Episode Summaries
Following the success and popularity of the manga series, Toei Animation began to produce an anime adaptation based on the manga. On Wednesday, February 26, 1986, the first episode of the Dragon Ball TV series premiered directly into a prime time spot on the Fuji Television Network at 7:30pm Tokyo time (5:30am in Toronto). Due to the manga still being written as the show was airing, Toei Animation would occasionally create original anime-only side-stories, or sometimes even entire story arcs, to ensure that the development of the television show was kept behind that of the manga. This anime-only material is often referred to "filler," as it "fills" the space between events that do occur in the manga.
As the story progressed, Dragon Ball had become much more action-oriented. To denote this change, along with a considerable plot twist, the title of the anime was changed to Dragon Ball Z while the manga's title remained the same. Dragon Ball Z would follow up and expand upon Dragon Ball's 153 episodes and three theatrical movies, with 291 episodes (276 if counted edited), 2 feature-length TV specials, and 13 theatrical movies of its own. Following the conclusion of both the anime and manga series, Toei Animation picked up the rights to create an additional anime-only series, Dragon Ball GT.
The GT storyline picked up right where Dragon Ball Z had left off, but brought back the comedic aspect of the original series that had been so sparse throughout Dragon Ball Z. The series had almost reached two years, when it was brought to an abrupt end on November 19, 1997, due to low ratings. For the first time in nearly twelve years, the Fuji TV line-up did not include a Dragon Ball series.
In early 2009, Toei Animation announced (in Weekly Shonen Jump issue #11) that a "refreshed" version of the Dragon Ball Z anime TV series, re-titled Dragon Ball Kai (re-titledDragon Ball Z Kai in FUNimation's release), was being produced for a high-definition (HD) widescreen presentation in honor of its 20th anniversary. The first "refreshed" episode aired on April 5, 2009 (Toriyama's birthday) with re-recorded dialogue, new music, updated sound effects, and new digital effects. Toei's announcement stressed that the series would have a higher "sense of excitement", indicating that the majority, if not all, of the "filler" would be cut, consequently shortening the series from its original 291 episodes. So far, there has been no mention of a similar "refresh" for Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball GT following the completion of Dragon Ball Z. The series took a hiatus after 98 episodes due to lack of DVD sales and low ratings on August 25, 2011, until November 2012. The Buu Saga aired from April 6, 2014 until its conclusion on June 29, 2015.
On April 28, 2015, Toei Animation unveiled a new Dragon Ball TV series with the new storyline in 18 years. Entitled Dragon Ball Super, the series plot takes place after the Majin Buu Saga, in between the ten year gap towards the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament. Super officially debuted on July 5, 2015.
I provided with this format so you will see it the information below:
FORMAT 1:
Uncut Episode / Edited Episode - Japanese Airdate / American Airdate
日本語のタイトル - Original Japanese Title, Kanji / Kana; Japanese Episode Title, Romaji; Japanese Episode Title, English Translation
FUNIMATION'S DUB TITLE
Full summary of an Dragon Ball episode
FORMAT 2:
~~(CORRESPONDS WITH ORIGINAL SABAN-SYNDICATED OCEAN DUB EPISODE NUMBER AND TITLE; AMERICAN AIRDATE)~~
FORMAT 3:
(No Episode Aired - Japanese airdate - Reason for no episode airing on Fuji TV.)
In this section we'll look at everything there is to know about the original episodes that aired in Japan over 20 years ago. The original broadcast consists of three series, each divided up into multiple story arcs. You can select a series to view a quick synopsis of the respective story arcs and the episodes that comprise them. You'll also be provided with an episode by episode break-down, along with detailed pages for each individual episode, which includes screen shots, episode summaries, next episode information, complete opening and ending credits, and much more.
February 7, 1996 ~ November 19, 1997 (Japan) / November 14, 2003 ~ April 16, 2005 (US)
This section provides a thorough look at the "refreshed" or revived episodes that aired in Japan. We'll be providing detailed pages on each episode as they air, including screen shots, a quick synopsis, comparisons to the original broadcast, staff credits, and much more.
