Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z is an anime television series produced by Toei Animation that premiered in April 1989 on Fuji TV. Akira Toriyama wrote and illustrated the original manga, while Daisuke Nishio directed the adaptation. Character designer Minoru Maeda and composer Shunsuke Kikuchi shaped the visuals and music.

Five years after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku lives quietly in Mount Paozu with his wife Chi-Chi and young son Gohan. An extraterrestrial warrior named Raditz lands on Earth in a space capsule and identifies Goku as his younger brother from the Saiyan race. Raditz kidnaps Gohan after Goku refuses to exterminate humanity and join his intergalactic raiding group. Goku teams up with his former adversary Piccolo to track down Raditz and save his son. Masako Nozawa voiced Goku and Gohan, while Toshio Furukawa voiced Piccolo.

The series aired 291 episodes on Fuji TV between April 1989 and January 1996. Toei Animation released 15 theatrical films based on the series between 1989 and 1995, beginning with Dead Zone. Two later films arrived in theaters: Battle of Gods in 2013 and Resurrection 'F' in 2015, which grossed 3.74 billion yen ($31 million) and 7.9 billion yen ($61.7 million) worldwide. Sequel anime include Dragon Ball GT in 1996 and Dragon Ball Super in 2015, alongside the 2009 remastered version Dragon Ball Z Kai.

Funimation acquired the distribution rights for North America in 1995, broadcasting the series in syndication before it joined Cartoon Network in August 1998. The anime broadcast in over 80 countries worldwide, including Spain, France, and Mexico. In 1990, readers of Animage magazine voted the anime into fourth place in the 12th annual Anime Grand Prix. TV Asahi placed the anime at number three during its nationwide survey of favorite animated series in 2006. Home video distributor Manga Entertainment released the series in the United Kingdom starting on VHS in 1995.