Piccolo steals the unconscious Gohan from Bulma and the others, and takes him off to train in preparation of the Saiyan's arrival. Kami-sama has a plan as well, and takes the dead Goku to Enma Daio. Kami says that before Goku will be brought back to life with the dragonballs, he will train under Kaio, who stands at the peak of all the gods in the universe! After receiving permission from Enma Daio to meet Kaio, Goku begins running along the Snake Road, said to be as long as a million kilometers. Elsewhere, Krillin visits Goku's house, but is too uncomfortable to tell Chi Chi and Gyuumao about Goku and Gohan. Meanwhile, upon testing out Gohan's dormant power, Piccolo tells Gohan to strengthen himself so as to be able to draw that power out.
I must admit, I really liked the re-structuring of this episode. The scenes all seemed to flow together very nicely, and although some things were moved around quite a bit, the chronology of events was not upset. However, despite the excellent job with editing in this regard, we are still seeing many poor choices in many other areas. Once again we have an awful cut right into the dialogue between Kami and Enma, with no explanation of any kind regarding where we are, who these people are, or what's going on. The way in which it's presented really feels as though something is missing, like you're watching a DVD and it suddenly just skipped a track. They really have to stop doing this.
The other thing I take issue with is the flashback scene. I know, I know... everybody born beyond the year 1995 is stricken with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), making it necessary to recap events that we just saw 17 minutes ago in the actual episode recap... but come on now people. Now don't get me wrong, I actually like the placement of the scene, and think it works well, but not under these conditions. Let us review: 1) As I said above, we just saw the exact scene 17 minutes prior, and 2) They have cut endless amounts of important manga material, yet have the gall to show "the awesome violent part" 3 times within the span of 2 episodes. If you're going to market this as "Toriyama's Cut", then stop bowing down to the lowest common denominator, and give us something that matches your claims.
Herms
I liked that even though the pacing slowed down in this episode, it didn't ever feel like it was dragging. It's kind of odd to see some entire filler scenes again (though still brief ones) after having essentially 0 filler for the last two episodes, but I did like the choice of what they used. Showing Krillin attempting to break the bad news to Chi Chi seems like a natural inclusion, especially since the whole "Krillin, you have to go tell Chi Chi" thing is never really followed up on in the manga (that is, we see when Chi Chi learns what happened, but it's never explained in the manga why Krillin hadn't already told her). Overall, I think this episode moved along at a very good pace. I'll be happy if more episodes are like this one.
Hujio
I was amazed how well the filler scenes used fit into the episode and how well the whole episode was pieced together. I think the filler actually helped the episode feel more complete. After flying through the first three episodes so fast, it makes me wonder why we had to lose all those canon scenes. It really makes me feel like they could have paced that out a little better, even if they had to make it four episodes. Also, as with other episodes, some of the cuts between scenes have felt rushed, where I feel we're just thrown right into it with no real setup, but for the most part, I've liked the pacing overall.
One issue I still have is that it's not clear yet whether this is truly a "Toriyama Cut" or merely a replacement for DragonBall Z. Which is it Toei? Is it both, or is it whatever you want it to be? More than anything I'm just confused, but I still like it, as far as being able to watch DragonBall every week again. However, I'm greatly saddened that the next episode title is no longer being shown in the preview. I hope they decide to take the extra 5 seconds to write the title in the preview and bring it back. Consistency, people!
Beyond this point, all of the comparison sub-sections are collapsible in order to conserve space on the page. Simply click the title of each sub-section to uncollapse it, or click the sections title to uncollapse all of its respective sub-sections. If you'd like to uncollapse everything on the page, click below.
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Manga Comparison
This episode covered roughly two chapters of the manga, the final page of chapter 204 and the entirety of both chapters 205 and 206. Chapter 205 took nearly all of the first half, basically everything up to the eyecatch, and went on into the second half too. As a result of this lower amount of material covered, very few things from the manga were left out or changed, and quite a few filler scenes were left in as well.
Chapter 205 – "A Fight in the Afterlife!!"
When Piccolo says that he'll be taking Gohan, in the manga Krillin asks him what he's going to do, and then says "I know! You're going to eat him!", which Piccolo strongly denies. This part has been left out, and instead of Krillin, it is Bulma who asks Piccolo what he intends to do with Gohan.
Krillin's line at the end of the scene with Piccolo is left out, where he says that Goku and Chi Chi are going to be mad.
When the scene switches to Goku in the afterlife, the first panel showing a bit of the outside of Enma's palace is left in, but the larger establishing shot of the palace has been left out, where it shows a front view of the palace with its "Well Come" sign and line of spirits going in. Also shown in this panel is an Oni with a loudspeaker who is telling the spirits to stay in one line, so this bit gets left out.
When Goku asks if everyone, even aliens, comes to Enma's palace, Kami-sama originally responds with "You're an alien", before going on to explain that all souls come here to receive judgment. In DragonBall Kai this first line has been left out, but the rest of the explanation remains.
When the guide Oni explains that Kaio stands above all the gods of the universe, in DragonBall Kai Goku exclaims that he must be strong; that line isn't in the manga. It might have been added to give some punch to end the scene on, since in the manga the entire ride to the Snake Road and Goku's departure is all one scene, but in Kai the scene switches to Kame-sennin and the rest at this point.
So in DragonBall Kai, the scene with Kame-sennin says that Krillin should inform Chi Chi of Goku's death is set between Goku being driven to the Snake Road and his arrival there. In the manga, it's between Goku beginning to fly along the Snake Road, and Goku being shown later walking along it, having used up all his energy. Goku's comment about Bukujutsu using up a lot of energy has been moved to the end of the episode, placing it after the scenes with Gohan and Piccolo.
When Goku starts flying over the Snake Road, in the manga the guide Oni says "that's crafty", but this line is left out in DragonBall Kai.
There's a filler scene left in where Krillin makes a failed attempt at informing Chi Chi of Goku's death. In the manga we never see any follow-up to Kame-sennin telling him to break the news to Chi Chi.
Chapter 206 – "Son Gohan and Piccolo Daimao"
When Piccolo throws Gohan at the small mountain, in the manga he thinks to himself that Gohan had better display his true power, or he'll be smashed against the rocks. In DragonBall Kai the "you'll be smashed against those rocks" part of this line is left out.
As mentioned above, Goku's remark about Bukujutsu using up too much stamina, meaning he has to just walk now, is moved to the end of the episode. It is combined with the brief scene where Goku sneezes after Piccolo tells Gohan that Goku is a lousy teacher (referencing a Japanese superstition that if you sneeze, someone is saying bad things about you).
The ending narration for this episode is exactly the same as the ending narration for the manga chapter. There's generally not too much narration in the manga, at least not by this point in the story, so usually the anime narration is brand new or longer.
Other Notes
The next episode preview shows scenes from chapters 207 and 208, indicating that the next episode will cover at least two chapters.
After a brief recap, the episode begins with a filler scene from DragonBall Z episode 005, where Chi Chi is shown sewing one of Gohan's shirts back at Mt. Paozu when Gyuumao visits with some presents for Gohan. The use of this scene as the episodes opening scene is quite an interesting choice, as it originally appeared in-between footage that has already been used in DragonBall Kai episode 003. So technically speaking, it is completely out of order, but it seems to set up the episode really well for the other filler scenes included later in the episode. I also think it works well because in the scene Chi Chi thinks that Goku and Gohan must be having a good time at Kame House, after which we cut to Krillin shaking Goku's dead body on the battle field. Oh the irony...
DragonBall Z episode 005 ends about a minute and a half into the episode, as Piccolo begins to walk towards his cape, and DragonBall Z episode 006 immediately begins. Shortly after this, as Goku runs off to follow the guide that will take him to Snake Road, he tells Kami-sama to give his regards to Mr. Popo. However, in DragonBall Kai Mr. Popo has yet to be introduced, so if you've never actually seen the original DragonBall TV series or read the manga, you may have no idea who this mysterious person is. Another interesting note is although this is Enma Daio's first appearance in DragonBall Kai, he is left uncredited in the ending credits, although his seiyuu, Gouri Daisuke, is credited for voicing Gyuumao in the episode.
The first half of the episode perfectly coincides with the ending of the first half of DragonBall Z episode 006. Partway into the second half of the episode, a filler scene from the second half of DragonBall Z episode 007, where Krillin goes to give Chi Chi the bad news, is inserted in-between scenes from DragonBall Z episode 006. In fact, this is the only scene from DragonBall Z episode 007 to appear in this episode of DragonBall Kai, so I will not be including it in the cut material below. At the end of this filler scene, Krillin and Chi Chi are centered on the screen, but as Gyuumao enters the scene, the screen pans up. This digital pan was used to ensure that Gyuumao's head didn't get chopped off by the centered cropping, and rather than have the entire scene not centered, they opted to center it and then pan up and re-center the scene when Gyuumao entered.
As Piccolo fills in Gohan about what has happened while he was passed out, there is a short flashback of Piccolo killing both Goku and Raditz. This flashback actually replaced the entire original flashback used, and not only that, but the two are completely different. The original flashback is from Gohan's perspective right before Raditz knocks him out, while the new flashback is from Piccolo's perspective. This episode ends at the same point as DragonBall Z episode 006, meaning this episode covered a little over one episode of DragonBall Z. Surprisingly, this is the first episode in the history of the TV series' (besides DragonBall GT episode 64, if you're picky) to not have a next episode preview title card, which is rather unfortunate.
Original Material Length: 24 minutes, 4 seconds Material Cut: 4 minutes, 45 seconds (~20%)Total Material Cut So Far: 45 minutes, 7 seconds (~38%)
Material Cut From DragonBall Z Episode 005
After Goku's body disappears, Piccolo notes that Kami probably has something special in store for him.
The ending narration, including Vegeta and Nappa flying through space.
Original Material Cut: 8 minutes, 23 seconds (~43%) This is the total combined original material cut, which includes what was cut from DragonBall Kai episode 003.
Material Cut From DragonBall Z Episode 006
A shot of Krillin shown through Radtiz's scouter.
All of the tools popping out of Bulma's tool kit after she takes it out of her pocket.
Piccolo flexing his hand after regenerating his severed arm.
Everyone shocked after Piccolo says he'll be taking Goku's son with him. Krillin knows why he wants to take him... he's going to eat him!
After Piccolo flies off with Gohan, Krillin commenting about how furious Goku and Chi Chi are going to be when they find out. The narration that follows this, "Meanwhile, in the afterlife...", is also cut.
The beginning scenes in Hell of an Oni directing souls.
The Oni looking on in amazement after hearing Kami-sama apologize to Enma Daio for saying that Goku shouldn't train with him because Kaio is stronger.
People waiting in line wondering what the holdup is as Kami-sama is blocking the line while he thinks of how dyer the situation has become and if all of their efforts will be enough.
Chi Chi trying to call Kame House, but only getting Kame-sennin's answering machine while Gyuumao plays with a remote control car in the background. Chi Chi begins to wonder what they could be up to and starts thinking that if Gohan learns martial arts he might get thrown into the ocean, chased by sharks, and stranded on a deserted island where he'll get bit by a snake that will make him stupid. Man, does she have an imagination!
The Oni commenting about Goku being sly for flying instead of running along Snake Road.
A panoramic shot of the surrounding scenery before Piccolo lands.
The scene where Piccolo drops Gohan into the water to wake him up has been cut down.
Gohan's flashback of what happened has been replaced with a more general flashback of the Makankosappo piercing Goku and Raditz.
Original Material Cut: 2 minutes, 58 seconds (~14%)
Altered Material
The shot of Raditz as Bulma and Krillin head his way to steal his scouter has been re-animated. You should note that no blood was edited from this scene, as there was none shown in the original.
All shots of the Oni guide driving Goku to Snake Road from the front have been re-animated.
During the flashback of Raditz's death, the re-animated footage of Piccolo firing the Makankosappo through Goku and Raditz from the third episode is re-used, although it has been re-colored to signify it is a flashback.
After being thrown by Piccolo, the scene of Gohan flying towards a giant mountain and powering up has been re-animated. I'm not sure why they decided to re-draw the background with clouds, but whatever. Also, all shots of Gohan actually firing the ki blast have not been re-animated.
The scene of Goku flying over Snake Road and sneezing has been re-animated.
Music/Voice Performance Comparison
In this section I'll be talking about the new audio track recorded for the series. However, this will be much more reliant on opinion, so I'll try to keep it as fair and balanced as possible. Of course, it's ultimately up to the individual viewer whether or not you enjoy the new material, so I'll provide audio samples for areas that are debatable, and from that you can draw your own conclusions. You can either listen to the audio clips with the flash player provided, or download them by clicking the "mp3" button on the right.
Part A (DragonBall Z Episodes 005 and 006)
This episode opens with a segment of Chi Chi at home wondering about Goku and Gohan before her father arrives with some gifts. In DragonBall Z there were a number of scenes like this throughout the episodes in order to offset the events taking place with Raditz, and to invoke emotion in the viewer. This particular scene was originally used after Raditz reveals that the Saiyan are coming to Earth, but has now been moved to after Goku passes away. Although I think it still works well, it upsets me to see this particular scene left in, while the one from DragonBall Z episode 004 (inserted between Goku's torture and Gohan's explosion of anger) was removed. If we are going to randomly leave in bits of filler, at least make it benefit the episode or just leave it out completely.
Watanabe Naoko (Chi Chi) and Gouri Daisuke (Gyuumao)
Here we can have a good listen to Watanabe Naoko's Chi Chi compared to Shou Mayumi's. It's difficult to criticize her performance since she did provide the voice for Chi Chi for the majority of DragonBall Z, but if there's anything to note it's that she brings much more maturity to the role, just with her delivery and the tone of her voice. Considering Chi Chi's characteristics, this certainly isn't a bad thing.
Gouri Daisuke also reprises the role of Gyuumao here, which begs the question, why did they have an alternate actor (Fujimoto Takahiro) provide the "noises" for Umigame in a previous episode? Perhaps they didn't want to bother calling him in for something so insignificant, or maybe they don't want to spread the actor too thin this time around. I suppose we'll have to wait for Umigame to talk before we'll know for sure. Regardless, he sounds perfectly fine here, although they used an odd voice effect when he first calls out "Gohan-chan" from outside the house. You may notice that the music here was also used in Chi Chi's scene from DragonBall Kai episode 001; perhaps this is to be her theme?
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Moving along, we have the scene with Goku's friends getting emotional and Goku disappearing. In DragonBall Kai, they use the exact same music from the end of the previous episode, when Goku actually passes away. In my audio comparison from that episode, I actually matched up Goku's death scene with the DragonBall Z version of this particular scene, since I felt the mood of the music was a better match. Well, apparently the sound designer for DragonBall Kai agrees and so here I present you with both the DragonBall Z audio (again) matched up to the correct DragonBall Kai scene, although it is slightly edited/extended from the DragonBall Z version. As previously noted, the new score here is not only beautiful, but also invokes memories of Kikuchi's original score. Personally, I like both versions, and so I leave it up to you to decide which is best.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Here we have a quick scene where Piccolo regenerates his arm just like a lizard's tail. It's only for a brief moment, but I always loved the music used in the DragonBall Z version whereas I feel that the DragonBall Kai version is just a little bit bland and generic. It just doesn't really pack much of a punch, which is what you want for a scene like this. Have a listen and see what you think.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Piccolo reveals to everybody that he is going to take Gohan, to which Krillin makes a funny reply that... that... wait, what the hell! I don't mean to be a drama queen, but how in God's name can they remove the line about Piccolo eating Gohan? It's just... ugh, absolutely unforgivable. Anyway, the music in DragonBall Kai is placed differently than in DragonBall Z, covering more of the scene. The piece used is quite good, and seems to invoke the proper emotions of fear and uncertainty regarding what Piccolo is going to do with Gohan. The DragonBall Z music, however, seems to be a bit more thoughtful, and helps to punctuate Piccolo's ill received explanation. Be sure to listen to some excellent line deliveries in the DragonBall Z version, including Piccolo's reaction to Krillin's accusation, as well as Bulma and Krillin's reaction to Piccolo's idea of taking Gohan.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Lost Music – Setting up the Afterlife
So once again poor editing has left us with no explanation as to where we are. In both the manga and DragonBall Z this was no issue, as it is clearly explained that we are in the afterlife, on top of which we get a bit of comedy between the Oni and the souls heading towards final judgment. For this scene we have a rather quirky piece of music in DragonBall Z, helping establish that this is going to be a rather silly interpretation of life after death.
No cutting in line!
Aono Takeshi (Kami-sama) and Gouri Daisuke (Enma Daio)
The first thing you may notice is that in DragonBall Kai there is an echo to everybody's voice. It's not really a bad effect, but it seems a bit excessive and distracting. To be fair, the echo effect is also present in DragonBall Z, but is much more is subdued. It's also interesting to hear the modification used on Enma's voice in proper stereo. You can obviously still hear it in the DragonBall Z mono track, but in DragonBall Kai it really stands out and almost sounds like a demon is trying to escape from his throat every time he speaks, which is quite neat. The other notable voice here is Kami's, being provided by the amazing Aono Takeshi. Even after all these years he still sounds fantastic and his little comedy routines with Enma are just as funny as they ever were. The only other thing to note about this scene is the sound effect inserted as Kami sidles up to Goku, which has been used in the DragonBall Z series before, and of course the music. My God, the music! This particular piece is absolutely amazing, and I hope to hear many more tracks like this in the future. Have a listen!
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
And here's one more scene with Kami, entranced in deep thought. That is, before being abruptly told to shut up by Enma! You may notice a couple things here. First off, the complaining souls being held up in line by Kami are removed from the DragonBall Kai version, on top of which they have yet again added sound effects to Kami sidling his way off screen. Also, personally, I liked his desperate apologies in DragonBall Z much more than in DragonBall Kai.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Before the commercial break we have a scene with Goku being driven to Snake Road by the Oni guide, however, I'm going to reserve commenting on this character until another scene after the commercial break. So if you want to hear a voice comparison, be sure to continue reading.
Part B (DragonBall Z Episodes 006 and 007)
Lost Music – The Emperor of Miphan
It's decided that Krillin will be the bearer of bad news to Chi Chi, and as this decision is being made we are graced with a rather rare yet beautiful song in DragonBall Z. This song was originally designed to be Chaozu's theme in the third DragonBall movie, "Mystical Great Adventure", in which he was the Emperor of a kingdom known as Miphan. Unfortunately, this scene remains silent in DragonBall Kai.
I... I have to do it?
Oda Yuusei (Snake Road's Guide)
Here we have Oda Yuusei replacing Kakegawa Hirohiko as the Oni guide to Snake Road. Two rather insignificant actors (at least in terms of DragonBall roles), both portraying an insignificant character. But boy can I ever tell you, the difference in performance here is worlds apart as far as lasting impressions go. I always referred to this guy as "the gay Oni", and let me tell you, I loved that little guy. Kakegawa somehow brought so much personality into the character, and just made every scene with him a joy to watch. It's the little things like this that made DragonBall Z so much fun and I'm truly disappointed that this new actor didn't take any liberties with the voice here. His delivery is just flat and boring, and yes I know that this character is essentially worthless, but who cares. Kakegawa's rendition of the Oni guide was honestly one of my favourite bits of acting in the entire series, and it's a true loss to see it gone.
Some other things to listen for include the music used for the reveal of Snake Road, which doesn't seem to match the impact of the moment like it does in DragonBall Z. A sound effect has been added when Goku repeats "hyaku-man kilo" in surprise. Nozawa's delivery of the "Bukujutsu" line towards the end is quite different in both versions. And most of all, the Oni's final line "Zurui!" (That's sly!) has been removed. So on top of giving him a bland voice, they also remove his little punch line at the end. How disappointing.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Tanaka Mayumi (Krillin)
Krillin goes to Chi Chi's house to inform her of Goku's death and Gohan's abduction. Although this scene also involves Watanabe Naoko (Chi Chi) and Gouri Daisuke (Gyuumao), there's no denying that this is a tour de force for Tanaka Mayumi. It's really a one man show here, and Tanaka does a fantastic job in both the DragonBall Z and DragonBall Kai versions. There are definitely some slight nuances in her delivery for both versions, but either way it's an absolute joy to listen to (and of course, very funny). The music used here is also very appropriate in both versions, being rather silly, although I think the music used in DragonBall Z also somewhat captures Krillin's anxiety. Regardless, this scene was handled flawlessly.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Nozawa Masako (Son Gohan) and Furukawa Toshio (Piccolo)
Piccolo throws Gohan into a pond to wake him up, and Gohan throws a fit. Upon first hearing this scene in DragonBall Kai, I thought that Nozawa's rendition of Gohan crying was way off from the original DragonBall Z version. However, after listening to them carefully side by side, it seemed as though both performances are actually quite similar. Perhaps it's the poor audio quality in DragonBall Z that lends to a poor recollection of the voices, or maybe it's just been too long. Either way, you can clearly hear some audio damage when Gohan first speaks in the DragonBall Z clip, but I still can't really come to a solid conclusion on the crying. Was my original instinct correct that they're very different, or are the two versions actually more similar? Piccolo, on the other hand, sounds fantastic here, regardless of which version you are listening to.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
Here we have some more dialogue between Gohan and Piccolo, which is delivered perfectly in DragonBall Kai. However, the real gem here is the piece of music used in the DragonBall Kai version. Although it has been used in previous episodes, it just fits this scene so perfectly with its constant ups and downs. It's extremely menacing, but also comes off here as being somewhat jovial, and what better way to represent the relationship between Gohan and Piccolo at this point. As for DragonBall Z, the bit of music used certainly isn't bad, but overall doesn't have the same amount of impact as the music used in DragonBall Kai.
DragonBall Z
DragonBall Kai
At the end of each episode there's sometimes a little piece of music to sort of play us off, or to give a little atmosphere to the ending narration. In the DragonBall Z version we can hear some typical music used to represent the journey on Snake Road or just the afterlife in general. It's somewhat mystical, and gives the sense that Goku still has a long way to travel. However, I was surprised to hear the music in DragonBall Kai here, to say the least. It's an upbeat, jazzy little number that sounds like it belongs in Lupin the 3rd. Not to say I don't like it, I just found it to be an interesting choice. Have a listen and see what you think.
