It borrows various elements from the first seasons of the original anime following young Goku and his friends' first search for the Dragon Balls and facing the threat of the Red Ribbon Army.Ī Path to Power was released for the 10th anniversary of the original series premiere after the conclusion of Dragon Ball Z.

The Path to Power is another retelling of the origins of Dragon Ball. The Dragon Ball anime first began to air in America at the time of the movie’s release and helped create the dedicated audience still watching today. Curse of the Blood Rubies served as the first exposure of Dragon Ball to American audiences after several years of popularity in Japan. The movie acts more as an abbreviated introduction to the series rather than a fully-formed part of the mythology.

In some cases, films simply retell stories from the series in a more condensed fashion. So you see Future Trunks with the team when movies premiered during the Android and Cell sagas, or Goku in the afterlife before the Buu Saga, but you do not see the events of the films impact those stories on TV. The original theatrical releases in Japan coincided with where the story was in its original airing on television, usually during breaks in the TV show during spring and summer. They each do have a loose connection to the series.

The majority of Dragon Ball movies are just fun side stories that give us a chance to see more of our favorite characters. The movies deliver more of a villain of the week type approach in stories that are considered non-canon to the television series, so you rarely see events in the films impact the main storylines on TV. As much as we love the stories, it can be a chore to get through the whole Frieza saga. Let’s face it, some seasons of Dragon Ball seem to go on forever.

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