DragonBall Z Credits

The series planners are responsible for taking the original idea or concept from a manga series and help it make the transition to animation. They often choose what part of the story to do, help choose the staff, and bring everything together so that the staff can begin the production process. This position is held by a Toei Animation producer, although Fuji TV producers do sometimes also hold this position, but their affiliation is specifically stated. Typically, the Fuji TV producers are listed separately, as shown below.

The original author, or original creator, is the person who came up with the original concept for the story. In every DragonBall property, this credit is given to Toriyama Akira, with a sub-credit for the serialization of the manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump. The original author would often attend production meetings to provide input on the progression of the series, as well as give general thoughts on expanding upon the original material and even providing character designs for filler characters. However, it is hard to say how much input Toriyama actually had in that respect. Although based on some of his production drawings that have been published, we know he at least had some input in the production process.

The production supervisor is a Toei Animation producer that oversees the production process of the anime. They ensure that everything is on schedule and that deadlines are met so that each episode will be finished in time for broadcast on Fuji TV.

The series organizer is the person who determines the overall plot of the series. They will typically acquaint themselves with the story material by reading the manga. Many meetings are held with the director, original author, and other relevant personnel of the source material to chart the direction and feel they would like the anime to take. Following this, they will draft an overview plot of the series, broken down into episodes. When the overall series plot is finalized, the series organizer tasks the scenario writers, which often includes themselves as well, with writing scripts for each episode. As the manga progresses, the series organizer oversees the creation of filler stories to ensure that the original author has plenty of time to develop more original material, which will later be incorporated into the anime.

The music credit is given to the main series composer. They are responsible for composing and arranging all of the incidental music, or background music, for the series.

The chief animator is in charge of all aspects of the animation side of production. Unlike the animation supervisor, who only checks and corrects the key animation, the chief animator is responsible for checking and correcting all of the animation and ensuring the final product looks as uniform as possible. Once the chief animator has approved a set of drawings, they can finally be traced onto celluloid sheets. Beyond this point, no more corrections to the animation will be made. This position is held by an animation supervisor and in some cases they perform both roles on a single episode.

For the later half of DragonBall Z, the "Chief Animator" took over the role of detailed character designs which up until that point had been covered by the "Chief Designer". Although the "Chief Animator" had previously done all of the basic character designs, now that they alone were handling the task the credit was re-titled as "Character Design".

The chief designer is responsible for creating detailed character, set, and item designs. The designs must be very specific and detailed, including facial expressions, colors, and clothing, to ensure that the animators know exactly how a certain character or item should be drawn. The chief designer will create or update "design packs" and distribute them to all of the animators. This also helps the chief animator and animation supervisor, as the animation is more likely to be uniform, making their jobs a little easier. This position is typically held by an art director and in some cases they perform both roles on a single episode.

All theme credits for DragonBall Z can be viewed in the "Theme Guide".

The series director is responsible for the overall look and feel of the series and oversees almost every aspect of the production process. Almost everything must meet their approval before moving forward. They are also responsible for creating storyboards, which are sequential drawings detailing the major scenes of the series, essentially a visual script. These storyboards include information about dialogue, music, camera work, and serve as a basis for the animators to create their layouts and key drawings.

This producer works directly for the broadcasting company, Fuji TV, and is involved in the planning stages of production. They provide input on how they feel the show should look and feel from a marketability standpoint, along with how it should be produced. Overall, they are more-so involved in the business aspect of the series.

This credits lists all of the main companies responsible for the production of the anime series, all of which are typically copyright holders of all parent material.

All voice performances and voice actor (seiyuu) credits can be viewed in the "Cast Guide".

This credit is always shown immediately after the "Voice Performances" credits as Aoni Productions is the main voice talent agency used by Toei Animation. However, not all cast members are associated with this company and are brought in from other companies to voice a specific role.

This credit is given to TAVAC (Toei Audio Visual Art Center), the studio owned by Toei where all of the audio (music, sound effects, voices, etc.) for the series is recorded.

This credit is given to Toei Chemistry (now Toei Labo Tech), the company owned by Toei where all of the film for the series was developed.

This listing provides full credits for all of the major series staff responsible for the overall look and feel of each episode. These include: Public Relations, Scenario, Art, Animation Supervisor, and Director.

This listing provides full credits for all of the main animation staff and studios for DragonBall Z.

This listing provides full credits for all of the minor visual staff responsible for assisting the main visual staff with the visual/animation aspects of each episode. These include: Color Coordination, Inspection, Art Progression, Special Effects, Photography, Editing, Assistant Director, Assistant Producer, Production Progression, and Storyboard.

This listing provides full credits for all of the minor audio staff responsible for assisting the main audio staff with the audio/sound aspects of each episode. These include: Recording, Sound Effects, Music Selection, and Audio Director.