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[[First World Martial Arts Championship Saga|]] |
The Emperor Pilaf Saga (called The Saga of Goku in the KidMark dub) is the first fictional saga in the Dragon Ball manga and anime. It is in this saga that Son Goku and Bulma meet, and where they also meet allies Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, and others. The principal villan of the saga is Emperor Pilaf and his underlings, Shuu and Mai , though technically most of the allies-to-be started out as villans.
Unlike later sagas, the first adventures are very episodical. Characters and situations are introduced and resolved in single issue/episode and they are connected only via the attempt to locate the Dragon Balls. The anime edition of this saga introduced Pilaf (and his underlings) much earlier and provided a more cohesive arc over the initial episodes. Currently it is the only Saga of the original Dragon Ball series that has not been released Uncut on Dvd.
Some of the characters and situations in this first part of the Dragon Ball plot are rehashed from Akira Toriyama's Dragon Boy manga. In addition, the influence of the Chinese folk-novel Journey to the West is at its peak at this early stage.
Episode Guide
1. Secret of the Dragon Balls Goku and Bulma meet and Bulma asks Goku to come with her in her quest of finding the magic Dragon Balls. Goku himself possesses one: the 4-star Dragon Ball, that belonged to his Grandfather, Son Gohan.
2. The Emperor's Quest Goku and Bulma camp in Skull Valley, where a Dragon Ball is hidden. Emperor Pilaf and his crew, Shu and Mai, also go there and fight the good guys.
3. The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi Bulma's Dragon Radar takes her and Goku to the Turtle Hermit's tiny island. The great, old, wise (and pervert) master gives Goku the Nimbus Cloud, that can only carry someone whose heart is pure. Bulma easily convinces the old man to give her his Dragon Ball, stuck on his neck for hundreds of years.
4. Oolong the Terrible Bulma's radar indicates Aru Village as the location of the next Dragon Ball. There's only problem. Aru Village is terrorized by the evil shape-shifting monster Oolong. Being promised a Dragon Ball if young Goku defeated Oolong, the terrible monster is revealed to be a little pig, who wishes to go with Bulma on her journey. They already have four Dragon Balls and now only three are missing.
5. Yamcha the Desert Bandit Bulma, Goku and Oolong continue their journey calmly until they discover that the next Dragon Ball spot is in Diablo's Desert. Oolong informs them that Yamcha the Desert Bandit lives there, and that they are in danger if they somehow cross it. But Bulma is still not ready to give up her dream. They travel to Diablo's Desert and succeed, but Yamcha menaces the group.
6. Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls Bulma is already in possession of five Dragon Balls, but more people know about the existence of those mytical artefacts. Yamcha the Desert Bandit finds its secret, Oolong also wants to steal the balls for himself, and Emperor Pilaf is still on the loose! Goku's fighting skill also keep improving, as he defeats the Desert Bandit's Wolf Fang Fist.
7. The Ox-King on Fire Mountain This is one hell of an episode. Bulma's sixth Dragon Ball is located on the Fire Mountain, home of the bloody Ox-King. As Bulma wants to get in the palace and retrieve her prize, The Ox-King's axe and the Eternal Flames are only two obstacles for the crew.
8. The KameHameHa Wave KA...ME...HA...ME...HA!!! Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, is summoned to Fire Mountain to put out the fire that stops Bulma from getting the sixth Dragon Ball. However, Roshi's most powerful move, the KameHameHa wave, is so powerful that destroys both the fire and the mountain! An amazed Goku also learns to use the wave, although his blast is far weaker than the master's.
9. Boss Rabbit's Magic Touch A remote village is threatened by the Rabbits, an evil gang that steals and conspires. As Goku challenges two of its members, the gang's leader, Boss Rabbit, turns Bulma into a carrot. But Boss Rabbit and his two pals aren't very lucky: they are thrown to the moon after being defeated by Goku. In the meanwhile, Pilaf devises a terrible new plan...
10. The Dragon Balls are Stolen! Yup. The Dragon Balls are stolen. Since the seventh Dragon Ball belongs to Pilaf, Bulma & co. head to Pilaf's Imperial Castle. Soon Pilaf chucks the good guys into a dungeon and claims the six dragon balls for himself. Now, maybe his terrible wish can be made true...
11. The Penalty is Pinball Pilaf's plans get weirder and weirder. Bulma & co. are able to escape the dungeon, but are soon caught in Pilaf's over-sized pinball machine. Now, all hopes of stopping Pilaf from becoming a real emperor seem to vanish before their eyes.
12. A Wish to the Eternal Dragon Watch out! Goku is after you, Pilaf! Pilaf is about to summon the dragon, but Goku is able to escape the Pinball Machine. The KameHameHa Wave makes a hole in the castle's wall, a small hole, only Oolong and Puar can escape. He stops Pilaf from wishing to be Master of the World. (He wishes for a pair of female underwear instead). But Goku is exposed to the light of the full moon, and his Saiyan blood quickly turns him into an Oozaru!
13. The Legend of Goku Oozaru Goku destroys everything he sees, including Pilaf's Castle and (almost) his own friends! Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar must be very careful to avoid Goku and Pilaf! (But Goku is much more dangerous). But everything ends happily after the sun comes up. Bulma, Yamcha and their pets go to Capsule Corp., while Goku goes to Kame House in order to study Martial Arts with Master Roshi.
The Emperor Pilaf Saga (called The Saga of Goku in the KidMark dub) is the first fictional saga in the Dragon Ball manga and anime. It is in this saga that Son Goku and Bulma meet, and where they also meet allies Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, and others. The principal villan of the saga is Emperor Pilaf and his underlings, Shuu and Mai , though technically most of the allies-to-be started out as villans.
Unlike later sagas, the first adventures are very episodical. Characters and situations are introduced and resolved in single issue/episode and they are connected only via the attempt to locate the Dragon Balls. The anime edition of this saga introduced Pilaf (and his underlings) much earlier and provided a more cohesive arc over the initial episodes. Currently it is the only Saga of the original Dragon Ball series that has not been released Uncut on Dvd.
Some of the characters and situations in this first part of the Dragon Ball plot are rehashed from Akira Toriyama's Dragon Boy manga. In addition, the influence of the Chinese folk-novel Journey to the West is at its peak at this early stage.
Episode Guide
1. Secret of the Dragon Balls Goku and Bulma meet and Bulma asks Goku to come with her in her quest of finding the magic Dragon Balls. Goku himself possesses one: the 4-star Dragon Ball, that belonged to his Grandfather, Son Gohan.
2. The Emperor's Quest Goku and Bulma camp in Skull Valley, where a Dragon Ball is hidden. Emperor Pilaf and his crew, Shu and Mai, also go there and fight the good guys.
3. The Nimbus Cloud of Roshi Bulma's Dragon Radar takes her and Goku to the Turtle Hermit's tiny island. The great, old, wise (and pervert) master gives Goku the Nimbus Cloud, that can only carry someone whose heart is pure. Bulma easily convinces the old man to give her his Dragon Ball, stuck on his neck for hundreds of years.
4. Oolong the Terrible Bulma's radar indicates Aru Village as the location of the next Dragon Ball. There's only problem. Aru Village is terrorized by the evil shape-shifting monster Oolong. Being promised a Dragon Ball if young Goku defeated Oolong, the terrible monster is revealed to be a little pig, who wishes to go with Bulma on her journey. They already have four Dragon Balls and now only three are missing.
5. Yamcha the Desert Bandit Bulma, Goku and Oolong continue their journey calmly until they discover that the next Dragon Ball spot is in Diablo's Desert. Oolong informs them that Yamcha the Desert Bandit lives there, and that they are in danger if they somehow cross it. But Bulma is still not ready to give up her dream. They travel to Diablo's Desert and succeed, but Yamcha menaces the group.
6. Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls Bulma is already in possession of five Dragon Balls, but more people know about the existence of those mytical artefacts. Yamcha the Desert Bandit finds its secret, Oolong also wants to steal the balls for himself, and Emperor Pilaf is still on the loose! Goku's fighting skill also keep improving, as he defeats the Desert Bandit's Wolf Fang Fist.
7. The Ox-King on Fire Mountain This is one hell of an episode. Bulma's sixth Dragon Ball is located on the Fire Mountain, home of the bloody Ox-King. As Bulma wants to get in the palace and retrieve her prize, The Ox-King's axe and the Eternal Flames are only two obstacles for the crew.
8. The KameHameHa Wave KA...ME...HA...ME...HA!!! Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, is summoned to Fire Mountain to put out the fire that stops Bulma from getting the sixth Dragon Ball. However, Roshi's most powerful move, the KameHameHa wave, is so powerful that destroys both the fire and the mountain! An amazed Goku also learns to use the wave, although his blast is far weaker than the master's.
9. Boss Rabbit's Magic Touch A remote village is threatened by the Rabbits, an evil gang that steals and conspires. As Goku challenges two of its members, the gang's leader, Boss Rabbit, turns Bulma into a carrot. But Boss Rabbit and his two pals aren't very lucky: they are thrown to the moon after being defeated by Goku. In the meanwhile, Pilaf devises a terrible new plan...
10. The Dragon Balls are Stolen! Yup. The Dragon Balls are stolen. Since the seventh Dragon Ball belongs to Pilaf, Bulma & co. head to Pilaf's Imperial Castle. Soon Pilaf chucks the good guys into a dungeon and claims the six dragon balls for himself. Now, maybe his terrible wish can be made true...
11. The Penalty is Pinball Pilaf's plans get weirder and weirder. Bulma & co. are able to escape the dungeon, but are soon caught in Pilaf's over-sized pinball machine. Now, all hopes of stopping Pilaf from becoming a real emperor seem to vanish before their eyes.
12. A Wish to the Eternal Dragon Watch out! Goku is after you, Pilaf! Pilaf is about to summon the dragon, but Goku is able to escape the Pinball Machine. The KameHameHa Wave makes a hole in the castle's wall, a small hole, only Oolong and Puar can escape. He stops Pilaf from wishing to be Master of the World. (He wishes for a pair of female underwear instead). But Goku is exposed to the light of the full moon, and his Saiyan blood quickly turns him into an Oozaru!
13. The Legend of Goku Oozaru Goku destroys everything he sees, including Pilaf's Castle and (almost) his own friends! Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar must be very careful to avoid Goku and Pilaf! (But Goku is much more dangerous). But everything ends happily after the sun comes up. Bulma, Yamcha and their pets go to Capsule Corp., while Goku goes to Kame House in order to study Martial Arts with Master Roshi.
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