Dragon Ball Z is a Japanese anime series produced by Toei Animation. It is the sequel to Dragon Ball and adapts the last 325 episodes of the original 519-chapter Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama which aired on Weekly Shonen Jump from 1988 to 1995. Dragon Ball Z aired in Japan on Fuji TV from April 26, 1989, to January 31, 1996, before being dubbed in territories such as The United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. It aired in at least 81 countries around the world. It is part of the Dragon Ball media franchise.
Dragon Ball Z continues the adventures of Goku, who, along with his companions, defends the Earth against villains ranging from aliens (Frieza), androids (Cell) and other creatures (Majin Buu). While the original Dragon Ball anime followed Goku from childhood to early adulthood, Dragon Ball Z is a continuation of his adult life, but at the same time parallels with the life of his son, Gohan, as well as the development of his rival Vegeta.
Due to the success of the anime in the United States, the manga chapters that make up its history were initially released by Viz Media the title Dragon Ball Z. The popularity of Dragon Ball Z generated numerous releases that have now represented most of the content of the Dragon Ball franchise; including 15 movies, 2 special TV and 148 video games (many of them only released in Japan), and a number of soundtracks derived from this material. Dragon Ball Z remains a cultural icon through numerous adaptations and rereleases, including a newer remastered broadcast titled Dragon Ball Kai. [a] There were also two series of sequences; Dragon Ball GT (1996-1997) and Dragon Ball Super (2015-2018).
