Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan

Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan[a] is a 1993 Japanese anime science fiction martial arts film and the eighth Dragon Ball Z feature film. The original release date in Japan was on March 6, 1993, at the Toei Anime Fair alongside Dr. Slump and Arale-chan: N-cha! Clear Skies Over Penguin Village. It was dubbed into English and released by Funimation in 2003. It was preceded by Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! and followed by Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound.

Dragon Ball Z: Broly– The Legendary Super Saiyan
Japanese box art
Directed byShigeyasu Yamauchi
Screenplay byTakao Koyama
Based onDragon Ball
by Akira Toriyama
StarringSee below
Music byShunsuke Kikuchi
Production
company
Distributed byToei Company
Release date
  • March 6, 1993 (1993-03-06)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office¥2.43 billion
$21.7 million (worldwide)

Broly was created by Takao Koyama and was designed by series creator Akira Toriyama.[1] This film is the first of three titular films featuring the character, followed by Broly – Second Coming and Bio-Broly in 1994. The character also appeared in Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D at Super Tenkaichi Budokai, a cinematic attraction at Universal Studios Japan in 2017.

In 2018, a reboot film titled Dragon Ball Super: Broly was released and served as a retelling of Broly's origins and character arc, taking place after the conclusion of the Dragon Ball Super television series.

Plot

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King Kai senses the destruction of the south galaxy by a Super Saiyan and realizes that the north galaxy will be targeted next. He telepathically contacts Goku who begins tracking the Super Saiyan's energy.

On Earth, a spaceship interrupts a picnic and army of humanoid alien soldiers greet Vegeta. Their leader is revealed to be a Saiyan named Paragus who claims that he has created a new Saiyan home planet called New Vegeta and wishes for Vegeta to assume throne. Vegeta agrees after Paragus tells him that the "Legendary Super Saiyan" is running rampant throughout the galaxy and must be stopped. Gohan, Future Trunks, Krillin, Master Roshi and Oolong accompany Vegeta onto the ship.

On New Vegeta, Vegeta meets Paragus' son, Broly, who joins him in tracking the Super Saiyan. Gohan, Trunks and Krillin explore New Vegeta and discover that it is uninhabited except for alien slaves who reveal that a Super Saiyan destroyed their civilization. The masters begin to abuse them, but are fended by Gohan and Krillin. Goku arrives and is greeted by Paragus, who invites them to dinner at the palace. Broly is agitated at the mere sight and presence of Goku, who later showed up unexpectedly. Paragus controls his son by using a device on his bracelet that syncs to Broly's headband. Despite this, Broly attacks Goku in the middle of the night, requiring Paragus to calm him. Goku suspects that Broly is the Super Saiyan and Paragus contemplates the mind-control device and suspects that it is malfunctioning due to Broly responding aggressively to Goku. Paragus theorizes that Broly's violent Saiyan instincts are awakening as a result of Goku's power, then remembers they were born on the same day in an attempt to explain their fated encounter after all these years.

Goku and the others confront Paragus upon learning the truth about Broly as his aggression toward Goku swells to the point of breaking free of the mind control device and he finally transforms into a rage filled destructive form - the Legendary Super Saiyan. Broly attacks Goku who is defended by Trunks and Gohan while a fearful Vegeta loses his will to fight. Paragus taunts Vegeta while revealing that Broly was born with a power level of 10,000 and was feared by King Vegeta to the point that he ordered the Broly's execution. Paragus failed to persuade King Vegeta to spare Broly, who was pierced in the abdomen by a knife and left for dead with his father, while Frieza destroyed the planet that same day. Broly's survival instincts caused him to shield himself and Paragus and they soared off into space protected by Broly's power. Broly grew unstable and sadistic as he aged, and Paragus was forced to use a mind-control device to pacify his son, but planned to use him to exact his revenge on King Vegeta's bloodline, and convert the Earth into new Planet Vegeta. Paragus reveals that a comet is currently on approach toward New Vegeta, and will destroy it upon impact.

Goku, Gohan and Trunks are dominated by Broly until Piccolo arrives and heals them with Senzu beans. They engage Broly again, but continue to be severely outmatched. After being scolded by Piccolo, Vegeta's pride returns and he confronts Broly, but is quickly incapacitated. Paragus prepares to escape the doomed planet in a small space pod before he is confronted by Broly and killed. Despite Broly's power continuing to increase, Goku manages to challenge him yet again and he is mercilessly beaten as he asks his allies to lend him their energy. After much reluctance, Vegeta finally gives Goku his energy who is able to use it to strike a piercing blow into Broly, causing the Legendary Super Saiyan's power to become unstable and he explodes.

Just as the comet strikes and destroys New Vegeta, Goku, his allies, and the slaves cheer as they manage to escape in Piccolo's spaceship.

Cast

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Character name Voice actor
Japanese English
Chinkel Post-Production/AB Groupe
(c. 2002)[2]
FUNimation
(2003)
Goku/Kakarot. Masako Nozawa David Gasman
Jodi Forrest (baby)
Sean Schemmel
Stephanie Nadolny (baby)
Gohan. Jodi Forrest Stephanie Nadolny
Piccolo. Toshio Furukawa Big Green Christopher Sabat
Paul Bandey
Kuririn. Mayumi Tanaka Clearin Krillin
Sharon Mann Sonny Strait
Trunks. Takeshi Kusao
Hiromi Tsuru (baby)
Doug Rand
Jodi Forrest (baby)
Eric Vale
Stephanie Nadolny (baby)
Vegeta. Ryō Horikawa Ed Marcus Christopher Sabat
Bulma. Hiromi Tsuru Blooma Tiffany Vollmer
Sharon Mann
Broly. Bin Shimada
Hiroko Emori (baby)
Doug Rand
Jodi Forrest (baby, some scenes)
Vic Mignogna
Cynthia Cranz (baby)
Paragus (パラガス, Paragasu) Iemasa Kayumi Paul Bandey Dameon Clarke
Kame-Sen'nin (Turtle Hermit) Kōhei Miyauchi Old Tortoise Master Roshi
Ed Marcus Mike McFarland
Kaiō Jōji Yanami Keish King Kai
Ed Marcus Sean Schemmel
Chi-Chi Naoko Watanabe Sharon Mann Cynthia Cranz
Oolong Naoki Tatsuta David Gasman Brad Jackson
Bulma's mother Hiroko Emori Blooma's mother Mrs. Briefs
Jodi Forrest Cynthia Cranz
Dr. Brief Jōji Yanami Paul Bandey Dr. Briefs
Chris Forbis
Shamo (シャモ星人, Shamo-seijin) Hiroko Emori Doug Rand Amber Cotton
Shamo's grandfather Masaharu Satō Ed Marcus John Burgmeier
Octopus Scientist (タコ科学者, Tako kagaku-sha) Naoki Tatsuta Krang
Kent Williams
Moa (モア) Yasuhiko Kawazu Moah
Sean Michael Teague
King Vegeta Masaharu Satō Christopher Sabat
Bubbles Naoki Tatsuta
Narrator Jōji Yanami Kyle Hebert

A third English dub produced and released exclusively in Malaysia by Speedy Video features an unknown voice cast.

Music

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English dub soundtrack

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The following songs were present in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan:[3] The remaining pieces of background music were composed by Mark Menza.

  1. Tendril - Eternal Sacrifice (Opening Theme of Film)
  2. El Gato - Lost in America (Part 1)
  3. Brave Combo - Dance of the Hours (Part 1 & 2)
  4. Pointy Shoe Factory - On Your Knees
  5. Pointy Shoe Factory - Bump in the Night
  6. Doosu - Louisiana House Fire. Mid 1950
  7. The Aleph - Lazarus
  8. Slow Roosevelt - Boys Lie, Girls Steal
  9. Spoonfed Tribe - Beetle Orange
  10. Dokodemo Doa - Fearful Yet Hopeful
  11. Pointy Shoe Factory - The Dub and the Dead
  12. Pantera - 10's
  13. Tendril - Invisibles
  14. Gravity Pool - Reach
  15. Gravity Pool - Won't Give In
  16. Haji's Kitchen - Day After Day
  17. Slow Roosevelt - Silverback
  18. Haji's Kitchen Warrior (Instrumental)
  19. Haji's Kitchen - Lost
  20. El Gato - Stained-Glass Windshield

The Triple Feature release contains an alternate audio track containing the English dub with original Japanese background music by Shunsuke Kikuchi, an opening theme of "Cha-La Head-Cha-La", and an ending theme of "Burning Fight —A Close, Intense, Super-Fierce Battle—".

Box office

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In Japan, the film sold 3.5 million tickets[4] and grossed ¥2.33 billion[5][6] ($21 million).[7]

On September 15 and 17, 2018, the film had a limited theatrical release by Fathom Events in the United States due to the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018).[8] According to Box Office Mojo, as of September 19, 2018, it made a revenue of $658,982.[9] This adds up to a total gross of $21,658,982 in Japan and the United States.

Releases

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In Japan, the home video release sold 40,000 units by 1996.[10]

It was released on DVD and VHS in North America on August 26, 2003. Plus, it was released it in a bundle along with Broly – Second Coming (1994) for Blu-ray on November 13, 2007, both feature full 1080p format in HD remastered 16:9 aspect ratio and an enhanced 5.1 surround mix. It was later released in Triple Feature set with 2 Broly films and Bio-Broly (1994) for Blu-ray and DVD on March 31, 2009. The film was re-released to DVD in remastered thinpak collection on December 6, 2011, containing the second 4 Dragon Ball Z films.[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Burn!! Hot Battle - Fierce Battle - Super Fierce Battle (Japanese: ドラゴンボールZ 燃えつきろ!!熱戦・烈戦・超激戦, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Zeddo Moetsukiro!! Nessen Ressen Chō-Gekisen) or by Toei's own English title Dragon Ball Z: The Burning Battles

References

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  1. ^ DRAGON BALL 大全集 6: MOVIES & TV SPECIALS (in Japanese). Shueisha. 1995. pp. 212–216. ISBN 4-08-782756-9.
  2. ^ "Behind the Voice Actors". Archived from the original on 2015-10-08. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  3. ^ Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (motion picture). Funimation. January 22, 2002.
  4. ^ "予約特典・ドラゴンボール最強への道・劇場版ご近所物語A5サイズ前売特典冊子". Dragon Ball: The Path to Power brochure (in Japanese). Toei Animation. 1996. Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  5. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (January 29, 2019). "Japan Box Office: Dragon Ball Super: Broly Becomes Top-Grossing Film in The Franchise". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "歴代ドラゴンボール映画作品一覧". 年代流行. Archived from the original on 2018-12-18. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) - Japan". World Bank. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. ^ Ollie Barder (22 August 2018). "'Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan' Comes To Select Theaters This September". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  9. ^ "Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan (2018 re-release)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  10. ^ 『予約特典・ドラゴンボール最強への道・劇場版ご近所物語A5サイズ前売特典冊子』8頁。
  11. ^ Dragon Ball Z: Movie Pack Collection Two, Funimation Prod, 2011-12-06, archived from the original on 2015-12-31, retrieved 2016-04-12
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