Dragonball Z has had quite a long run on the DVD market in a variety of forms. Now with the release of season sets, presumably the final release for the series in the US, let’s take a look back on the various releases we’ve seen over the years.
Back when Dragonball Z first began being dubbed by FUNimation, DVD releases were done by Pioneer (now known as Geneon Entertainment). Voices were done by a popular Canadian studio called Ocean Group, and the show was heavily edited with no alternate Japanese track. Generally, two DVDs were released every month, each containing around 3 episodes. These releases continued all the way through episode 53 (or episode 67, going by the Japanese version). After this period, FUNimation began dubbing the series in-house with their own writers and voice actors, and the partnership with Pioneer was ended in favor of releasing the DVDs themselves.
Fans were more-or-less pleased with the subsequent releases of the series. Not only did they get an uncut English version, but they could also view the episodes uncut in Japanese with English subtitles. The discs generally had 3 or 4 episodes a piece and were divided up into various sagas, making it much easier to keep track of. These releases were continued until the end of the series.
There were concerns, however. Fans got the uncut, unedited episodes of the series from episode 53 (67 in Japanese) to the end of the series in 2003, but what about the first episodes in the series that had only seen an edited release by Pioneer? FUNimation wasn’t about to disappoint. Soon, they announced a redub of the first 67 episodes, and in 2005, the first release under the “Ultimate Uncut Edition” label hit stores, containing the first 3 episodes of the series redubbed with their in-house voice actors, unedited, uncut, and with the original subtitled Japanese version included. Fans were ecstatic. The releases continued…until they were mysteriously halted after episode 27. Fans weren’t ecstatic anymore. What happened to finishing off the series uncut?
They got their answer in 2006. Dragonball Z was getting a release unlike any it had ever had before: season box sets. Touted as the greatest Dragonball Z release ever, the first 39 uncut episodes of the series (which had previously been available under the Ultimate Uncut Edition moniker) were released in a 6-disc box set, along with original Japanese audio, new 5.1 surround sound, remastered high definition video, and in widescreen. As of right now, the first three seasons have been released (up to episode 107), effectively giving the fans the entire series uncut. Season 4 is scheduled for release in the near future, collecting another 32 episodes together.
The question remains: is this the final version of Dragonball Z we’ll be seeing in America? As one of the most popular anime series ever to hit American shores, there’s no telling what the future may hold.
For a guide to individual DVD releases, please visit the websites linked.
