40 Years Ago Today, This Milestone Event Changed Anime Forever

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On February 26th, 1986, the very first episode of Dragon Ball aired in Japan. Created by Toei Animation, the first installment of this now legendary anime franchise introduced us to Son Goku and his colorful world. Rather than immediately featuring Goku as an adult with the power to transform into a Super Saiyan, Son was only twelve at the start of the shonen series. While powerful in his own right, his power level was only brushing the hundreds at the start of the original Dragon Ball anime, which would eventually change by leaps and bounds. Running for three years from 1986 to 1989, the OG Dragon Ball garnered one hundred and fifty-three episodes, a handful of films, and laid the groundwork for the shonen franchise to overtake the anime world.

The OG Dragon Ball Demands Attention

Toei Animation

Unfortunately, the original Dragon Ball series can often get lost in the shuffle when it is compared to its far more popular sequel, Dragon Ball Z. While no Super Saiyans or Ultra Instinct wielders are a part of the 1980s anime, there are plenty of battles and hilarious scenarios that make the OG worth your time. Throughout the initial shonen anime adaptation, we see Goku grow from a child to an adult as he both searches for the Dragon Balls and fights a bevy of colorful opponents. From the Red Ribbon Army to the Demon King Piccolo, Dragon Ball’s first anime adaptation focused far more on martial arts than world-destroying energy blasts.

To date, a remake of the series has not been confirmed, though in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, we had the opportunity to see the original events recreated in Toei Animation’s current animation style. While the segment is a brief one, it displayed how Goku’s earlier years might look using modern technology. Earlier this year, we also had the chance to see some of the OG anime events recreated thanks to a special video created for Dragon Ball’s Genki Dama Festival, though again, this is far from a full series order. While the major anime event did confirm that new anime projects are in the works, with Dragon Ball Super: Beerus and Dragon Ball Super: The Galactic Patrol, fingers crossed, we’ll see a fresh take on the Akira Toriyama series that started it all.

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