Tag: Toriyama

Pinkie’s : What If Raditz Turned Good Part 3

Last Time on Dragon Ball Pinkie!

After seeing Gohan’s potential and see his power level go up several hundred times Raditz though he might be the one to set them free from their tyrant and switched sides to the Z-Fighter. Knowing he could not convince his Saiyan fellows who were coming to earth after his betrayal he Goku and Gohan travelled Snake Way to investigate rumors about a large power boosting technique called the Kaio-Ken. Finding a beautiful woman named Princess Snake, after a short scuffle Raditz swore to her to find a way for her to walk on earth! After which they proceeded to train with King Kai.. ..overcome by the sheer gravity Gohan kept getting rage boosts which scared King Kai away from teaching him his fabled technique! While Raditz and Goku mastered it.. they knew the evil saiyans were drawing ever closer.. would these new techniques be enough to deal with these monsters? Find out today! …Or check out part 1 or part 2 right here!

It is the day that Kami has told everyone the Saiyans will arrive, with everybody being much more powerful as in the original, all having better sparring partners, Yamcha Krillin  and Tien training under Piccolo, and Gohan training with his father and Uncle. Raditz plan to ask Bulma to gather the Dragon Balls is also well under way. In this version of the story we use the 2018 Broly movie version of Bardock.. and the man had passed his distrust of Frieza onto his son.  Raditz always had suspicions Frieza was behind the destruction of planet Vegeta and using the earth Dragon Balls he sought to proof this to Vegeta and Nappa should he fail to convince them Gohan is the “chosen one”… which was fairly likely because of Vegeta’s ego. Gohan however was much more powerful in this timeline! Much more like his father and his uncle. He’d be around the same power level he would be when he first set foot on Namek around 1500. Plan A was to convince Vegeta , Gohan might be the legendary Super Saiyan, Plan B was to use the Dragon Balls to convince Vegeta to join them to fight Frieza.

Call it a back up plan in case his original plan failed.. if that second plan failed he would beat Vegeta himself by force using his new Kaioken technique. Yet he had a riskier plan for today one that Goku and  most of the other Z-Fighters were aware off. They were skeptical but if that would lead the conflict to be resolved without bloodshed they would give it a try. In this timeline Raditz was not yet completely trusted and this plan but that trust on edge but he did offer them a lot of information that was confirmed by either Kami or King Kai. Besides Raditz was much more powerful than them…better not risk him turning on them again by shutting him out. The only one who seemed to disagree was Piccolo who seemed more eager to just kill these Saiyans and fight Frieza by themselves. His demeanor was a lot more cold and cruel than in the orginal timeline.

The landing of the Saiyans on earth happens about the same way as in the anime. Including Nappa destroying a fair chunk of a city using his Volcano Explosion. While the Z-Fighters would have the power to prevent such a tragedy now, they lack the ability to determine where the saiyans land, so the plan to gather all the strongest power levels in the wasteland was chosen. Then the saiyans meet up with the group in the wastelands to do battle, however this time around Vegeta is much less patient to have Nappa do his thing first.. because of the traitor now joining the Z-Fighters. “Well well well, leave it to the low class Warrior to abandon his prince and conspire against me with this filth” Vegeta spouts towards Raditz, while checking out everybody’s power level.”Heh! You haven’t improved at all… Nappa humiliate them with those stupid thing of yours” 

He prompts Nappa into using is Saibaman as Yamcha steps up he gets taken in a hold by a Saibaman who then glows white!  A bright white explosion covers the sight and Vegeta snickers “One down” ..however when the smoke clears.. Yamcha is standing there..unharmed.. Vegeta scans his power level again and reacts shocked. “Three..Three thousand?” “His Power level  wasn’t even half that a minute ago”.. Suddenly Vegeta’s scouter goes haywire as Krillin, Tien, Piccolo, Chiaotzu and even Gohan power up and the Saibaman quickly fall, in a style that is similar to how Gohan dispatched the Cell Juniors. Yamcha even disposes of an extra Saibaman for good measure when Nappa uses another one for him..thinking the first one might have been defective. Of course this green guy gets his own crater! Since.. we do love the Yamcha meme!

“Vegeta what the heck Happend.. these guys where nobodies right?”  The big bald Saiyan looks confused. “Shut up Nappa, they just tricked us.. these Power levels are nothing to fear still.. take care of them , I’ll take the traitor and his brother”. While Nappa prepares to fight the Z-Fighters Piccolo shoos them away telling them he will take care of this fighter alone. Not having trained with Gohan means he had not learned compassion so he is harsher, less friendly, he still plans to defeat Goku, who he unfortunately can not stop right now, he still wants to proof he is still relevant though and a force to be reckoned with so he decides to face Nappa by himself. He must get stronger to get his revenge. Having trainer with stronger allies though he is now about equal his level as Nappa.

While the bald saiyan and Piccolo begin to prepare for combat Raditz beckons Gohan over. Gohan I want you to pay close attention to this next fight okay? Your father is going to beat the prince of all saiyans it will be a historic moment in our people’s history. Vegeta pops a vein in anger telling Raditz he should not underestimate him and that he can take them both on Raditz just grins and tells Goku will be more than enough to stop Vegeta.  As they fly off he yells to Krillin.. Shrimp.. you should come with us. The man gulps and follows as they fly to the exact spot where Goku fought Vegeta before.  The clash between Nappa and Piccolo begins while they travel.

Vegeta’s bodyguard  talks down on the Namekian a lot as the latter circles around Nappa, trying to see if speed is enough to get past his defences. However, while Piccolo is a clever fighter, Nappa still has way more experience than the Namekian which puts them on an even more playing field. Any advantages Piccolo might have, like his stretching arms , his speed and various techniques are negated by Nappa knowing about Namekians and having fought people who were faster than him before. By stomping the ground he creates obstructions which Piccolo can’t pass.

Still the bald man begins to get slightly frustrated as while Piccolo can’t lay a proper strike on him.. neither can he on the Namekian. This Namekian isn’t playing for fun either.. his gaze is set with an intent to kill. Luckily Nappa knows a technique Raditz father developed, something that would allow him to blow the Namekian away completly.. yet the bald man wanted to try if he could beat the green guy like this. For a moment he considered firing a Mouth Blast at the little emperor the weakest of the group.. to see if the Namekian would save him…but then he stared into those cold eyes and he knew.. he had to win the fight on his terms.

Piccolo however still had that technique the one he planned to use on Goku. While it had a big downside.. Piccolo had since developed a way to deal with that downside.  Tien was an expert of the Multiform and After Image techniques. Plenty of Z-Fighters are actually quite adapt in the latter and he had also learned the Solar Flare. He would proceed to use the latter. Not Only Nappa would be blinded , every fighter would go blind for a moment and as Nappa cried out ina shout of pain and frustration he began to wildly shoot some blasts and bow around with his arms to keep his foe at a distance.  When he finally regained sight the Namekian would be standing a few meters away from him..touching his forhead. A bit of sweat appeared on his head..”Darn still not fast enough”. Nappa grinned and yelled I got you now! As his Bomber DX was hurled at Piccolo, the man locked into his technique was unable to dodge.. and suddenly Piccolo was gone nothing remaining but smoke! “

Yes I did it I beat the Namekian!” Hah.. Whose next Earthlings I’ll Kill you all.. I will start with the little make up sissy bo……….” Nappa’s words suddenly got interrupted as a pink, purple and yellow spirally beam pierced his chest. Piccolo stood behind him.. at about half his power level… his special Beam Cannon creating a big wound in the Saiyan.  Having used Tien’s copy technique to create a double.. to keep the Saiyan oaf distracted for long enough worked and now he had won. All he had to do know was finish his opponent. He readed his nails ready to tear out Nappa’s throat when Yamcha and Tien stood in his way. No Piccolo! Goku’s brother told us we needed these people in the fight against this emperor character, you won!  Piccolo pushes him away. “Shut up , we do not need these guys.. they can not be trusted.. let Goku and his brother do with their price what they want! I am going to kill mine and you shall not stop me! Yamcha stepped in as well did the little Emperor.

“We will not allow you to do this Piccolo” The namekian looked at them coldly.. “I know your techniques way better than you know mine… I can crush you all if I’d want to.. starting with the weakest one’ He stands at them looking menacing. ‘Our enemies should be exterminated.. Goku’s ways are weak.. one day he will be defeated and at this rate it will cost the earth.. I shall not allow it!’ Picollo takes a combat stance as the three Z-fighters get ready. Tien yells to Chiao Tzu ‘Get out of here, me and Yamcha can take him’. The little guy flies off and Piccolo allows him to do so. A cruel smirk appears on his face. ‘I wanted to kill Goku for revenge.. I guess destroying his friends will have to do for now’

Meanwhile Goku and Vegeta began to face off, but something seems very off. Goku while landing a few blows on Vegeta isn’t using Kaioken at all. He yelled the technique name once but seemed to realise nothing is happening. He managed to do it on King Kai’s planet so why could he not do it here?! Something was very very wrong. Raditz tries to turn on his Kaioken on but is unable to do so either. “Tsssk, that blue idiot , he gave us a no good technique’. Raditz wants to jump into the fight but gets dismissed by Goku. ‘No Brother keep Gohan safe, if he is the key to the future he is more important than I am right now…if things go wrong you can always use the Dragon Balls to bring me back!’ Vegeta gut punches him..causing Goku to cough up some blood. ‘When I am done with you there shall be nothing left to bring back’  the prince says hurling the saiyan man away.

Krillin wants to rush in too but gets stopped by Raditz. ‘Don’t be a fool! If you die we can’t bring you back!… We need to come up with a plan.. we need to figure out why we can’t use this technique.. Kakarot is the strongest of us.. so he is the only one that can buy  us time.’ Krillin stops.. reluctantly, he knows Raditz is right, as things are now he can not make a difference. If anyone can find a way around this situation it’s Goku.  Gohan, Raditz and Krillin stare in horror what happens next. Goku gets slammed into a mountain and Vegeta flies up. Goku seeming dazed or knocked out isn’t responsive and just stuck in the rock. Vegeta gets surrounded by a purplish pink white energy as he yells the world Galick.. the beginning of a devastating beam attack begins to form as Gohan yells in anguish.. Vegeta yells GUN and a huge wave of energy is sent towards Goku.

Why isn’t the Kaioken working? Can Goku be Saved?! Will the Z-Fighters be able to keep Nappa safe from the now hostile Piccolo? How will the fight go from now?! What is that mysterious aura Pinkie photoshopped around Gohan! Find out in the next episode of Dragon Ball Pinkie!

I Totally want a Slime Pet: Dragon Quest Your Story Review

Collectable Monster Enthousiast, Movie Fan, Anime followers and gamer. These are all words I could use to describe myself with. So when a movie shows up that appeals to all of these assets I have to see it! While this movie slipped under my radar a little netflix Browse brought this movie to my attention and I am so glad it did! I loved this movie so much! 

I got into the Dragon Quest series quite late into my life and into the series. The first game I played was Journey of the Cursed King on PS II , but I was blown away by the charm of this series. The art, the music the world building and even the fact that all the spells had such unique names. I love the fantasy genre and a High Fantasy, Anime Like adventure with characters designed by Akira Toriyama quickly become something I could not resist. Now I have played plenty but V eluded me so far. I just never found it on sale or in stores. This movie is mostly inspired on the adventures of that particular Dragon Quest. A game that let you add monsters to your party and fight by your side, but also that allowed you to get married and get characters pregnant and fight along your offspring. While nowadays this is nothing special back in the days of the SNES it was something very unique.

Netflix doesn’t let me capture screengrabs and google did not find me a correct scene.. so here’s just a random game screenshot!

This movie opens with the birth of main character Luca.. depicted as if it was played on the SNES. Seeing Luca’s earliest moments in life in 16 bit graphics with all dialogue happening in text boxes. A nice way to open up for those nostalgic about the game, but in hindsight also a very smart choice given the route this movie takes. We follow Luca trough and in weird ways even beyond the adventures of this iconic Dragon Quest game. We see him grow from a young boy, up until a grown man with an 8 year old son. What immediately stands out is that these characters have lost the design of Akira Toriyama and traded it in for something more akin to the style of the latest Pokémon Movie. A stylistic choice people have kind of critiqued but which I prefer when it comes to 3d animation to be honest.At least when you also go for more real texturing.  I prefer a bit of a western look on characters Alla Disney.. as opposed to how characters look in Jump Force for example.. they feel a bit more natural. More.. flowing. 

After Pokémon this style grew on me! Best of both worlds or something

Luckily in nearly all ages of his life, Luca is assisted by his Sabertooth Purrcy and the adorable slime Gootrude.  Every monster seems straight out of these games and that to me is enough! Especially if we consider the message of this movie. Sure these characters could be more in line with how Toriyama designed them and there would be nothing wrong with that choice either.. but we can play them in in 3d or 2d like that in one of the many remakes. Gootrude especially demonstrates how great these animations are. Morphin, changing shapes and showing so much emotion without barely making a sound.  I love Gootrude! I want one of my own! The iconic slime design is something that should not be missing from a Dragon Quest movie and they know it.  Each scene the slime  wasa highlight for me . From the first introduction where it follows the “party”  escaping from their live in servitude, up to its final scene. It never not made me happy, but simply just being animated, and that is what this movie in a way does.

N’awww I want one so bad I bet it’s really nice to hug in summer

Since this movie spans about roughly 30 years as well as deals with some identity struggles of our hero you can guess the pacing of this movie is a bit of an odd one. We see about ten seperate quests resolve, as well as some side questing that is actually cut a lot in montage like how Bofuri did it. While catering  more towards the light hearted side and a bit of a younger audience.. at first it seems. Lethal spells barely leave an impact and if the main hero is near death he just is a bit charred like how Ash looks when he gets flamethrowered by his Charizard.

The romance is also rather Disney ish. Nothing complex , just winning a girl by telling you love them or wish to marry them. Luca has the choice between two girls who also in the games can both be romanced and taken on as a main companion. I felt his pain at the decision as I am always bad in these sorts of things! It was weird at first, because I did not really feel like watching through a movie..  the way things are told, the way decisions are made it still felt like a video game. 

Would you choose Nera?! Let me know in the comments!

This results in the weird pacing that honestly could make me condemn it as a movie. We get zero explanation how spells work, they just appear.. as if the characters level up, they focus on scenes a game would focus on rather than scenes a movie would focus on. As a movie the blossoming relationship between Luca and the girl he ends up choosing could be a much greater focal point, but we see him discover his feelings through quests, events and poisons. Dialogue feels wooden at times rushed.. as if it is still NPC dialogue. Which might sound like a flaw but I actually loved it. This isn’t as much a game adaptation as it is a movie cut together from cutscenes and gameplay as it were.  It results in a super fast movie which you definitely need to keep an eye on, because many scenes are in fact interconnected that really made me want to play more JRPG’s. Even in it’s plot devices it doesn’t deviate from being a game. Characters can use the Zoom spell to teleport to previously visited areas, healing items are still a thing and motivations do not really change. Spells don’t really work differently as they would in the game.

Or would you rather make babies with Bianca? Let me know in the comments because this stuff matters!

At one point when I saw Luca cast Swoosh I began to tell myself.. I kind of wish they would use these spells a bit more creatively.. you know break the boundaries from Videogame character to actual hero and just seconds later he cast Kaswoosh .. a tornado and rode it up using the storm to move his sword to the enemy. I get an urge and this movie abided.  At the moment I felt the movie might be TOO video gamey, that issue got a resolve as well. A odd plot twist polarised the audience , with people either loving or hating it.. I fell on the loving side. It comes out of nowhere yet at the same time the build up has been there , not just from the writing itself but in the concept of the very movie itself. Whatever gripes I had  were immediately expunged. It was truly amazing and the conclusion this movie ended on was a message I very strongly resonated with. At every single turn.. at every single twist and at every single decision those movie made, that made me doubt, the next scene they explained to me why.. and I was like.. oh clever! I like! I feel tired from watching this high speed train and weird experience but I feel extremely satisfied as well.

Again Netflix ruined me placing a neat tornado action shot here! So here is satisfied family instead

This movie to me was truly something special while on paper not being that great of a movie. This is much more a love letter to the series throughout the  eyes of a fan. While some people found it condescending towards fans I think the writer of the movie basically self inserted himself as the audience and more. In a way we all have been that main character. Not necessarily in this game but if you ever played a JRPG you know so well how these things go you can still recognise the trope. From simple loot quest because they are needed to progress the main story, to moral choices, characters that will never let stuff go because of the way NPC’s are written. It’s all in here! Almost as if I am the player. The combat fluidity, the sound effects used, there is so much to find and love about this that it really amazed me.

The villain of this movie looks way creepier than in the game 10/10 Nightmare Fuel

At the center of it all is the AMAZING Dragon Quest soundtrack that shines in all its glory. The main quest playing when our hero embarks on a new adventure, the fight theme playing when he is fighting for his life. The correct music playing in towns and it also feeling like a RPG town. It reminded me off when I first left Midgar in Final Fantasy and entered Nibelheim for the first time. That same quaint atmosphere, with room for some minor quests that are set in town and in the local nearby areas it just clicked to me. I might not have played this game, but I have played games like this and that is enough to recognise those tropes to love what is going on. When Luca fights a big monster named Björn and the boss theme of the series starts playing I stood up and shouted “Yes YES!” I could have clapped but that would be silly by myself! This movie is Dragon Quest done as a movie.. instead of a movie done about Dragon Quest.

So this makes the fourth smash character that has a video game movie if we omit Pac-man from Pixels

That sounds confusing huh! This is much more a movie about a video game than basicly anything else I have seen so far. Detective Pikachu follows the story of a game, Sonic is a movie about a character of a game, Mario just used the name of a game , Assassins Creed used a mythos of a game and everything Uwe Boll makes… well  I guess that is what happens if you play a video game while taking a poo, then shoving the poo in a movie projector. No this movie is really about the game, I noticed that I kept this movie as spoiler free as I possibly could because I want JRPG lovers to see this gam..uhm movie. I would not go as far as call this the best video game movie of all times.. because.. it’s not that much of a movie. Sonic is better in that perspective.  While I heard some say by changing designs and by carrying this message it is speaking very lowly of the fans I think this is utter non sense. Had they did this exact same thing to my favorite Jrpg ever, Chrono Trigger or one the “Tales of” games I would be so happy.

I feel Purrcy would have really bad breath with all those weird things to eat

This movie made me think like I always do..it made me see the other side of my moral choices in video games, the ones that are normally glossed over. A quest we refuse to take, a romance we do not pursue just because we rather chase another character. It has an impact on an NPC’s life .. can I only be ruled by what I want.. can a character ever  be more to me than it should. In a way a movie like this brings our favorite characters to live. It brings worlds we love to live, despite that there might be pacing issues, odd design choices to accommodate other things, despite not having all that much of a story. On reason I talked about the plot is because it’s a JRPG its kinda irrelevant. Hero has to stop the big evil and save his mother, for this he needs to find a magic sword and a legendary hero.  You can replace all these elements and it would still be as awesome, save a princess, find a special and a mentor to teach him said spell. It would not change a single thing about this movie because it is fully build on atmosphere.

I bet Bjorn has worse breath though


In a way it’s like the slime companion of the actual Dragon Quest V (I looked this up) It may look simple, there isn’t much depth to it and it kind of weird, yet for those who love the genre it is an excellent choice. It doesn’t have the power other movies have, but it makes up for it in spades with spirit. Endgame you can have some doubts about yet it somehow feels right.
This movie made me proud to be me, to be a gamer. It reminded me off the importance of heroes like Luca and great side characters like Bianca, Nera and in my main game characters like Marle and Frog.  It’s easy to see them as just video game characters, bits of programmed blobs of text that feel nothing no matter the choices you make.

When the main character is not in a burning town area, are the people still suffering?

Yet these characters mean so much to many people that in a way they are more real than you and me! To me their feelings always mattered. Like how I nickname Pokémon that I am never going to use regardless, because they should at least get that token of affection. In Sword and Shield I do take my unused Pokémon to camp to play with them so they never feel lonely.I’ll always take Aerith on a date instead of Tifa. The journeys we take make some characters more real to us than we care to admit. I felt more sad for Arche Klein of Tales of Phantasia than seeing a same sort of story on reality tv.

Eeeek Pinkie Watches reality tv?!

This movie is a testament to our experience as gamers, a sign,  that there are others like me out there who feel like this. It confirmed to me that we as geeks, can learn lessons from our favorite characters and that the games we play DO matter. It made me proud to be gamer, because I have fought so many adventures with many amazing friends! I experienced adventures that the general populous can only dream off and to me it’s just as real as what Chad gains in muscle at the local gym.

So now it’s time for my score?! How do you think you did Gootrude?!
Hints of Starfruit in this cocktail, if you like weird endings that are set up well! I had a blast with this movie

Pinkie’s “What If Raditz Turned Good” Chapter 1

It is no secret anymore that I am a huge Dragon Ball fan. I consume just about everything that is covered with those fish egg coloured wishing orbs. This includes the amazing Dragon Ball Z Abridged and the stories of that goku’s voice actor Masoko X. He made a great point telling us Goku’s brother Raditz was completely wasted in the show and wrote a story to keep him in the fold. It is an amazing story that has given me so much joy that I decided to give this scenario a retelling of my own.

The Power of Memories

The story of Dragon Ball Z would begin much like it would in the original. We would see the iconic farmer with the shotgun scene and Goku and Raditz first meeting at Kame house would also go exactly the same. Well… not exactly the same. There is one difference. In the recent Broly movie we see Raditz speaking about his little brother. While dismissive there is some sort of empathy there.. it’s not much.. a kindle at best but seeing the crying Gohan would briefly spark a memory in Raditz.. a memory of his crying brother with a power level of 2.

This memory on it’s own would not do much and Raditz doesn’t show this emotion towards the group but when he takes Gohan away and flies off into the distance he can be seen frowning. Remembering how his little brother was send off moments before his planet was  destroyed. He always had doubts about the meteor story since Bardock.. in the new cannon is shown to have his own doubts about Frieza. It is more than likely he would have shared these with his son. He can not prove it.. but he always felt there was more to this story. Seeing his race now live on in the form of this hybrids those doubts begin to gnaw at him once more. However since Frieza is such an insurmountable force, he quickly dismisses the thoughts as a figment of his imagination. Yet he is slightly less rough in the way he locks Gohan into his pod.

The Double Battle Against Raditz

Back at Kame House Goku and Piccolo unite to fight this high powered menace that has suddenly shown up. They would move forward towards his pods location and the fight would proceed as usual with Raditz dominating the fight. However everything would change when Gohan suddenly gets his rage boost.”Leave My Daddy alone” he would yell as his power skyrockets, headbutting Raditz and breaking his armor. In the original this would lead to Goku being able to grab his tail and Raditz into deceiving him.. this time the young boy has changed his mind.

“What was that” he asked cringing with his tale still held into a grapple”. Tricking Goku in the original by feigning compliance this time, this time Raditz actually calms down and grows cooperative. The power surge that just happend, could that perhaps solve his people’s bigger problems? Could this boy be the key to their freedom? Raditz never fully believed this story, in this timeline and we see actual proof in the main story. While Vegeta is shocked to learn the truth..he really deals with it within seconds.. as if somewhere he already knew. That alongside his hertigage makes me think such an action from Raditz has some merrit to it.

Lore and Legends

The older Saiyan would surrender to Goku, crushing his scouter before he begins to explain. That he and the other two and last remaining Saiyans work for a galactic tyrant named Frieza. While Piccolo is mistrusting of the man and wants to kill him he is stopped by Goku who takes interest in this tale. The idea of fighting someone that mighty.. that is stronger than anyone in this world facinates the man who’s motivations has always to be strong fighters. Raditz tells Piccolo that he could easily stop them with their power level.. if he wished. Saying his mistrust is foolish Namekian. We get some lore on the Saiyans and of the Namekians as well..but his story would mostly be about how terrible Frieza is how regardless of the outcome of this fight this man will eventually enslave everyone. Yet then he brings up.. a certain legend.

Raditz does believe that the Saiyans one day will take down Frieza, he spent a lot of time with Vegeta after all.. putting him in place as low class warrior. While initially Vegeta claims the legend of the Super Saiyan to be nothing but a legend, he is very familiar with i and connects it from basically nothing. Gohan displayed a surge of uncontrollable rage power right there. Having much more connection to the myth. As the son of Bardock.. a proud Saiyan who was very skilled at employing what is available to you and versed in Saiyan Lore.. Raditz should be able to connect the dots. This time he does. Explaining how the power of that young boy might be connected to Legendary Super Saiyan.

A plan for all Saiyans

Goku initially gets super excited about the idea of there being such strong fighters in the galaxy and how his son could be key to a new sort of power accesible to his “race” that he just discovered about. Piccolo snaps some sense into him telling Goku this man is asking Goku to put his son at a terrible risk. Goku gets scared and cries out “Chichi is gonna kill us”

Raditz frowns and asks “What is A Chichi, my scouter said you are the two highest power levels” Goku begins to explain and we see come cutaways how they met and got married. A small clipshow to make viewers aware there was a show before this. Raditz tells Goku he would blow anyone away who stands in the way of stopping Frieza. Goku simply says.. “no no.. we don’t do that around here… we might just need the Dragon Balls to convince her…. oh whoops”

Raditz learns about the Dragon Balls immediately recognizing their potential and has another request a wish that might be able to stop the Saiyans , who of course are still coming. His first plan is to show them Gohan’s potential.. or discover what technique he used to raise his power THAT much. iF they are not able to get strong enough these wishing orbs could proof that Frieza is behind the destruction of Planet Vegeta.. which could most likely convince Vegeta to fight against the tyrant. Who is about 10 times stronger than him. The Tyrant Frieza surpasses that guy by at least 50 times.

Convincing Chichi

Goku and his brother now have to convince Chichi to let Gohan train with them which goes about as well as expected. “What about his studies? Our boy should be a doctor, under no circumstances Gohan can go.. you are not putting our boy in danger”  While Goku gets all nervous at Chichi’s behaviour Raditz is much less intimidated. He is used to verbal abuse and people talking trash. He’ll have non of it.

He begins with telling her how Saiyans raise their kids.. explaining she can’t suppress his nature. She defends with how training is not something for a young boy to do. Raditz counters “My Brother just told me he met you while training, if you or he had not been fighters Gohan would not even haf existed’. This reminds Chichi of her “warrior” days and weakens her resolve.

Raditz tells about all the terrible things he has done in Frieza’s name.. not sparing any details. She can not let that happen to her Gohan. Raditz embalishes a bit.. saying that someone with as much potential as Gohan will never be save from a man like that.. if he doesn’t train this planet will most likely be destroyed. In truth .. he only suspects this to be remotely true but anything to further his cause. He also reluctantly tells her that the prince of their entire race would owe Gohan, giving it just enough prestige to make it more appealing to Chichi.

“He can train but only if you let him do his homework, he needs a proper job when he grows up’. “I bet Prince Vegeta will reward you so handsomely for your help you, your son or his son’s son would not have to worry about money ever again. Raditz smirks as he just screwed Vegeta over with such a propmiss. Somewhat reluctantly..but this time permanently Chichi accepts her sons heritage and grand future. While I get the over protective mother sentiment, the whole world of Dragon Ball resolves around fighting and she was raised into it to an extent. So it should be way easier to convince Chichi than Goku made it.. especially this early on. Raditz numerical approach would help greatly.

Training and new Techniques

Meanwhile Piccolo takes it upon himself to train up the other Z-Fighters In true Toriyama style they get relegated to the background , quite a bit faster this time though training under Piccolo will give them quite a level boost when it comes before the epic showdown. Piccolo would also get a lot stronger from his training with stronger fighters than Gohan. Yet it would also mean that Piccolo hasn’t fully abandoned his plan to kill Goku with the Special Beam Cannon yet.. if this Frieza is emperor of the galaxy and they could get strong enough to defeat him.. by killing the people who killed him he might be able to rule the galaxy himself. ..A thought reminiscent of his father.. that he now can not shake as well as before. Turning him into a rather merciless trainer.. only improving the Z-Fighters gains further.

Training at Kami like normally first Gohan keeps being very afraid of Raditz hindering their training when Kami has an idea. Using the same sort technique he once used on the Z-Fighters in a filler episode to let them fight against Saiyans of the past he uses this same strategy on Gohan, Goku and Raditz. Hoping that seeing the seriousness  of all will make Gohan get over his fear. Much like in the original the group the scenario is basically an unwinnable one. Unlike in the original this illusion is made   more in the vain of the Kobayashi Maru scenario from Star Trek where a captain has to  learn how to cope with that fear of certain defeat.

However this goes not as Kami and the others would have expected. While Raditz gets taken out first he does manage to seriously damage the fake historic saiyans. Gohan paralyzed with fear sees his father taken down while trying to protect Gohan he manages to take down Scarface . Shorty then cruelly  guns down a weakened Goku with a beam technique. This causes Gohan to snap again.. his power rising to new levels taking out the second saiyan. Breaking out the illusion Kami walks in surprised that they actually won. Raditz inquires about Gohan’s power boost  againg. Praticing Kii sense himself. Kami is unsure what Gohan’s rage boost is as well.. but as Raditz describes it as Gohan’s power level multiplying many times over the old Namekian says  he might know of a power like that.

Raditz scolds at the man for being so mysterious and that he should speak up. Kami ensures him that learning it would be quite impossible as they would have to travel to King Yemma and beyond which is normally only accesible if you are dead. “Goku blurts out that if Babba can cross people over from the dead to the world of the living the other way might be possible as well, they could ask this King Yemma to be there longer train. Kami sighs and says ‘Very well.. I shall tell you.. it is a technique called the Kaio-Ken’

And this is where  our story ends for now. A young boy with mysterious powers, recruits an ally stronger than ever before..but also might spell doom for the entire planet. Will Goku and his family be allowed to train in the after life? Will Raditz be able to convince the evil saiyans? What will become of Piccolo? FInd out the next time on :

Dragon Ball Pinkie!

Saiyan Slice of Life: Dragon Ball R&R

Last night I watched something on YouTube I loved so much I just have to gush about it! It had to do with Dragon Ball! But not… the Dragon Ball you might know! I am talking about a series that has not been discovered by that many people yet! I am talking about Dragon Ball R&R. That’s a lot of balls mentioned in this opening. 

What is Dragon Ball R&R?!

Now I am a sensible little Pinkie and before I gush about the latest episode I shall give you a little explanation of what this series is about..because believe me.. this requires some explaining. When I tell you that R&R stands for both rest and relaxations as well as Ranch and Raditz, I am sure you scratch your head. Raditz isn’t that the guy that was as weak as a Saibaman that got owned within like five episodes?! You know Goku’s brother?! That is right! The point goes to you!

Raditz was killed my Picollo’s Makankōsappō  technique. Or how it’s know amongst the dubbers, the special beam cannon. I never liked that name. I mean it always felt so thin… hardly something you shoot from a cannon, also I am not sure what made this beam special?! Well it had multiple colours and swirlies so.. sure.. but the literal translation of Demon’s penetrating killing light gun , kinda sounds cooler…though a friend of mine who lives up north just giggled because I used the word penetrating.

I got a bit of track there! This story is not about THAT Raditz… well kinda… but instead of being killed by the Demon’s Penetrating  Killing Light Gun, the guy turned good! You see this series is created by the voice actor of Goku in a little series called Dragon Ball Abridged.  On his own YouTube channel he dabbles in a lot of “What If” Stories. Including my personal favorite and long since concluded series. What if Raditz turned good. It explores the scenario where Goku does that thing he does in befriending originally evil characters and turning them good.

He did this a few times when he befriended Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo , Vegeta and to a lesser extend Majin Buu, Android 18 and Android 17.  The series of Raditz got so popular it produced a spin off show, that appears on a “it’s done when it’s done schedule on Masoko X (Goku’s voice actor in DBZA) ‘s channel, set in a time of rest and relaxation. The time after the Buu Arc and before the Battle of the Gods movie (the super series definatly started at the Universe 6 arc.)

Who is Ranch

To appreciate this series you first kind of have to watch What if Raditz turned good! At least up until episode episode 7! The eight one is where the series goes into the territory of God Ki and R&R takes place before that.  While R&R focusses a lot on Raditz it’s main protagonist is Ranch! Raditz what if daughter. She would be the cousin of Gohan and Goten, being fairly close to the latter in terms of age!

She would also be the daughter of Launch, the most forgotten about dragonball character, who had the power to go blond waaaaaay before the majority of the cast did.  Launch is either a sweet innocent woman with blue her and a clumsy demeanour or a cold mercenary and thief, mostly known for her appearance through the original series. While this is a major plot point of the “what if series” on R&R the focus really is on their happy family life, and in doing so this series gets a wholesomeness. And even if Ranch started of as a side character to a alternate story of two originally throw away characters, she is an amazing addition to the dragon ball world.

Ranch is a female saiyan done right!  While Kale and Caulifla are solid enough characters, mostly Kale is lacking some credibility as she is mostly just nostalgia pandering and fan service towards fans of the original Broly, before he actually became a amazing character. Ranch has much more depth, personality and struggles. You can see some traits of both Raditz and Launch in her and maybe excluding future Trunks ( before Goku Black)  the best Hybrid saiyan I have seen. Already great in the original what if that gets deepend more in this show, in a fascinating audio manga that tells us self contained stories centered around her and her Pappa but also is not afraid to highlight and deepen some other characters we know and love.

Rest and Relaxation

Dragon Ball is a bit of an odd series and mainly in the story of Z there were plenty of “filler”. Fake Namek and the Garlic Junior Saga were horrible and did not happen.  Yet on occasion the show strikes gold. One of the examples in the show’s original runs is now titled “The Driving Episode” in which Goku and Piccolo try to get their driver’s license. It just was super cute and mundane but still Dragon Ball in a sense. Dragon Ball Super did this once again with the Baseball episode. Another great filler like episode that was just so heartwarming and wholesome that you can not help but to love it.

R&R is like a series of that. “What if Dragon Ball had a slice of life spin off”. Masoko seems to know his OC’s (at this point I am gonna call Raditz or at least this Raditz his OC as well.. because it is not the throwaway token character Toriyama made Raditz but an actually fleshed out guy we can root for)  very well and also the other existing characters. He also knows what made the driving episode and the baseball episode work and has captured that magic in this series very well.

While Masoko reprises his role as Goku (as he did with team 4 star) we do not really get the Abridged Goku, we get a take on Goku that is somewhere in between Sean Schemmel’s version and the abridged version. Something that in my opinion is very close to the sub’s original. Serious when he needs to be, but also relaxed and fun loving. As he should be.  His voice work in the series .. like always is great but Courtney Meeker, the voice of Ranch and Afghani as the brother of Kakarot both are great talents as well that give this show some great backbone. Amanda Hufford playing Launch completes the happy little family and while her blue Launch can be a bit laid on a bit to thick, I could not help but go Awwww, each time she voices a line.

Lawrence Simpson as Masako’s real name is managed to cast some great and upcoming voice talents and auditions regularly each time a new character appears in the script.  Always asking for people to go with their own interpretation so it never feels like someone is trying to much to sound like an original voice actor or a DBZA character. Mostly selecting these characters on the sound of their regular voice instead of their screams pays off as this feels like it’s own thing throughout  and really makes the story a joy to follow. After I am done with an episode I do feel relaxed and I still feel I watched Dragon Ball.

 Stand Alone Stories

Like mentioned earlier, each episode is very much made to watch as a self contained story, that loosely flows into the next.  A great format because these episodes are few and far apart. This once again shows that Lawrence Simpson really knows what makes this type of content work.  How to structure these episodes. Because of how low key it is a small teaser of what to come is all we need to wet our appetites for the next episode yet are not turned off by the long wait.  Now let’s take a peak at these stories.

Episode 1 : A Fusion of Fancy?! Trunks and Ranch join Forces!

This “Pilot” episode is my second favorite of the series so far..but all episodes make it to my top 5! In this episode we see the kids taking a closer look at fusion. Since there are three now it makes sense that they would. In this episode they hold a fusion contest among themselves to see which makes the best fusion, Gotenks, the classic we all know and love (except when it comes to gacha games)  Ranten, the male dominant fusion between Ranch and Goten or Raunks the female dominate fusion of Ranch and Trunks.

Goku and Raditz function as the judge..but in typical Goku fashion he wants to join this measurement of strength and even ends up fusing with Raditz into Goditz. This is the only episode that contains actual Dragon Ball fighting and it is great.. yet lighthearted. A perfect episode toe edge us over into the more wholesome territory. There are some clever fighting moves and intresting combinations of techniques like the Final Friday and the Double Kamehameha that really please each Dragon Ball fan.

Episode 2: The Final Cut Goten’s big decision.

Ranking number 4 out of 5 for me this episode deals with a heartfelt issue that I feel the show itself should have addressed. Goten notices he is the weakest of the Saiyans and feels like he will be left behind. Existing only as a way to boost either Trunks or Ranch, he feels like he lacks a own identity which Raditz confirms telling him he is basically just a little Goku. So he starts to wonder if he should change his hair and his looks a bit. In this episode we see a great performance from Jenna Kathleen as Goten and Amanda Hufford as blonde Launch. It really helps giving some depth to Goten and make him feel like a unique character that has his troubles.

It is a great episode that only is held back a bit because of the feeling that it is kicking in an open door. The advice Goten gets is to “just be himself” and while I get that he is a kid and it seems new for him, it all feels so obvious that it loses just a bit of it’s shine. Still it is sincere and it is nice to see the smaller aspects of the dragonworld addressed. This still is a 7.5 out of 10 for me it just shows how good some of the other episodes are. 

Episode 3: A Misunderstanding? Gohan’s Peace Offering

This episode has the unfortunate honour of being my least favorite episode. Number 5 out of my top 5, and I am fairly sure that when episode 6 comes out, this one will not be among my favorites anymore. A 6 out of 10 for me, so it’s still a solid one that I can’t help to find less consistent than other episodes.  Ranch gets very upset that Gohan looked away. Feeling said she is not recognised by her cousin makes her run away from home and be upset.
While she is away Raditz flashes back in his past, and Piccolo offers Ranch some guidance. This is one of those Slice of Life tropes I dislike. “The Silly Misunderstanding”  and I felt the characters were less consistent than they normally are. Raditz is pretty logic driven and Ranch got a lot of those traits so it seemed weird she would get upset over something as silly as this. 

While this episode should highlight Ranch it is actually Goku who takes the spotlight. He fixes this little family problem using his Instant Transmission in the most inappropriate way possible. He just barges into peoples live and snatches them along to further his agenda.. which seems hilarious and quite like Goku. Forgetting that phones exist. Unfortunately by that time we have already lost half the episode in another form of inner crisis. I probably would have liked this episode more had it not directly followed Goten’s inner troubles or had they been inversed in order. Stacey Cotham who protrays Chi-Chi , who is very prominent in this episode just plays her a bit to flat lacking her spunk.. and I think the that is the perfect analogy for this episode.

Episode 4: STRIKE! Yacha’s Curveball! With an 8/10 this was a great episode to me!

Such a great episode! Perfectly balancing the kids and Yamcha in a exciting but still slice of life like episode. Yamcha is about to retire from playing for the Tai Tan’s in baseball when his manager is trying to fix this final match in an attempt to disgrace him and forcing him to stay. While the parents are learning abotu baseball.. and visiting Yamcha’s matches for both the very first and last time, the kids move into the stadium’s catacombs to deal with the manager played by Geekdom101.

Hook the manager is kinda weakly voice acted by this Dragon  Ball Youtuber , he just doesn’t seem that believable preventing this from being a 10/10 episode. Otherwise this one is amazing. Stanley Kuschick voices an amazing Yamcha and the story is just really touching. It was so nice to see Puar again and see Yamcha get some closure. He fades into obscurity after he got knocked out by Android 20..mostly being just a cameo in the rest of the show. The story written by Lawrence Simpson and his team here.. send Yamcha off in the sweetest way. Including introducing a potential romantic lead for the guy near the end. You can really feel the love for the character here.

Episode 5: Respect Your Roots, Kiddo! A Glorious Story of the Saiyan Race!!

The currently last and absolute best episode in this series for me! I was really blown back by it. In this episode Raditz tell his three children (yes I forgot to mention he had two sons as well.. but they aren’t really in other episodes because they are toddlers, Daikon and Mooli. Goten and Trunks show up to listen in is as well. As Raditz tells the tale we quickly find out he is not really telling the whole truth but his version of it.. to make himself look better.. as the children comment on the weird twists in the story. This episode feels so in character for every single character.. like how Raditz makes Vegeta look bad in the story every chance he gets and how Trunks calls him out for it it is fantastic. There is so much love for the characters here and also for the franchise.

The way the kids poke fun at the plot holes in Toriyama’s lore feels lighthearted but sharp and like something kids would point out. I laughed at the silliness. Yet this episode moved me to tears.  We see Raditz think back on Bardock and Gine, his and Goku’s parents and while Goku completely forgot about them Raditz did not. He misses them, remembering his father and mother say they were proud of him. It ends with the most beautiful family moment and Piccolo and Raditz reflecting on their parents and parenthood! This episode feels like a love letter from a man to his OC and the franchise that inspired it and that is what Dragonball R&R is to me!

With all the what if’s lasting about fifteen minutes and R&R episodes being around the length of a regular anime episode, within a timespan of about four hours you can enjoy one of the greatest Dragon Ball fan fiction series out there! That in some ways feel even more real to me than the orginal! Check out Masoko X’s youtube channel for a very strong series! I shall leave you all with the intro to each episodes! Which will link you to the right channel! Remember I love you all! Keep smiling and let’s make the internet a happier place!

XO
Pinkie