What Episodes Were Cut In Dragon Ball Z And Kai Versions?

Question

Hearing Dragon Ball Kai skips filler, I'm finishing Z for nostalgia but want to skip what's missing in the revised Kai edit.

Bill Piening · Answer

For those who are unaware, the original run of Dragon Ball Z was 291 episodes long, but was later re-edited as Dragon Ball Z Kai with many of the filler arcs and scenes deleted from the series, bringing it down to 167 episodes. The Fake Namek arc, the majority of the Garlic Jr. arc, and most of the driving school and other gag filler scenes were cut from the series, especially during the Cell and Buu arcs. This is a great series for those who enjoy martial arts oriented stories with lots of action and lots of ongoing story. There’s a great series like this, ‘Martial Dragon Emperor S2’, that follows a warrior who has been reincarnated into a cultivation world. Each chapter of the series continues to progress the plot and increase the power scaling of its characters with no filler.

Ulysses · Answer

Dragon Ball Z Kai has made some really great cuts to the anime for die-hard fans like myself. About 87 filler episodes were cut from the show including some of the more obscure ones that I don’t think casual fans would even remember. For example, there was an episode where Goku went to the World Martial Arts Tournament, which wasn’t really a part of the story. I feel that the pacing of Kai has really improved and really focused on the major story arcs for the series. Unfortunately though, I feel that by cutting out these scenes we don’t get to see as much of the more lighthearted moments with characters like Goku and Vegeta. However, there are plenty of clips online for these scenes. I really think that it would be really beneficial to re-watch the full series and then Kai, because each has it’s own unique charm and really conveys the essence of the series in different ways.

Kyle · Answer

Watching the remastered cut of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ (Dragon Ball Z Kai) makes you realize a number of differences between this and the original cut. While the original show had a number of episodes that only served to extend battles and contained plenty of fillers as well as very long sequences of time to allow the characters to train, many of these episodes were not based on the manga and thus were removed from the remastered cut to allow for a much more focused storyline – a total of 100 less episodes for example, the entire Garlic Jr. Saga (with the infamous FuManchu warriors) was cut and is now classed as a filler. The humor in these scenes was always endearing but it’s hard not to feel that some of these scenes added a lot of character to the 2D and if a little ‘amusing’ were left in, they would have certainly added to the overall feel of the series, and made it a more well-rounded watch.

Some scenes were cut entirely from the filler sagas such as the Garlic Jr. arc (Dragonballs) while others were ‘reworked’ such as the Buu Sagas in which there were some omitted scenes. But as stated earlier both have their good points, which could relate to the individual person viewing them and how they experience and connect with a show. It is also fascinating to see a much loved show evolve through the years. This must be due in part to the creators’ attempt to better fulfill the demands of the audiences viewing their work.

Kieran · Answer

So the fans enjoy watching ‘Dragon Ball Z Kai’ as much as we do, because the story runs very smoothly. A big difference from the original ‘Dragon Ball Z’ are the few scenes of the Great Saiyaman arc. While in ‘Dragon Ball Z’ this part was stretched out over many episodes, and especially the odd episodes, where the son of Goku acts like a superhero, in ‘Dragon Ball Z Kai’ this part was simply reduced to a few scenes.

Of course many fans love the silly, light-hearted filler episodes of the original Dragon Ball Z, too, with lots of fun character moments. While the Dragon Ball Z Kai chose the most intense and action-filled scenes of these episodes in order to get back into the action as quick as possible, many viewers find this new version more enjoyable as it follows a more direct story line than the original.

Piper · Answer

'Dragon Ball Z Kai' is more like a movie than the long-form series 'Dragon Ball'. Since 'Dragon Ball' has so much nostalgic value for many fans, the way 'Dragon Ball Z Kai' condensed the series into cinematic-form seemed to really capture the essence of the characters while stripping away a lot of the filler. One of the biggest sections of filler was the entire filler section of the Frieza Saga where Goku went to train, there was some detailed explanation of the Kaioken, and a lot of battles with characters that would never appear again in the rest of the series. Of course, 'Dragon Ball Z Kai' cut out most of this filler material, while also cutting out a lot of character development that fans had grown to love. I find it’s a matter of balance between effective storytelling and good character development.

Colin · Answer

A more in-depth look at ‘Dragon Ball Z Kai’ and why it’s a love letter to those who desire a more streamlined version of the story. It’s very clear to see how the pacing of ‘DBZ Kai’ has been locked down so tightly for the production, especially considering that the person behind this review has watched DBZ countless times. Note that the entire Garlic Jr. Saga has been cut from the new anime, which in retrospect is pretty obvious as it was always a rather detouring side-story to the main event of DBZ. While the Namek Saga seemed to drag on forever with plenty of filler in between long fights, ‘DBZ Kai’ definitely offers up a more manga-like experience that is very nice to see. What’s even better is that there is so much less excess fat to get through to get to the good stuff.

Many households debate whether the original version is better than Dragon Ball Z Kai!

Romano · Answer

Although the major arcs of filler are what most people remember, there are also many subtle changes to the tone of ‘Kai’. Not as much of the normal everyday life scenes and character development that filled out the early ‘Z’ series. The scenes of Gohan’s training in the wilderness after his encounter with Raditz are shorter and don’t have as many of the cute animal encounters that he had with various creatures. The long scenes on the spaceship traveling to Namek have been cut as well as most of the bickering between various crew members. Even the scenes of training with King Kai for the upcoming fight with the Saiyans have been shortened up.

However, in cutting the majority of the filler, “Kai” takes on a more serious and directed tone that highlights the epic battles and plots of the series, while simultaneously stripping away some of the strange quirks and moments of character development that made “Z” such a richly detailed series. It’s a difficult line to walk, as scenes like Gohan’s furious outburst at Raditz have been reduced to almost nothing, and really pack a punch because of it. The removal of all of the “bad” filler wasn’t “Kai”‘s goal, rather it was a rewriting of the overall feel of the series. If you’re a fan of every scene of “Z” then “Z” is the way to go, but “Kai” is a great and tight story for those looking for something more focused.

Ronnie Tan · Answer

By using a filler guide (such as FillerDB), you can search for scenes from the original Z series in the Kai series. Since most of the filler is removed (about 90%), you can easily find out if your favorite scene from Z was part of the original storyline. For example, Goku visiting Grandpa Gohan’s house, almost the entire Namek nonsense, and lots of the early Great Saiyaman stuff was all removed from the Kai series.

It’s also super helpful for having a definitive answer to debate about whether or not something was in the manga. A lot of the “classic” moments (i.e. scenes that have been remade/memed/parodied to death) are based on manga dialogue, and thus even though a lot of scenes around them were padded out in the anime for time to catch up with the published manga, they can be found in Kai. They basically took a surgical approach to cutting out the filer, and everything they kept is great.

Laken Joyce · Answer

The original marketing campaign for ‘Kai’ saw the film to be promoted as the ‘director’s cut’ or ‘true version’ of ‘Z’. To market ‘Kai’ in this way decreases the value of the original work and implies that the completed ‘Z’ was ‘impure’ or ‘tainted’ in some way, which many fans will be unwilling to accept. The original ‘Z’ was the filler-filled version of the film that created the global phenomenon that it did and which fans around the world fell in love with.

Labeling the “cleaned up” version of Z as the ‘true’ version also minimizes the cultural value of the countless errors, patches of slow pacing, and quirky pieces of filler that served to create the phenomenon of Z and earned the adoration of fans worldwide. Yes, a superior product has been created in terms of narrative value, but that doesn’t translate to the “cleaned up” Z being a superior work of pop culture. For many fans, the weirdly-dubbed Z provided a unique and endearing experience that the endlessly-edited ‘Kai’ simply can’t replicate.

Steve T · Answer

The name of the game when it comes to the Namek saga is to cut it. The stretches of waiting in the Z version of “Five Minutes Until the Planet Blows Up” are agonizing. When in the Kai version of “Kai” does this epic story arc finally reach the explosion on Namek? In a little 3-4 episodes span, we are treated to a plethora of scenes where many of the main characters are depicted staring worriedly, screaming and having their power levels go up.

The main advantage of the cuts is that they greatly increase the sense of urgency. Watching Frieza now is a much more intense experience than it was before, because the plot isn’t constantly interrupted by scenes admiring Frieza’s villainy. Watching Goku transform into a Super Saiyan is also far more impactful now, because the wait wasn’t as drawn out as it could have been. Watching the Namek saga is the biggest advantage of ‘Kai’ and if you only were to watch one part of it, then that is the part you should watch, because it shows just how much of a difference the right cuts can make.

MïnggÄy Mhaldhìtä Skêïghmīlén · Answer

I got to read all of these super in-depth explanations of why one anime is better than the others. I tried to explain why one of the anime my brother was watching was bad to him, but he wouldn't listen to me. Instead, I'll just say that I'm pretty sure the less obnoxious anime will actually get finished. 'Powering up for three whole episodes' =MEME=.

Robert Farr · Answer

One of the areas where the cuts really benefit the film is in the emotional throughline. In the original, by the time the big emotional moment came, one would often be numb from the long stretches of fill surrounding it. But in ‘Kai’, the emotional moments come fast and have greater impact because the narrative isn’t being dissipated by long stretches of filler.

A prime example of this is the animation and buildup to Gohan’s SS2 form. In the original version of the film this would often be set up by pages of padding that would have the audience feeling that the moment of the transformation was taking too long to arrive. In the ‘Kai’ edit however the setup to Gohan’s transformation is much tighter. The anger that he feels is more concentrated and therefore more powerful as a result. The filler is taken out and therefore the key scenes are allowed to breathe more. The silence before the storm is shorter in ‘Kai’ and therefore the storm feels so much more powerful.

What Episodes Were Cut In Dragon Ball Z And Kai Versions?

12 Answers

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