Dragon Ball Z ~The Saiyan Conflict~ DVD Boxset

Raditz, a powerful alien warrior, arrives on Earth searching for his younger brother Kakarot; who has been living as Goku, Earth's greatest hero, with no memory of his origins. Goku is a Saiyan, a member of a race of alien conquerors, and his mission was to destroy all life on Earth. He never completed it. Raditz intends to finish the job, and the only way Goku can stop him is to team up with his greatest rival Piccolo, with Goku's son Gohan revealed to have a power that surpasses even his father. But Raditz is not the worst of what's coming. Two more Saiyans, Vegeta and Napa, far more powerful than Raditz are already on their way, and Earth has one year to prepare.

The eight volumes in this box set cover the complete Saiyan Conflict: Goku's death, his journey along Snake Way, the training of his friends, and the devastating battle against the Saiyans that follows. 

Dragon Ball Z is the sequel to Dragon Ball, produced by Toei Animation, directed by Daisuke Nishio, and based on Akira Toriyama's manga. It aired on Fuji TV beginning April 26, 1989 and ran for 291 episodes. FUNimation began dubbing the series in 1996 with the Ocean Studios cast out of Vancouver. These eight Pioneer DVD volumes were the original North American home video release of DBZ, presenting the edited, English-dubbed-only syndication version of the Saiyan Saga. Episode recaps and title cards were removed, running episodes together in a near-seamless format. The Pioneer sub-license expired August 31, 2003, after which FUNimation took full control and re-dubbed these early episodes with their Texas in-house cast.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Daisuke Nishio
Original Manga: Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha, 1984-1995)
Studio: Toei Animation
Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi (original Japanese score)
Opening Theme (English): "Rock the Dragon" by Ron Wasserman

English Dub Cast (Ocean Studios - Vancouver, FUNimation / Pioneer release):
- Ian James Corlett as Goku (eps 1-25)
- Saffron Henderson as Gohan
- Brian Drummond as Vegeta
- Scott McNeil as Piccolo / Nappa
- Jason Gray-Stanford as Krillin
- Lalainia Lindbjerg as Bulma
- Terry Klassen as Krillin (some eps) / additional cast
- Dale Wilson as Master Roshi
- Doc Harris as Narrator

Volume Breakdown (Pioneer Entertainment / FUNimation, 1999)

- Vol. 1 - Arrival (Eps 1-4): Raditz arrives; Goku and Piccolo team up; Goku's sacrifice
- Vol. 2 - The Saiyans (Eps 5-7): Piccolo trains Gohan; Goku travels to King Kai
- Vol. 3 - Snake Way (Eps 8-10): Goku runs Snake Way; Gohan's training begins
- Vol. 4 - Pendulum Room (Eps 11-13): Pendulum Room battle; end of Snake Way
- Vol. 5 - Doom (Eps 14-16): Goku trains under 100x gravity; Saiyans approach
- Vol. 6 - Immortals (Eps 17-19): Piccolo trains; Dragon Balls and Nappa's rampage begin
- Vol. 7 - Destruction (Eps 20-22): Nappa's destruction; Z Fighters fall
- Vol. 8 - Showdown (Eps 23-25): Goku arrives; Vegeta vs. Goku begins

DVD Features (Pioneer Entertainment)

- English Dub Only - no Japanese audio on Pioneer release
- Episode recaps and title cards removed - episodes run together like a feature film
- Pioneer / FUNimation Previews
- Note: This is the edited syndication version with Ocean Studios dub. FUNimation re-dubbed these episodes with Texas in-house cast beginning 2005. Pioneer sub-license expired August 31, 2003.

Spoken Languages: English Dubbed Only (Ocean Studios / Vancouver cast)

Edition Details

Japanese Title: ドラゴンボールZ (Doragon Bōru Zetto / Dragon Ball Z)
Arc: The Saiyan Conflict (Episodes 1-25)
Runtime: ~625 Minutes (25 Episodes across 8 DVD volumes)
Director: Daisuke Nishio
DVD Release Year: 1999 (U.S. Individual Volumes, Pioneer Entertainment / FUNimation); Saiyan Conflict box set also 1999; Pioneer sub-license expired August 31, 2003
Publisher: Pioneer Entertainment (in association with FUNimation Entertainment)
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: English dub only - original Ocean Studios / Vancouver cast. Edited syndication version - episode recaps and title cards removed. Pioneer sub-license expired 2003; FUNimation later re-dubbed and re-released these episodes. This box set is a historically significant first-generation North American DBZ home video release.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Science Fiction
Themes: Saiyan Origin Revealed, Sacrifice and Resurrection, Training Arcs, Alien Invasion, Pioneer / Ocean Studios Historical Dub

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.

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