Dragon Ball: The Path of the Hero the 1996 film

Dragon Ball - The Hero's Path (original Japanese title 最強 へ の 道 Saikyō and no Michi, lett. "The road to strength"), also known by the English title of Dragon Ball: The Path to Power is a Japanese animated film (anime), about the adventure and fantasy genre of 1996. The animated film is the seventeenth based on Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga, after the first three Dragon Ball films and thirteen Dragon Ball Z films, and the latest film in the series to use cel animation. It is a reiteration of the original Dragon Ball anime series, this film is a reboot, which borrows elements from the first Dragon Ball quest and the subsequent Red Ribbon storyline. It premiered in Japan on March 2 at the Toei Anime Fair, along with the theatrical version of Neighborhood Story. The film was produced to commemorate the XNUMXth anniversary of the original Dragon Ball anime. It was also the last Dragon Ball movie released in theaters produced until the release of Dragon Ball Z - The Battle of the Gods in 2013.

History

Goku is a monkey-tailed boy with superhuman strength and skilled martial arts, who lives all alone on Mount Paozu. One day, after catching a fish to eat, a girl in the car (Bulma) almost runs over him. He mistakes the car for a monster and throws it to the side, but in return is hit by Bulma. She imagines that she is some kind of demon, but she manages to convince him that she is human, even though she does not have a tail. Remembering his dead grandfather's advice to be nice to her girls, he invites her to her house, and there she goes straight for his only memory of her. When they enter the house, Goku shows Bulma a glowing orange ball that he believes is his grandfather. Suddenly Bulma comes to life and asks her if she can have the ball. When Goku protests, he creates two more "grandparents" and explains the legend of the Dragon Balls and the Eternal Dragon to him. He offers to let her feel about her to get him to come, but when that doesn't work, she tells him that she will help him get stronger. He agrees, thus starting a life changing journey.

Later, in the forest, they are forced to stop due to a bull / ox on the road, claiming the girl. Goku ends up fighting the creature, which turns into a robot and then a bat. Unfortunately, at that point, his five minutes are up and he transforms back into Oolong, the pig. There is no time for an apology though, because Yamcha attacks. He demands all the capsules and the money they have, but not before Puar recognizes Oolong and scolds him for his perverse antics at the Shapeshifter School. Yamcha fights Goku and appears to have the upper hand, until Bulma wakes up. This puts him in a state of shock and he is forced to retire with Puar's help.

Bulma, Oolong and Goku are driving north to the next Dragon Ball, only to discover a huge metal tower in the distance (Yamcha and Puar, who have followed them, are staying in a nearby cave to warm up). The soldiers come out and "welcome" them to Muscle Tower, and Goku takes them all with his head held high. Entering the tower he meets Major Metallitron. However, he quickly dismisses it and discovers (with him shocking him) that Metallitron was a robot. General White of the Red Ribbon Army gives orders and the remaining forces rush towards Goku, but he goes through them all, in White's room. White then activates the tower's deadliest creation: Android 8. The android nearly strangles Goku, albeit refusing to kill him when ordered. As a result, White threatens to blow up the android, but Goku intervenes and saves him. The two quickly make friends, with Android 8 explaining that he doesn't believe in fighting or killing. Goku complains that his name is weird, so he nicknames him "Eighter" for short. This ends in a snowball fight between the two as the bonded forces (including White) watch.

Some time later, as they were driving in Oolong's house wagon, they nearly run over (and then almost fall off a cliff by) a turtle. He explains that he is quite lost and needs help getting back to sea. After taking him there, he says that he has a reward that he will take with him the next day. Then, Oolong, Goku and Bulma spend the night on the beach. Goku wakes up early in the morning and tries to sleep on Bulma's lap, but freaks out when he takes off his panties and discovers her lack of male genitalia. That morning, Turtle returns bringing his "reward": Master Roshi, the turtle's hermit. First he tries to summon the Immortal Phoenix for them, but when that fails (he apparently he is dead), he summons the Nimbus Cloud. Goku is the only one of the group who can ride him, so it becomes his.

While Goku is on the Nimbus, Bulma discovers that the old man has a Dragon Ball. He only offers to let it go if she shows him his panties. She agrees, not knowing she's not wearing any, and both Roshi and Oolong are pleasantly surprised. She is horrified after going to change and finds her panties still inside her. There is no time for an explanation, however, as General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army attacks with a fleet of battleships. When the situation seems almost desperate, Roshi decides to use his legendary Kamehameha wave. He decimates the entire fleet with it, but Blue then orders his submarine army to attack. Goku, however, manages to learn Kamehameha himself and destroys many of the submarines with it. But just as their situation is improving, Goku is knocked out by a missile and Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar and Roshi are all captured by Blue's soldiers. The five are taken to prison near the Red Ribbon headquarters. The next morning, Goku wakes up to the Dragon Radar beep. Finding himself alone, he sets out in search of the other six Dragon Balls (Blue, having missed the one on Goku's person, is executed for his failure). Goku fights through legions upon legions of Red Ribbon soldiers, while the others try to escape from prison.

Eventually, they manage to find Goku there to greet them. As Goku makes his way into Red Ribbon's headquarters, Commander Red and Agent Black retreat with their six Dragon Balls to their last refuge. But when Black learns of Red's true desire to grow taller, Black shoots him and vows to make the Black Ribbon Army the ruler of the world. He brings out the greatest weapon in the army, a giant robot. The robot's beam weapon destroys a huge chunk of territory in his path and nearly kills Goku, until he manages to hit him in the stomach and detonate the cannon. Black and his robot aren't out yet, and Goku is eventually knocked out. Fortunately, Android 8 shows up. He puts everything he has to stop the robot from killing the boy, but it's pretty clear he can't compete. Some parts start flying away from him and he lands in a crumpled pile, next to Goku.

Goku recovers, only to see the android die. Saddened and infuriated by Android 8's sacrifice, a new world of power suddenly awakens within Goku, as the ground shakes with his tortured screams at him. Black makes the mistake of cheering him on and Goku finishes him off with a giant Kamehameha. After the dust settles, the Eternal Dragon Shenron is summoned, but Bulma and Yamcha realize they no longer need their wishes. Goku then offers his wish instead: revive Android 8 and remove the bomb inside him.

Technical data

Original title 最強 へ の 道, Saikyō and no Michi
Original language Japanese
Country of Production Japan
Year 1996
Duration 80 min
Relationship 1,78:1
Gender animation, action, fantastic, adventure
Regia Shigeyasu Yamauchi
Film script Aya Matsui
Production house Bird Studios, Toei Animation Company, Toei Doga
Distribution in Italian Dynamic Italy
Music Akihito Tokunaga
Art director Junichi Higashi
Entertainers Tadayoshi yamamuro

Original voice actors
Masako Nozawa as Son Goku
Hiromi Tsuru Bulma
Toru Furuya: Yamcha
Kin'ya Aikawa: Master Roshi
Shōzō Iizuka: Android 8
Naoki Tatsuta: Olong
Naoko Watanabe as Pual
Kenji Utsumi: Commander Red
Masaharu Satō: Black Secretary
Hirohiko Kakegawa: General White
Hisao Egawa: Sergeant Metallic
Bin Shimada: General Blue
Daisuke Gori: Umigame, Shenron
Kazuko Sugiyama: Colonel Violet
Jōji Yanami: Narrator
Italian voice actors

Original dub:
Lorenzo De Angelis as Son Goku
Francesca Guadagno: Bulma
Vittorio GuerrieriYamcha
Oliviero Dinelli: Master Roshi
Saverio Indrio: Android n. 8
Fabrizio Mazzotta: Olong
Ilaria Latini: Pual
Ennio Coltorti: Commander Red
Mario Bombardieri: Secretary Black
Paolo Buglioni: General White
Marco Baroni: General Blue
Manfredi Aliquò: Umigame
Neri Marcorè: Shenron
Valentina Mari: Colonel Violet
Davide Marzi: Narrator

Re-dubbing (2003):

Patrizia Scianca as Goku
Emanuela PacottoBulma
Diego Saber: Iamko
Mario Scarabelli: Genius, Narrator
Pietro Ubaldi: Android n. 8
Riccardo Peroni: Oscars
Federica Valenti: Puar
Enrico Bertorelli: Commander Red
Stefano Albertini: Black Secretary
Marco Pagani: General White
Mario Zucca: Sergeant Metallic, Shenron
Claudio Moneta: General Blue
Tony Fuochi: Umigame
Marcella Silvestri: Colonel Violet

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball:_The_Path_to_Power