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To honor the legacy of Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama, Toonami announced it will be holding a special marathon for the anime this weekend.
Toonami announced that the lineup for its programming block on Saturday, March 16 will include a Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon. The marathon begins at 2 a.m. ET and concludes at 5:30 a.m. and consists of the first eight episodes of the anime.
“As a tribute to anime legend Akira Toriyama (1955-2024), we will celebrate his legacy on Saturday night with a DBZ Kai marathon from 2a to 6a,” Toonami wrote in the post. “May he rest in the power of Super Saiyan.”
Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered in 2009 and is a shortened version of the Dragon Ball Z anime series released to commemorate the anime’s 20th anniversary. In addition to re-editing the original series, Dragon Ball Z Kai also served as a remaster that improved the visuals and animation and included re-recorded dialogue.
While some may be confused that Toonami chose Dragon Ball Z Kai instead of the original anime that issued in the late 90sthis is likely because this version of the anime is a more faithful adaptation of Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z manga, as most of the anime’s exclusive content is found in the original anime, such as the saga of garlic jr.has been eliminated in Dragon Ball Z Kai.
In our review of the Dragon Ball Z Kai season one, part one DVD review, IGN wrote: “Dragon Ball Z has been around for a long time. It’s been released on home video over and over again. It has to be said, though. “That this new version of the series is very well done: the technical aspects of the production are impressive and the re-edited story gets to the point in a way that makes it much more exciting and accessible for new viewers.”
As Toonami mentioned, the marathon will honor the legacy of Toriyama, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month at the age of 68. While Dragon Ball Z was not Toriyama’s first project, it is arguably one of his most beloved creations, as Dragon Ball Z (and by extension, the greater Dragon Ball franchise) played an influential role in the anime and film industries. games.
Taylor is a reporter for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.