Dragon Ball GT
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Dragon Ball GT (ドラゴンボールGT, Doragon Boru GT) ("GT" standing for "Grand Tour"), commonly abbreviated as DBGT, is the sequel to Dragon Ball Z, whose material was produced only by Toei Doga. The Dragon Ball GT anime series is the shortest of the Dragon Ball series. It consisted of only 64 episodes as opposed to its predecessors Dragon Ball Z, which consisted of 291 episodes, and Dragon Ball, which consisted of 153. Originally intended to span 40 episodes (ending after the Baby Saga), the series continued for another 24 episodes, and was concluded by the film Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy released after the Baby Saga.
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[edit] Plot
The series again continues the adventures of Son Goku who is turned back into a child at the beginning of the series by the Black Star Dragon Balls and is forced to travel across the galaxy to retrieve them. The first half of the series focuses on Goku, Pan, and Trunks, while the second half brings back most of the prominent characters from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. It is the only series that is not based directly on the original story by Akira Toriyama [1] The series follows the Z Fighters against far more powerful foes such as Baby, Super 17, and the Shadow Dragons.
[edit] Series history
The first two anime series were directly based off the manga, which itself took much longer to produce than the anime. This often resulted in "filler" episodes, one of the most obvious of which was when Frieza tried to destroy the Namek planet with a five-minute timer, yet the battle lasted well over five episodes, much less five minutes. Due to Dragon Ball GT not being based on the manga, filler episodes were not required. As a result, four entire sagas (the Black Star Dragon Ball Saga, Baby Saga, Super 17 Saga, and Shadow Dragon Saga) were completed in only 64 episodes.
Dragon Ball GT began on Fuji TV at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 7, 1996, exactly one week after the final episode of Dragon Ball Z. It ran for 64 episodes, the last of which aired on November 4, 1997. It has also been aired across Japan by the anime television network Animax, where it is currently being regularly broadcast. Unlike the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime, series creator Akira Toriyama had only minor involvement in the show's early stages, setting forth the initial premise of the series and creating designs for most of the villains and main characters, including newcomer Giru Early episodes were much more comedic in tone, reminiscent of early Dragon Ball episodes. The later episodes, however, are action-packed and feature the same sort of dramatic tone that existed in the Dragon Ball Z anime. Originally intended to span 40 episodes (ending after the Baby Saga), the series continued for another 24 episodes, ending after two years on the air seemingly due to lower-than-expected ratings.[2] Plans due not exist for a subsequent Dragon Ball anime or manga (rumors of new series have existed since the end of Dragon Ball GT in 1997, but are untrue) with the exception being the Dragon Ball Z Kai series, a condensed remake of Dragon Ball Z rather than being an entirely new story.
Two companion books to the series have been published, Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files released in May 1997 and December 1997 by Shueisha's Jump Comics Selection imprint. They include series information, illustration galleries, behind-the-scenes information, and more. They were out of print for many years, but were re-released in April 2006 and thus this edition is still in print.
On June 15, 2005, Toei Animation (in conjunction with distributor Pony Canyon) released the entire series (including the Goku Jr. TV special) in an extremely limited-edition DVD boxed set (called "Dragon Box GT") which included a Dragon Radar remote control and an exclusive booklet. While the set features remastered audio and video, there are no subtitles, English or otherwise. It is also unavailable to the general public due to its scarce numbers and huge cost.[3]
[edit] Toriyama's involvement in GT
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Some do not consider GT canon due to the fact that this series was not directly written by Akira Toriyama. Additionally, GT was not originally based on a manga as its predecessors Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, plus it contains minor events which seem inconsistent with its predecessor anime adaptations (see list of inconsistencies in Dragon Ball GT).
Though Toriyama did not personally write GT, he did strictly oversee its production; this was the same process that was used during the production of the anime series, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. He drew a rough design for the GT logo and designed the GT appearance of the series main cast, as well as the appearances of Giru and the GT spaceship used in the Black Star Dragon Ball Saga. He also drew at least three color pictures of Goku, Pan, and Trunks adventuring on various planets (Monmaasu, Rudeeze, and an unnamed planet).
Toriyama seems to have positive feelings towards his works' continuation, as he drew his version of Super Saiyan 4 Goku exclusively for the Dragon Box GT. Characters and events from GT have also been included in more recent Dragon Ball video games.
[edit] English adaptations
[edit] US (FUNimation) version
The English adaptation of Dragon Ball GT ran on Cartoon Network between 2003 and 2005, but the version by FUNimation had a major alteration: the first 16 episodes of the series, the "Black Star Dragon Ball Saga", were cut and replaced by a single US-only episode which summarized the episodes; this became the new series premiere. This edit was implemented by the producers of the English dub to prevent viewers from possibly being put-off by these differently-toned early episodes. The missing episodes have since been released as the "Lost Episodes".[2] When first aired, FUNimation recorded a new musical score and the openings and closings were replaced with something completely different from the original. For example, a rap was used for the opening and used different clips from the show to make up the visuals. However, when FUNimation released the series to two remastered boxed sets in 2008, the original Japanese music was restored and English versions of the opening and all four closings were created, all being very close to the original versions.
[edit] International (Blue Water) version
Outside of the United States, (excluding Australia and New Zealand) a different English dub of the series was aired featuring the voice actor of Canadian voice acting group Blue Water Studios. While the voices are different from both the American and international English dubs of Dragon Ball Z, the original background music by Akihito Tokunaga was kept, the episodes were aired in their proper order, and the scripts were kept much closer to the original Japanese version. However, the international version kept the original Japanese theme song and used English subtitles. An English version of the GT theme song was sung while this dub aired on Toonami in the UK, however, these were different lyrics to the original song and not a direct translation.
[edit] TV special
[edit] Toei title
[edit] FUNimation title
[edit] FUNimation Remastered Box Sets
Main article: FUNimation Remastered Box Sets
In 2008, FUNimation began production of remastering the entire Dragon Ball GT series similar to the remastering process of Dragon Ball Z. Unlike the Dragon Ball Z remastered sets, the Dragon Ball GT Remastered Season Sets are presented in a 4:3 full frame and come with 5 discs rather than 6. The GT Sets are not presented in high definition. Just like the Dragon Ball Z remastered sets, the GT Sets include English dialogue with original Japanese background music, 5.1 surround sound, English dialogue with US broadcast stereo and original Japanese mono. Both Dragon Ball GT Season boxsets include a booklet including character profiles" and an episode guide.
Dragon Ball GT: Season One was released on December 9, 2008. The box set includes the Black Star Dragon Ball Saga and most of the Baby Saga, spanning the first 34 episodes over 5 discs.
Dragon Ball GT: Season Two was released on February 10, 2009. The box set includes the last six episode of the Baby Saga, Super 17 Saga and Shadow Dragon Saga, spanning the final 30 episodes concluding the series. The Dragon Ball GT TV special, A Hero's Legacy is included as part of the box set.
On September 21, 2010, Funimation released Dragon Ball GT: The Complete Series which featured all 64 episodes of the show and A Hero's Legacy.
| Season | Release date | Region | Sagas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Ball GT: Season 1 | December 9, 2008 | DVD 1/2/4 | The Lost Episodes and Baby Saga |
| Dragon Ball GT: Season 2 | February 10, 2009 | DVD 1/2/4 | Super 17, Shadow Dragon Sagas and A Hero's Legacy TV Special |
| Dragon Ball GT: The Complete Series | September 21, 2010 | DVD 1/2/4 | All 64 episodes and A Hero's Legacy TV Special |
[edit] Cast list
| Character name | Voice actor (Japanese) | V.A. (English - FUNimation) | V.A. (English - Blue Water) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goku | Masako Nozawa | Stephanie Nadolny (child) Sean Schemmel (adult and SS4) |
Zoe Slusar (child) Jeremiah Yurk (adult and SS4) |
| Pan | Yūko Minaguchi | Elise Baughman | Caitlynne Medrek |
| Trunks | Takeshi Kusao | Eric Vale | Matthew Erickson |
| Gill (Giru) | Shinobu Satouchi | Sonny Strait | Matthew Erickson |
| Vegeta | Ryō Horikawa | Christopher Sabat | Roger Rhodes |
| Gohan | Masako Nozawa | Kyle Hebert | Jonathan Love |
| Goten | Masako Nozawa | Robert McCollum | Scott Hendrickson |
| Oob (Uub) | Atsushi Kisaichi | Sean Teague | Scott Roberts |
| Bulma | Hiromi Tsuru | Tiffany Vollmer | Kristin Nowosad |
| Bra (Bulla) | Hiromi Tsuru | Pariksi Fakhri | Leda Davies |
| Chichi (Chi-Chi) | Naoko Watanabe | Cynthia Cranz | Pascale Hutton |
| Videl | Yūko Minaguchi | Lucy Small | Jennifer Holder |
| Kuririn (Krillin) | Mayumi Tanaka | Sonny Strait | Dan Gascon |
| Android 18 | Miki Itō | Meredith McCoy | Jennifer Bain |
| Marron | Tomiko Suzuki | Meredith McCoy | Jennifer Bain |
| Dende | Hiro Yuki | Justin Cook | Scott Roberts |
| Mr. Popo | Toku Nishio | Christopher Sabat | Dave Pettitt |
| Piccolo | Toshio Furukawa | Christopher Sabat | Ethan Cole |
| Mr. Satan (Hercule) | Daisuke Gōri | Chris Rager | Dave Pettitt |
| Majin Boo (Majin Buu) | Kōzō Shioya | Josh Martin | Corby Proctor |
| Muten Roshi (Master Roshi) | Hiroshi Masuoka | Mike McFarland | Dean Galloway |
| North Kaio (King Kai) | Jōji Yanami | Sean Schemmel | Dean Galloway |
| Kibitoshin (Kibito Kai) | Shinichirō Ōta | Kent Williams | Roger Rhodes |
| Old Kaioshin (Elder Kai) | Reizō Nomoto | Kent Williams | Dean Galloway |
| Emperor Pilaf | Shigeru Chiba | Chuck Huber | Dean Galloway |
| Dr. Mu (Dr. Myu) | Kazuyuki Sogabe | Duncan Brannan | Dave Pettitt |
| General Rild (General Rilldo) | Kiyoyuki Yanada | Andrew Chandler | ??? |
| Bebi (Baby) | Yūsuke Numata | Mike McFarland | Adam Hunter |
| Dr. Gero | Kōji Yada | Kent Williams | Jonathan Love |
| Android 17 | Shigeru Nakahara | Chuck Huber | Ethan Cole |
| Freeza (Frieza) | Ryūsei Nakao | Linda Young | Maureen Jones |
| Cell | Norio Wakamoto | Dameon Clarke | Ben Jeffery |
| Yi Xing Long (Syn Shenron) | Hidekatsu Shibata | Christopher Sabat | Victor Atelevich |
| Shen Long (Shenron) | Kenji Utsumi | Christopher Sabat | Dave Pettitt |
| Narrator | Joji Yanami | Andrew Chandler | Steve Olson |
[edit] Theme songs
- Opening
- "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikarete 'ku" (DAN DAN 心魅かれてく; Bit by Bit, You're Charming my Heart)
- Lyrics: Izumi Sakai, Music: Tetsur Oda, Arrangement: Takeshi Hayama, Performance: Field of View
- Version 1: Episodes 1-26
- Version 2: Episodes 27-64
- Lyrics: Izumi Sakai, Music: Tetsur Oda, Arrangement: Takeshi Hayama, Performance: Field of View
- "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikarete 'ku" (DAN DAN 心魅かれてく; Bit by Bit, You're Charming my Heart)
- Ending
- "Hitori ja nai" (ひとりじゃない; I'm Not Alone)
- Lyrics: Shûichi Ikemori, Music: Tetsurō Oda, Arrangement: Hiroto Furui, Performance: Deen
- Used for the Black Star Dragonball Saga and beginning of the Bebi saga (1-26)
- "Don't you see!"
- Lyrics: Izumi Sakai, Music: Seiichirō Kuribayashi, Arrangement: Takeshi Hayama, Performance: Zard
- Used later in the Bebi Saga and the Beginning of the Super 17 saga (27-41)
- "Blue Velvet"
- Lyrics: Aeri, Music: Hatake, Arrangement: Hatake, Performance: Shizuka Kudō
- Used for the Super 17 saga and beginning of the Shadow Dragon Saga (42-50)
- "Sabitsuita Mashingan de Ima o Uchinukō" (錆びついたマシンガンで今を撃ち抜こう; Let’s Blast through this Moment with a Rusted Machinegun)
- Lyrics: Miho Komatsu, Music: Miho Komatsu, Arrangement: Daisuke Ikeda, Performance: Wands
- Used for the Shadow Dragon Saga to the end of series (51-64)
- "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikarete 'ku" (DAN DAN 心魅かれてく; Bit by Bit, You're Charming my Heart)
- Lyrics: Izumi Sakai, Music: Tetsurō Oda, Arrangement: Takeshi Hayama, Performance: Field of View
- Used for the final episode 64
- Used during the montage of Goku's life, prior to the ending theme
- "Hitori ja nai" (ひとりじゃない; I'm Not Alone)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ↑ Dragon Ball GT Perfect File guidebook, published in 1997 by Shueisha
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michael LaBrie. Daizex's Newbie Guide). Daizenshuu EX.
- ↑ Kanzentai's Guide on Dragon Boxes..
