“Gokuu's alien brother Raditz reveals his Saiyan past and warns of an impending intergalactic war over the Dragon Balls.”
Dragon Ball Z
ドラゴンボールZ
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Gokuu's alien brother Raditz reveals his Saiyan past and warns of an impending intergalactic war over the Dragon Balls.
Five years after winning the World Martial Arts tournament, Gokuu is now living a peaceful life with his wife and son. This changes, however, with the arrival of a mysterious enemy named Raditz who presents himself as Gokuu's long-lost brother. He reveals that Gokuu is a descendant of the once powerful but now virtually extinct Saiyan race, whose homeworld was annihilated. When he was sent to Earth as a baby, Gokuu's sole purpose was to conquer and destroy the planet; but after suffering amnesia from a head injury, his violent and savage nature changed, and instead was raised as a kind and well-mannered boy, now fighting to protect others. With his failed attempt at forcibly recruiting Gokuu as an ally, Raditz warns Gokuu's friends of a new threat that's rapidly approaching Earth—one that could plunge Earth into an intergalactic conflict and cause the heavens themselves to shake. A war will soon be fought over the seven mystical Dragon Balls, magic objects that can grant any wish. Only the strongest will survive.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 161 sampled reviews
What 161 viewers settled on.
Polarized
σ 2.17 · split reception
6.3 pts
Recommenders 9.0 · others 2.7
↓ 1.83
Running avg · Dec 2007 → Jul 2025
- 10 “Dragon Ball Z pure magic, crazy action and big superpowers. If you like your anime with people beating the crap out of other people (and other life forms) please give it watch!”
- 10 “Absolute MASTERPIECE 10 across the board. Without this revolutionary anime there not be many top animes that came after it. Way ahead of its time and influenced so much of the anime culture. Spread...”
- 9 “---Dcm18's quick reviews--- Story: 8 (A bit generic by now, but still very well done) Art: 10 (Toriyama at his best) Sound: 7 (Some tracks tend to get repetitive) Character: 10 (What a colorful and...”
Watch Order & Related
Explore the Dragon Ball Z universe
Cast
See all →Trailers & videos
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Made by
See all credits →Production slate
- Format 291 × 24′ eps × min
- Total runtime 116h 24m all episodes
- Aired Apr 1989 – Jan 1996 Spring 1989
- Source Tv media type
- Rated PG 13 - Teens 13 or older
- Ref. BS-0735 catalog
Produced by
- Fuji TV Producer
Licensed by
- Funimation Licensor