river on Kinto-un, calling for Gohan. He finally spots Gohan hanging onto the log, and Gohan hears his voice. Goku tells him to wait; he is coming to save him. He tries to reach for Gohan, but Kinto-un will not go low enough. At that moment, they approach a place where the river tunnels through a cliff. Goku flies above the cliff, intending to find Gohan on the other side, while Gohan cries for his parents in terror as the river carries him through the darkness of the tunnel. The river emerges from the cliff in a steep waterfall, and Goku does not make it in time to catch Gohan. He hears Gohan crying, and sets out to search for him at the bottom of the waterfall, but then he realizes that the voice is coming from a great distance above the waterfall. Gohan has somehow managed to jump up, grabbing hold of a branch emerging from the cliff. Goku flies up to him on Kinto-un, and Gohan jumps into his lap. Goku looks down at the waterfall below, blinks in confusion, and asks Gohan what happened, but Gohan does not know. Goku returns the hat to Gohan's head, and suggests they go home; Chi-Chi is worried about him, and the Turtle Hermit is waiting for them. Gohan happily agrees.

Raditz flies through the air in search of the great battle power. He passes over a city full of happy, thriving people, and he curses Kakarrot again. Piccolo is standing on a windy cliff when he senses a great power coming toward him. He fears that it might be Goku, but then Raditz arrives, seeming disappointed that it is not Kakarrot after all. Piccolo asks who he is and what he wants. Raditz says he has no business with the likes of Piccolo, and Piccolo asks why he has come, and whether he wants to die. Raditz laughs and mocks Piccolo's optimism; he uses his scouter to read Piccolo's battle power, which is 322. Raditz is impressed that this planet has people with such power, but he informs Piccolo that he is still no threat. Piccolo is offended, and asks Raditz whether he knows who he is talking to. Raditz says he does not, and Piccolo grows frustrated. He wonders how this man has such power, and attacks in desperation, but Raditz is unaffected, calling his technique worthless and asking if all it can do is kick up dust. Piccolo is speechless. Raditz offers to show what he can do; he raises a hand to charge an attack, but then another reading on his scouter diverts his attention. He flies up to try to get a location for the reading, and finds it at a range of 12,909. He notes that it is the largest power on this planet, and he is certain that this must be Kakarrot. He flies away, and Piccolo collapses to catch his breath, sweating and gasping for air. He laments Raditz's ridiculous power; he was so terrified that he could not move.

As Raditz flies toward his target, he asks whether Kakarrot has lost the pride of the Saiyans, the mightiest warriors in the universe. There is imagery of baby Kakarrot being placed inside a space pod and then departing from a war-torn planet as the other Saiyans watch. Who are these Saiyans, and who is Kakarrot? Goku's past will finally be explained!

Cast

The following table provides the cast as credited in the original Japanese broadcast. Additional characters/cast members not originally credited, or with speaking roles exclusive to a specific dubbing, have been included at the bottom of the table.

Character	Cast
	Japanese	English (FUNimation)
Son Goku	Masako Nozawa	Seán Schemmel
Son Gohan		Stephanie Nadolny
Chi-Chi	Mayumi Shō	Cynthia Cranz
Piccolo	Toshio Furukawa	Christopher R. Sabat
Raditz	Shigeru Chiba	Justin Cook
Farmer	Ginzō Matsuo
Narration	Jōji Yanami	Kyle Hebert
Saber Tiger		Jakie Cabe

Main Staff

The following list provides the main staff responsible for the production of this episode as credited in this specific episode's ending credits.

• Scenario: Takao Koyama
• Director (Storyboard): Daisuke Nishio
• Animation Supervisor: Masayuki Uchiyama
• Art Director: Yūji Ikeda

• Key Animation: Tai'ichirō Ohara, Naotoshi Shida, Akio Katada, Tetsuya Saeki
• Special Effects: Kazuya Sakurada
• Photography: Tetsuo Ōfuji
• Assistant Director: Tatsuya Orime
• Production Progression: Akihiko Yamaguchi

Music

The following table is a scene-by-scene account of the musical tracks used in this episode.

Dragon Ball Z Episode 1: Shunsuke Kikuchi OST
Catalogue	Scene	Title	Releases
M729	Peace and tranquility	Peace and Tranquility	BGM 1:7(e)
M724	Raditz's ship	The Vast Expanse of Space	D4:8(a), BGM 1:12(a)
M708A-1	Title Card	Title Card I	D4:2(b), BGM 1:2(b)
M704	Chi-Chi calls for Gohan	Peaceful Mood	D4:12(b), BGM 1:16(b)
M727	Farmer investigates ship	Vegeta's Theme	D4:6(b), BGM 1:8(b)
M725	Raditz!	The Saiyans Appear Theme Music	D4:6(a), BGM 1:8(a)
M726	Farmer's battle power	Gohan's Dream of Goku Returning	D4:8(b), BGM 1:12(b)
M714	Gohan's first scene	Gohan's First Scene	BGM 1:10(b)
M720	Gohan chases the butterfly	Gohan Chases the Butterfly	BGM 1:11(d)
N/A	The saber-toothed cat	Gohan In Peril
M717	Gohan wants his hat back!	Gohan Wants His Hat Back!	D4:8(a), BGM 1:10(c)
N/A	Gohan falls	And Down They Go! (DB)
M709A	Eyecatch 1-A	Eyecatch 1-A	D4:12(c), BGM 1:16(c)
M709B	Eyecatch 1-B	Eyecatch 1-B	D4:12(d), BGM 1:16(d)
N/A	Gohan at the river	Gohan's Crying Theme
M713	Exotic bird	Gohan's Lullaby	BGM 1:10(a)
N/A	Gohan drifts downriver	Gohan In Peril
M706	Goku tries to rescue Gohan	Cha-La Elation (Chorus Arranged)	D4:18(b), BGM 2:7(b)
M740	Gohan through the tunnel	Heavy Crisis	D4:6(c), BGM 1:8(c)
M704	Raditz flies over a city	Peaceful Mood	D4:12(b), BGM 1:16(b)
M726	Raditz meets Piccolo	Gohan's Dream of Goku Returning	D4:8(b), BGM 1:12(b)
M711	Piccolo is angry	Piccolo's Bell Theme	BGM 1:11(b)
N/A	Piccolo in shock	Bongo Leaves Smugly (DB M1)
M741	Goku's heritage	Boiling Blood	D4:7(c), BGM 1:9(c)

Tidbits

• Raditz's pod flies in front of a sun which closely resembles that from the opening to Dragon Ball.

• Mystical Adventure! Homage
• 
  The original scene from Mystical Adventure!
• 
  Raditz flies past a suspiciously similar sun.

External Links

• Kanzenshuu Episode Guide - Dragon Ball Z Episode 1
• Kenisu's Dragon Ball Z BGM Guide