Dragon Ball: The Path to Power

1996 1h 20m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 413

AnimationAdventureFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A retelling of Dragon Ball's origin with a different take on the meeting of Goku, Bulma, and Kame-Sen'nin. It also retells the Red Ribbon Army story; but this time they find Goku rather than Goku finding them.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Masako Nozawa
Son Goku (voice)
Hiromi Tsuru
Bulma (voice)
Toru Furuya
Yamcha (voice)
Naoki Tatsuta
Oolong (voice)
Naoko Watanabe
Puar (voice)
Kin'ya Aikawa
Master Roshi (voice)
Daisuke Gori
Umigame (voice)
Kenji Utsumi
Commander Red/Shenlong (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Writers: Aya Matsui
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

80 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Dragon Ball Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Akihito Tokunaga. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Shinichi Fukumitsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Masako Nozawa and Hiromi Tsuru and Toru Furuya carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0142250 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigeyasu Yamauchi directs. Akihito Tokunaga scores. Shinichi Fukumitsu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

180 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Dragon Ball Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Original score by Akihito Tokunaga. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Shinichi Fukumitsu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Masako Nozawa and Hiromi Tsuru and Toru Furuya carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0142250 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Released under 16 different titles around the world.