Dragon Ball Z: Kai - Finally Watched

A video on why it took me so long to watch Dragon Ball Z: Kai, the story of how I saw it, and whether or not I think it's superior to the original DBZ.
Toonami DBZ Rerun Footage Remastered by metroidman7. Check out their website: www.toonamiremastered.com

[@RandomBlackGamer]

I love the heck out of DBZ Kai. It got a lot of backlash for things such as the lack of Faulconer music and new voice actors such a Chris Ayres as Freeza. I'm so glad people came to appreciate his Freeza voice before he passed away. I was so bummed when the music was rescored due to the copyright issue. IMO the Kenji Yammamoto soundtrack fit so well since he also did the soundtrack to the Budokai games. But luckily I was able to get the original blurays featuring those scores before they were redone and ran out of print.

[@mattsell2361]

Yeah kais frieza voice is like so much better it’s not even close the OG frieza sounds like a weird smoker. The kai frieza is so intimidating and creepy

[@dixonb.tweenerlegs4225]

Kai Frieza sounds more like an English equivalent to the original VA.

[@delix787]

@@mattsell2361 very hard disagree! My problem with Chris’s voice on Frieza he sounds like a gentleman too nice. Linda young’s for me sounds very evil and threatening!! 😈

[@InnerRise]

@@delix787 I just remember being confused about frieza gender bc it sounded like a woman in one of them Whichever one that was, I didnt like that one, baby.

[@RandomBlackGamer]

@@delix787 That's kinda what the voice is supposed to sound like. It matches the Japanese actor's performance. Linda's was definitely more menacing. But she couldn't bring the high energy when needed. She even mentioned that playing Freeza put a lot of strain on her vocal chords.

[@justsomeguywholovesberserk6375]

Dbz Kai is basically Dbz but without the fillers and with a more accurate dub, and it gets straight to the point aswell

[@thedukeofchutney468]

I might try out Kai. I could never really get into Dragonball mainly due to my first experience being with the unabridged Cell saga and finding it to be incredibly dull (there were like eleven episodes of Goku just talking about how Gohan could beat cell). This seems to be more my speed.

[@galanakagalactus903]

Kai is not accurate to the manga though. All the biggest changes the original show made to the manga are still in Kai. The changes Kai actually made were minor and mean nothing. For example in the manga Kid Buu was way more powerful. Perfect Cell never got stomped by Trunks in the manga like the anime and Gotenks and Vegito both toyed with Super Buu by not taking the fight seriously whilst in the anime Super Buu puts up way more of a fight.

[@ilikeyourbody7599]

Neither are accurate to the manga. Z, Kai and the manga are 3 versions of the same story.

[@parkerboy795]

@@galanakagalactus903 Not a hundred percent, but it's close.

[@parkerboy795]

@@ilikeyourbody7599 That's why they're called adaptations.

[@dropoffstergaming]

here's something wild - Chris is the reason I started watching Dragon Ball Z. I've watched Chris for years and in December of 2016 I finally decided to check it out. My friend and I binged the series over the next month and even got some other classmates in on it. Since then I have attended 3 DBZ conventions, met several voice actors (Ian Sinclair and Chris Sabat were the best), made my first college friend because we were both wearing matching King Kai t shirts, read the manga, purchased 4 dragon boxes, amassed a $3000 DBZ figure collection, and have yet to sit my ass down and watch Kai. Thank you, Chris

[@Rozenxz]

Would love to see more dragonball content! Thank you Chris!

[@frathousemovies]

I watched Kai with a friend of mine who hadn’t seen dbz either. Nothing will ever top his despair when mecha frieza came back and then his genuine shock when trunks we t super Saiyan and took him out

[@lancegustafson763]

Thank you Chris I appreciate you telling us about your personal experience when it comes this franchise. Kai was actually the first Dragonball (actually anime in general) I watched when it aired on Nicktoons with my little sister. The sayian saga had us hooked throughout that whole day. We were both probably too young though because of how mortified we were from all the characters dying lmao.

[@supersaiyangoddess4293]

It's the most censored version of the show so i feel bad for you.

[@parkerboy795]

@@supersaiyangoddess4293 He likely found the Uncut version.

[@steezyblu]

You are amazing Chris. I’ve loved DBZ since I was 7 years old and I still love it to this day. I am also a JW cult survivor (out-ish, almost pomo) and your story was really inspiring. You make awesome content. Keep it up dude.

[@r_dubs90]

Great video bud, I know that feeling you speak of. Sharing something special with someone you know who would appreciate it. I kinda live for those moments these days.

[@jessica_swan]

As a huge fan, I can say Kai is definitely my favorite way to watch DBZ. HOWEVER! There are some epidoes of the original series that are pretty great. I love the filler/comedic episodes. The filler in canon parts of the story, though, can be very distracting and I get impatient with it. Glad you could finally watch it! I will say the Buu saga in Kai is definitely longer and slower-paced, but it's worth watching just for the newer script and voice acting. The stuff with Gotenks is still hilarious to me.

[@kevinb1096]

I hate the Buu saga. It ruined dragonball for me. And some of the greatest moments are from filler episodes. I wouldve stopped watching half way through the cell saga but filler episodes saved it. To this day that is my favorite dragon ball moment when gohan meets Mercenary Tao. So I can't ever like Kai because they took that moment out. And I do perfer the older style but abridged is my favorite way to watch DB.

[@BreadCatMarcus]

@@kevinb1096 Buu was great until Vegeta's sacrifice. The show should have ended there. Poet and the villain came full circle. But nope, it jumped the shark, screwed Gohan, and got worse and worse

[@nightmaretrooper5064]

I prefer Uncut Kai but I hated The Nicktoons and Toonzai because of the bad censorships. Example in The Friezia Defeated episode. The Nicktoons and Toonzai broadcast completely cut off that scene were Friezia got chopped in half. I was so mad. That I questioned them "Why didn't you do what CN did years ago?" In the Cartoon Network DBZ broadcast version. They showed the scene were Friezia got chooped in half but The Blood Spattered was removed. Overall: I love both old dubs and new dubs but Nicktoons and Toonzai? Not so well. Yes I grew up watching The old school Toonami Dub from 1997 to 2008. It was fun than stupid 2010 generation.

[@thedude7567]

@@BreadCatMarcus Exactly.

[@spiro3142]

⁠@@kevinb1096So not only did you start with abridged instead of the actual show you tried to compare the two and act like they should be the same. Lmfao TFS fans somehow get dumber and dumber every time they appear.

[@BradDoggett]

Congrats on 2 million subs Chris. Lots of love to you and hope your movie is wrapping up well.

[@Downtime-33]

I tried to go back and watch the Cell Games in the OG DBZ and it was just brutal to sit through. Now more than ever I can appreciate the pacing improvements in Kai (and some of the insights in DBZ Abridged) a little more.

[@Victory-in-YAHUSHA]

I prefer Kai over the original too. I do however watch the original DBZ for the Saiyan arc alone because the pace is way too fast in Kai.

[@Don-fw3nv]

​​@@Victory-in-YAHUSHAI watch the Buu saga in original version for similar reason. The pacing is VERYY weird in KAI especially when they say their lines its jarring

[@Victory-in-YAHUSHA]

@@Don-fw3nv The Buu arc is way too long in the orignal. And it was the arc that needed the proper Kai treatment the most but was mishandled by inhouse Toei. The lines and dialogue are an improvement over the original dub by being closer to the Japanese and manga.

[@wingedhussar1453]

Cell saga overall was brutal to watch boring as heellll

[@hyrulehistorian2317]

My dad and I have been having a similar experience you did with your friend with my little brother. We’re around the beginning of the Res. F arc and it’s so cool seeing how he reacts since it’s been so long since I first experienced it myself that I only have vague memories of how I felt. But the best part of his watch through is that he’s already familiar with some characters through FighterZ so his hype when they show up for the first time is great.

[@hyrulehistorian2317]

IGNORE THE BOTS!!!

[@bensumner316]

I love the Bruce Faulconer score too much. I'd watch Kai if they added it in for sure.

[@stuka187]

The Z sword theme still gives me goose bumps!

[@PurposeDriven7_]

EXACTLY

[@bensumner316]

Honestly for me that was the only thing missing from DBSuper.

[@bensumner316]

That and Pikkon should have been in the Tournament of Power instead of Master Roshi or Tian. 🤷

[@KingGeorge24]

Same here I really wish they had stuck with the Faulconer score.

[@retrospect]

Me and my wife also picked up Dragon Ball Z Kai during the pandemic and it was the best decision ever. Huge fan of the original but Kai just has incredible pacing

[@MrComet101]

Where do you go about watching Kai? Funimation?

[@parkerboy795]

@@MrComet101 You can find it online through various anime websites. And there's a KZbinr called LittleGreen Productions that reinserted Kai's original soundtrack into the later parts of the show if you're interested.

[@nightmaretrooper5064]

I love both old and new dubs. But not the Toonzai nor Nicktoons version of DBZ Kai? Sure I grew up with The Original DBZ Toonami Broadcast it was awesome and inspred me to get stronger. It's better than The Nicktoons and Toonzai they cut off the part were Friezia got chopped in half. But in The CN Broadcast. They showed that Friezia got cut in half but they removed the blood spatter which is less complainable.

[@hellofrominside8524]

I always like it when you go into more detail about your personal relationship with what you’re reviewing. Most of my experience with Dragon Ball comes from watching the 4Kids edit of DBZ Kai.

[@terryandjoe]

I LOVE Kai. Goku vs Perfect Cell in Kai is amazing. That one episode (can't remember the number) of pure fighting between them is amazing and the animation was excellent. I've owned Kai on Blu-ray since its release and still rewatch parts every now and then. Thanks for this, Chris!

[@michaelkerr2194]

This is such a heartwarming story man. You really did this anime justice, you’re the man ❤️

[@Dayman90]

Kai is the version I watch if I want to watch the show dubbed. The cast just hit it out of the park. When it comes to the original shows, I prefer the Japanese version but the dub cast have come a long way to the point where I prefer it when it comes to Super and the new movies.

[@aroccoification]

You prefer subbed where goku is played by an old woman? Kind of misrepresents the character dont you think?

[@SoccerVJ2011]

Faulconer soundtrack is best score

[@Dayman90]

@@aroccoification I get why people aren't a fan of Nozawa but her performance has never bothered me. I'm a fan of her and Schemmel equally.

[@aroccoification]

@@Dayman90 Im a big fan of hers in dragonball and as the voice of kid gohan but not goku as an adult or even goku as a grandfather. You miss weight of the character in many moments and it makes him more of a cartoon.

[@keno4770]

@@aroccoification You mean the voice that Toriyama himself said was perfect for the character? Yeah I do. No hate to schemmel but nozawa is the queen of the series.

[@jorgiefigueroa7269]

This was so good, I love how u was able to differentiate both z and Kai

[@istvanlajtar254]

I love your videos Sir, I have been watching your channel since 2019. You have inspired me to hold on to my goal of becoming an actor, and viewing your content has helped me through some tough times. All the best for you as a film director.

[@DrSlump-fz9ki]

Finally Kai is getting some love, thank you for showing how awesome Dragon Ball Z Kai is, hopefully this will get more into this wonderful classic

[@KingGeorge24]

Ikr. I mean, back when I started getting into it I tried telling ppl about this version and it was either they didn't want it cause the loved the original or they didn't want it cause they hated the original and they thought Kai would just be more of the same. I always thought DBZ Kai was revolutionary and mind blowing.

[@ilikeyourbody7599]

@@KingGeorge24 It is more of the same though. I was hoping when Kai first came out that their would change scenes to make them more accurate to the manga and they never. The corrected a few mistranslated, cut out the filler and censored a few scenes. That's it.

[@parkerboy795]

@@ilikeyourbody7599 That's basically what they did. Even the censorship wasn't really censorship with what mattered.

[@transformersfan3509]

I like kai because it gets straight to the point.

[@music_YT2023]

Also used to run home to watch DBZ every afternoon. May give the Kai series a go. Your positivity is always appreciated, even if the product isn't the best, I'm sure you'll find something worthwhile to discuss. You and Movies with Mikey (and his cohort of friends) are awesome. 😊

[@BigTfrosty]

Christ your content is second to none. Loved the show growing up and thought Kai was a great way to bring in newcomers to the series.

[@eugenekrabs4774]

I don't care what you say, dragon soul is one of the best openings to an anime imo.

[@snackeater4990]

Still have the lyrics memorized years later

[@mr.patriotjol]

So what was the conversary behind the opening theme?

[@eugenekrabs4774]

@@mr.patriotjol Nothing really, I just really enjoy it where others prefer cha la or we gotta power

[@mr.patriotjol]

@@eugenekrabs4774 im sorry, i mean what Chris said early on in the video.

[@eugenekrabs4774]

@@mr.patriotjol No worries

[@Aweso1974]

I grew up with Kai. I started watching when I was in fourth grade and it’s the show that got me into animation and character design. I always thought it was better than the original run of DBZ but I never found anyone who agreed with me, which made me think it was just nostalgia that made me love it. Coming back to it now, it definitely is the definitive version of the show for the improved animation and voice acting, as well as the faster pace of the story due to removed filler.

[@galanakagalactus903]

But the original is not censored. In fact the orignal show had multiple versions and one was way more violent and made Kai look like a kids cartoon. The version where Frieza drinks Krillin's blood. Also the original has a better soundtrack and the animation in Kai is mostly the same.

[@KingGeorge24]

I'm with Aweso on this one. I grew up with the original US broadcast and I like the Kai better. Far better pacing and better dialogue partly because the English translation was revised and also the original broadcast had no swearing whereas in Kai ppl are constantly saying damn this and you bastard that. Makes it sound a lot more gritty and realistic to me. Even my mom was shocked cause she initially thought it was for kids. Plus idk there's different Kai versions but I'm quite positive mine shows Frieza drinking Krillin's blood.

[@aroccoification]

Everything galan said plus in kai youre missing a significant amount of character interaction and development especially where the original dragonball cast is concerned as well as entire story archs being cut

[@supersaiyangoddess4293]

@@aroccoification Yeah the original anime added way more context to Gohan and Piccolo's relationship and the character development between them. Even Piccolo jumping in to help Gohan against Perfect Cell was only added in the anime. Though one manga scene i wish the original show and Kai kept in was when Gohan is unimpressed by Goku powering up to half his power thinking it should be way higher which pretty much destroys the Goku fanboy "theory" that Goku was strong enough to defeat Perfect Cell.

[@parkerboy795]

@@galanakagalactus903 The Uncut Kai isn't really censored either. The Japanese soundtrack for the old one was cool and Faulconer's had some good tracks, but Kai's was pretty good.

[@mechaocean170]

I was born in '97 so I grew up with both Z and Kai even if I was too young for Z's prime Toonami era. However, I was banned from watching DB after my mom saw certain scenes until I was 13 and old enough, which was when Kai started airing on Nicktoons back in 2010. Because of this, I consider myself more from the Kai generation and it even got me to start collecting other anime like Yu Yu Hakusho. Ah, nostalgia....

[@sonikku956]

Are you me? This is exactly how I watched it too, even being born in 1997

[@theluigifan1]

I’m ‘97 too and I couldn’t get into DBZ until Kai premiered on Nicktoons in 2010. I remember in elementary school, my friends were obsessed with the Toonami broadcast but it just didn’t do anything for me. I really tried but I just couldn’t vibe with it for some reason. But I was in middle school when Kai rolled around so I gave it another shot and fell deeply in love with that version of the series. It’s also the show that inspired me to voice act!

[@mechaocean170]

@@theluigifan1 that's awesome man!

[@blacklyfe5543]

I was born in 99 and I loved the 2000s it was an amazing time to be alive

[@j062]

This is dope man, I don't think I've ever seen an old school fab admit kai was superior. Respect man.

[@edwardbarreto6451]

The OG DBZ with the OG score will always be special, it really hits different. My personal opinion.

[@edwardjones1482]

I completely agree

[@Mjuxtapose03]

Same. Lol Kai is horrible

[@dixonb.tweenerlegs4225]

Kai is closer to the OG DBZ score than the Toonami version was, wym ☠️

[@zummone]

@@dixonb.tweenerlegs4225 A pool of 30 tracks (new Kai) VS a pool of 300 tracks (Japanese Z)

[@dixonb.tweenerlegs4225]

@@zummone Which is closer to the original score than the Toonami version, which had a pool of zero.

[@blountman747]

First off thank you so much for the review I had no idea that there was a Dragon Ball Z Kai I never even heard of it. I just like you also watch Dragon Ball Z and couldn't wait to watch it on Toonami when he came out when I was in Middle School and High school. So thank you so much for reviewing and going over this it does feel sad they couldn't get the same treatment including the Majin Buu saga but it's all right we could always go back to the originals

[@92Raider-art]

I have to thank you Chris for doing that DBZ review. That actually made me discover DBZ and become a fan. Though I had read the manga but I never saw the anime. I only saw clips from it on the web. Since we never got the same Toonami as you guys did. Here in sweden Toonami was basically just to show Bruce Timms animated universe shows. There was pretty much no anime that was being aired on our Toonami block

[@livegreatalways]

Thank you for this. It brings back a lot of childhood memories. It is hard to find someone else my age (old) who still enjoys DBZ. Luckily, I introduced the DB world to my two young boys and now they're really into it. Recently 3 of us went to see DB Super Heroes at the cinema together and we have a great time. It was as if Goku has grown up and old together with me.

[@MisterUnknown707]

I absolutely love Dragon Ball z Kai. It was the version I grew up watching. I remember I used to watch it all the time on Nicktoons. And I loved every second of it. Kai really made me appreciate every moment of Dragon Ball z, especially since there was zero filler. It felt like every second on screen truly mattered. And there was never a wasted moment.

[@rfar21]

"I also love the original Japanese score despite my extreme nostalgia and love for the original broadcast music in the USA I can say that objectively the original Japanese score is the best. It makes the show feel considerably more epic, I feel that that score provides a sense of scope that the original broadcast score simply doesn't." Thank you, Chris. Lots of people need to see and hear this. Not only that, but the Faulconer's score plays all the time. Unlike the Japanese version, they didn't know when and how use silence along the whole show. There might be some osts that by themselves they sound good, but the vibe they provide to an anime like DBZ, didn't fit at all. Guess the people working on DBZ back then didn't know the phrase: "less is more", because don't get me started with the script for this dub. The liberties they got away with were ridiculous.

[@ch2010ize]

Its the main reason I only watch DBZ with the original Japanese music. Other than a few tracks like Super Buu's theme I really don't like the Faulconer score. I think its also because I prefer the og Dragon Ball which kept the Japanese music even for the Toonami broadcast and it was nice hearing a lot of its music show up in Z like Chi Chi's theme when Gohan is running home in the orphan episode and the Red Ribbon Army action music when Roshi is explaining Goku's history with them to Marron

[@MAJ0ROCEL0T]

I agree. I LOVE the Faulconer score but it's frustrating to see how they ALWAYS have music playing and they recycle songs enough that you forget what theme is from where. Songs like Gohan's Anger, the Transformation scene that plays when Ginyu swaps bodies, Vegeta's final flash theme, all iconic but it's overshadowed by how dated the writing, voice acting, and directing was then. I'd rather here the Japanese version and just listen to the Falconers scores that still hold up as a workout playlist. Shame to hear the Final Chapter isn't as polished because I still haven't seen it yet

[@Helldog6]

@@MAJ0ROCEL0T Facts. Some of my favorite anime tracks of all time come from the Faulconer score (SSJ3 transformation, Gohan's Anger, Vegeta's Normal Theme and Super Saiyan Theme, etc, etc.) but maaaaaan, Funimation did not know how to shut the fuck up, and as I got older the more annoyed I got with some scenes that they absolutely butchered by overplaying the music. It's a shame tbh.

[@jeanlundi2141]

What a minute...the japanese Kai score is not the same as original japanese one right? I don't get how anyone can prefer anything to the original DBZ score.

[@sage5871]

@@jeanlundi2141The first Kai score is not the original, it’s Yamamoto’s score. However, after it was revealed that he plagiarized music, all future broadcasts and DVDs of Kai use Kikuchi’s (the original) score up to the Buu Saga.

[@jeppekjr4618]

Fantastic video Chris! I'm in the same boat as you were, and you've convinced me to finally watch Kai. Looking forward to the GT video:D

[@sirsmoothable]

In my Opinion the Music in Dbz Kai was phenomenal. Ost’s like ‘The BraveHeart The Strong’ ‘To those who meet their end’ and ‘The formidable warrior’ all made certain scenes so immersive especially Vegeta’s speech to Goku before he died

[@yashasvirallabandi9070]

For me, Gohan's SS2 transformation is still the best in the original Japanese dub - Unmei no hi is a powerful song. Edit: I'm not surprised at the pacing of the OG DBZ - Toei also did the same thing with One Piece, only I hear it's even slower

[@johnathancarrillo6990]

That is a great song but the dub version with the narrator hyping up gohan will forever give me chills

[@Episode_13]

Bruce Falconer Piano dude, VEGETA themes etc

[@Dogelele]

@@johnathancarrillo6990 bro the narrator just ruins it lol no speech is needed there. let the silence with gohan's death glare at cell speak for itself.

[@qpSubZeroqp]

Completely agree

[@AlexanderDiviFilius]

@@Episode_13 Vegeta’s Super Saiyan theme is cool, but it often fails as a score. Many of the times it’s played is when you’re meant to feel a sense of fear or dread as an audience member. Vegeta spends most of the show as a villain, and the music should reflect that. As I said though, it’s still good music, it just doesn’t fit the original tone

[@young9869]

Literally just finished watching Kai yesterday for the first time. The voice acting and music make it better imo. Loved it

[@MrSeebass89]

Thanks for this vid! Perfect timing. Some people recently asked me if they should watch dbz, and I said yes of course, but I recommended Kai without ever seeing it because I knew they’d get bored of regular dbz

[@Notnow22]

I absolutely LOVED this review! It’s been a long time since I actually connected and related to a review, if that even makes any sense. Apart from that, I am already looking forward to your GT review. That said, I think you could wait until the movie exits theatres so people don’t feel somewhat turned down by it. Maybe.

[@BaunerCity]

I honestly thought you were never going to review Kai, loved it man

[@KingGeorge24]

Ikr. I've waiting for this review for like 7 years.

[@3CFilms]

grateful to grow up with original DBZ on tv but ima show my kids Kai lol its a great redo of the show

[@The_Blue_Otaku]

How i see it DBZ Kai is the best way to watch the series in english and if you want to watch it in sub watch the original DBZ (But this is comming form someone who grew up watching DBZ Kai on TV every saturday morning)

[@spiro3142]

I watched OG DB, Kai, and then super and I have to tell you it was a much better experience because it actually felt consistent in the portrayals of the characters.

[@MultiMangoPie]

This was super helpful man, I've not seen Kai either, but I think I will check it out now :)

[@RegularGamer392]

I've known about DBZ since I was a small kid but I never really got into it until Kai aired, and fell in love with it not only because its filler less but because I realized the actors have made the voices their own, they aren't just trying to copy what the Canadian actors were doing originally.

[@callmebam1521]

"and i said 'Yes my friend, we do'" the joy of showing a friend one of your favorite shows or movies and them wanting to watch more is priceless

[@Uziel787]

This was awesome! Longtime subscriber and I enjoyed this

[@zerox4434]

Great video! Spring last year I got my girlfriend to watch dragon ball Kai. I like you had grown up watching the broadcast dub but she’d never seen any portion of the show. So we sat down and watch a few episodes on the weekend. She greatly enjoyed the show. She got into all of the fights. I definitely enjoyed the better pacing with removal of the filler episodes. We saw the dragon ball super Brolly movie in the theatre and she loved it. And we recently saw the English dub of superhero. She was worried it wasn’t going to be as good. I told her that the English voices were pretty good for dragon ball z and super. She did enjoy them.

[@chrys9256]

If I were to recommend another anime to watch it would be Made in Abyss. It has a cutesy art style, but it's in no way shape or form a kids show. It's one of the darkest, most gut wrenching shows I've ever watched. It's a brilliantly written masterpiece that goes places I would have never imagined. I highly recommend it to anyone who's not particularly squeamish.

[@saucedopro]

Dragon Ball Z Kai is my go to way to rewatch dragon ball z. I grew up with the original version and own both, but once I finally gave Kai a chance ive never gone back. The dub for one is just much better and the lack of filler just makes it easier to consume. Like you said I don’t find myself not getting bored and it gets to the point faster.

[@AFriskyGamer]

Loved this. DBZ was my childhood. I'd rush home from school to watch it. I'll have to check out Kai. Tried to watch the original and it was just too much filler. Thanks for the review/recommendation! I'd love to watch a video about GT if you get around to making it.

[@thisisallthereis]

Glad you love the Dragon Balls Chris. I've always been a fan.

[@carnage3208]

I was the same way, couldn't get over the music cause I just love the Faulconer score and thought it fit the show perfectly to a tee. And I argue that some scenes in the original are done better than Kai as well and vice versa but watching without the filler would be nice

[@JordanNMusic]

Despite being the target demographic for Toonami..I never watched it - long story short, didn't know anyone in my area who watched anime as a kid - when it came time for me to watch Dragon Ball Z om 2016, I watched the original US English Dub to experience what others experienced. Unbeknownst to me, I didn't know what filler episodes were till I was close to being finished😂so there was no point in me watching Kai. That said, I'm glad you made this video. If I ever find the time to rewatch I'll give DBZ Kai a chance! Great vide, Chris.

[@Agentprincegaming]

Largely agree with all of this. I’m planning on picking up seasons 8 and 9 on Blu-ray as tbh they remain my nostalgic favourites (these were showing new on UK Toonami 20 years ago, followed by Cowboy Bebop - what a lineup!), but I currently only have all of Kai in my collection. Just made it to final chapters too coincidentally. Some of the inserted animation looks a bit early Super ropey but it’s only a few moments. Great vid.

[@edwardreflects8500]

Thanks for your honesty. I know a lot of older fans like to hate on Kai but it's cool to hear you say that you'd' prefer that now on.

[@loope9421]

I love DBZ, I’ve been watching it since I was a kid back on toonami, on telemundo in Spanish and even in Mexico where you didn’t need cable tv to watch it. English and Spanish DBz both have different vibes, the Spanish version sounds more realistic while the English one sounds more comic book like but where they both change the most is in the soundtrack. Back then Kai came out I hated all the censorship, I might give Kai a chance and show it to my smaller siblings one day.

[@OmegaRockman]

The Latin Spanish dub of the original Z is pretty awesome from what I hear! But English speakers really needed Kai so we could finally get a good DBZ dub. Unfortunately they botched the Latin Spanish dub of Kai by basing it on the English Nicktoons dub with all the censorship. Nothing wrong with sticking with Z in Spanish because of that, but in English you should definitely go with Kai uncut.

[@yogrannyloveme124]

Yeah Kai it’s censor and to me it’s inferior to original DBZ.

[@MagicSpartan1992]

I personally love Kai. I grew up with DBZ but it flows so much better and functions better for me in my 30s. I love the voice direction more. I just wish it was easier to access via streaming.

[@reinaldofranco2966]

Great video I had the vhs also 😂. Don’t know why I still love the orange DVD cases. But you make it interesting about Kai. I’ll give it another shot.

[@Fonzzz002]

Very wholesome video Chris!

[@JershUwa]

I absolutely love Kai. I didn’t watch it until years after it came out. I remember hearing all the back lash. Got an itch to rewatch DBZ but I was older without as much free time so gave Kai a try. It’s my favorite way to watch DBZ now. Couldn’t imagine rewatching all the episodes from the original run.

[@dark_knight_3304]

Kai is trash I'd rather rewatch the original

[@vectoralphaAI]

@@dark_knight_3304 nah. It's better than the original. The original is boring most of the time. Kai is better paced, animated and voice acted. Just simply superior.

[@JDuB2-1-07]

The music in original is better to me because it made some of the important moments special

[@bluesphere7]

Buu-Kai was produced in-house while Kai 1.0 was I believe outsourced to another studio. Toei's in-house production of Buu-Kai was why we got a 16:9, different-colored show with less filler cut out and less new animation added. I'm still glad it got Kai-ified at all because we got an improved script and performances.

[@joegreenwell5476]

I never saw much Dragon Ball outside my brothers watching it when I was young, but I’ve wanted to check it out. This seems like a great way to see it with some excellent quality

[@OmegaRockman]

Absolutely! Kai is great for new fans. I hope you enjoy the show!

[@FrederickW]

I personally grew up watching Kai on nicktoons back in 2010, and it was my entry to the series. I also rewatched Kai during Covid and I remember every single episode until the cell games. Still love the series till this day.

[@sangkangho2115]

Hey Chris, what's your opinion on 🌊RRR 🔥

[@Setosama02]

It’s interesting how you mentioned that bit about the Buu saga arguably needing Kai the most. The pacing is still better than the original but if you read the original comic/manga you will find that the story actually moves at about a snail’s pace in there also. I hate ragging on buu because I still enjoy it and it felt like Toriyama was really going back to the humor in there but great kaioshin does that arc take FOREVER! 🤣

[@thatguyintherain3168]

I'm sold. Im watching the entire series subbed with the subbed soundtrack.

[@Darkwolves35]

I'm a 80s baby, born 87, and grew up through the 90s only catching the anime around both periods, and I love Dbz around that time and loved up to funimation time with their rocking soundtrack. And to be honest I never really could into kai, the remastered, or any version save for ocean and funimation, and still cant into until very day, but awesome review chris👍

[@TheMelonFarmers123]

Someone actually asked me this question recently, what was the best way to experience the dragon ball saga. Because for real to new eyes, there’s all this db, dbz, dbzkai, dbgt, dbs, the movies, it’s exhausting. But I ended up telling him dbzkai for the same exact reasons. I actually had a friend who experienced the story of dbz through the Nicktoons run of Kai for the first time around the end of high school. It wasn’t perfect but it was cool to see him experience everything until the end of the cell saga for the first time. I popped in for a few episodes and was impressed with the pacing. Ended up watching it all in my own a few years later and honestly, also as a stickler for the original us music, Kai is better in almost every way. And doesn’t have to take up nearly as much of your life to tell the same story.

[@michaelnally2841]

I did watch dragon ball z as a kid in the early 2000s although it was the margin boo saga that I was watching and all I remember is Goku fighting bu for like 30 episodes or something like that. I hadn’t seen it for years and when I rewatched some of it recently it, Kai helped me realize my personal obstacles with getting into anime’s. The pointless filler, that makes me feel like the show is just spinning it’s wheels. Now this isn’t too bad for shows like Deathnote, but massive shows like one piece, Naurto, or dragon ball it can be a hindrance

[@kyleh1494]

*Majin Buu

[@stephenmcdonald9859]

Great video and explanation. As a huge DBZ fan, I never quite grasped the Kai thing. Please do a review of GT. I am also someone who has only seen bits and pieces and can’t bring myself to watch the whole thing. Lol

[@DogBrainDingus]

DBZ ROCKS!!! ✨🐉✨ I was also was a kid rushing home from school to watch Toonami, those sure were magical days. I’ve seen the past few Dragonball Super movies in theaters and it always delivers such a great nostalgia boost

[@theperson8539]

I have a weird experience with Dragon Ball, I've seen the Super anime, and I've watched DBZA (while autocorrecting the correct pronunciation of Z in my head so that I don't die from frustration), and I've read both the manga... Toriyama is really good, dude, and I feel like I got the best experience that way. I hate dubbed Anime, but I like (some) abridged parodies, just because they add another dimension to the show rather than simply Americanising it for no real reason. Plus, Japanese Seiyus are next level, some actually blow my mind with how they embody their characters. I don't speak Japanese, but the formal and informal, highs and lows come across perfectly with the tone used, I just love it. Anyway, my point is, the Manga is actually brilliant, the Super manga is getting decent now, but the original Dragon Ball is actually genius at the display.

[@theperson8539]

@A J Yeah, I also feel like Toriyama is a far cleverer writer than people give him credit for, I know he forgets things, but his intuitive (bordering on instinctual) style of narrative-building is genuinely phenomenal and praise worthy.

[@davecerv]

I freakin love Kai. It’s the best way to rewatch Z. As much as I love Chala head chala… Dragon Soul is a fantastic opener and I find myself singing that one in full a whole lot. Honestly, I don’t like the Buu saga, so I love how Kai closes out with Cell before Kai takes that nasty turn with the treatment of Buu.

[@austinrash3963]

Please would love to know where to find kai. Its nowhere.

[@davecerv]

@@austinrash3963 Unfortunately, Kai is in a mysterious position where we can’t enjoy it online. I bought the Blu Ray season sets years ago.

[@edwardjones1482]

@@davecerv. Kai is on Hulu , Funimation , and of course anime sites

[@billie0429]

You are a good man Chris, God bless your heart

[@matthewwhite7473]

I just ordered my DBZ Kai full collection, very excited for it to arrive.

[@fortsinatorPS3]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on GT. I watched it recently. I thought It was overall bad to meh but with moments of greatness. I was a big fan of the Dark Dragon arc despite it's flaws

[@NotExactlyKB]

I recently started watching the original Funimation cut of DBZ with my kids and it's amazing how horrible the pacing is when viewed in a binge. I've never seen Kai, and I'm having trouble finding it streaming, but I'm convinced it will make for a much better introduction. Thanks for the review, Chris!

[@SuperAtlantis1]

Unfortunately Kai is not on any streaming service at all. Unless you find a site that has it pirated you'll have to pay for the Blu-rays.

[@roughneckmovies935]

I wholeheartedly agree. As a 13 year old in 2000 I loved the dbz ocean dub. Then the funimation dub, but as an adult I only like to watch Kai now. Much better pacing. Great video dude

[@dormammusubjective5774]

Damn I'll have to check it out. I have that same VHS collection haha. I remember it costing about $70. As obsessed as I was with the show, my brother and I would joke how the recap took up half the runtime, half a punch thrown in the actual episode and then "Next time on Dragonball Z!!". I'm at least gonna check out the Sayian and Frieza saga's.

[@toolazyforaname]

I grew up with this on Nicktoons. This and Avatar the last Airbender were basically my gateway into animation tbh

[@dylansmith5206]

I still hope Chris gets around to reviewing Avatar (The Animated Series, not the James Cameron film) at some point. All while going over why it's awesome.

[@toolazyforaname]

@@dylansmith5206 same

[@ChrisB-ey1sj]

The only thing not to like about Kai is that the hd upscaling smears a lot of the intricate line work of the original so a significant portion of the detail is lost. The dividends of losing all the filler though are almost worth it.

[@TheHylden]

Yes, it's not totally improved, just clearer like of film grain, colors are sharper. But they do come at a price of some detail being lost.

[@aaronkessee4225]

So after watching this ima give Dbz Kai a real honest run through now a lot of points you’re making make a lot of sense so it may have a whole new feel in a good way (pause) lol. I’m from the original US broadcast era too. Side note tho I feel that the original ocean dub of the saiyan saga is the best version of that saga period. The intensity and soundtrack on that version captures everything in a way that it never has in any remake since. Str8 up

[@georgeericcastrillo2207]

I'm glad you made this video about Dragon Ball Z Kai!! I ignored Kai because I thought that they just make the animation better.

[@Jellysfrickingstuff]

Ah to think you robbed your friend of hearing Gohan’s ss2 transformation scream in DBZ Kai 😆😭That scream was blood curdling. One of Coleen’s greatest moments

[@Jake-nm3tb]

Don’t cry

[@MrEffectfilms]

What a coincidence! I recently had a similar experience with my wife. We're both anime fans but she had never seen Dragon Ball Z so I showed her Kai. We watched up until the end of Goku and Friezas fight and she loved it, so much that we also went back and watched the Abridged series too.

[@Hazard2005]

Also grew up watching DBZ when it first aired in the US and absolutely loved it. Even had my parents buy me some of the manga and new VHS Tapes since it took so long for new episodes to air on Toonami. Good times and memories.

[@JMrealgamer]

I seen this and wasn’t sure what I was looking at. Thanks for explaining! If I ever watch Z again it’ll be Kai.

[@jrad410]

So much of this depends on when you grew up. I’m a 90s kid so I grew up with DBZ in the 2000s. As others have said the score is part what made that so special. I can watch Kai, but I prefer to go with the funimaton dub

[@justinw7323]

Kai has the better dialoque without the "pop goes the weasle" thing going on and matches the overall Japanese serious tone of it.

[@3n3my33]

I'm glad Chris enjoyed Kai! Weirdly enough, I grew up with a mix of Kai, the Funimation Dub, and the manga. I was so psyched about Kai because I had already seen a few episodes of Z at my uncle's house and thirsted for more. When Kai released on tv, I watched it every week on Saturday mornings, but I couldn't wait to watch more so I bought Season one of Z (orange box version) at Target. I also found out that the manga was at my local library and read as much as possible. So in a way, I experienced all three simultaneously. Having grown up with all three, I think I can safely say that I can't be biased towards one based on nostalgia. I'm still a huge Dragon Ball fan, and I can say that the manga is the best way to experience Dragon Ball without hesitation. Kai was working off of the original show, so even with the filler cut out, there are animation and pacing issues that just can't be fixed. The manga is a masterpiece of action in the comics medium but it's harder to say that about the show. The art is consistently great and was never juggled between studios and artists of varying skill like the show. Of course, I still have a soft spot for the show and I hear the Kai voice actors in my head when I read the manga. If you're one of those guys that HAS to watch anime instead of the manga, Kai is the way to go. Seriously though, the manga is great and it goes by really fast, so it's not much of a time investment. Also, I think I might prefer the original Dragon Ball from when Goku was a kid over the Z stuff these days, so I highly recommend reading from the beginning!

[@MrChumes]

Great video as always Chris! Would love to hear your thoughts on GT. Like OG DBZ, it suffers as time goes on but I thought it had some interesting story beats that just weren't executed properly

[@TheApacheNinja]

Kai has an extremely special place in my heart, not only because it’s my preferred way of watching DBZ but because it was a way for me and my brothers to watch Dragon Ball together again. We grew up watching the original Funimation dub and occasionally watched episodes from the original Japanese broadcasts and when Kai came out, my brothers and I would get back together and just watch DB again like the old days. It felt so special to watch a much more straight to the point version of a show we all grew up on, and it felt like we were re-experiencing this show all over again. When Nicktoons was airing Kai they even played some of the movies with the classic rock and roll soundtracks as well which was super awesome! I’m glad more people are giving Kai a chance because most people still think it’s the censored version that originally aired in the US. It even gave us Chris Ayers as Freeza and he remains my absolute favorite version of that character!

[@jp3813]

Thank you for praising the original Japanese music despite growing up w/ the American dub score. Most fans only stick w/ one version and ignore the other.

[@Khaotic_Reign]

Oh yeah, I’m right there with ya man, watched the original broadcast, and the first ocean dub, and when it was on Toonami, Dragon Ball has been such huge part of my life, it’s funny, it’s kind like I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t a part of my life, haha…and duuude, I 💯 agree with you about that first fight between Goku and Vegeta, where it has that long pause where Goku is winding up so big for that punch he’s about to deliver, and the complete and utter fear on Vegeta’s face, cause like you said, he’s never gone up against who was more powerful than him, he’s just seen anything like the power he’s witnessing at that very moment, and it is such a damn good scene…😁 also, I know it must be such an incredible feeling for you to witness someone get into a show that you hold so dearly, that is AWESOME that you got to do that, and so cool of you to do that for your friend!😊

[@SSJBart-jb5dw]

Greetings! I made sure to watch your video all the way through. I started out totally nodding my head because I rushed home from school to watch Moltar host Toonami also. I started watching DBZ in September of 1997, very shortly after it aired. I remember seeing this guy in an orange Gi running on this long road. Then it would cut away to a kid wearing an orange Gi with a sword making medicine patches for dinosaurs. So of course my brain decided they were the same character at different points of life. lol I owned VHS tapes, powered up in class, and made substitute teachers let me play Frieza saga tapes in class. My future wife said she didn't glance over at the TV then...I'm not so sure! I have way more stories, as I'm sure you do, involving DBZ. Even a few while in Basic Training at Ft. Knox, KY. I watch 1-53 Ocean, and 54-276 broadcast. That's it. Filler and cuts included. The way it progresses, with the ocean cast to the early Funimation work and eventually the polished voices we know and love, works just fine for me. I cannot listen to any other music but Ocean / Saban and then the Falconer tracks. Perhaps a reason for my stubbornness is I do not read manga. Nor do I have any plans to. If a Japanese anime has a tv series, that is the way I experience it. Lastly, I recently read an article from an author on Screen Rant from a few years ago where the author painstakingly detailed why he thought "DBZ Abridged" was better than DBZ. Lets just say I sent him a detailed email on that. "Alternate Reality DBZ" and "DBZA" hold no value to me other than a few one liners here and there that I have mostly forgot. Thanks for a great video! You almost had me wanting to try Kai! Take care.

[@MacJWitDaCheese]

The Japanese score made dbz feel more serious and a sense of dread in some cases so for me it's og dbz in Japanese with some occasional English dub trips to cell saga but kai is definitely my dub go to.

[@minhazsaadakwala8063]

Chris love from INDIA 🤗💕, Have you seen RRR??

[@riyintocco]

I digg hearing your thoughts on Kai!! I’d love to hear what you’ve got to say on GT 🙌🏻 One thing I’ve always loved about the original broadcast were the episodes where Gohan meets a bunch of lost kids and they fight the dinosaurs. It just acts a great developmental adventurous mini arc while Gohan prepares for Vegeta and Nappa’s arrival. Lots of fun. Also; yes, Pikkon was a fantastic character, loved those episodes as well.

[@thewinchester4057]

Great video Mr Stuckmann !