"Goku Shisu! 'Last Chance' wa Ichido Dake!"
(Goku Dies! There's Only One Last Chance!)
89-5-17
"Gohan's Hidden Powers" and
"Goku's Unusual Journey"
96-9-27
96-10-4

To everyone's surprise, Gohan suddenly attacks his uncle, and actually suceeds in knocking him off his feet. Raditz, furious, knocks the boy out, and Goku realizes that the only way to stop his evil brother once and for all is to hold him in place while Piccolo charges his Makanpossappo once again. The blast mortally wounds not only it's target, but Goku as well.

This episode is exceptionally bloody and gory, and it therefore had the FUNimation painters hard at work. There isn't much material actually cut, there's just a whole lot of untouched skin where there should be red. Not to mention the grass, which is pretty well soaked by now from the blood spraying everywhere. Hey, that's what happens when you get a bunch of guys together and they start tearing each other's limbs off, shooting holes in each other, etc. It won't exactly be the best place to have a picnic for a while.

Also, sadly enough, this episode marks the last time that the words "die" and "kill" are ever used in the English version. They are said 4 times to be exact, each time by Raditz. From that point forward, it's this "other dimension" nonsense, the line makes its debut in two episodes.


English episode 3 continued

(3 sec.) We actually see Raditz smacking Gohan in the face. Don't ask me why this was cut, seeing as how Piccolo hits him all over the place for half of the season while he's training.

End English episode 3 (about 4 minutes in.)

Goku's line "Piccolo! My ribs are broken!" I wonder if they'd take the chance saying this one these days. Actually, the English scripts for these early episodes all seem a lot "edgier" than they become later. FUNimation has been increasingly wussing out little by little as time goes on. Soon the characters won't be able to say the word "fight."

(23 sec.) Piccolo's Makkanpossapo (I don't care if I spelled that wrong, that word has no excuse for being so complicated) blasts through both Goku and Raditz and comes out the other side. Then they both fall backwards, with blood pouring from huge, gaping holes in their chests.

Several pictures from this scene are available in Gallery 2

(9 sec.) A nice, long shot of Goku's chest wound, snipped for your convenience and the safety of your innocent children.

When Raditz and Piccolo are discussing what is going to happen next, Raditz coughs up a huge glob of blood. And by the way, in every shot of him lying on the ground, there is supposed to be blood all over his mouth and on the ground beside him.

A picture from this scene is available in Gallery 3

Just wanted to clear the air about something. There is a part where Raditz is laughing at Piccolo, and Piccolo suddenly becomes enraged and lifts his arm up as if to strike Raditz with a deathblow. A lot of people think that there is a cut here, assuming that Piccolo does bring his hand down on Raditz' skull in the original. There actually isn't anything snipped here, it cuts away in both versions. Don't always assume that stuff has been cut/censored! You might be surprised!

(57 sec.) Chichi is at home, worrying about Goku and Gohan, when her father comes with a big stack of presents for his grandson. They both wonder where the boys are...

(20 sec.) A shot of Raditz' dead body. His pupils are gone, which is the trademark of all dead Toriyama characters, something English-only viewers will never see. Piccolo curses him in a sort of eulogy, then turns to Goku and says "Son Goku, yatsura shin da zo" (Son Goku, our opponent is dead.)

The first appearance of Vegeta. When I originally saw this episode, I could swear that I heard DBZ fans across the nation crying out in agony when they first heard his English voice. I was eating cereal at the time, and I just about tossed it.

Listening to the voice now though, I have noticed that (thankfully) the actor has most definetely changed it in the last year. It sounds a lot better now, but still not anywhere near correct.

By the way, get a load of Vegeta's nutty color scheme! Green armor and brown hair?? Don't you just love how the outfit is magically transformed a few episodes from now? Oh well, can't blame FUNimation for that one, I guess that's one of the hazards of animators getting their designs from a black and white comic. I'm just glad Vegeta didn't stay looking like this.

When Goku's body disappears, there is supposed to be a big red spot of grass where his chest was.

A picture from this scene is available in Gallery 3

English episode 4 continues...

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