We all frequent message boards and online forums (such as alt.fan.dragonball), and we all contribute as much as we can. Unfortunately, we don't KNOW of all the places people post questions, so it's impossible for us to reach everyone. However, if you're reading this, you at least know where WE are, so it's possible for you to ask us directly.

What we're going for here is sort of an "Answerman" or "Ask John" (from Anime News Network and Anime Nation, respectively). We'd like you to e-mail in whatever questions you may have, so long as it somehow relates to the world of "DragonBall"; be it the manga, the anime, merchandise... whatever. We've been around for a few years, now, and we know the ropes... we like to think we know our stuff.

And we want to help. E-mail your questions to VegettoEX@aol.com with the subject "Ask VegettoEX." We'll try to update this section every Saturday, with at least one question straight from the fans. Thanks!

[ Last Updated: Sunday, 30 August 2003 ]
[ Past "Ask VegettoEX" Archives ]

Q. Would it be possible to have a list of all the different openings, endings and eyecatches that DB and DBZ had, the episodes that they all appeared in, and what was different about each one? It's the only way I've got of knowing if the DVDs are right or wrong, and I'm curious to know what the original ending to DB was (I suspect that it was largely the same, but with different shots in place of the one of Kuririn, Goku and Roshi, and the one of Lunch). - Liam Kavanagh

A. That's a great question, to which I wish I had the great answer to. I kinda do. In fact...I do. It's just not online yet.

That's one of the sections we're planning on doing VERY soon. We'll be ripping each and every opening, ending, and eye-catch from every TV series, movie, and video game. Hopefully we can get on that pretty soon... need to clear up a little more hard-drive space, first!

For the time being, the "DVD Guide" does list where the opening/ending themes change, so at least you can go by that for a start.

Q. Is there a required power level to have to become a Super Saiya-jin? - Karen Previte

Maybe.. ? Probably not an exact "power level" (a concept Toriyama clearly abandoned halfway through the Freeza saga, due to its getting out of hand ^^;), but clearly, the character must be at some point of extreme strength. Then again, we're VERY much over-analyzing it... it happens when Toriyama wants it to happen! :D

Q. Why do some characters in DBZ, notably Vegeta and Rikum, say their attacks in english in the Japanese version? Is it sorta like how it's "cool" to call attacks in Street Fighter by Japanese names here? (Like Hadoken and Shoryuken) ? - Karen Previte

A. Well, techincally, Street Fighter is a Japanese game, so they're allowed to say their attack names in Japanese. We don't dub the Street Fighter games here in the US... those are the original voices and sounds. However, some characters in the game (as well as in DragonBall, like you mentioned) do say their attacks in English.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head. It's "cool" to say things in different languages. The US has always been a cultural phenomenon for tons of countries, and hearing English words popping up in other languages is no new trend. Words like déjà vu and hors d'œuvre aren't English, but we use them, anyway!

Q. Exactly how old is Piccolo anyway? Is he some kind of "Namek freakshow that never ages" too? - bvtr_duo

A. The following dates are taken from the Daizenshuu. Unfortunately, I don't have the Daizenshuu in question, so I'm going with what I'm seeing a few newbie sites steal from each other and pass around. Seems pretty accurate from what I remember, though. Note that the "A.D." in the dates doesn't refer to our "Anno Domini" (lit. "Year of the Lord") caldendar...Julian thinks it could be "Anno Draconi" ("Year of the Dragon"), but then again, he's probably just reading too far into it.

From there, the timelines in DBZ are pretty well spelled out, so you can do any appropriate math from there. Yes, it's confusing; at three years of age, "Ma Junior" is already a full sized adult?! What about Dende? As a teenager, he's still barely tall enough to hold Kami's staff. Just gotta realize that Akira Toriyama was never about consistency...that would be too difficult with a crazy series like DragonBall. Take it for what it's worth, and have fun!

That's it for this week! E-mail us your questions for next week's update! It was kind of a slower week for questions this week, but the ones that were submitted were genuinely good questions. I look forward to answering them all, so get crackin' !

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