I've spent the last day and a half researching the history of each country where Dragon Ball has been published or broadcast, and despite my best efforts, some of the info just doesn't exist. For example, I can't find anything about Dragon Ball in India or Nicaragua. And what's available about each of these countries has been pieced together from disparate websites in different languages across the world, using google translate and my own effort. But it's not ideal, and many of them are incomplete.
We don't have a Wiki on this site yet, so I'd like this to be a living document, where people can add more info and then I'll update this first post. I'll post my own research here first, and then others can add to it with their own posts. I haven't done Japan or the United States yet, because they're kind of overwhelming, and because they're available online. But if you want to write a succinct history here, please do. It'd save me time.
So far I have these countries:
- Argentina
- Australia
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Columbia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Finland
- France
- Hong Kong
- Germany
- Greece
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Russia
- Spain
- South Africa
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Venezuela
Argentina
Spoiler:
Argentina first heard about Dragon Ball in the early 1990s, when video game magazines started reporting on the games appearing in Spain, alongside anime imports from Japan. At this time, Argentinians mostly thought of shows like Robotech and Heidi. It was until 1994 when Dragon Ball came to Argentina in physical form, via toys, through a distribution agreement between Bandai and Argentinian company Jocsa.
Jocsa was a sponsor of the TV show Top Kids, which first aired on Saturday, March 5, 1994 on Channel ATC at 3 pm. Top Kids quickly gained popularity as a venue for Nintendo Argentina, and a showcase for Japanese pop culture. The show aired Monday to Friday, and they started to broadcast parts of the first 6 Spanish Dragon Ball Z films, repeating in full on Saturdays. But these broadcasts of Dragon Ball were not official.
After receiving legal recourse, Top Kids reached out to the producers of Robotech: Harmony Gold, who had worked on their own version of Dragon Ball in the late 80s. Harmony Gold created a film where they combined Dragon Ball movies 1 and 3 together, changed the name of Goku to Zero, Bulma to Lena, and Krillin to Cachito, among others. They also dubbed the first 7 episodes of the series.
Anime
These official episodes of Dragon Ball anime were broadcast on Canal 7 Argentina, a public channel broadcast throughout Argentina. These first 13 episodes then aired on the Magic Kids channel which rebroadcast Dragon Ball for the first time, again, in May, 1995.
It was a dub lacking in quality, but it gained enough interest that in 1996 it convinced Bandai to work with Cloverway, Tōei’s Latin American subsidiary who had found success with Saint Seiya, to redub the entire series.
The series was replaced by a superior dub by Intertrack, from Mexico City, although character’s names were still changed, and a lot of content was censored or altered for arbitrary reasons. This version of the show was then re-aired in the mid-90s on The Big Channel, via Televisa. The show was heavily censored and many of the risqué jokes were removed. For example, Chichi’s name was changed to Milk, because Chichi is Mexican slang for a woman’s breasts.
After Dragon Ball’s conclusion on Magic Kids, it immediately started with Dragon Ball Z, in May, 1998 with 4 episodes being rebroadcast per day. Dragon Ball GT premiered in January, 2003 for the Greater Buenos Aires area. Eventually all 508 episodes of the complete series were broadcast and the series concluded.
Dragon Ball was the first anime in Argentina to receive major media exposure. Much of the Dragon Ball fandom in Argentina was spurred on by its popularity in Spain. Toys were imported, along with other merchandise. Dragon Ball is the biggest anime of all time in Argentina.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Argentina in 1999, by Editorial Ivrea.
It was re-released in a perfect edition starting in October, 2008, with right-to-left reading and the original names intact, but with sound effects translated. Volumes were released on a semi-monthly basis until Volume 18.
Jocsa was a sponsor of the TV show Top Kids, which first aired on Saturday, March 5, 1994 on Channel ATC at 3 pm. Top Kids quickly gained popularity as a venue for Nintendo Argentina, and a showcase for Japanese pop culture. The show aired Monday to Friday, and they started to broadcast parts of the first 6 Spanish Dragon Ball Z films, repeating in full on Saturdays. But these broadcasts of Dragon Ball were not official.
After receiving legal recourse, Top Kids reached out to the producers of Robotech: Harmony Gold, who had worked on their own version of Dragon Ball in the late 80s. Harmony Gold created a film where they combined Dragon Ball movies 1 and 3 together, changed the name of Goku to Zero, Bulma to Lena, and Krillin to Cachito, among others. They also dubbed the first 7 episodes of the series.
Anime
These official episodes of Dragon Ball anime were broadcast on Canal 7 Argentina, a public channel broadcast throughout Argentina. These first 13 episodes then aired on the Magic Kids channel which rebroadcast Dragon Ball for the first time, again, in May, 1995.
It was a dub lacking in quality, but it gained enough interest that in 1996 it convinced Bandai to work with Cloverway, Tōei’s Latin American subsidiary who had found success with Saint Seiya, to redub the entire series.
The series was replaced by a superior dub by Intertrack, from Mexico City, although character’s names were still changed, and a lot of content was censored or altered for arbitrary reasons. This version of the show was then re-aired in the mid-90s on The Big Channel, via Televisa. The show was heavily censored and many of the risqué jokes were removed. For example, Chichi’s name was changed to Milk, because Chichi is Mexican slang for a woman’s breasts.
After Dragon Ball’s conclusion on Magic Kids, it immediately started with Dragon Ball Z, in May, 1998 with 4 episodes being rebroadcast per day. Dragon Ball GT premiered in January, 2003 for the Greater Buenos Aires area. Eventually all 508 episodes of the complete series were broadcast and the series concluded.
Dragon Ball was the first anime in Argentina to receive major media exposure. Much of the Dragon Ball fandom in Argentina was spurred on by its popularity in Spain. Toys were imported, along with other merchandise. Dragon Ball is the biggest anime of all time in Argentina.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Argentina in 1999, by Editorial Ivrea.
It was re-released in a perfect edition starting in October, 2008, with right-to-left reading and the original names intact, but with sound effects translated. Volumes were released on a semi-monthly basis until Volume 18.
Spoiler:
Manga
All 42 volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published in Australia on April 1, 2009, by Madman Entertainment. Prior to this date, the manga was only available via unofficial imports.
The Australian manga is a distributed version of the already existent Viz manga from the United States, so they all came out at the same time.
Anime
Dragon Ball first aired in Australia in 1999, on a children’s television block of Network Ten called Cheez TV, at 8:00 am on Weekdays. The first two seasons were the Ocean dub, and from season 3 onwards it was the FUNimation dub.
Dragon Ball Z ran for several years in a stop-and-go fashion, airing the Saiyan Arc of the series, then starting over from the beginning and continuing onto the Freeza Arc, then again from the beginning until the Cell Arc, and again until it concluded with the Buu Arc, in 2004.
The Australian anime was originally a sublicensed version of the FUNimation dub from the United States, but is now licensed directly from Tōei Animation in Japan.
All 42 volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published in Australia on April 1, 2009, by Madman Entertainment. Prior to this date, the manga was only available via unofficial imports.
The Australian manga is a distributed version of the already existent Viz manga from the United States, so they all came out at the same time.
Anime
Dragon Ball first aired in Australia in 1999, on a children’s television block of Network Ten called Cheez TV, at 8:00 am on Weekdays. The first two seasons were the Ocean dub, and from season 3 onwards it was the FUNimation dub.
Dragon Ball Z ran for several years in a stop-and-go fashion, airing the Saiyan Arc of the series, then starting over from the beginning and continuing onto the Freeza Arc, then again from the beginning until the Cell Arc, and again until it concluded with the Buu Arc, in 2004.
The Australian anime was originally a sublicensed version of the FUNimation dub from the United States, but is now licensed directly from Tōei Animation in Japan.
Spoiler:
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Belgium on XYZ by Glénat XYZ. Glénat halved the volumes, so the series has 85 parts in total. The 85th volume was published in March, 2008. In 2009 Glénat released the Dragon Ball - Ultimate Edition, matching the original 42 volumes.
Anime
Dragon Ball Z first aired on December 17, 2001 on the Kanaal 2 network (now known as 2BE). It as the Ocean dub, and it continued into the early portion of the Cell Arc.
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Belgium on XYZ by Glénat XYZ. Glénat halved the volumes, so the series has 85 parts in total. The 85th volume was published in March, 2008. In 2009 Glénat released the Dragon Ball - Ultimate Edition, matching the original 42 volumes.
Anime
Dragon Ball Z first aired on December 17, 2001 on the Kanaal 2 network (now known as 2BE). It as the Ocean dub, and it continued into the early portion of the Cell Arc.
Spoiler:
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Brazil in December, 2000, by Conrad Editora. Instead of publishing the original 16 volumes of Dragon Ball, Conrad split the volumes in half, at 100 pages each, for a total of 32 volumes. A new volume was published every two weeks. Dragon Ball Z’s original 26 remaining volumes were split in half again, for a total of 51 volumes. Therefore 83 volumes in total, instead of 42. The content was kept in its original Japanese format, read from right to left, although it was censored. Dragon Ball was the first manga to be kept in its original format in Brazil. This publication concluded in October, 2003.
Then in June, 2005 Conrad began to release the Dragon Ball Ultimate Edition, inspired by the kanzenban (“perfect edition”) in Japan, with 34 intended volumes. This ended at volume 16 because of company restructuring.
The series was then picked up again by Planet Manga, a subsidiary branch of the Italian publisher Panini Comics, and continued in May, 2012.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast on August 19, 1996, on SBT, airing Monday through Friday at 10:30 am. This version of the show was dubbed at Gota Mágica studio, up to episode 60.
Dragon Ball Z premiered on June 6, 1999, when Cartoon Network premiered in the country.
The original Dragon Ball was picked up again in 2001 by Rede Globo. They redubbed all 153 episodes at Álamo. That same year, Cartoon Network began to air Dragon Ball GT. This brought the series to the entire country of 180 million people. Dragon Ball Z was then redubbed in Portuguese by Álamo from 2002 to 2004.
The Dragon Ball series was then released on DVD for the first time by Playarte, with 3 episodes per disc. The Dragon Ball Z series was released for the first time on April 15, 2012, with 4 episodes per disc.
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Brazil in December, 2000, by Conrad Editora. Instead of publishing the original 16 volumes of Dragon Ball, Conrad split the volumes in half, at 100 pages each, for a total of 32 volumes. A new volume was published every two weeks. Dragon Ball Z’s original 26 remaining volumes were split in half again, for a total of 51 volumes. Therefore 83 volumes in total, instead of 42. The content was kept in its original Japanese format, read from right to left, although it was censored. Dragon Ball was the first manga to be kept in its original format in Brazil. This publication concluded in October, 2003.
Then in June, 2005 Conrad began to release the Dragon Ball Ultimate Edition, inspired by the kanzenban (“perfect edition”) in Japan, with 34 intended volumes. This ended at volume 16 because of company restructuring.
The series was then picked up again by Planet Manga, a subsidiary branch of the Italian publisher Panini Comics, and continued in May, 2012.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast on August 19, 1996, on SBT, airing Monday through Friday at 10:30 am. This version of the show was dubbed at Gota Mágica studio, up to episode 60.
Dragon Ball Z premiered on June 6, 1999, when Cartoon Network premiered in the country.
The original Dragon Ball was picked up again in 2001 by Rede Globo. They redubbed all 153 episodes at Álamo. That same year, Cartoon Network began to air Dragon Ball GT. This brought the series to the entire country of 180 million people. Dragon Ball Z was then redubbed in Portuguese by Álamo from 2002 to 2004.
The Dragon Ball series was then released on DVD for the first time by Playarte, with 3 episodes per disc. The Dragon Ball Z series was released for the first time on April 15, 2012, with 4 episodes per disc.
Spoiler:
Anime
Canada broadcast the Ocean dub on YTV. It aired at 5:30 pm with the FUNimation dub from the United States up to the Cell Games Arc. Then YTV switched it back to the Ocean when they moved it to an 8 pm time slot and continued with this until the end of the series.
[the show may have first started airing in March, 2000].
Canada broadcast the Ocean dub on YTV. It aired at 5:30 pm with the FUNimation dub from the United States up to the Cell Games Arc. Then YTV switched it back to the Ocean when they moved it to an 8 pm time slot and continued with this until the end of the series.
[the show may have first started airing in March, 2000].
Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 2014 on ‘TV etc.,’ by Bethia Group. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Manga
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The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 2014 on ‘TV etc.,’ by Bethia Group. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Manga
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Spoiler:
Anime
Dragon Ball is only anime in Columbia that transcended the targeted demographic of children. Adults were also big fans of the series. For example, I was told by a Columbian fan of Dragon Ball that their mother, who is a doctor, would complain that her male coworkers would postpone meetings and change shifts around in order to watch the finale of Goku’s battle against Freeza.
Before Dragon Ball aired in Columbia on its own channels, many Columbians had already seen the entire series by watching Mexico’s Canal 5 cable channel or Peru’s América Televisión (Canal 4), with the Intertrack dub. But the series went mainstream in 1999 when it aired on local channels. So just like it has in other countries, an entire generation grew up with the series, and nearly everyone has fond memories of it.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball premiered in 1996 on Cadena Uno as Zero and the Magic Dragon, implying that it was the Harmony Gold dub. It aired on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm for several episodes until it was canceled due to low ratings.
In 1998, Canal Caracol started airing Dragon Ball Z with the Intertrack dub from Mexico. It aired the complete series, followed by Dragon Ball GT, from Monday to Friday afternoon between 2 to 4 pm.
Then in 2007, CityTV began to air Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT Mondays to Fridays 4 times a day, from 11 am to noon, then at 1:30 pm and 7 pm. Cartoon Network also ran the show starting in 2006. Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered on July 30, 2012, but was cancelled due to low ratings. Dragon Ball Z is still on the air on CityTV, Mondays to Fridays at 3 pm.
Manga
Dragon Ball’s publication in Columbia began with sticker albums published by Navarrete, a Peruvian company. There were 2 for Dragon Ball, 6 for Draon Ball Z, and 1 for Dragon Ball GT. The albums were popular among Columbian fans, alongside toys, T-Shirts, and other merchandise.
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Dragon Ball is only anime in Columbia that transcended the targeted demographic of children. Adults were also big fans of the series. For example, I was told by a Columbian fan of Dragon Ball that their mother, who is a doctor, would complain that her male coworkers would postpone meetings and change shifts around in order to watch the finale of Goku’s battle against Freeza.
Before Dragon Ball aired in Columbia on its own channels, many Columbians had already seen the entire series by watching Mexico’s Canal 5 cable channel or Peru’s América Televisión (Canal 4), with the Intertrack dub. But the series went mainstream in 1999 when it aired on local channels. So just like it has in other countries, an entire generation grew up with the series, and nearly everyone has fond memories of it.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball premiered in 1996 on Cadena Uno as Zero and the Magic Dragon, implying that it was the Harmony Gold dub. It aired on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm for several episodes until it was canceled due to low ratings.
In 1998, Canal Caracol started airing Dragon Ball Z with the Intertrack dub from Mexico. It aired the complete series, followed by Dragon Ball GT, from Monday to Friday afternoon between 2 to 4 pm.
Then in 2007, CityTV began to air Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT Mondays to Fridays 4 times a day, from 11 am to noon, then at 1:30 pm and 7 pm. Cartoon Network also ran the show starting in 2006. Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered on July 30, 2012, but was cancelled due to low ratings. Dragon Ball Z is still on the air on CityTV, Mondays to Fridays at 3 pm.
Manga
Dragon Ball’s publication in Columbia began with sticker albums published by Navarrete, a Peruvian company. There were 2 for Dragon Ball, 6 for Draon Ball Z, and 1 for Dragon Ball GT. The albums were popular among Columbian fans, alongside toys, T-Shirts, and other merchandise.
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Spoiler:
Anime
The Czech Republic has never had its own dub. Viewers would watch the German or Polish broadcast. They were able to understand it because of their shared cultural history and secondary or tertiary language lessons.
Manga
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The Czech Republic has never had its own dub. Viewers would watch the German or Polish broadcast. They were able to understand it because of their shared cultural history and secondary or tertiary language lessons.
Manga
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Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1998 on channel Ecuavisa. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Ecuador Episodes 1 – 60 were broadcast in Ecuador in 1998–1999 on Ecuavisa. Then from 1991 – 2001, episodes 61 – 153 were broadcast on Telesistema. It wasn’t until 2009 when episodes 1–153 were broadcast in full on Ecuavisa.
Manga
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The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1998 on channel Ecuavisa. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Ecuador Episodes 1 – 60 were broadcast in Ecuador in 1998–1999 on Ecuavisa. Then from 1991 – 2001, episodes 61 – 153 were broadcast on Telesistema. It wasn’t until 2009 when episodes 1–153 were broadcast in full on Ecuavisa.
Manga
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Spoiler:
Anime
Dragon Ball Z first aired on August 26, 2002 on the public service channel Danmarks Radio 1 with a Danish dub based on the French version. The intro for the dub was not the French intro, but the American’s Rock the Dragon. The dub lasted until episode 104, and none of the following episodes were released since.
The translation for the dub was done by Søren Lampe and corrected many of the errors of the French dub, by using the Danish manga translation as a reference.
The original Dragon Ball was never aired or released in Denmark.
The dub would air in a certain pattern, restarting after Episode 27 as Danmarks Radio were buying licenses to and then dubbing new episodes. After repeating, the dub would continue beyond episode 27 until episode 104.
The show was rebroadcast again in January of 2011 on Danmarks Radio 1's sister channel, DR Ramasjang. The rerun had the same broadcast pattern as the original airing, but repeated after episode 104. The rerun then continued on a channel called DR Ultra after Danmarks Radio restructured their channels.
Dragon Ball Z movies 1-9 and both of the TV specials were released on DVD and VHS in a 4:3 format, with a dub based on the AB Groupe’s “Big Green” dub, but with Danish manga names like in the televised Dragon Ball Z series.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published by Carlsen Manga in 2000, with a left-to-right reading format. It was one of the most successful manga ever released in Denmark and helped launch its manga industry. The manga was translated from the German version by John Lysmand, and the translation was of a very high quality. The first release's cover art was the same as the German version, but it was later reprinted with alternative cover art from the original tankōbon release.
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Dragon Ball Z first aired on August 26, 2002 on the public service channel Danmarks Radio 1 with a Danish dub based on the French version. The intro for the dub was not the French intro, but the American’s Rock the Dragon. The dub lasted until episode 104, and none of the following episodes were released since.
The translation for the dub was done by Søren Lampe and corrected many of the errors of the French dub, by using the Danish manga translation as a reference.
The original Dragon Ball was never aired or released in Denmark.
The dub would air in a certain pattern, restarting after Episode 27 as Danmarks Radio were buying licenses to and then dubbing new episodes. After repeating, the dub would continue beyond episode 27 until episode 104.
The show was rebroadcast again in January of 2011 on Danmarks Radio 1's sister channel, DR Ramasjang. The rerun had the same broadcast pattern as the original airing, but repeated after episode 104. The rerun then continued on a channel called DR Ultra after Danmarks Radio restructured their channels.
Dragon Ball Z movies 1-9 and both of the TV specials were released on DVD and VHS in a 4:3 format, with a dub based on the AB Groupe’s “Big Green” dub, but with Danish manga names like in the televised Dragon Ball Z series.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published by Carlsen Manga in 2000, with a left-to-right reading format. It was one of the most successful manga ever released in Denmark and helped launch its manga industry. The manga was translated from the German version by John Lysmand, and the translation was of a very high quality. The first release's cover art was the same as the German version, but it was later reprinted with alternative cover art from the original tankōbon release.
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Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 2006 on Cartoon Network, by Turner Broadcasting System LA. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Manga
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The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 2006 on Cartoon Network, by Turner Broadcasting System LA. They aired the Latin dub from Mexico.
Manga
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Spoiler:
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Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in Finland on the Sub TV channel on Sunday mornings. It aired the English dub from the United Kingdom for several years before concluding with a final episode in German.
Finnish DVD’s included the Bardock: Father of Goku TV special and The Tree of Might film, with the “Big Green” dub English audio from the UK and Finnish subtitles.
Manga
The first four volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published in April, 2003, by Kustannus oy Kolibri. It was published in a Westernized left-to-right format. But by mid-May they were taken off the shelves because of a pedophilia scandal regarding the childish nudity of Goku and Bulma, along with Master Roshi’s panty fetish.
The topic was discussed in all the major newspapers and magazines. The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare made a statement arguing that Dragon Ball, “Normalized pedophilia, and via this… made it acceptable.” Then, Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen filed a bill calling for the end of Dragon Ball’s distribution, stating that it is, “a comic book containing child pornography,” and that the, “reading of such books is damaging for children and will provide incentives to pedophilia-inclined adults.” She sought to amend Article 18 of Chapter 17 of the Finnish Penal Code, making it a law that equates the dissemination of illustrated child pornography with the distribution of reality-based child pornography. Violations of the law would result in fines or up to two years in prison.
These concerns threatened the entire manga industry in Finland, and may have led to the end of the industry altogether. Not only would shōnen manga like Dragon Ball not have made it into the country, but other highly respected works of art such as Miyazaki and Tezuka’s manga. If it passed, then Finland would have barred its doors to internal publishing and licensing, and such works would have had be imported one at a time by purveyors. Or such people could be fined and thrown in person for possessing a Dragon Ball manga. The books would be burned, and the people would be burned next.
If Dragon Ball is child pornography, how did it become such a classic? Why did it succeed in every country where it appears? And how has it been accepted so widely across the globe as an inspiration tale that gives hope to its readers? The values and principles inherent in Dragon Ball are in many ways antithetical to child pornography, and yet they seem to co-exist within a single publication? The Japanese of course have their own laws against child pornography, yet children and adults in Japan praised Dragon Ball and it was the talk of the nation. Perhaps then, the politicians are unable to determine what makes for genuine art.
After much discussion, the Penal Code did not get amended by the Parliament, and several months later, on January 12, 2004, the entire series was re-published from the start by Sangatsu Manga, an imprint of Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi. They censored the manga and said that it is, “Strongly recommended for those over 12 years of age.” They were the first Finnish publisher to sell manga in convenience stores and supermarkets, with Dragon Ball leading the charge. Dragon Ball opened the market for manga to invade the country and is the best-selling manga of all time in Finland.
Finally, in 2014 the manga was published uncensored.
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in Finland on the Sub TV channel on Sunday mornings. It aired the English dub from the United Kingdom for several years before concluding with a final episode in German.
Finnish DVD’s included the Bardock: Father of Goku TV special and The Tree of Might film, with the “Big Green” dub English audio from the UK and Finnish subtitles.
Manga
The first four volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published in April, 2003, by Kustannus oy Kolibri. It was published in a Westernized left-to-right format. But by mid-May they were taken off the shelves because of a pedophilia scandal regarding the childish nudity of Goku and Bulma, along with Master Roshi’s panty fetish.
The topic was discussed in all the major newspapers and magazines. The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare made a statement arguing that Dragon Ball, “Normalized pedophilia, and via this… made it acceptable.” Then, Christian Democrat MP Päivi Räsänen filed a bill calling for the end of Dragon Ball’s distribution, stating that it is, “a comic book containing child pornography,” and that the, “reading of such books is damaging for children and will provide incentives to pedophilia-inclined adults.” She sought to amend Article 18 of Chapter 17 of the Finnish Penal Code, making it a law that equates the dissemination of illustrated child pornography with the distribution of reality-based child pornography. Violations of the law would result in fines or up to two years in prison.
These concerns threatened the entire manga industry in Finland, and may have led to the end of the industry altogether. Not only would shōnen manga like Dragon Ball not have made it into the country, but other highly respected works of art such as Miyazaki and Tezuka’s manga. If it passed, then Finland would have barred its doors to internal publishing and licensing, and such works would have had be imported one at a time by purveyors. Or such people could be fined and thrown in person for possessing a Dragon Ball manga. The books would be burned, and the people would be burned next.
If Dragon Ball is child pornography, how did it become such a classic? Why did it succeed in every country where it appears? And how has it been accepted so widely across the globe as an inspiration tale that gives hope to its readers? The values and principles inherent in Dragon Ball are in many ways antithetical to child pornography, and yet they seem to co-exist within a single publication? The Japanese of course have their own laws against child pornography, yet children and adults in Japan praised Dragon Ball and it was the talk of the nation. Perhaps then, the politicians are unable to determine what makes for genuine art.
After much discussion, the Penal Code did not get amended by the Parliament, and several months later, on January 12, 2004, the entire series was re-published from the start by Sangatsu Manga, an imprint of Kustannusosakeyhtiö Tammi. They censored the manga and said that it is, “Strongly recommended for those over 12 years of age.” They were the first Finnish publisher to sell manga in convenience stores and supermarkets, with Dragon Ball leading the charge. Dragon Ball opened the market for manga to invade the country and is the best-selling manga of all time in Finland.
Finally, in 2014 the manga was published uncensored.
Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in France on March 3, 1988 on Club Dorothée, an afternoon children’s program on channel TF1. It was the first broadcast of Dragon Ball outside of Japan.
The popularity of anime grew tremendously afterward. And the French dub of the show was broadcast in Belgium and Poland. Also outside of Europe in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Thailand, the United States, and Canada.
However, French parents were concerned about the violence of anime in general, compared to the existing French comic and cartoon culture. The show continued airing until 1996 when these concerns caused a clamp down on violence in French TV and Dragon Ball was taken off the air.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in France on January 15, 1993, by Glenat, 1 year after it was published in Spain. Each volume was published in succession in 2 to 3 month intervals until its completion on December 15, 1999. There have been no less than 9 versions of the manga published in different formats. The controversy over the violence continued, albeit it to a lesser extent.
The manga has sold 18 million volumes in France to date. As a result of Dragon Ball’s influence, France became the largest manga publisher in Europe, and still holds this title today.
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in France on March 3, 1988 on Club Dorothée, an afternoon children’s program on channel TF1. It was the first broadcast of Dragon Ball outside of Japan.
The popularity of anime grew tremendously afterward. And the French dub of the show was broadcast in Belgium and Poland. Also outside of Europe in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Thailand, the United States, and Canada.
However, French parents were concerned about the violence of anime in general, compared to the existing French comic and cartoon culture. The show continued airing until 1996 when these concerns caused a clamp down on violence in French TV and Dragon Ball was taken off the air.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in France on January 15, 1993, by Glenat, 1 year after it was published in Spain. Each volume was published in succession in 2 to 3 month intervals until its completion on December 15, 1999. There have been no less than 9 versions of the manga published in different formats. The controversy over the violence continued, albeit it to a lesser extent.
The manga has sold 18 million volumes in France to date. As a result of Dragon Ball’s influence, France became the largest manga publisher in Europe, and still holds this title today.
Spoiler:
Manga
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Anime
Hong Kong was the first country outside of Japan to receive Dragon Ball. It premiered on February 21, 1988, on TVB Jade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_Jade) channel, airing episodes 1 to 54 of the original series. This was followed by episodes 55 to 153 starting on September 11, 1989.
The entire series was later rebroadcast on the J2 Taiwan channel, a Hong Kong-based channel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_J2), starting on October 8, 2011.
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Anime
Hong Kong was the first country outside of Japan to receive Dragon Ball. It premiered on February 21, 1988, on TVB Jade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_Jade) channel, airing episodes 1 to 54 of the original series. This was followed by episodes 55 to 153 starting on September 11, 1989.
The entire series was later rebroadcast on the J2 Taiwan channel, a Hong Kong-based channel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TVB_J2), starting on October 8, 2011.
Spoiler:
Manga
The first five volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published simultaneously in Germany in October 1997 by Carlsen Comics. The 42nd volume was published in November, 2000. It was the first manga in Germany to be published in its original right-to-left format. This was due to the insistence of Shūeisha, just as they had done in Italy beforehand. This precedent established a mark of ‘authenticity’ in the minds of European readers, so when Carlsen followed in suit, the German readers bought Dragon Ball in droves.
By 2007, Dragon Ball had sold 6.5 million volumes, and to date has sold over 8 million volumes, making it the best-selling manga of all time in Germany.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in Germany on August 30, 1999, on channel RTL 2. There were two episodes that aired every Monday to Friday, from 1:15 to 1:55. They aired the edited French version of the program, with German dialog.
The first five volumes of Dragon Ball manga were published simultaneously in Germany in October 1997 by Carlsen Comics. The 42nd volume was published in November, 2000. It was the first manga in Germany to be published in its original right-to-left format. This was due to the insistence of Shūeisha, just as they had done in Italy beforehand. This precedent established a mark of ‘authenticity’ in the minds of European readers, so when Carlsen followed in suit, the German readers bought Dragon Ball in droves.
By 2007, Dragon Ball had sold 6.5 million volumes, and to date has sold over 8 million volumes, making it the best-selling manga of all time in Germany.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in Germany on August 30, 1999, on channel RTL 2. There were two episodes that aired every Monday to Friday, from 1:15 to 1:55. They aired the edited French version of the program, with German dialog.
Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball was broadcast in Greece in 1995 on ANT1, with a dub recorded at SPK Video Film Television Studios. Dragon Ball Z arrived in 1998 and ended in 2003. Both series aired on the weekend. Dragon Ball GT was scheduled to air in October, 2003, but never aired due to ANT1’s decisions to stop broadcasting cartoons and anime.
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were released on VHS in the late-90s to early 2000s. Dragon Ball Z was released on DVD in 2007, followed by Dragon Ball GT in 2008, and Dragon Ball in 2011. They were distributed by DeAgostini Hellas.
Accompanying Dragon Ball GT’s release was a new cast of voice actors. This new dub was performed by AZ Studios. Then in 2010, all of the movies and TV specials were released on DVD for the first time, with dubs by AZ Studios.
Manga
There is no Greek version of the Dragon Ball manga. Instead, Viz’s English manga is imported into Greece.
The first episode of Dragon Ball was broadcast in Greece in 1995 on ANT1, with a dub recorded at SPK Video Film Television Studios. Dragon Ball Z arrived in 1998 and ended in 2003. Both series aired on the weekend. Dragon Ball GT was scheduled to air in October, 2003, but never aired due to ANT1’s decisions to stop broadcasting cartoons and anime.
Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z were released on VHS in the late-90s to early 2000s. Dragon Ball Z was released on DVD in 2007, followed by Dragon Ball GT in 2008, and Dragon Ball in 2011. They were distributed by DeAgostini Hellas.
Accompanying Dragon Ball GT’s release was a new cast of voice actors. This new dub was performed by AZ Studios. Then in 2010, all of the movies and TV specials were released on DVD for the first time, with dubs by AZ Studios.
Manga
There is no Greek version of the Dragon Ball manga. Instead, Viz’s English manga is imported into Greece.
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Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1989 on Junior TV. It was uncensored, but only the first 54 episodes were released. The dubbing was provided by Play World Studio.
Then in 1996, Mediaset acquired the rights and redubbed the first 99 episodes. Due to problems importing the episodes, it wasn’t until 1998 when the remaining episodes 100 to 153 were broadcast. Then in 1999 they released Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT on the Italia 1 channel, with a new dubbing and introduction by Merak Film.
The Mediaset dub suffered from numerous edits and arbitrary translations. Characters names and techniques were modified without reason, such as Oolong becoming Oscar, Lunch becoming Laura, and Tenshinhan becoming Tensing. The kamehameha was changed to onda energetica (“energetic wave”), the kienzan to cerchio magico (“magic circle”), and the Final Flash to Lampo Finale. This created confusion among fans of the manga. Other changes included the famous “It’s Over 9,000!” line said by Vegeta being changed to “A più di 8000, accipicchia!” (“Gosh, it's over 8,000!”).
Despite the censorship, many parents forbid their children from watching the show or reading the manga, because of the violence. Nonetheless, the series was a major hit and aired continuously from 1999 to 2014.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Italy on April 3, 1995, by La Edizioni Star Comics. Shūeisha insisted that the manga be printed in its original right-to-left format, so Star Comics agreed to their demands, albeit with reservations because of concerns that Westerners would not accept it. This was the first manga in Europe to be published in its original format.
One new volume was published every 2 weeks, until October 18, 1997. They published 62 volumes, at 128 pages each, compared with the original 42 volumes of 173 pages each.
The manga was accurate to the original and only suffered minor censorship. This created a casual divide among the fanbase, creating fans who grew up on the anime, with the censorship and changed names, and the more hardcore fans who appreciated the integrity of the manga.
Then the Dragon Ball Deluxe edition was published from 1998 to 2001, matching the original 42 volumes. Dragon Ball holds the record for the most manga sold in the history of Italian publishing, with approximately 150,000 copies sold per volume. This totals 6.3 million volumes sold.
Since then, 3 other versions have been published.
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1989 on Junior TV. It was uncensored, but only the first 54 episodes were released. The dubbing was provided by Play World Studio.
Then in 1996, Mediaset acquired the rights and redubbed the first 99 episodes. Due to problems importing the episodes, it wasn’t until 1998 when the remaining episodes 100 to 153 were broadcast. Then in 1999 they released Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT on the Italia 1 channel, with a new dubbing and introduction by Merak Film.
The Mediaset dub suffered from numerous edits and arbitrary translations. Characters names and techniques were modified without reason, such as Oolong becoming Oscar, Lunch becoming Laura, and Tenshinhan becoming Tensing. The kamehameha was changed to onda energetica (“energetic wave”), the kienzan to cerchio magico (“magic circle”), and the Final Flash to Lampo Finale. This created confusion among fans of the manga. Other changes included the famous “It’s Over 9,000!” line said by Vegeta being changed to “A più di 8000, accipicchia!” (“Gosh, it's over 8,000!”).
Despite the censorship, many parents forbid their children from watching the show or reading the manga, because of the violence. Nonetheless, the series was a major hit and aired continuously from 1999 to 2014.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Italy on April 3, 1995, by La Edizioni Star Comics. Shūeisha insisted that the manga be printed in its original right-to-left format, so Star Comics agreed to their demands, albeit with reservations because of concerns that Westerners would not accept it. This was the first manga in Europe to be published in its original format.
One new volume was published every 2 weeks, until October 18, 1997. They published 62 volumes, at 128 pages each, compared with the original 42 volumes of 173 pages each.
The manga was accurate to the original and only suffered minor censorship. This created a casual divide among the fanbase, creating fans who grew up on the anime, with the censorship and changed names, and the more hardcore fans who appreciated the integrity of the manga.
Then the Dragon Ball Deluxe edition was published from 1998 to 2001, matching the original 42 volumes. Dragon Ball holds the record for the most manga sold in the history of Italian publishing, with approximately 150,000 copies sold per volume. This totals 6.3 million volumes sold.
Since then, 3 other versions have been published.
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Manga
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Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Mexico in August 2000, by Grupo Editorial Vid. It was published in an American format, left-to-right. But after publishing thirty chapters they decided to republish it right-to-left, with five chapters per volume, producing 85 volumes in total, and concluding in 2003. This edition was sold throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1991, and was a Spanish adaptation of Harmony Gold dub’s Zero and the Magical Dragon, called Zero y el Dragón Mágico. This was a commercial failure. But Bandai had achieved success with Saint Seiya and felt that if they dubbed Dragon Ball properly it would succeed in Mexico.
So Bandai transferred the license to Cloverway for production and distribution, who then hired Salgado Productions to dub the series. They dubbed the first 60 episodes and they aired in 1996. But due to financial reasons with Carlos Salgado’s company, the remaining 93 episodes were dubbed by Intertrack.
The first episode of the Salgado / Intertrack Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1996 on Televisa’s Channel 5. The first episode of Dragon Ball Z premiered on September 1, 1997, at 7 pm. The episode was interrupted by a Presidential Message, infuriating fans of the show. So they rebroadcast the episode in full the next day.
Intertrack would continue to work on the series, completing the entire Z and GT series. Their dubs were then used for other countries in Central and South America, such as Argentina and Ecuador.
The full series later appeared on the Cartoon Network cable channel in 2006.
The home release was published on DVD in 2011 by On Screen Films / Televisa.
Intertrack would continue to work on the series for other countries in Central and South America, such as Argentina and Ecuador.
The home release was published on DVD in 2011 by On Screen Films / Televisa.
[questionable] Intertrack dubbed two versions of the first 26 episodes. One for Latin America, and the other for Spain. The first 26 episodes aired on Telemadrid in Madrid Spain, and in Barcelona, Spain, and Canal Sur Television in Andalusia, Spain. Then the Spanish broadcast was taken over by Videotake South and High Frequency for the movies and specials.
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Mexico in August 2000, by Grupo Editorial Vid. It was published in an American format, left-to-right. But after publishing thirty chapters they decided to republish it right-to-left, with five chapters per volume, producing 85 volumes in total, and concluding in 2003. This edition was sold throughout Mexico, Central America, and South America.
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1991, and was a Spanish adaptation of Harmony Gold dub’s Zero and the Magical Dragon, called Zero y el Dragón Mágico. This was a commercial failure. But Bandai had achieved success with Saint Seiya and felt that if they dubbed Dragon Ball properly it would succeed in Mexico.
So Bandai transferred the license to Cloverway for production and distribution, who then hired Salgado Productions to dub the series. They dubbed the first 60 episodes and they aired in 1996. But due to financial reasons with Carlos Salgado’s company, the remaining 93 episodes were dubbed by Intertrack.
The first episode of the Salgado / Intertrack Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1996 on Televisa’s Channel 5. The first episode of Dragon Ball Z premiered on September 1, 1997, at 7 pm. The episode was interrupted by a Presidential Message, infuriating fans of the show. So they rebroadcast the episode in full the next day.
Intertrack would continue to work on the series, completing the entire Z and GT series. Their dubs were then used for other countries in Central and South America, such as Argentina and Ecuador.
The full series later appeared on the Cartoon Network cable channel in 2006.
The home release was published on DVD in 2011 by On Screen Films / Televisa.
Intertrack would continue to work on the series for other countries in Central and South America, such as Argentina and Ecuador.
The home release was published on DVD in 2011 by On Screen Films / Televisa.
[questionable] Intertrack dubbed two versions of the first 26 episodes. One for Latin America, and the other for Spain. The first 26 episodes aired on Telemadrid in Madrid Spain, and in Barcelona, Spain, and Canal Sur Television in Andalusia, Spain. Then the Spanish broadcast was taken over by Videotake South and High Frequency for the movies and specials.
Netherlands
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Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in the Netherlands in March, 2001, by Glénat Benelux, alongside a release in Belgium. Glénat halved the volumes, so the series has 85 parts in total. The 85th volume was published in March, 2008. In 2009 Glénat released the Dragon Ball - Ultimate Edition, matching the original 42 volumes.
Anime
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The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in the Netherlands in March, 2001, by Glénat Benelux, alongside a release in Belgium. Glénat halved the volumes, so the series has 85 parts in total. The 85th volume was published in March, 2008. In 2009 Glénat released the Dragon Ball - Ultimate Edition, matching the original 42 volumes.
Anime
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Nicaragua
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Anime
The Dragon Ball anime was never broadcast in Norway. However, Dragon Ball Z movies 1 to 9 and the two TV specials were sublicensed from AB Video for home release, but were limited in supply.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in March, 2004, by Schibsted. The entire series was published, but the translation was lacking in quality. Prior to its release, fans purchased the Danish import, with a higher quality translation.
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The Dragon Ball anime was never broadcast in Norway. However, Dragon Ball Z movies 1 to 9 and the two TV specials were sublicensed from AB Video for home release, but were limited in supply.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in March, 2004, by Schibsted. The entire series was published, but the translation was lacking in quality. Prior to its release, fans purchased the Danish import, with a higher quality translation.
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Manga
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Anime
Dragon Ball premiered in 1995 on the Magic Kids channel, via a broadcast from Argentina. It aired the Intertrack dub via Mexico, just as other countries in Latin America did.
Magic Kids in Argentina closed in 2006, but aired all of Dragon Ball, Z, and GT beforehand. However, in Paraguay the channel was taken off the air in some regions before it could air DBZ, due to Nickelodeon’s expansion into Paraguay. Nickelodeon took the place of Magic Kids on the cable lineup for many service providers, such as Cablevisión. The Nickelodeon channel did not air Dragon Ball, but a nationwide channel called Telefuturo grabbed the license and aired all of Dragon Ball, followed by Dragon Ball Z. Finally, it was Cartoon Network’s acquisition of the license that ensured a permanent home for Dragon Ball in Paraguay.
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Anime
Dragon Ball premiered in 1995 on the Magic Kids channel, via a broadcast from Argentina. It aired the Intertrack dub via Mexico, just as other countries in Latin America did.
Magic Kids in Argentina closed in 2006, but aired all of Dragon Ball, Z, and GT beforehand. However, in Paraguay the channel was taken off the air in some regions before it could air DBZ, due to Nickelodeon’s expansion into Paraguay. Nickelodeon took the place of Magic Kids on the cable lineup for many service providers, such as Cablevisión. The Nickelodeon channel did not air Dragon Ball, but a nationwide channel called Telefuturo grabbed the license and aired all of Dragon Ball, followed by Dragon Ball Z. Finally, it was Cartoon Network’s acquisition of the license that ensured a permanent home for Dragon Ball in Paraguay.
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Anime
In XYZ the Dragon Ball Kai anime received a dub in Tagalog, broadcast in Manila.
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Anime
In XYZ the Dragon Ball Kai anime received a dub in Tagalog, broadcast in Manila.
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Anime
Dragon Ball was intended to debut on the Polsat channel after the successful run of Sailor Moon ended in 1995 and companies sought to capitalize on this moment. But just like in other European countries, such as France, concerns about violence in Dragon Ball caused a clamp down on the broadcast, and the plan to air it was cancelled.
Therefore, the first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in October, 1999 on the RTL 7 channel. The episodes were broadcast in French or Japanese, and the entire first airing included a lektor, who read every line of dialogue in Polish. A lektor is an actor who reads the dialogue in a normal yet easy to understand voice, rather than act out the lines as each character.
It aired every weekday in an after school timeslot. The first airing of Dragon Ball concluded in May 2000. The series continued with Dragon Ball Z’s premiere in May, airing 2 episodes per weekday, and at this rapid pace the series concluded in December of 2000. Upon completion of DBZ, it continued into Dragon Ball GT, with 2 episodes per day, and completed its broadcast in early 2001.
The entire series was then re-aired from start to finish two more times, at 3 episodes per day. Upon airing the program as reruns, it was aired in French with Polish subtitles up to the Baby Arc, then switched to the original Japanese voices, intro, and outro, with Polish subtitles.
Something peculiar happened in Poland. Because there were no regulations against it, Polish broadcasters pirated foreign channels from neighboring countries. This means that Dragon Ball in German could be seen by Polish fans on RTL 2. Dragon Ball GT in Italian could be seen on Italia 1. And the English version of Dragon Ball Z could be seen on Cartoon Network’s Toonami. So, many Polish fans were watching the series in multiple languages, and seeing spoilers from episodes far ahead of their local schedule. This practice was brought to an end on January 1, 2003, when Polish law made broadcasters conform to EU standards.
Dragon Ball Z movies 1, 2, and 3 were released direct to home video by Planet Manga, using the French dub with Polish subtitles.
The only Polish dub of the anime is in two of the movies. ITI Cinema released Dragon Ball Z movies 12 and 13 in theaters with a Polish dub.
ITI held the rights to the show, but it was never rebroadcast after 2003. These rights expired, and were purchased by Sony, who rebroadcast Dragon Ball GT on AXN Spin in early 2012, followed by Dragon Ball Z Kai, both with original Japanese voices and Polish subtitles. Again some regions had a lector to read the dialogue, and sometimes with optional subtitles.
Manga
The first volume of manga was published by J.P. Fantastica, from 2001 to 2003, with the original 42 tankōbon covers, format of right-to-left, and a faithful translation to Polish. Each volume was released fortnightly until completion.
On July 12, 2003, the TVN television channel aired a program called Uwaga! (“Attention!”), and had a special feature on how harmful Dragon Ball was for Polish children. Not because of the violence, but because of the supposed pornography and pedophilia.
The program featured a child psychologist named Dorota Zawadzka, the founder of a child protection program called Kid Protect, named Singer James, and founder of J.P. Fantastica, Shin Yasuda, the publisher of the Dragon Ball manga. The psychologist, Miss Zawadzka, said, “My older son is a fan. When I saw it, it shook me to the core. This is already pornography, not just erotica. I’d go even further to say that it’s somewhere on the border between pedophilia and sexual abuse. I think it’s unacceptable to have this positioned next to other children’s comics without a clear label, because this isn’t for children, but it might be bought by kids in elementary school.” Jacob Singer called it, “Appalling. Maybe in Japan there’s a law that allows this, but it’s being published in Poland, distributed in Poland, and must be in accordance with Polish law. Showing children such content should be illegal.”
The Uwaga! host then interviewed the publishers, who explained in a calm and rational manner that Bulma’s underwear was missing because of happenstance, and it was a comedic, not sexual, event that was just one small part of the bigger story. That is to say, the entire thing was a joke intended for young boys to get a laugh out of. But that didn’t stop the program from playing audio of heavy breathing, blazing alarm sound effects, and the words “Sex! Sex!” every couple of minutes.
It was an alarmist program that capitalized on the lack of viewer’s familiarity with Japanese media, or its supposed association with depravity. Nothing more came of it, because by 2003 the Polish society had become rather used to such content in popular culture. And of course the grander irony is that Uwaga! show was on the TVN network, where the Dragon Ball anime aired. So they were accusing their own network of promoting pedophilia.
Dragon Ball was intended to debut on the Polsat channel after the successful run of Sailor Moon ended in 1995 and companies sought to capitalize on this moment. But just like in other European countries, such as France, concerns about violence in Dragon Ball caused a clamp down on the broadcast, and the plan to air it was cancelled.
Therefore, the first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in October, 1999 on the RTL 7 channel. The episodes were broadcast in French or Japanese, and the entire first airing included a lektor, who read every line of dialogue in Polish. A lektor is an actor who reads the dialogue in a normal yet easy to understand voice, rather than act out the lines as each character.
It aired every weekday in an after school timeslot. The first airing of Dragon Ball concluded in May 2000. The series continued with Dragon Ball Z’s premiere in May, airing 2 episodes per weekday, and at this rapid pace the series concluded in December of 2000. Upon completion of DBZ, it continued into Dragon Ball GT, with 2 episodes per day, and completed its broadcast in early 2001.
The entire series was then re-aired from start to finish two more times, at 3 episodes per day. Upon airing the program as reruns, it was aired in French with Polish subtitles up to the Baby Arc, then switched to the original Japanese voices, intro, and outro, with Polish subtitles.
Something peculiar happened in Poland. Because there were no regulations against it, Polish broadcasters pirated foreign channels from neighboring countries. This means that Dragon Ball in German could be seen by Polish fans on RTL 2. Dragon Ball GT in Italian could be seen on Italia 1. And the English version of Dragon Ball Z could be seen on Cartoon Network’s Toonami. So, many Polish fans were watching the series in multiple languages, and seeing spoilers from episodes far ahead of their local schedule. This practice was brought to an end on January 1, 2003, when Polish law made broadcasters conform to EU standards.
Dragon Ball Z movies 1, 2, and 3 were released direct to home video by Planet Manga, using the French dub with Polish subtitles.
The only Polish dub of the anime is in two of the movies. ITI Cinema released Dragon Ball Z movies 12 and 13 in theaters with a Polish dub.
ITI held the rights to the show, but it was never rebroadcast after 2003. These rights expired, and were purchased by Sony, who rebroadcast Dragon Ball GT on AXN Spin in early 2012, followed by Dragon Ball Z Kai, both with original Japanese voices and Polish subtitles. Again some regions had a lector to read the dialogue, and sometimes with optional subtitles.
Manga
The first volume of manga was published by J.P. Fantastica, from 2001 to 2003, with the original 42 tankōbon covers, format of right-to-left, and a faithful translation to Polish. Each volume was released fortnightly until completion.
On July 12, 2003, the TVN television channel aired a program called Uwaga! (“Attention!”), and had a special feature on how harmful Dragon Ball was for Polish children. Not because of the violence, but because of the supposed pornography and pedophilia.
The program featured a child psychologist named Dorota Zawadzka, the founder of a child protection program called Kid Protect, named Singer James, and founder of J.P. Fantastica, Shin Yasuda, the publisher of the Dragon Ball manga. The psychologist, Miss Zawadzka, said, “My older son is a fan. When I saw it, it shook me to the core. This is already pornography, not just erotica. I’d go even further to say that it’s somewhere on the border between pedophilia and sexual abuse. I think it’s unacceptable to have this positioned next to other children’s comics without a clear label, because this isn’t for children, but it might be bought by kids in elementary school.” Jacob Singer called it, “Appalling. Maybe in Japan there’s a law that allows this, but it’s being published in Poland, distributed in Poland, and must be in accordance with Polish law. Showing children such content should be illegal.”
The Uwaga! host then interviewed the publishers, who explained in a calm and rational manner that Bulma’s underwear was missing because of happenstance, and it was a comedic, not sexual, event that was just one small part of the bigger story. That is to say, the entire thing was a joke intended for young boys to get a laugh out of. But that didn’t stop the program from playing audio of heavy breathing, blazing alarm sound effects, and the words “Sex! Sex!” every couple of minutes.
It was an alarmist program that capitalized on the lack of viewer’s familiarity with Japanese media, or its supposed association with depravity. Nothing more came of it, because by 2003 the Polish society had become rather used to such content in popular culture. And of course the grander irony is that Uwaga! show was on the TVN network, where the Dragon Ball anime aired. So they were accusing their own network of promoting pedophilia.
Spoiler:
Anime
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1995 on SIC. It was followed by Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT in succession until 1999. The shows were then rebroadcast on SIC Gold on June 29, 2000, a cable channel. This channel evolved into SIC Sempre Gold (SIC Always Gold), which aired Dragon Ball Z. It then folded on October 18, 2004. However, the show continued to be aired on and off via SIC Radical, and continues airing reruns to this day. This includes the broadcast of Dragon Ball Kai, and Dragon Ball Z is aired every morning.
The Portuguese dub was performed at NOVAGA studios.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Portugal in 2001 by the Spanish company, Planeta DeAgostini. All 42 volumes were published, but in a flipped format.
Then in 2010 the manga was republished by ASA. It was released in distributed in a deal with the Diário de Notícias newspaper, who included a copy of the first volume with each newspaper. The manga was published in its original Japanese right to left format at 192 pages each. But the printing was suspended after volume 18.
The first episode of Dragon Ball anime was broadcast in 1995 on SIC. It was followed by Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT in succession until 1999. The shows were then rebroadcast on SIC Gold on June 29, 2000, a cable channel. This channel evolved into SIC Sempre Gold (SIC Always Gold), which aired Dragon Ball Z. It then folded on October 18, 2004. However, the show continued to be aired on and off via SIC Radical, and continues airing reruns to this day. This includes the broadcast of Dragon Ball Kai, and Dragon Ball Z is aired every morning.
The Portuguese dub was performed at NOVAGA studios.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Portugal in 2001 by the Spanish company, Planeta DeAgostini. All 42 volumes were published, but in a flipped format.
Then in 2010 the manga was republished by ASA. It was released in distributed in a deal with the Diário de Notícias newspaper, who included a copy of the first volume with each newspaper. The manga was published in its original Japanese right to left format at 192 pages each. But the printing was suspended after volume 18.
Spoiler:
Anime
The first 26 episodes of Dragon Ball Z have been dubbed into Russian and they premiered on the 2x2 TV channel.
[Some may have had lector voice voices in Russian on top of [WHICH LANGUAGE]?]
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in 2010, by Comix-ART, in its original right-to-left format. Only the first 8 volumes have been published, ceasing in 2011.
The first 26 episodes of Dragon Ball Z have been dubbed into Russian and they premiered on the 2x2 TV channel.
[Some may have had lector voice voices in Russian on top of [WHICH LANGUAGE]?]
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in 2010, by Comix-ART, in its original right-to-left format. Only the first 8 volumes have been published, ceasing in 2011.
Spoiler:
Anime
The Dragon Ball anime first premiered on channel TV3, in 1990, in the Catalan dialect. This was followed by the Mexican dub by Intertrack in Andalusia, Barcelona, and Madrid. It was then redubbed by the studio called High Frequency. The series became a hit and was picked up nation-wide.
The growth of the anime industry via Dragon Ball led to a surge in the growth of the manga industry.
Manga
Dragon Ball was first published in comic book form in May, 1992, by Planeta DeAgostini. Spain was the first country outside of Japan to publish the Dragon Ball manga. It was published in Castilian Spanish and Catalan dialect under the title of Bola de drac. This adaptation enabled other countries in Europe to follow in suit, such as in France, Germany, and Italy.
The first collected volume of Dragon Ball manga was published on May 15, 1995, by Planeta DeAgostini. One volume was published a month until October 15, 1998, when Volume 42 was published.
The Dragon Ball anime first premiered on channel TV3, in 1990, in the Catalan dialect. This was followed by the Mexican dub by Intertrack in Andalusia, Barcelona, and Madrid. It was then redubbed by the studio called High Frequency. The series became a hit and was picked up nation-wide.
The growth of the anime industry via Dragon Ball led to a surge in the growth of the manga industry.
Manga
Dragon Ball was first published in comic book form in May, 1992, by Planeta DeAgostini. Spain was the first country outside of Japan to publish the Dragon Ball manga. It was published in Castilian Spanish and Catalan dialect under the title of Bola de drac. This adaptation enabled other countries in Europe to follow in suit, such as in France, Germany, and Italy.
The first collected volume of Dragon Ball manga was published on May 15, 1995, by Planeta DeAgostini. One volume was published a month until October 15, 1998, when Volume 42 was published.
Spoiler:
Manga
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Anime
The FUNimation dub of Dragon Ball Z aired in South Africa as early as 2003, on the SABC Tube network, via SABC 2 channel. The FUNimation singles were also available in stores on VHS and DVD. Then they aired Dragon Ball GT on TV as early as 2005. The South African broadcast followed in the footsteps of the UK broadcast.
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Anime
The FUNimation dub of Dragon Ball Z aired in South Africa as early as 2003, on the SABC Tube network, via SABC 2 channel. The FUNimation singles were also available in stores on VHS and DVD. Then they aired Dragon Ball GT on TV as early as 2005. The South African broadcast followed in the footsteps of the UK broadcast.
Spoiler:
Manga
The second volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Sweden on June 15, 2000 by Bonnier Carlsen. The 42nd volume was published on September 9, 2003.
Anime
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The second volume of Dragon Ball manga was published in Sweden on June 15, 2000 by Bonnier Carlsen. The 42nd volume was published on September 9, 2003.
Anime
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Anime
Dragon Ball Z first premiered in the United Kingdom in the fall of 1998 on the British Comedy Network. It aired the Ocean dub. The FUNimation dub also aired, with broadcasters switching between the two at random intervals.
Starting with episode 108, the AB Groupe and Westwood Media, in association with Ocean Studios, produced an alternate dub to comply with Canadian broadcasting standards. This was then broadcast across Canada and into the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
Dragon Ball Z then appeared on the CNX channel on October 14, 2002 with new episodes starting at episode 237. The show was so popular that it aired at 7 am, 1 pm, 1:25 pm, 5 pm, and 5:25 pm on weekdays, and at 7 am, 1 pm, and 1:25 pm on weekends; 7 days a week.
But in terms of home videos, the United Kingdom didn’t see a local release until Manga Entertainment published Season 1 of FUNimation’s orange bricks on July 2, 2012. They were based on the PAL version of Madman Entertainment’s Australian release, which were themselves converted from FUNimation’s original version. This was followed by Dragon Ball GT on DVD on Jan 20, 2014, and the original Dragon Ball on May 5, 2014.
Manga Entertainment UK published Dragon Ball Z Kai season 1 on August 3, 2015.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published on August 1, 2005, with new volumes published on every Monday of succeeding months. It was published by Gollancz. They sublicensed the manga from Viz in the United States (who licensed it from Shūeisha), and published it locally in the UK.
Prior to this, British readers had been reading American imports from Viz.
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Dragon Ball Z first premiered in the United Kingdom in the fall of 1998 on the British Comedy Network. It aired the Ocean dub. The FUNimation dub also aired, with broadcasters switching between the two at random intervals.
Starting with episode 108, the AB Groupe and Westwood Media, in association with Ocean Studios, produced an alternate dub to comply with Canadian broadcasting standards. This was then broadcast across Canada and into the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
Dragon Ball Z then appeared on the CNX channel on October 14, 2002 with new episodes starting at episode 237. The show was so popular that it aired at 7 am, 1 pm, 1:25 pm, 5 pm, and 5:25 pm on weekdays, and at 7 am, 1 pm, and 1:25 pm on weekends; 7 days a week.
But in terms of home videos, the United Kingdom didn’t see a local release until Manga Entertainment published Season 1 of FUNimation’s orange bricks on July 2, 2012. They were based on the PAL version of Madman Entertainment’s Australian release, which were themselves converted from FUNimation’s original version. This was followed by Dragon Ball GT on DVD on Jan 20, 2014, and the original Dragon Ball on May 5, 2014.
Manga Entertainment UK published Dragon Ball Z Kai season 1 on August 3, 2015.
Manga
The first volume of Dragon Ball manga was published on August 1, 2005, with new volumes published on every Monday of succeeding months. It was published by Gollancz. They sublicensed the manga from Viz in the United States (who licensed it from Shūeisha), and published it locally in the UK.
Prior to this, British readers had been reading American imports from Viz.
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Spoiler:
Manga
Viz Media
Anime
FUNimation
//This list does not include the Fuji Television episodes broadcast in Japanese with English subs in Hawaii in 1992. These continued until DBZ episode #104 when Funimation demanded the subtitles cease as they had the US rights to the show.]
Viz Media
Anime
FUNimation
//This list does not include the Fuji Television episodes broadcast in Japanese with English subs in Hawaii in 1992. These continued until DBZ episode #104 when Funimation demanded the subtitles cease as they had the US rights to the show.]
Spoiler:
Manga
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Anime
Dragon Ball first premiered on the Televen channel on XYZ, 19XX, with the Latin American dub from Intertrack. The episodes progressed to the point where Krillin is killed by Tambourine at the conclusion of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budōkai, and then it would begin anew. This cycle repeated itself so many times, and fans were so eager to see what happened next, that Televen chose to advertise the new episodes under a new name: Dragon Ball RP. This “Dragon Ball RP” was used as a marketing tagline, and they did not change the actual content of the show. But this moniker continued until Goku defeats Piccolo Daimao, and then it returned to normal.
Dragon Ball Z premiered on XYZ, 19XX, and progressed all the way to its conclusion. Then, despite advertisements for Dragon Ball GT, the series went on a hiatus for years, until its premiere on XYZ, 19XX.
Dragon Ball was uncensored in Venezuela for its entire broadcast run.
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Anime
Dragon Ball first premiered on the Televen channel on XYZ, 19XX, with the Latin American dub from Intertrack. The episodes progressed to the point where Krillin is killed by Tambourine at the conclusion of the 22nd Tenkaichi Budōkai, and then it would begin anew. This cycle repeated itself so many times, and fans were so eager to see what happened next, that Televen chose to advertise the new episodes under a new name: Dragon Ball RP. This “Dragon Ball RP” was used as a marketing tagline, and they did not change the actual content of the show. But this moniker continued until Goku defeats Piccolo Daimao, and then it returned to normal.
Dragon Ball Z premiered on XYZ, 19XX, and progressed all the way to its conclusion. Then, despite advertisements for Dragon Ball GT, the series went on a hiatus for years, until its premiere on XYZ, 19XX.
Dragon Ball was uncensored in Venezuela for its entire broadcast run.