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Dragon Ball Z: The History and Evolution of the Dragon Balls and Their Wishes



After the battle with Frieza, Goku's friends and family are waiting for word on his return when a demonic star drifts into Earth's orbit and opens up a rift in space, allowing the malevolent immortal Garlic Jr. to break free from his imprisonment inside the Dead Zone. Seeking revenge for a past defeat at the hands of Goku and Piccolo, Garlic Jr. traps Kami and Mr. Popo inside a bottle and uses his Black Water Mist to turn all of Earth's inhabitants into bloodthirsty, vampire-like beings. Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, Krillin's then-girlfriend Maron, and Gohan's pet dragon Icarus are the only ones unaffected and set out to stop Garlic Jr. and restore the Earth and its inhabitants. This proves to be easier said than done, as Garlic Jr. has complete immortality, making him impossible to kill. Luckily, Gohan's hidden potential gives him the edge he needs to eradicate Garlic Jr.'s forces and send him back into the Dead Zone. He also destroys the star, ensuring that Garlic Jr. will remain trapped in the Dead Zone for all eternity.


Dragon Ball Z's popularity is reflected through a variety of data through online interactions which show the popularity of the media. In 2001, it was reported that the official website of Dragon Ball Z recorded 4.7 million hits per day and included 500,000+ registered fans.[134] The term "Dragonball Z" ranked 4th in 1999 and 2nd in 2000 by Lycos' web search engine.[135][136] For 2001, "Dragonball" was the most popular search on Lycos and "Dragonball Z" was fifth on Yahoo!.[137] and "Dragonball" was the third most popular search term in 2002.[138]




Dragon Ball Z




In DRAGON BALL Z, Goku, his son Gohan, and their faithful companions do whatever they can to defend Earth from a variety of bizarre alien villains. Goku and Gohan have special powers (including super strength) and an unyielding commitment to conquer evil. But their skills are often tested by villains who are seeking "genocide" or "mass destruction." The ultimate goal of the villains, besides complete domination, is typically to obtain dragon balls (seven in all), which, when gathered together, can grant a wish.


First a little background on Dragon Ball if you need it. Created by artist Akira Toriyama in 1984 in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, the series follows a martial artist named Son Goku as he battles increasingly absurd threats. Loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey To The West in the beginning, Toriyama made up the plot as he went along, setting Goku on a quest to pick up the seven titular balls that would grant him one wish when assembled.


The globally enduring popularity of the series eventually led to Dragon Ball Z Kai in 2009, a more streamlined edit that removed most of the aforementioned filler. Following in the footsteps of the original Z, the English dub and broadcast of Kai quickly became a cornerstone of the revived Toonami, and airings of Funimation's dub of both it and Dragon Ball Super would continue on the network up to the present day.


When you picture an anime geek, the figure that comes to mind probably isn't a 6-foot 310-pound football player. Except that's exactly who Mike Daniels is -- and he's one of many NFL players subverting stereotypes of "nerd" and "jock."


"In Dragon Ball, the characters have a challenge," he told The Checkdown. "They know they have to push their bodies to the limit in their training so they can make sure to defeat their opponent, much like professional football players."


For Daniels, the best example of the show paralleling the football mindset is Piccolo, a character that initially challenges Goku and loses, then teams up and becomes his trusted ally. Piccolo even trains Goku's son, Gohan, as a fighter.


"The guy meditates. He's always acquiring new knowledge," Daniels told us. "He pushes his body really hard. He keeps his mind, body, and spirit all in sync. As football players, we do the same thing. Whether you're praying, meditating, you're getting silent, relaxing your mind... and you definitely want to train hard, in the weight room, on the track. You need to do all of it. Just like Piccolo." 2ff7e9595c


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