Derivative Dragon Ball Movies - Dragon Ball
In addition to the twenty movies released based on the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama in 1984, various adaptations inspired by this series have also been aired, including unofficial films, live-action movies, and even cinematographic attractions produced all over the world. Some of these works are officially warranted derivative works, while there are some that had not received the permission from the Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama or the license-holding company.
Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins
This film is an unofficial Dragon Ball live-action movie that was a remake of the first Dragon Ball movie. It is an action, science fiction, and fantasy movie directed by Chen Chu Liang and stars Charles Chen Zi-Qiang, Li-Yi-Juan, Su Ruan-Feng, Jeannie Tse, and Eveline Oranje. The original version lasts 85 minutes, though there is also an “ultimate” version that has a runtime of 100 minutes. As it is a Taiwanese-based production, the film is spoken entirely in Mandarin Chinese.
Filmed mostly in Taiwan in 1989 and launched in 1991, The Magic Begins did not have any licensing rights or approval of the original creator Akira Toriyama. As such, it does not have any characters with their original names. The film itself is a remake of the 1986 animated film Curse of the Blood Rubies.
The story talks about a young warrior named “Monkey Boy” that goes on the quest to acquire seven magical spheres. Along the way, he beats up those who want to steal the spheres for their own purposes. In order for the Shenlong dragon to grant any wishes, the only thing to do is to bring the seven spheres of the Dragon together.
In the story. there was an evil king named the Horn King, who steals the mystical dragon spheres to take over the world, but when one of the spheres gets stolen, the guardians of the magical jewels must take action. Now Monkey Boy and “Turtle Man” who is a master of martial arts (a character based off of Master Roshi), will team up to defeat the king’s army in a desperate attempt to recover the magical jewels.
Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku
Another unofficial live-action movie adaptation of the Dragon Ball series made in South Korea. It was directed by Wang Ryong and released on December 12, 1990. The movie has a total runtime of 105 minutes and is spoken in Korean.
This movie follows the original story of Dragon Ball and does it in a more closed way than Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins. It adapts the events from the Pilaf Saga.
Dragon Ball Kai: Super Battle Stage
This production is a live combat show based on the Dragon Ball series that was released on March 27, 2010 and made in Japan. The show featured characters from Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan. These characters were represented by actors dressed in costumes with pre-recorded voice lines. Voices were provided by the original voice actor or actress of their respective characters.
Dragon Ball Z: Light of Hope
This series is a live-action adaptation of the TV special “The History of Trunks” and was released on February 24th, 2015. In this timeline, Goku and the other Z Fighters are dead. The story focuses on Gohan and Trunks in their battle to survive against the Androids.
Dragon Ball: The Fall of Men
The Fall of Men is a half-length live-action film that has a runtime of approximately 30 minutes. The film is directed by Yohan Faure. After being disappointed by the release of Dragonball Evolution movie, the author decided to start a crowdfunding campaign with the intention of creating a movie worthy of Toriyama’s story. The production was a success and managed to accumulate more than 8 million views on Youtube in a short time. It currently has around 33.5 million views (as of February 2020).
The setting of the film takes place in a future where Cell has destroyed the most of the planet Earth and almost its inhabitants. Bulma and her father fight to create the time machine that brings Trunks back to the past to avoid the disaster while Trunks himself trains in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to prepare himself for the battle ahead.
Dragon Ball Z: “The Real 4D: Goku vs Frieza”
This movie was a 10-minute film attraction that was developed for Universal Studios Japan during the month of July 2016. The movie depicts a battle mainly between Goku and Frieza and is rendered completely in CGI.
Dragon Ball Z: “The Real 4D: Broly God vs Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta”
Broly God vs Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta is a second 4D cinematic attraction for Universal Studios Japan with a duration of 10 minutes launched only in Japan on June 30, 2017. In this movie, a battle between Goku and Broly is shown where Broly achieves a new transformation called “Broly God” that can only be beaten by fusing into Gogeta and transforming into his Super Saiyan Blue form. Like its predecessor, it is rendered completely in CGI.
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Dragon Ball Series
Dragon Ball Z Series
Dragon Ball Kai Series
Dragon Ball Super Series
Dragon Ball GT Series
Super Dragon Ball Heros
Akira Toriyama