Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Piccolo & Namekians in DBZ (S5E3)

Is Piccolo his own person or a re-incarnation of Demon King Piccolo? If he's his son why does he have his memories and his connection to Kami? If he's a reincarnation why does he become good and speak of himself as if he's a different person?

Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 81 through 85: "Deja Vu," "Frieza's Second Transformation," "Another Transformation?" "Dende's Demise," and "The Renewed Goku." We begin the Frieza Saga, and focus on the person who has had their context changed most by these adventures on Namek: Piccolo.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are still alive
• A decent batch of episodes, but some pacing issues to be sure
• A reminder about Demon King Piccolo and how his children were born in the past
• Piccolo Jr as contextualized by the Shinto concept of a bunshin
• How Bunshin compare to Buddhist reincarnation cycles
• How reincarnation cycles lead to the concept of a mindstream, which is akin to the Olympic torch, but for one's thoughts and soul
• What concepts from Daoism influenced Piccolo giving birth to Piccolo Jr by spitting up an egg
• Some symbolism with Goku destroying the Demon part of Demon King Piccolo
• The way this relates to Namekians, the Namekian concept of fusion, and Nail and Piccolo's fusion
• Namekians, their name puns, their physiology, and how that may all be influenced by the decision to name them after slugs
• Guru's (or Grand Elder) unlocked potential ability
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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Cooler's Revenge Commentary (S5E2)

Tree of Might gave us all plot and little action, but what happens when we have all action and little plot? Can we sustain a commentary for a film as threadbare as this?

The answers are within as Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the 1991 movie, Cooler's Revenge.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are chilln
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss Piccolo's eating habits, if any, and whether Namekians operate on zombie rules or vampire rules when it comes to eating human food
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge such as its 1991 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
• We talk about the other films released alongside the movie, Magical Taruruto: Magical Battle of Friendship and Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dai 1
• A little bit about Tetsuya Egawa, who also created Golden Boy, and some connections between Magical Taruruto and Dragon Ball including voice work by Megumi Urawa (Uub and Universe 5's Supreme Kai in Dragon Ball Super), and production by Chiaki Imada
• Riku Sanjo, who wrote The Adventure of Dai and also worked on Guyver: Bio Booster Armor, as well as several Kamen Rider entries including W, Zero One, and Eternal
• Akia Katada, key animator, also from World's Strongest and Wrath of the Dragon
• Yutaka Nakamura, future Bones animator, with Bones being notable for having gorgeous work in their contemporary anime such as My Hero Academia and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, will this movie hold up?
• The Cooler Armored Squadron
• Neiz, whose name is based on mayonnaise
• Dore, whose name is a pun on Salad Dressing and breaking down some of the confusion around this pun
• Salza, whose name is NOT a pun on Salsa, but rather Thousand Island Dressing, and whose design is clearly influenced by Jeice
• The Cooler Armored Squadron as the we have the Ginyu Force at home squad
• Cooler, his appearance, his name and his personality
• Predator, or Yautja, and how Alien vs Predator was being teased from almost the moment there were Alien and Predator movies both in existence
• Toriyama's contributions to this movie being a bit more than usual.
• Dub peculiarities, and discussing Creative Products Corporation and their history with the franchise
• How Funimation both kept and altered the numetal soundtrack here, and tweaked the use of Disturbed in the film
• What Shenron and Bulma might be up to at this time
• A checklist of how this movie pairs with the Frieza arc
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this movie and re-evaluate our thoughts on it

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

 

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Lord Slug Commentary (S5E1)

False Super Saiyan?!?! What could it mean???

 

The answers are within as Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the 1991 movie, Lord Slug.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are ...doing something...
• We introduce special guests for this episode, the cohosts of the podcast Kaiju vs. History, Patrick and Myles
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug such as its 1991 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
• We talk about the other film released alongside the movie, Magical Taruruto a
• A brief foray into the world of Ultraman
• The moment that Dragon Ball Z has become an absolute powerhouse phenomenon is here, as the box office has increased by 62% between movies
• Yamato, the Black Cat (or Kuroneko) delivery company in Japan and how they allowed the Ghibli movie Kiki's Delivery Service to use their trademarks
• The film's villains
• Wings or Doradabo and his resemblance to Dodoria
• Angila or Angira and his resemblance to Zarbon
• Zeeun, whose name means seiun or nebula
• Madamatcha, whose name is a space-related pun
• A brief discussion of the Andromeda Galaxy, where all this film's minor villains take their names
• Clash of the Titans 1981
• Comparisons between Slug and Turles, the villain of the film Tree of Might
• A discussion of False Super Saiyan and Toriyama's intentions
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this movie and re-evaluate our thoughts on it

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

Also, check out Kaiju vs. History:

https://kaijuvshistory.com/ 

https://bsky.app/profile/kaijuvshistory.bsky.social 

https://letterboxd.com/KaijuVsHistory 

 

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March Madness 2026 Tenkaichi Tournament Pt 2 (S4E28)

Who is the most DATABLE Dragon Ball character? Let's find out TODAY!

 

Jelli and Bekinney continue their break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon, and pivot away from tearing into the manga and anime that are the most crucial parts of the Dragon Ball franchise to have a little themed fun!

In this episode:

• It's TOURNAMENT SEASON! Kick off your shoes, relax, and listen as we break down 32 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical game of The Dating Game, with a Jeopardy kicker
  • We take if from the round of 32, down to the Sweet 16, Head into the Elite Eight, jump into the Final Four, and then choose our champion!
  • Who will reign supreme and be declared the number one under heaven in datability?

Join us as we take a break from uncovering the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise and have some March Madness themed fun!

March Madness 2026 Tenkaichi Tournament Pt 1 (S4E27)

Who is the MOST LOVABLE Dragon Ball character?!?!

Jelli and Bekinney take a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon, and pivot away from tearing into the manga and anime that are the most crucial parts of the Dragon Ball franchise to have a little themed fun!

In this episode:

• It's TOURNAMENT SEASON! Kick off your shoes, relax, and listen as we break down 64 of Dragon Ball's most popular (?) characters and discuss who would win in a theoretical episode of The Dating Game
• We discuss the system used for determining outcomes.
• We break down our opponents in each matchup.
• In the Saiyan Region: Will Goku topple Tarble, will Vegeta defeat Paragus, who will win when Broly encounters Goten? Will the timeline handle Future Trunks facing off against his younger self? Can Gohan defeat King Vegeta?  Can Cabba beat Bardock? Can Kale topple Nappa? Will Caulifla be able to defeat Raditz?
• In the Earthling Region:
  • Krillin vs Yajirobe, Bulma vs Chiaotzu, Android 17 vs Ox King, Android 18 vs Mr Satan, Yamcha vs Chichi, Tien vs Nam, Android 16 vs Videl, Master Roshi vs Launch
• In the Villains Region: Can Frieza out-fox Mercenary Tao? Will Hit topple Recoome? Will Zamasu throttle King Cold? Who is more nefarious, Cooler or Pilaf? Who has the mad skills, Ginyu or Dabura? Will Buu beat down Android 19? Will Jiren smash Dr Gero? Can Cell prove to be more perfect than Garlic Jr?
• In the Deity/Ally Region:
  
  • Who will win when Beerus, Oolong, Korin, Mr Popo, Nail, Elder Kai, Supreme Kai Shin, Puar, King Kai, Gregory, Dende, Kabito, Kami, King Yemma, Piccolo, and Jaco all face off?

Join us as we take a break from uncovering the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise and have some March Madness themed fun!

Season Four Finale - An Epic Beating (S4E26)

Jelli and Bekinney have no time to continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime Dragon Ball.

In this episode:

• The climactic battle!

Join us and find out if we will ever continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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Namek and Ginyu Sagas Manga Comparison (S4E25)

We've reached a mid-point(?) of the overall Namek arc of Dragon Ball Z. We've reached Namek, we've dispatched Frieza's henchmen, and even the elite Ginyu Force have been defeated. How do we feel about this saga, as we begin the final battle against Frieza himself?

Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by jumping into comparing the Dragon Ball anime to the Dragon Ball manga. We continue discussing Frieza arc, and talk about pacing. We also discuss five episodes of the anime, episodes 76-80, "Picking Up the Pieces," "Plans for Departure," "Nursing Wounds," "Friends or Foes," and "Held Captive."

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney descend to the surface of Mars
• We recap the story a little bit
• We discuss Elder Namekian (aka Guru) being able to unlock potential and why Gohan is able to have his potential unlocked twice throughout the story
• Scouters vs chi and how expertly the Z fighters, as they're known, can alter their flow of chi
• A brief note on Change, Switch, and Ginyu, whether he possibly says Henshin and whether the word choice matters
• Mr Popo's carpet can teleport?
• Bulma's hairstyles
• Gohan says it out loud: Piccolo is his dad
• Vegeta's tail...he claims it will grow back?!?!
• A continuity error the anime fixes
• Some of the timing/timeline differences introduced by the anime taking place at a slower pace
• Frieza killing Cargo or Dodoria, and whether it matters
• Goku reaching 100G on purpose or accident, and whether it matters
• Notes on the title pages, including possible inspiration behind the Driver License episode
• Frieza's chair: does it fly, or does he fly it?
• Wrapping up the arc with grades and comparing the manga to the anime
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.

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BONUS: Genkidamatsuri News Wrap-up

Dragon Ball Super RETURNS!

After the much-anticipated Genkidamatsuri event that took place in Tokyo, Japan, on January 25, 2026, there's a slew of news about Dragon Ball: New games, new anime, now DLC, and new versions of old anime...or old stories done new or...uhmmmm...Dragon Ball Super Kai, basically.

Join Jelli and Bekinney as we do a casual check-in and wrangle together the news from the Genkidamatsuri event and talk about it.

We also catch up on what we've been watching, Jujutsu Kaisen, Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, Fallout, housing issues, bad puns, Hunter x Hunter, Predator Badlands, Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Good Boy, Primate, Nobody 2, Bugonia, The Surrender, One Battle After Another, It Was Just an Accident, and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

 

Join us for this more casual conversation as we dig through our lives.

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Tree of Might Commentary (S4E24)

What do you get when you put together all the PLOT of a movie, but little of the ACTION of a Dragon Ball movie? Why are we talking about Jane Fonda on a Dragon Ball Z commentary track? 

The answers are within as Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the 1991 movie, The Tree of Might.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney are nearing a certain Red Planet
• We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
• We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might such as its 1991 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
• We talk about the other films released alongside the movie in an event known as Akira Toriyama: The World, namely, Kennosuke-sama and Pink the Rain Jack.
• A little bit about Minoru Okazaki, director of Kennosuke-sama who also contributed to Dr. Slump, Tetsujin 28, Dragon Ball GT, Mega Man: Wish Upon a Star, Astro Boy, Cyborg 009 and more, as well as the voice cast featuring talents that would appear in Metal Gear Solid 2, Soul Calibur III, and the Lupin franchise
• Comparing Pink to Akira Toriyama's later manga, Sand Land, and discussing its director, Toyoo Ashida, most known for the original Vampire Hunter D, as well as Fist of the North Star and the 1986 Guyver anime, as well as the anthology film Batman: Gotham Knight
• A brief discussion of Yuji Ikeda, art director for this film, and through Super Android 13, as well as Barefoot Gen 2, Bleach, Death Note, Demon City Shunjuku, Digimon, The Guyver, Naruto, One Piece, Pokemon and Yu Yu Hakusho
• The first appearance of Icarus, who we likened (A VERY LITTLE BIT) to the DBZ equivalent of Harley Quinn and drew comparisons to a Dr Slump character, Taxi Dragon
• Discussing the film's unique antagonists, Raisin, Lakasai, Cacao, Amond, Daiz and Turles
• Cacao's visual similarities to a slew of creatures that bounced around Jelli's brain including the Inhumanoids characters Tendril and Metlar as well as the design similarity to the third Clayface, Preston Payne
• Delving into a unique aspect of Daiz's design: leg warmers and how they were popularized by the 1980s aerobics fad, originally pioneered by Jacki Sorenson and popularized by Jane Fonda's home workout video series
• Other elements of the 80s leg warmer fad including Fam Flashdance and Xanadu
• A little about Jane Fonda's career, from Barbarella to political activism, to her faux pas that led to her being dubbed Hanoi Jane, to her attempt to rebrand herself with her home exercise tapes
• How Jane Fonda's workout is a trope that is so well-known, people have likely seen homages to or parodies of it (like 2024's The Substance) even if they didn't know it, akin to Star Wars or Dragon Ball Z
• Jelli acknowledging that the popularity of Jane Fonda's home workout paved the way for his exercises of preference, P90X and other Beach Body (or Bodi) workouts
• Trivia around the movie's many dubs, unique design debuts, and cast of characters
• Ron Wasserman's contributions to the original score and his thoughts on Dragon Ball
• Shuki Levy, a partner of Haim Saban and co-founder of Saban Entertainment
• How the Tree of Might may be an allusion to a Tree of Life
• Bekinney pointing out that the Tree of Might is kind of like the Tree of Heaven and is a terrible thing, unlike Toriyama's pre-established Tree of Hell (the Enseijuu Tree, seen in the HFIL episode) that is a healthy, prosperous thing, and how this highlights Toriyama's love of opposites.
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this movie and re-evaluate our thoughts on it

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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Dragon Power Novelization (S4E23)

What happens when an independent artist unofficially adapts a Dragon Ball-free adaptation of a Dragon Ball video game into a light novel? Did that question even make sense?

 

Jelli and Bekinney are taking a quick break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at a novelization of the NES game: Dragon Power, inspired by the Worlds of Power book series.

In this episode:

• Jelli and Bekinney pass through an asteroid belt
• The Worlds of Power Book series, from its inception as an idea inspired by Seth Godin's conversations with his nephew about reading to its ultimate success
• Nintendo's decision to pass on the Worlds of Power licensing
• Random House's Godzilla books
• A discussion of Quan Millz and Chuck Tingle
• and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual 

Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.

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