Author: Michael Arnold

  • Dragon Ball Daima German dub coming late summer as RTL Consumer Products adds brand to its portfolio

    It has been a long wait for European dubs of Dragon Ball Daima to be announced, but it looks like a few productions are finally in sight.

    Recently a European Spanish dub was announced, as well as an Italian dub, and now a German dub is on the way.

    RTL Consumer Products will now be taking over the marketing of Dragon Ball in Germany by adding the brand to its portfolio.

    The company will rely on a comprehensive 360-degree strategy encompassing all important contact points – from TV and streaming to digital offerings and retail promotion.

    The timeshift channel TOGGO Plus will be airing the German dub of Dragon Ball Daima later in the summer and RTL+ will follow suit in September.

    Beate Mitschke and Ryuji Kochi, the Vice President of Franchise and Product Development at RTL Consumer Products and President of TOEI Animation Europe respectively both commented on the news about Dragon Ball Daima coming to Germany in the native language:

    Mitschke said:

    “Mit DRAGON BALL holen wir uns nicht nur eine der ikonischsten Anime-Marken überhaupt ins Portfolio, sondern unterstreichen zugleich unseren Anspruch, relevante Popkulturthemen ganzheitlich zu denken. Die enorme Strahlkraft der Marke ermöglicht es uns, sie zielgruppenübergreifend an allen Touchpoints zu inszenieren und so nachhaltige Impulse für den Lizenzmarkt zu setzen“

    In English this can be read as:

    “With DRAGON BALL, we are not only bringing one of the most iconic anime brands ever into our portfolio, but at the same time underlining our claim to think holistically about relevant pop culture topics. The brand’s enormous appeal enables us to stage it across target groups at all touchpoints and thus set sustainable impulses for the licensing market”

    And Kochi stated:

    “DRAGON BALL blickt auf eine weltweite Erfolgsgeschichte zurück. Mit regelmäßig neuen Serien und einer stetig wachsenden Beliebtheit in Europa entwickelt sich die Marke kontinuierlich weiter. Wir freuen uns sehr, heute eine neue Partnerschaft mit RTL, einem der führenden deutschen TV-Sender und Lizenzagenturen, einzugehen. Wir haben große Erwartungen an DRAGON BALL in Deutschland und sind überzeugt, dass RTL Consumer Products die Marke in der Region mit einem vielfältigen und erfolgreichen Angebot hervorragend weiterentwickeln wird“

    Which can be translated as:

    “DRAGON BALL looks back on a worldwide success story. With regular new series and steadily growing popularity in Europe, the brand is continuously evolving. We are very pleased to enter into a new partnership with RTL, one of Germany’s leading TV broadcasters and licensing agencies, today. We have great expectations of DRAGON BALL in Germany and are convinced that RTL Consumer Products will continue to develop the brand in the region with a diverse and successful offering”

    It has been said that the German dub of Dragon Ball Daima will have a complete recast since its being dubbed in Münich. The original Dragon Ball series was recorded in Cologne, and everything since Dragon Ball Z was dubbed in Berlin.

    There is no news yet on the exact date for the premier of the Dragon Ball Daima German dub, nor any of the specific products that will hit the market, but that should all be expected relatively soon.

  • Dragon Ball Super episodes 113-115 uploaded to the DR TV app

    As of today (July 17th) 3 more episodes of the Dragon Ball Super Danish dub have been added to the DR TV app.

    Expect episodes 116-118 to drop next week.

  • TV Blocks : Sticky TV

    When it comes to TV blocks and Dragon Ball most people will think of Toonami, but when we look at the history of the Dragon Ball anime on TV around the world we learn that there are many different blocks that the show, and indeed its various sequels were broadcast on.

    Even within the context of English-speaking countries we had blocks other than Toonami where Dragon Ball became popular.

    Fans that watched Dragon Ball down under may remember it from Network Ten’s Cheez TV block, but what about even further south?

    The Daily Post TV schedule from the day Dragon Ball Z premiered on TV3 in New Zealand

    In New Zealand Dragon Ball Z originally featured as part of TV3’s main lineup, but a lot of fans may remember the show and its sequel Dragon Ball GT from a popular local children’s block named Sticky TV.

    Sticky TV was announced in late 2001 as a new program funded by NZ On Air and launched sometime in 2002 with Dragon Ball Z featuring as part of its lineup.

    Sticky TV was described to me as a “skit show type program”. Segments showcased children giving advice to other kids, mud fights, and contests of everything from singing to cooking, fashion and survival.

    The target audience was preschoolers to 12-year olds and it introduced emerging presenters like TV weatherman Sam Wallace, Kanoa Llloyd (The Project) and Erin Simpson (The Erin Simpson Show).

    Sticky TV was produced by Mary Phillips on a budget of $964,150 200, made by Pickled Possum Productions and aired on Sticky TV except for four years from February 7, 2011 to July 4, 2016 when it aired on Four before the channel’s closure.

    Sticky TV lasted until Christmas Day 2017 but Dragon Ball Z and its sequel Dragon Ball GT were only shown individually (never together) during the first few years of the block’s existence.

    Not many fans I’ve spoken to remember Dragon Ball GT airing on Sticky TV or TV3 in general, but having enquired with the National Library of New Zealand and a fan who watched the show at the time I can confirm it did.

    On July 5, 2004 Dragon Ball GT was first listed in The TV Guide as a featured programme on Sticky TV, although the block didn’t always advertise all of its programming so the show may have premiered earlier.

    July 3-9, 2004 issue of The TV Guide page 63

    As for how the New Zealand broadcasts of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT differed from the English airings in countries like Australia and the USA? Well that’s a story for another day (Hint: There was further censorship on top of the existing edits).

    References

    Online Articles

    Ensor, Blair. “Talent gets chance to shine.” Stuff, 23 Jan. 2011. www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/4574001/Talent-gets-chance-to-shine. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

    “Local Content Report 2016.” The Hub, 20 Apr. 2017. www.thehub.sia.govt.nz/resources/local-content-report-2016. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

    NZ On Air. “Kids Take Over Television.” Scoop, 6 Dec. 2001. www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0112/S00012/kids-take-over-television.htm. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

    “Sticky TV.” NZOnScreen, www.nzonscreen.com/all-series/sticky-tv/. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

    Newspapers & Magazines

    “Monday 5 July.” The TV Guide, July 2004, pp. 62-63

    “Post Entertainment.” The Daily Post, April 2000, pp. 6-7

    Social Media Posts

    NZ On Air. NZ On Air announces Sticky TV moving back to TV3 after closure of Four. Facebook, 1 Jul. 2016, 12:16 a.m., www.facebook.com/nzonair/photos/from-monday-sticky-tv-will-be-on-tv3-following-the-closure-of-four-and-the-launc/1126570890719473/. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

    Usher, Debbie P. “Sticky TV 2002.” Youtube, 7 Aug. 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=vIrrxNM-OWQ. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

  • Dragon Ball GT returns to Mangas in France

    A few days ago a promo was aired, which confirms the return of Dragon Ball GT to the French TV channel Mangas.

    Mangas, which first broadcast Dragon Ball GT in 1997 has aired Dragon Ball content regularly in France for many years but has not aired Dragon Ball GT in 15 years.

    Mangas confirmed to a fan that it will be a complete remaster of the French dub with a video source will not be the same as what was seen on ADN or Crunchyroll.

    This will be great news for fans as there were episode previews dubbed in French that are considered to be lost as no recordings have survived, but this will be another chance for fans to catch them live.

    It has been said that in 2010-2011 the complete uncensored French dub of GT was aired with the next episode previews dubbed in French and the openings and endings left in Japanese.

    No start date has been confirmed to our knowledge, but we will keep an eye on such information to be revealed.

  • Dragon Ball Super episodes 110-112 uploaded to the DR TV app

    The Dragon Ball Super Danish dub continues with another 3 episodes.

    Today (July 10th) episodes 110-112 have been uploaded to Danmarks Radio’s DR TV app.

    With this addition the episode Goku turns Ultra Instinct has been released in Denmark for the third time, as this episode was previously available to stream on Daisuki and Crunchyroll in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

    The availability of these episodes on DR TV also marks the first time they’ve been available spoken in the Danish language rather than with subtitles.

    Expect episodes 113-115 to follow next week.

  • Dragon Ball Super episodes 107-109 uploaded to the DR TV app

    Another Friday another 3 episodes of the Dragon Ball Super Danish dub.

    Today (July 3rd) episodes 107-109 were uploaded to the DR TV app.

    Next Friday (July 10th) episodes 110-112 can be expected.

    As such next week Dragon Ball fans in Denmark will be treated to the episode Goku turns Ultra Instinct in thier native language.

    Episodes 109 and 110 formed part of a 1-hour Dragon Ball Super special on Fuji TV in Japan, so from next week that entire special will be available dubbed in Danish.

  • First two Dragon Ball movies coming to Anime Box in Spain

    Anime Box has just announced that the first two Dragon Ball movies will be coming to their platform in Spain.

    The Legend of Shenlong will hit the platform on July 20, followed by The Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle on July 27th.

    This will mark the first time that these movies have been available on a streaming service, as previously they were only available through TV airings and home video releases.

    Anime Box added the three classic anime Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT to their platform, as well as Dragon Ball Kai in 2024.

    Anime Box’s parent company Selecta Vision have been the home of Dragon Ball on DVD and Blu-Ray for several years, but this addition will solidify them as the place to go for digital Dragon Ball content where Spanish fans can watch on all their devices too.

    For more news on Dragon Ball in Spain please keep an eye on Antonio Sánchez-Migallón Jiménez (known online as MrKaytos) who posts regularly on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).

  • When are new episodes of the Kurdish dub of Dragon Ball Daima released on 4AnimePlay?

    A few weeks ago Dragon Ball Daima (locally titled  شەممە/ دراگۆن بۆڵ دایما) was released in Iraq on the streaming app 4AnimePlay and episodes were scheduled to premier at 8pm on Wednesdays.

    That release time appears to have changed, as yesterday 4Anime announced on their Instagram a new episode would premier at 4pm.

    Since 2019 4Anime has been the home of Dragon Ball in Kurdistan, particularly with the locally produced dubs from Sima Studio.

    Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super as well as the original Dragon Ball movies, Dragon Ball Z movies 1-8 and the Dragon Ball Super movies have all received Kurdish dubs and aired on the linear channel 4Anime.

    The company appears to be adapting to consumer trends as Dragon Ball Daima has been the first Dragon Ball title that seems to have been released exclusively on the streaming platform.

  • Dragon Ball Super episodes 104-106 uploaded to the DR TV app

    As of today (June 26th) episodes 104-106 of Dragon Ball Super have been added to the DR TV app in Denmark.

    With the addition of these 3 episodes the Danish dub of Dragon Ball Super has eclipsed the Danish dub of Dragon Ball Z, which Danmarks Radio (DR) also produced in the early 2000s, which had 104 episodes.

    Assuming the current rate of new episodes being uploaded to the platform remains consistent Dragon Ball Super’s Danish dub should reach episode 130 on August 21, 2026 with the final episode premiering a week after.

    Although with one episode left at that stage DR may decide to drop the last 4 episodes together rather than dropping 3 episodes in a single week.

    It is possible that the final episode of Dragon Ball Super will debut dubbed on August 28, 2026 as the last episode of DR’s season 2 was released on its own August last year following a consistent run of 3 episodes per week.

    In any case should this dub wrap up it will be the first time a Dragon Ball TV series has been fully dubbed in Danish.

    Expect episodes 107-109 to be released next Friday.

  • Dragon Ball Z returns to Cambodia?

    In late April of this year an OP dropped on Youtube, which appears to be a Khmer voiceover of the Japanese Dragon Ball Z opening theme Cha-La Head Cha-La.

    The OP and possibly full episode is available on the streaming service TV360 Metfone.

    This is the only known piece of Dragon Ball in the Khmer language that is currently available.

    It has been said that Dragon Ball Z did air on a channel called CTV9 in the 2010s in Cambodia, but not much is known about this airing.

    Kanzenshuu veteran kei17 has reported that at one point there was a blog written by a Japanese member of a humanitarian aid project, which references this dub or voiceover and the heavy censorship, particularly during the Freeza fight, which may have been a result of the bloody history of the Khmer Rogue era.

    It is worth noting that Khmer dubs are exceptionally rare, and within the medium of anime recordings are not known to exist of anything other than Doraemon 79 and Reborn, so any Dragon Ball content would be a great find.

Author: Michael Arnold