As Telefuturo reruns Dragon Ball Z it is not out of the question the series could be shown in full again after the current run, or they may be preparing for Dragon Ball Daima if a dub has been in production since based on various reports it is set after the battle with Kid Boo but prior to Dragon Ball Super.
In any case watch this space for further developments on Dragon Ball in Paraguay.
Kanzenshuu veteran and Twitter regular Baggie S has informed followers about a new Goku figure from Banpresto where the character sports the blu gi from Dragon Ball Z episodes 289-291 (equivalent to Dragon Ball Kai episodes 166-167).
A leaked image from a Banpresto email also uses the Nyio-Bo (also known as the Power Pole) as a selling point. “Vuelve con su baculo” translates to “He returns with his staff”.
As various sites are listing pre-orders for Daima design kid Goku figurines from Bandai with the Nyoi-Bo it is interesting that the staff is being used as a selling point. It is a refreshing change from the over reliance on transformations that has become a staple of Dragon Ball in the era of Super and the movies since Battle of Gods.
The confidence in an accessory more commonly associated with pre-Raditz storylines in addition to recent broadcasts of original Dragon Ball, rather than Z or Kai is promising and a welcome direction for the franchise on its 40th anniversary as this is arguably a series less celebrated than its successors.
The end of Z Goku figurine is likely to be an event exclusive and is expected to become available in Latin America from March 2025.
This makes Spain the fourth European territory to begin streaming all three series this year after Crunchyroll began to release them gradually in the UK, Ireland and France just a few months prior.
Dragon Ball has been airing on Comedy Central in Spain since at least 2022 and the channel continues to air the series. Tonight there will be a double bill of Dragon Ball Z from 7:05pm to 7:50pm followed by four episodes of original Dragon Ball from 7:50pm to 9:50pm.
The entire series pre-Super coming to Anime Box means Spanish fans will have the freedom to watch on all their devices.
There is no news on whether the series will be streaming with the just Iberian Spanish dub and Japanese with subtitles, but according to Anime Boxes homepage some content is available in Catalan, Galician and Basque it is possible these language options may also be streamed.
For many years little was known about Dragon Ball in Finland internationally, manga or anime, the latter more so because during the years it was broadcast (2003-2007) Google Translate was not as ubiquitous as it is today.
A few years after the final episode of Dragon Ball Z premiered on SubTV a fan confirmed on the Kanzenshuu forumson two occasions it was aired with the German dub after the entire series was broadcast in English with subs.
There was little discussion about this broadcasting anomaly in the years that followed these comments being shared, at least on English websites and forums from what I’ve seen, I can’t speak for Finnish sites. In any case we can see from this Twitter thread other fans did indeed remember this instance of the final episode being shown in German.
The above tweet can be translated as “By the time Goku arrived at Namek, the dubbing changed to Funimation’s version. Would it have been with Androids or Buu, when between Ocean and sometimes Funimation. The last episodes were in German dub”.
While fans havereported the Funimation dub airing in Finland it is natural to suspect they also received the Westwood dub from the artificial human, Cell and Boo arcs, or even, as the comment suggests there could have been random switches back to Funimation even after the Westwood dub started.
After all the UK, Ireland and Netherlands had those brief switches from Westwood back to Funimation, which is well known about for the British Isles with CNX premiering the “Fusion saga” with the US cast, but less so for Holland, where fans I’ve spoken to have more vague memories. I don’t blame them though, the UK has a much greater population density and memory doesn’t tend to be as reliable as we would like and time distorts it even more. An archived page from SubTV’s website even states they licensed Dragon Ball Z from “AB Productions” or more accurately “AB Groupe”, the same distributor other European territories mostly made deals with back in the early to mid 2000s.
Now whether or not Finland did switch back is anyone’s guess at this point, but as I mentioned previously this would not be the most peculiar aspect of the SubTV broadcast, if true, but rather the switch, not to another English dub but to the German dub on the last episode is probably one of the most bizarre stories in anime history that I wish was better known up to this point.
If you think it’s strange learning about this all these years later, one can only imagine how it must have felt for fans that tuned in to SubTV on that fateful day. There is one thread regarding the issue on a local forum where we see confusion, frustration and even justification on some fan’s part for what happened that day. The screenshots below feature the original posts in Finnish followed by an automatic Google translation.
“What were they freaking out there with the sub???
Where in Germany did they dig that episode???”
“I was just browsing Sub’s website and noticed that someone else has been wondering the same thing and asking why this is the case. I can put Sub’s answer here.
“There haven’t been any more episodes dubbed in English. Since fewer episodes of DragonBall Z have been made than we have been sold, there will be reruns from next Sun 17.12. onwards on Sat and Sun at 10.00 from episode 124 onwards.””
“”There haven’t been any more episodes dubbed in English. Since fewer episodes of DragonBall Z have been made than we have been sold, there will be reruns from next Sun 17.12. onwards on Sat and Sun at 10.00 from episode 124 onwards.”
You could say to subtv that “Not true, NOT TRUE!” 😀 It’s quite blatant lying when you can see from Subtv’s self-provided listings that they were supposed to air the final episode of the series, “Goku’s next journey”, made entirely in English, this Saturday.
Dig up youtube etc. for the last episode that I missed now. The episode is called “Goku’s next journey” in English, its episode number is 286/290 or a little smaller. (At the moment, I guess the DBZ stuff on YouTube is pretty weak, but I wonder if they’ll start appearing there again soon.
Lousy activity on SubTV!”
“It’s not SubTV’s fault that they’ve been sold fewer episodes than they bought.”
“Subtv has shown episodes with dubbing of FUNimation, that series has 276 episodes. All the episodes that were part of that series have come, why not the last one?
It seems to be quite unprofessional anyway when
a) lying to viewers (that the last episode hasn’t been dubbed in English – ridiculous… And of course they could get that episode somewhere if they wanted to),
b) not checking pre-ordered products (thinking that even after the last episode there would still be something to show until February), and
c) using unreliable and unprofessional suppliers.”
Top can be translated as:
“GERMAN LANGUAGES?! AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS IN JAPANESE!! SO I FREAKED OUT!”
For the bottom:
“Well actually, it was quite amusing when the text announced “We apologize for the lack of subtitles” and the TV shows the “wrong” episode dubbed in German LOL”
It’s quite amusing that some viewers were entertaining the idea of SubTV searching for the final episode online. The fact one assumed it was the Japanese version they saw also seems like a natural response. If German isn’t a common language in Finland it boggles the mind why the final episode of a Japanese show would be shown without subs in a random European language.
The fact the final episode of Dragon Ball Z had aired in most, if not all other territories that either aired the Funimation or Westwood dubs by that point also disproves SubTV’s claim there were no more English dubbed episodes available for them to use.
So why did the final episode air in German, without subs on a channel called SubTV of all things?
A friend of mine suggested it may have been to do with Bonnier providing an indirect connection between SubTV and the publisher Danish manga publisher Carlsen Verlag.
In the pre-Crunchyroll days the Swedish company Bonnier Group owned Carlsen Verlag, and while SubTV were once owned by Alma Media they were then sold to Bonnier in early 2005. Carlsen were founded as a German subsidiary of Forlaget Carlsen, so there were likely people at the company with enough familiarity with German. The Danish version of the Dragon Ball manga and the anime are known to reference the German versions, so it stands to reason if SubTV were desperate enough for a copy of the final episode that they could easily acquire a version that may have been floating around these companies.
It is rather unfortunate that SubTV either couldn’t find a German-to-Finnish translator in time or none were available to write subs for the final episode within a satisfactory deadline. Fans were naturally shocked when the episode aired and they had to watch their favourite characters in action speaking a language most native Fins didn’t understand.
After the final episode aired Dragon Ball Z remained in reruns on SubTV for a short while, first on weekend mornings as the above response from the channel indicates and also on weekdays for another 8 months1.
Issues of the Helsinki Times also corroborate reruns, which took place throughout early 2007:
Hopefully one day the show will return to Finnish screens, maybe Daima will be that opportunity, or better yet MTV Sub (as Sub TV is known now) can be convinced to air the Ocean dub of Kai as the voices would no doubt be familiar to Finnish fans.
This was confirmed by Leena Saarinen of the Helsinki Times who checked TV listings and seen the last time any episodes of Dragon Ball Z were shown was on August 21, 2007 with a double bill of episodes titled “New Venture” and “Peace on Earth”. See Apu, 17.08.2007, no. 33, p. 79 https://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/aikakausi/binding/1799480?page=79 National Library’s Digital Collections↩︎
12:15 Sub Favorite: Beverly Hills, 90210 Differences. American youth series. A popular youth series, the events of which take place in the carefree atmosphere of Beverly Hills.
13:00 Behind the scenes Plea. An English soap series with dark undertones, where a young blonde controls her environment with a cool, calculated attitude.
13:25 Having fun Love ship. French comedy series. Robert wins a fancy cruise. Nicolas turns green with envy when he hears that his idol Chuck Norris is coming on the same cruise.
13:50 Game tube : Astronaut
15:20 Two guys, a girl and a pizza place Trendy softball team. American comedy series. Pete and Berg get a brilliant idea that gives them the opportunity to meet beautiful girls.
15:40 Two guys, a girl and a pizza place Pete’s head in the clouds. American comedy series. Berg has chosen a temporary girlfriend for Pete to forget about his breakup with Melissa.
16:00 Two guys, a girl and a pizza place Berg’s shuffle party. American comedy series. Berg comes up with more than one excuse to be able to invite friends and above all his crush from years ago.
16:20 Two guys, a girl and a pizza place Blind date. American comedy series. Sharon sees an interesting announcement on the sensational board, to which Berg responds against Pete’s wishes.
16:40 Two guys, a girl and a pizza place Always ready. American comedy series. Berg begins to wonder why Pete is already almost packed with pizzas and his hand on the door handle when the order arrives at a certain address.
17:05 Dragon Ball Z In the Japanese animated series, Earth is threatened by an external danger, but evil is fought with perseverance and the help of friends.
17:30 Sessions Snowmobiling in Ruka. In the interview, Varjo, who has just released his second album from Heinola. Domestic youth magazine program.
18:00 SubFavorite: Beavis and Butt-head Life without Beav.
18:25 Samurai Jack Fighter. American cartoon series about Samurai Jack thrown into the future, whose task is to fight against the evil ruler Aku and find a time gate through which he could return home.
18:50 Robot Wars Metal warps, oil spills and rubber burns as the robots battle.
19:40 Chameleon Looking for dad. American drama series about Jarod, who is always adopting a new character, who is constantly ahead of everyday reality and his pursuers.
20:30 Dharma & Greg The second coming of Leonard. American comedy series. Greg is tearing up his game pants when Dharma’s enlightened ex-boyfriend arrives to make everyone swoon.
21:00 Stargate Two points of view. The base receives familiar-looking visitors from the parallel reality whose world has been conquered by the Goa’uld.
21:45 Just kidding Crazy funny hidden camera sketch show based on everyday incidents.
22:00 Water floaters English youth series. Sydney is fun, but there are also wilder things to do.
22:50 Late Night with Conan O’Brien American talk show. Hosted by Conan O’Brien. Max Weinberg Seven as house band. Tom Selleck, Big Show and Sue Johanson as guests.
23:35 Sessions Snowmobiling in Ruka. In the interview, Varjo, who has just released his second album from Heinola. Domestic youth magazine program. Second performance.
00:05 RAW American professional freestyle wrestling series. Another performance.
00:55 Dragon Ball Z In the Japanese animated series, Earth is threatened by an external danger, but evil is fought with perseverance and the help of friends. Another performance.
18:00 DragonBall Z Goku’s Strange Journey. In the Japanese animated series, Earth is threatened by an external danger, but evil is fought with perseverance and the help of friends.
18:25 Late Night with Conan O’Brien American talk show. Guests Heather Graham, Sam Rockwell and Russell Simmons. Another performance.
19:10 Sessions Live: Maj Karman’s Beautiful Pictures Maj Karman’s Beautiful Pictures in an interview and live. Domestic youth magazine program.
19:40 Perfect life Under the same roof, part 2/2. American comedy series. It takes a relaxing elevator ride to trigger the tension between Kim and her mother-in-law.
20:05 Behind the scenes Relative man. An English soap series with dark undertones, where a young blonde controls her environment with a cool, calculated attitude.
20:30 SubFavorite: Frendit Marcel. American relationship series. Phoebe finds an evanescent love and Ross a silent dependent. And what’s left when the year turns?
21:00 Iron chef Snapper. A great chef war between the world’s greatest chefs. The Japanese Yukio Hirayama and Masaharu Morimoto will be the first to start the battle, using Japanese snapper as the raw material. – Reruns of the series will be seen during the summer.
21:45 Just kidding Crazy funny hidden camera sketch show based on everyday incidents.
22:00 Heart of Darkness Death decorated with lace. American thriller series. While investigating a high-profile murder case, a stressed-out Sam contacts a writer with clairvoyant abilities; at the same time, maybe the persecutor Jack’s part in various events would also be revealed. Bailey loses her mental faculties to her teenage daughter, who treats her father like a rag.
22:50 Big Brother An English reality TV series in which 10 finalists who have passed a precise screening are under the supervision and guidance of 34 cameras and 40 microphones and Big Brother 24 hours a day for weeks. Every week, one unlucky person falls from chasing a plump pounder, whose winner is decided by the public.
23:20 Late Night with Conan O’Brien American talk show. Hosted by Conan O’Brien. Max Weinberg Seven as house band. Guests Peter Falk, Bridget Moynahan, Shaolin Monks. Presented on 2/25/03.
00:05 Sessions Live: Maj Karman’s Beautiful Pictures Maj Karman’s Beautiful Pictures in an interview and live. Another performance.
00:35 Ragypokka Four ordinary Finns lose their clothes. Watch the losers leave the studio without a single twist. Presenter: Jaajo Linnonmaa. Production: Funny Films Oy.
00:50 Kerava The English freaks throw a serious challenge to the domestic pushers of the moment and the scumbags.
00:55 Chameleon Bomb expert. American drama series about Jarod, who is always adopting a new character, who is constantly ahead of everyday reality and his pursuers.
01:40 Real life Hawaii An American soap documentary series about seven young people’s roommate experiments, the camera follows around the clock. – The replay begins.
02:05 DragonBall Z Goku’s Strange Journey. In the Japanese animated series, Earth is threatened by an external danger, but evil is fought with perseverance and the help of friends. Another performance.
02:30 Behind the scenes Relative man. An English soap series with dark undertones, where a young blonde controls her environment with a cool, calculated attitude. Another performance.
As we previously reportedBardock: The Father of Goku, the Takao Koyama and Katsuyuki Sumisawa-penned TV special is set to air for the first time ever in India on the native Cartoon Network, which has had massive success with the Dragon Ball over the past two years with Super, Kai and various movies.
The special, which has commonly been mistaken for a movie, possibly because it had the same runtime as any of the 17 original movies is in fact a TV special, and during its first ever release on October 17, 1990 it aired on Fuji Television, like the rest of the series between Dragon Ball Z episodes 63 and 64, so it is in fact every bit as much a part of the TV anime as the 291-episode series that aired during the same timeslot.
September 1, 2024, the special will air on Cartoon Network with five dubs in different languages – Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada at 1pm. This will be a week after original Dragon Ball returns to Cartoon Network.
There may be more or less episodes of original Dragon Ball premiering the week before, although the Bardock special is airing later than Dragon Ball Z movie 5 did so Cartoon Network India may be taking their time with dubbing it more so than they did with Kai, which all 167 episodes of were aired between April 16th and November 12th last year.
When I find an upcoming Sunday schedule for Cartoon Network India I will be sure to update this.
In any case it is great that Indian audiences finally have a way of legally watching and supporting the much loved TV special, and hopefully History of Trunks will follow, and more of TOEI’s Dragon Ball catalogue if ratings are good.
As reported on the Kanzenshuu forums both original Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT recently aired during the same day on the free Paraguayan channel La Tele.
It is not known when original Dragon Ball’s current run on La Tele began, but based on the pace at which it was being shown it is speculated to have been July 10, 2023 where it aired Mondays to Fridays at the 9am timeslot. The channel hasn’t listed either Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball GT on its website, but a fan noticed the former while channel surfing yesterday:
Thanks to Cure Dragon 255 for the live screencaps
For anyone interested in catching Dragon Ball GT keep an eye on La Tele, as was the case with original Dragon Ball it could appear unexpectedly.
Original Dragon Ball concluded on La Tele the last week of October 2023 and on the 25th of that month the TOEI-exclusive sequel to Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT took its timeslot. It is assumed Dragon Ball Z didn’t take its predecessor’s place because it was airing on Telefuturo (where it currently airs with a triple bill Saturdays from 6:30pm-8pm and Sundays at 7pm and 7:25pm), which was a sister channel.
Dragon Ball GT has been airing with “remastered” video tracks that are of a lower resolution than the original betacam tapes with title cards, which have been distributed by TOEI (who took over Cloverway’s operations in the mid-2000s when they set up operations in Latin America) since 2016 with audio sourced from fan recordings.
Dragon Ball has long had a dedicated fanbase in Latin America, many Paraguayan and Argentinian fans in particular were introduced to the series through the now defunct Pramer-owned channel Magic Kids.
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