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Variety of DB
"Dragon Ball Path to Power" Gallery of Akira Toriyama
In the 1996 movie "Dragon Ball: The Path to Power," Toriyama himself designed the enemy characters. Here, we present all of those precious design drawings in their entirety!!
Revealed! A collection of treasured rough sketches
In "The Path to Strongest", a total of eight characters were drawn by Toriyama-sensei himself. Some characters are more realistic than the original, while others have completely different designs. It's fun to compare them with the original!!
Hatchan
Hatchan from the movie. In the anime, he is depicted with a younger, sharper image than Toriyama's design.
Anime version character
Giant Robot
The design is based on the RR Army battle jacket that appeared in Volume 1 of the original manga. The cockpit shape is different between Toriyama's design and the movie version.
The Movie Perfect Note
Complete Analysis of "Dragon Ball: The Path to Power"
A new legend will be engraved in history!
"Dragon Ball: The Path to Power" was released in spring 1996. It is a film adaptation of an early work from the original manga, returning to the roots of Dragon Ball. We will introduce this ambitious work, made using the latest technology, along with a comment from director Shigeyasu Yamauchi!
Dragon Ball "Path to the Power" The Characters
Character Settings Introduction
Here's a big introduction to the familiar characters that run all over the screen! The settings for the characters have been newly created this time, and even their faces are all drawn with a modern touch! Pay attention to the elaborate mechanics too!
Main Characters
Son Goku
Let's set off on a crazy dream adventure!!
The innocent and cheerful protagonist of the story. He was a wild child on Mount Paozu, but after meeting Bulma, he sets off on an adventure. His small body, trained in a courteous manner, contains fiery power and a righteous heart.
Goku's face expressions images: Goku's rich and varied expressions are proof of a rich heart.
Goku's design: Goku heads out on an adventure. He's very light on his feet, carrying only his staff and the four-star ball in the pouch on his waist.
Bulma
A tomboyish girl searching for DB. Her dream is to find a wonderful boyfriend. Using her assertive personality, she skillfully recruits Goku and the others to join her on their adventure.
Yamcha
A bandit of the wilderness. He's handsome but menacing, and uses the martial art, Rōga Fuufuken. He's terrible with women, but his dream is to get married. He's interested in Bulma.
Pue'r
Yamcha's reliable partner. Demonstrates excellent skills in reconnaissance and rescue missions.
Oolong
A womanizing pig. He can only transform for five minutes. After being overwhelmed by Bulma, he decides to help her on her adventure.
Kamesennin
A martial arts master known as Muten Roshi, and the teacher of Goku's adoptive father. He has a perverted personality.
Sea Turtle
A friend of Master Roshi. He was wandering the land but was saved by Goku.
Notes
The characters are brought back to life in Toriyama's current style!!
The character design this time is closer to the touch of the later period of the original series. Compared to the early period of the series, the head is smaller and the shape is more lively!
Old DB Goku image: Compared to the early theatrical versions, the difference is obvious!
Guest Characters
Commander Red
See how big I am!!
The ruthless commander of the RR army. He has a complex about being short, which is why he collects DBs.
Staff Officer Black
A senior executive who assists Red. He is obsessed with world domination, but is enraged by his leader's unexpected outrageous remarks and eliminates him.
General Blue
The navy commander who captured Bulma and the others. He was held responsible for the failure of the operation.
Colonel Violet
Captain of the air force that protects the RR military headquarters. She faced off against Goku with her cloud-like form and was defeated.
General White
Commander of the Muscle Tower base. Attacked Goku and his friends who had DB. KO'd by Goku.
Sergeant Metallic
A robot soldier that intercepted Goku at Muscle Tower. Destroyed with one blow from Goku.
Hatchan
The Muscle Tower's trump card android. He's a weapon, but he has a kind personality, and although he was called a failure, he develops a friendship with Goku.
Notes
Renewed characters of the RR army
The designs of the members of the RR army have also been renewed!! The designs of Staff Officer Black, General White, and Sergeant Metallic have changed the most. All of them have a more cold-hearted image.
Old DB General White image: In the original work, General White has a stocky build.
Mechanics
Jet Flying Squirrel
Yamcha's favorite hoverbike. It's good for use in the wilderness, but not suitable for cold places.
Bulma's Bike
Used instead of a car. It was the first mechanical vehicle that Goku rode. It has a lot of horsepower and wide tires.
Small fighter aircraft
Used by General Blue's troops. Wasted Bulma and the others in one fell swoop. Has a distinctive lighter-like appearance.
Bulma's car
The car Bulma was riding in when she met Goku. Goku mistook it for a monster and threw it, causing it to be destroyed.
Giant Robot
A super weapon ridden by Black. It destroys Hatchan and torments Goku, but explodes after being defeated.
Notes
The mechas are more realistic too!!
Don't miss the intricately detailed mechanisms! The giant robots designed by Toriyama-sensei in particular are drawn with exquisite detail!! Pay attention to the movement of the vehicles as well.
Capsule image: The Hoi Poi Capsule is so realistic.
Goku with the Nyoibo big image: Come at me!! I'm Son Goku!!
When seven of them are collected, DB will grant one wish. Goku, who has the four star ball, meets Bulma, who is collecting DB, and together they set off on an adventure to find DB. (1~3)
On the way, Goku and his friends encounter Oolong, who has transformed into a monster... (4)
Meeting new friends
Oolong is after Bulma, but is defeated by Goku's strength. (5)
With the group safe, the thief Yamcha attacks them. (6~7)
But Yamcha, who isn't good with girls, sees Bulma and runs away. Having overcome the crisis, Goku and his friends set off to search for DB, adding Oolong to their group.
Director's Memo
"The theme of 'The Path to Power' is, quite frankly, the fusion of 'DB' and 'DBZ'. The first half of the story is an adventure tale from the early days of "DB", and the second half is the powerful battles of "DBZ"... this movie is a mix of these elements, and an attempt to create a new "Dragon Ball."
Old DB Kid Goku riding Kintoun image: Little Goku is the main character! Like the current movie version, "The Legend of Shenlong" is set in the early days of the original manga.
SSjin 3 Goku's image: Super Saiyan 3 Goku shows off his ultimate power in "Rebirth of Fusion!! Goku and Vegeta."
Bulma raising her hands in front of Goku image: It all started with the meeting between Bulma and Goku. Without this scene, there would be no "DB"! From "The Path to Power".
Notes
Computer Graphics ①
CG is used in about two scenes in "The Path to Power." One of these is the valley at the beginning of the story, a background painted like an ink painting. In order to capture the Chinese-style worldview of the original work's early period, they decided to try their hand at ink painting, which is difficult to do in regular animation.
Images: At first glance, the deep valleys look as if they were drawn with ink. But then they suddenly melt into a vortex, and the scene changes! This is a production that can only be achieved with CG.
Pay attention to the details of the acting!
One of the scenes that Director Yamauchi put the most effort into is the first conversation scene between Goku and Bulma. Because the dialogue is long, he made efforts to add contrast through the movements of the two actors and the position of the viewpoint, so as not to bore the audience. This is where the audience is immediately drawn into the story!!
Sample A
Goku is suspicious of Bulma. Even Goku's distinctive tail has been carefully designed to move!
Sample B
Bulma spins around holding up a DB. A small movement that emphasizes her femininity.
Clash at the Muscle Tower!!
Goku and his friends arrive at the location of the fifth DB. However, it turns out to be the base of the RR Army, who are plotting to take over the world with the DB. (8)
The RR Army attacks Goku and his friends, aiming for the DB. However, Goku defeats the RR soldiers one by one, and heads off to defeat General White, the commander of the Muscle Tower. (9~11)
Learn the fear of the Muscle Tower
Goku bravely enters the tower and there he fights Sergeant Metallic. (12)
Little Goku puts up a great fight against the giant robot Metallic! He knocks Metallic out with a single blow, blowing off his head! He advances to the top floor where General White is waiting. (13~14)
Director's Memo
"The Muscle Tower that appears this time is a unique design for the movie. He made it look sturdy to portray the ferocity of the RR army. But he personally can't give up the warm and friendly design of the original. So, although it's really small, he included the Muscle Tower from the original."
Muscle Tower image: This is the Muscle i Tower that appeared in the original work. It certainly has an idyllic brick design.
Notes
Pay attention to the scene changes!
The scene changes are fast in this movie! This is another way to keep the audience from getting bored. Also, in keeping with the theme of "fusion of 'DB' and 'DBZ'", the background gradually changes from a Chinese style to a stateless style like 'DBZ', but since there are many scene changes, it doesn't feel out of place.
Images: The first half of the story is fast paced, moving from the wilderness to flower fields to snowy mountains! Also, the relatively light backgrounds in the first half make the darker backgrounds in the second half all the more striking.
The climax of the first half!
The scene where Goku runs up the Muscle Tower was also the product of the staff's hard work. The reason is that if Goku had a superhuman fight here, the climax of the second half would not stand out. So they made the scene where Goku runs up the tower more spectacular.
Images: Goku runs up the climactic muscle tower in the first half in one go! It's certainly impressive!! Who would have thought that the staff's anguish was hidden behind this footage...
Crush that cheeky brat!!
Goku defeats the RR robots and reaches the top floor. (15)
Goku's strength is unexpected, so General White activates his ultimate weapon, Android 8. (16)
Attacked by Android 8 with overwhelming strength, Goku is in big trouble!! Will he be defeated like this...? (17~18)
Against General White's orders, No. 8 stops attacking Goku. (19)
No. 8 doesn't want to kill living things, so White decides he's defective and tries to blow him up. But Goku stops him. And so a friendship is born between Goku and No. 8. (20~21)
Director's Memo
"Actually, due to time constraints, Goku was supposed to suddenly appear on the top floor of Muscle Tower. However, I really liked the line that Goku says when he arrives on the top floor, "Here I am!", and I just couldn't cut it out during editing. So, in the end, I had to ask them to leave it.
Goku's image: "Here I Am!" Apparently, screenwriter Matsui Aya agreed with Director Yamauchi.
Notes
A spectacular battle with Hatchan!
The climax of the first half of the story is the battle scene with Hatchan. But even here, Goku's performance had to be kept to a minimum to highlight the second half. So Hatchan was given jet propulsion, which doesn't appear in the original work, to create a spectacular scene!
Goku vs Hatchan images: Hatchan attacks Goku! By the way, in the original work, Goku and Hatchan do not fight. The fight itself is original to the movie version.
In reality, Hatchan has a kind personality. But by depicting his fight with Goku in a tough manner, this contrast is made even more effective!!
Jets shoot out from the verniers on his back! The jet propulsion is also a prop that shows that Hatchan is an android.
An attack method that makes use of jets! Later on, this jet propulsion setting will come in handy in unexpected ways...!
Traveling by jet allows you to travel long distances quickly, which makes the battle scenes more exciting.
Kamesennin appears!!
Goku and his friends return a lost sea turtle to the sea. Then the turtle brings Kamesennin. (22~23)
Goku receives the Kintoun and Bulma receives the Three-Star Ball as thanks. (24)
Then suddenly, the Red Ribbon Army attacks. (25~26)
Watch this! My strength!!
In fact, Kamesennin was a martial artist named Muten Roshi. He intercepts the RR army with his powerful technique, the Kamehameha! (27~28)
Goku fights back with a Kamehameha like Master Roshi, but he is no match for the large numbers of the RR army. Bulma and the others have their DB stolen and are taken to the RR army's headquarters (29~30)
Director's Memo
"This time, the voice of Master Roshi is provided by the talent Kin'ya Aikawa. It's been a while since he last worked as a voice actor, so I was a little worried, but he was a real pro. He only had one day to record, but he quickly got the hang of it."
Master Roshi's image: In addition to Master Roshi, the voices of General White and General Blue also change from their TV appearances.
Yamcha's image: Yamcha's voice is provided by Furuya Toru. He seems to have been able to handle the role smoothly even though it had been a long time since his last appearance.
"This time, I tried to give Bulma a healthy sex appeal. The second half of the movie is going to be centered around the battles, so I wanted to have some fun in the first half. Plus, the early stories in the original manga are pretty sexy, and personally, I like Bulma (laughs)."
Bulma's Images: Oh, those bloomer thighs! In the first half, you can enjoy these kinds of risqué angles!
A glimpse of her chest. It was extremely effective on Oolong, who was overworked while searching for DB and was full of frustration.
Under her skirt...! This scene, which also appears in the original work, is one that the director definitely wanted to include.
Notes
A moving seaside scene
This seaside scene is one of the most beautiful backgrounds in the movie. The colors change beautifully as time passes. This scene was meant to create a pause before the final climax. The director himself put a lot of effort into directing it, and tried various techniques, such as using a fixed camera position and 20 times more cels than usual to express the waves.
Images: The beach when Goku and his friends first arrived. Apparently, the sun and lighting effects were carefully designed over a long period of time.
The morning glow after a night's sleep.
When shooting the cel animation, wavy glass was drawn on the horizon to express the distortion of the sun.
The feelings of Goku, who is now alone, are expressed through the background, acting, and music. Incidentally, the music in this film was created using computers and live instruments.
Get Bulma and the others back!!
Goku escapes from the RR army alone and heads for the RR army's headquarters to rescue Bulma and the others who have been kidnapped!! In order to get the DB that Goku has, Red, the leader of the RR army, uses all his forces to attack Goku. (31)
To the RR Army Headquarters!
The RR army is attacking from all sides. (32)
Goku is fighting the RR army alone while rushing to Bulma and the others. Meanwhile, Bulma and the others are being held captive and racking their brains to find a way to escape on their own...!? (32~38)
Director's Memo
"Originally, if the battle was so intense that it reduced the RR army base to ruins, it would have been necessary to show the process over a long period of time. But doing that would have disrupted the tempo of the whole thing. After much deliberation, I decided to make Goku's movements more flashy and show the process of the base being destroyed all at once."
Goku fighting images: Goku jumps into the middle of the RR soldiers! The screen suddenly becomes filled with intense action.
Goku runs through the area while dodging the flying bullets and cannonballs!
With his fists and Nyoibo stick, Goku cuts down soldiers and tanks one after another. And then all at once...!!
A big jump!! In an instant, Goku reaches higher ground! His line of sight changes from flat to three-dimensional
The battle is over. Afterwards, he strike a pose. The animation director stayed overnight for several days to create this scene.
Notes
A chase scene full of speed
Goku heads to the headquarters of the RR army, pursued by Jet Flying Squirrel's troops. The breathtaking aerial battle in the forest was all about expressing a sense of speed. To achieve this, various techniques were tried, such as creating a pattern of trees flowing behind and then combining it using digital processing to make it look like the trees are flowing one after another.
Images: While riding on his cloud, Goku checks behind him. The RR Army's Jet Flying Squirrel is approaching!
A machine gun fires at Goku! The combination of digital processing and the power of the big screen makes for a very impressive scene.
Goku comes up with a brilliant idea. He pulls out his Nyoibo stick from his back and hurls it high into the air!
The long, stretched staff fell from the air and got caught in a tree. The pursuers were unaware of this...
It crashes into the Nyoibo and explodes! Isn't this intelligent way of fighting by Goku rare!?
Have you noticed the many fine details?
Previous theatrical versions used around 15,000 cels. But this time, the number has increased to around 40,000, and there are accordingly many fine details and expressions. One of these is "reflections," where images are reflected on reflective objects such as glass or DB. This creates various changes on the screen.
Images: A pinball game drawn on a plastic sheet called an OHP sheet.
The radar in the RR army headquarters is captured on the DB. Goku's location is shown as a dot.
After driving the RR forces to annihilation, Goku reunites with Bulma and the others who managed to escape safely. (39~40)
On to the final battle!!
At that time, Black learns of General Red's true purpose, which is to grow taller with the DB. He kills Red and challenges Goku to a final battle to achieve his ambition of world domination. (41~43)
[bThe world is mine to take!![/b]
Black attacks Goku in a giant robot. (44)
Goku fights with all his might, but is knocked down by the attack of the giant robot with transcendent power! Hatchan rushes to the scene and begins a counterattack against Black. (45~46)
Director's Memo
"The theme of the final battle was 'a battle between the big and the small'. Also, actually, I hadn't planned for Hatchan to appear here. But it just didn't feel like enough, so I ended up making him reappear. This is where the jet propulsion setting came in handy again."
Sample A: The slow movements express the weight of the "big thing" that is the giant robot!
Apparently the jet propulsion, beams, missiles and other features were the staff's ideas.
Sample B: The jet propulsion allows two robots of different sizes to fight on an equal footing!
A giant robot crushing Hatchan! This is one depiction that shows overwhelming power.
Notes
Was it really different? The giant robot's appearance scene
The giant robot controlled by Admiral Black was originally planned to appear from underground. However, because it was necessary to build up tension from this scene to the climax, the idea was scrapped.
Images: A giant robot appears with force from a hangar visible in the distance! This adds tempo and excitement.
Terrifyingly hard-hitting depictions
After being informed of the true purpose of world domination by Commander Red, Black goes on a rampage. By carefully depicting this process, he becomes even more fearsome as the final enemy. The fact that there are many such hard-hitting depictions can also be said to be the flavor of "DBZ."
Images: General Blue's execution is not directly depicted, making Commander Red's death all the more shocking!
It's not like Hatachan can't do it!!
Hatchan mustered all his strength to defeat Black! (47)
But he was crushed by the giant robot controlled by Black!! (48~49)
When Goku woke up, Hatchan was seriously injured and died... With Hatchan's death, Goku's rage explodes!! (50)
A powerful Kamehameha pierces the giant robot and defeats Black. (51~52)
Then, Goku summons Shenron using the DBs he has collected, and asks for Hatchan to be restored to his original state... (53~54)
Director's Memo
"Goku sheds tears when he sees the destroyed Hatchan. Goku unleashes an explosion of power, not for the sake of the Earth, but out of his sadness... In the end, the theme of "the fusion of DB and DBZ" is summed up in this scene."
Crying Goku image: "As an adult, Goku fights with the future of humanity on his shoulders, but in this film I wanted to portray him as just a young boy."
"The illustration that plays at the end is a representation of the Dragon Ball series as a whole, so I asked the animation director, Naoyoshi Yamamuro, to draw it. At my own personal request, I also asked him to draw a special scene of Bulma bathing (laughs)."
Movie ending images: The background is so cool! These illustrations were all created on a computer.
A specially commissioned Bulma bathing scene by Director Yamauchi! Hmm, sexy!? The gentle colors are great too!
A shot of Goku and Bulma together. It's the symbol of this movie. The pastel-toned background is also beautiful.
Notes
Computer graphics 2
The gradual rise of Goku's energy is expressed through CG. The energy starts out slow, but after a brief pause it suddenly explodes, and is expressed smoothly. In order to incorporate the CG seamlessly, a supercomputer, of which there are only a few in Japan, was used.
'96 Memorial Dragon Ball The Movie
It depicts the fierce battle between Son Goku and the evil RR Army!! A blockbuster anime based on the contents of volumes 1 to 8 of the original manga.
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power
Toei Animation Fair '96 Released March 2nd
Just like previous theatrical releases, there are various goods available for "The Path to Power"!! The following goods and jumbo carddass cards were distributed to theatergoers.
Poster
The idea of the main character riding Shenron is fun.
The landscape size is different from the usual. The picture focuses on how cool Goku is.
Pamphlet
In addition to the story introduction, there are also plenty of extras such as character features, original posters, stickers, and more.
Goods
Special Chip Shooter
A special version of "The Path to Strongest" with illustrations of the main characters.
Strongest Puzzle
A puzzle in which you move the eight pieces to complete an illustration of Goku.
Jumbo Carddass Cards
It depicts shrunken Goku, Pan and the others from "DBGT."
Prism cards were distributed to some of the theater attendees.
McDonald's Campaign Goods
"The Path to Power" partnered with McDonald's Japan Co., Ltd. to run a campaign that began on March 7, 1996. During the campaign period, sales increased by 20% compared to normal.
Flip-Paper Memo
This special memo paper lets you enjoy flip-paste manga of scenes such as Goku firing his Kamehameha.
Jigsaw Puzzle
The energetic Goku is charming!! It's the same B5 size as the DB Daizenshuu, and has a total of 24 pieces.
Swap Anime
An idea to change the scene by swapping the three illustrations onto a transparent sheet.
Anime Card
A card with a diameter of about 8.5cm. Can be used for a variety of games, such as rock-paper-scissors and menko.
