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Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku
BardockSpecial
North American uncut VHS cover
GenreAction[1]
Anime television film
Directed byMitsuo Hashimoto
Written byTakao Koyama
Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Music byShunsuke Kikuchi
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
Runtime48 minutes

Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku, known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: A Lonesome, Final Battle - The Father of Z Warrior Son Goku, who Challenged Frieza (Japanese: ドラゴンボールZ たったひとりの最終決戦〜フリーザに挑んだZ戦士 孫悟空の父〜, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Zetto Tatta Hitori no Saishū Kessen ~Furīza ni Idonda Zetto-senshi Son Gokū no Chichi~), is the first Dragon Ball Z TV special, which is based on the popular manga Dragon Ball. It was broadcast on Fuji Television on October 17, 1990, between Dragon Ball Z episodes 63 and 64. It serves as a prequel to the Dragon Ball anime, taking place twelve years before the events in the Emperor Pilaf saga.

AB Groupe's title is Dragon Ball Z: The Father of Goku. Funimation first released the special on VHS in November 2000 then on DVD in January 2001. They later re-released this and the Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks TV special on a digitally remastered double feature DVD on February 19, 2008; a Blu-ray Disc version was released on July 15, 2008. The special was re-released in its remastered form on September 15, 2009 in a single disc release. In 2011, a sequel manga called Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock was created and adapted into a short film.

Plot[]

Bardocksquad

The main protagonists of the film: Shugesh, Bardock, Borgos, Tora and Fasha

The special tells the story of Bardock, a so-called low-level soldier in Frieza's armed forces. At the outset of the story, his youngest son, Kakarot, is born on Planet Vegeta, and is being prepared to be sent to a "frontier planet" (Earth) in order to exterminate all life there. Meanwhile, Bardock and his crew are on an assignment to slaughter the inhabitants of Planet Kanassa, which they easily accomplish by using the planet's full moon to transform into Great Apes. The next morning, after every last Kanassan is seemingly wiped out, Bardock and his crew rest up and celebrate their victory until one surviving warrior catches him off-guard and decides to give him the "gift" of seeing the future as his way to torment him, before being destroyed by Bardock. This haunts Bardock with visions of the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and the oppression of the entire universe at the hands of Frieza.

Bardock dismisses the visions and goes to join his team on Planet Meat, only to discover most of them dead, and his best friend Tora mortally wounded. Before he succumbs to his injuries, Tora reveals that Bardock's squad was betrayed and killed by Frieza's henchman Dodoria and his elite soldiers, and that Frieza ordered the attack on the crew due to him becoming paranoid about the growing power of the Saiyans. Horrified and enraged by his fallen friend's last words, he takes Tora's blood-soaked armband and wraps it around his head, creating a makeshift bandana. He then battles Dodoria's Elite and defeats them all, only to be easily overwhelmed by a single mouth blast from Dodoria. He is left severely injured, but manages to return to Planet Vegeta.

Now realizing that Frieza intends to destroy the entire Saiyan race by annihilating their homeworld, Bardock attempts to convince the other Saiyans of the danger that they are all in, but everyone laughs at his claims. Bardock thus begins a final one-man assault against Frieza and his men. After fighting his way through Frieza's armed guard, Bardock sends a large energy blast at the tyrant himself, expecting a sure victory. However, Frieza counters this with his deadly Supernova technique, which sends Bardock back in time, kills many of his own soldiers, and destroys Planet Vegeta. As he is send back in time, Bardock sees one more vision of the future: his son Kakarot engaging in a climactic battle against Frieza. Being assured that Kakarot will be the one to defeat Frieza, Bardock gives a small smile as he along with Planet Vegeta are engulfed by the supernova. After his demise, Bardock telepathically wishes Kakarot to carry out his will and avenge his people and their home planet. At the same moment, Kakarot, who is still in his space pod, wakes up.

Elsewhere, having just completed an assignment on a far-off world, Vegeta is informed by Nappa of his homeworld's destruction, and that Frieza claims that the planet was destroyed by a huge meteor. Vegeta's pride keeps him from expressing his shock, and he remains outwardly emotionless. Soon afterwards, Kakarot's space pod touches down on Earth, where he is found by an elderly man named Gohan and giggles happily in the old man's arms. Gohan then decides to adopt the boy as his own grandson, and gives him a new name: Goku.

As the credits roll, scenes are shown of Goku's many heroic deeds on Earth, including his battles against the Red Ribbon Army, Tien Shinhan, King Piccolo, Piccolo Jr., Nappa and Vegeta, culminating with an image of Goku about to battle Frieza on Namek, with the spirits of Bardock and his fellow Saiyans watching him in the background.

Cast[]

Character name Japanese voice actor English voice actor
(Funimation, 2000 - original/2008 - remastered)
English voice actor
(AB Group, c. 2003)[2]
Burdock Masako Nozawa Sonny Strait as Bardock David Gasman as Bardock
Toma (トーマ, Tōma) Kazuyuki Sogabe Mike McFarland as Tora Doug Rand
Selypa (セリパ, Seripa) Yūko Mita Linda Young as Fasha Jodi Forrest
Totapo (トテッポ, Toteppo) Kōzō Shioya Christopher Sabat as Borgos Ed Marcus
Pumbukin (パンブーキン, Panbūkin) Takeshi Watabe Chris Rager as Shugesh Ed Marcus
Freeza Ryūsei Nakao Linda Young as Frieza Ed Marcus as Freezer
Dodoria (ドドリア) Yukitoshi Hori Chris Forbis Ed Marcus
Zarbon Shō Hayami Christopher Sabat Doug Rand
Prince Vegeta Ryō Horikawa Christopher Sabat Sharon Mann as Vejituh
Nappa Shōzō Iizuka Christopher Sabat (original)
Phil Parsons (remastered)
Paul Bandey
Goku/Kakarot Masako Nozawa Stephanie Nadolny (baby)
Sean Schemmel (adult)
Jodi Forrest (baby)
David Gasman (adult)
Grandpa Gohan Kinpei Azusa Christopher Sabat Ed Marcus
Toolo (トオロ, Tōro) Banjō Ginga Mike McFarland Paul Bandey
Horned Gang Leader Kenji Utsumi Kyle Hebert Paul Bandey
Planthorr Jōji Yanami Justin Cook Paul Bandey
Malaka Kōzō Shioya Mark Britten (original)
Chris Cason (remastered)
Doug Rand
Kanassan Commander N/A Kent Williams N/A
Demetrious N/A Dameon Clarke N/A
Other Saiyans Hirohiko Kakegawa
Yūji Machi
Chie Satō
Shinobu Satouchi
Michio Nakao [ja]
Bart Myer
Mark Britten
Ceyli Delgadillo
Chuck Huber
Kyle Hebert
John Burgmeier
Chris Rager
Ed Marcus
Doug Rand
Paul Bandey
Narrator Jōji Yanami Dale D. Kelly (original)
Kyle Hebert (remastered)
Ed Marcus

Music[]

  • OP (Opening Theme):
    • "CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA"
      • Lyrics by Yukinojō Mori
      • Music by Chiho Kiyooka
      • Arranged by Kenji Yamamoto
      • Performed by Hironobu Kageyama
  • IN (Insert Song):
    • "Solid State Scouter" (ソリッドステート・スカウター, Soriddosutēto Sukautā)
      • Music and arrangement: Fuminori Iwazaki [ja]
      • Voice: TOKIO
      • Instrumentation: Dragon Magic Orchestra
  • ED (Ending Theme):
    • Hikari no Tabi (光の旅?, "Journey of Light")

The song "Solid State Scouter" by Dragon Magic Orchestra is a homage to the Japanese synthpop band Yellow Magic Orchestra, specifically their 1979 album Solid State Survivor.

Funimation dub soundtrack[]

The following songs were present in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z: Bardock – The Father of Goku:[3] The remaining pieces of background music were composed by Mark Akin, Andy Baylor and Dale D. Kelly.

  1. Saliva - "Superstar"
  2. Caviar - "The Good Times Are Over"
  3. Sum 41 - "Makes No Difference"
  4. American Hi-Fi - "A Bigger Mood"

The original Japanese BGM is enclosed on the DVD - Blu-Ray version, especially on this movie.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

Chris Beveridge of Mania.com says that "Bardock getting explored a bit more is definitely a positive, and surely could carry an arc himself if not more in giving us the Saiyan view of things pre-Freeza and though the early part of it."[4]

Box office[]

On November 3 and 5, 2018 it had a joint limited theatrical release with a film Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995), titled as Dragon Ball Z: Saiyan Double Feature, by Fathom Events in the United States due to the upcoming release of Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018).[5][6] According to Box Office Mojo, as of November 7, the Saiyan Double Feature made a revenue of $540,707.[7]

References[]

External links[]

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