Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
Film poster
Directed by	Daisuke Nishio
Produced by	Chiaki Imada Rikizō Kayano
Written by	Takao Koyama (screenplay) Akira Toriyama (original series author)
Starring	Masako Nozawa Ryūsei Nakao Ryō Horikawa Toshio Furukawa Mayumi Tanaka Naoki Tatsuta Kouhei Miyauchi Tomiko Suzuki Toku Nishio Kinpei Azusa Joji Yanami
Music by	Shunsuke Kikuchi
Release date(s)	March 7, 1992
Running time	46 min.
Language(s)	Japanese and English

Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (ドラゴンボールZ 激突!!100億パワーの戦士たち, Doragon Bōru Zetto: Gekitotsu!! Hyaku-Oku Pawā no Senshi-tachi; lit. "Dragon Ball Z: Clash!! 10,000,000,000 Powerful Warriors") is the sixth Dragon Ball Z movie, originally released in Japan on March 7, 1992 between episodes 129 and 130. It was released on VHS and DVD in the United States in August of 2002, and it also had a special theater presentation (as part of a double-feature with the U.S. premier Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn) on March 17, 2006. These movies are the first Dragon Ball-related movies to receive a theatrical release in the United States.

This film is a direct sequel to the fifth movie, Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, and the first appearance of Vegeta in a movie. In this film, Frieza's brother Cooler, who had been destroyed in the previous movie, returns. Cooler's remains merge with the Big Gete Star, which revives him. After his revival, Cooler takes control of the Big Gete Star and seeks to resume his consumption of the universe, one planet at a time.

SummaryEdit

Cooler's ReturnEdit

The movie begins with the Big Gete Star. The liquid metal exterior of the star moulds itself around New Namek, absorbing its energy. Dende, who is now the Earth's guardian, senses the plight of his people and calls Goku to ask for help.

Goku, Gohan, Oolong, Krillin, Yajirobe, Master Roshi and Piccolo arrive and encounter an army of robots deployed on the planet to enslave the Namekians, whom they plan to use as biological fuel for the Big Gete Star. Goku demands that the robots leave peacefully, but their leader emerges and reveals himself to be Cooler, alive and well, in an android version of his fourth form. Cooler admits that he was indeed burned critically in the fires of the Sun, but survived and is now back for revenge. As the others engage the robots, Goku prepares to battle Cooler alone.

Battle for New NamekEdit

At first the Z Fighters have trouble penetrating the armor of Cooler's Cyclopian Guards, but Piccolo instructs them to concentrate their energy to one point, and doing so allows them to destroy a few of the robots. However, there are too many to handle and the warriors are captured along with the Namekians. However, Piccolo remains on the battlefield long enough to unleash a devastating attack which destroys the robots completely. He flies for the Big Gete Star to free his friends.

Goku battles Meta-Cooler, but it is apparent that Goku, even in Super Saiyan form, is no match for Cooler's "new metallic form", which gives him the ability to regenerate himself. Cooler reveals that the Big Gete Star constantly monitors his body, and fixes any problems or glitches that may occur (like Cooler's arm getting torn off for example) while also strengthening him in such a way that it can't happen the same way twice. Goku goes in for a final attack, but Cooler grabs him and starts to strangle him. Vegeta suddenly appears and saves Goku, himself transforming into a Super Saiyan. However, they are both still no match for Cooler, and are only able to win by combining their power and unleashing a devastating attack which destroys Cooler.

Cooler's Final StandEdit

However, a whole army of Meta-Coolers immediately shows up: to remedy the loss of one Meta-Cooler, the Big Gete Star has created a thousand. Outnumbered and drained of energy, Goku and Vegeta are captured and transported to the Big Gete Star's core to be used as energy to power it. It is here that Goku and Vegeta finally learn the truth about Cooler's survival: following his death at Goku's hands, he was not destroyed completely, but his remains floated through space for a while, including pieces of his brain. A nearby computer chip gained sentience, assimilated a field of metal spaceship parts and combined them all into a spaceship, the Big Gete Star, and among these were the remains of Cooler's brain, which merged with the main computer and took control, which means that in a way, Cooler is the Big Gete Star. Cooler begins draining Goku and Vegeta of their energy, but they flood the circuitry with too much power and overload it, causing it to collapse. All the Meta-Coolers are destroyed and the prisoners are freed.

As the others evacuate, Goku and Vegeta face Cooler alone. Cooler takes the form of a wired, mutant-like giant being and grabs Goku, squashing him to death until Vegeta slices Cooler's arm off, giving Goku enough time to fire an energy beam into Cooler and destroy him once and for all. The Big Gete Star exits New Namek's atmosphere and explodes.

Goku and Vegeta fall from the sky near the rest of the Z Fighters, and everyone rejoices. They then realize that Vegeta is nowhere to be found, and Goku looks up at the sky, knowing where he is. Indeed, Vegeta is flying in space in his Space Pod (which he used to follow Goku to New Namek) with the computer chip from the Big Gete Star in his hands. He crushes it and heads back to Earth.

Timeline placementEdit

The events of this movie must be set between the episodes "A New Guardian" and "The Games Begin" of Dragon Ball Z, during the wait for the start of the Cell Games. Additional proof is found in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2, where the Z Fighters go to New Namek and confront Meta-Cooler right before the Cell Games.

CastEdit

ReleasesEdit

The film originally released in Japan on March 7, 1992 between episodes 130 and 131. It was released on VHS and DVD in the United States on August 13th, 2002. It had a special theater presentation (as part of a double-feature with the U.S. premier Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn) nearly four years after its official release on March 17, 2006. These movies are the first Dragon Ball-related movies to receive a theatrical release in the United States. This film, alongside it's predecessor, "Cooler's Revenge", was re-released in November 2008 alongside the remastered Season 7 of the TV series.

FUNimation released this movie again along with Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan, and Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound on December 6, 2011. However, these are the same disks that are on the double features.

MusicEdit

• Opening Theme (OP): "Cha-La Head-Cha-La"
• Ending Theme (ED): "HERO (Kimi ga Hīrō)"

Major battlesEdit

• Piccolo, Krillin & Gohan vs. Cyclopian Guards
• Goku vs Meta-Cooler
• Super Saiyan Goku vs. Meta-Cooler
• Goku (SSJ) & Vegeta (SSJ) vs. Meta-Coolers
• Piccolo vs. Meta-Cooler
• Goku (SSJ) & Vegeta (SSJ) vs. Cooler

TriviaEdit

• This movie's premise is overall similar to the Androids Saga in the anime:
  • Cooler returns in a Meta form, like Frieza's Mecha form.
  • Cooler claims to have been drifting in space until his remains were merged with the Big Gete Star's main computer, which revived him, similar to Frieza drifting in space until being found by King Cold.
  • Goku battles Meta-Cooler as a Super Saiyan and seems evenly matched with him until Meta-Cooler begins to strangle him before Vegeta turns up and kicks Meta-Cooler aside, demonstrating his Super Saiyan form, similar to Goku's battle with Android 19.
  • Goku and Vegeta defeat the first Meta-Cooler by smashing him to pieces and blasting him, like Future Trunks chopping Frieza up and blasting him.
  • The core of the Big Gete Star forming the Meta-Coolers is similar to Dr. Gero's Super Computer creating Cell.
• This is the first film in which Vegeta appears if not counting TV specials.
• This is the first time where Goku does not transform into a Super Saiyan spontaneously due to rage.
• This is also the first film in which Super Saiyans (Goku and Vegeta) work together to combat a villain.
• This is one of the few films to not feature Earth as the main setting. This is also the only film that takes place on New Namek and the first movie where the Z Fighters fight a villain on a planet that is not Earth.
• The scene which Piccolo enters the Big Gete Star resembles the star gate sequence from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
• The robot trying to cut up the captured Namekians and Z Fighters inside the Big Gete Star slightly resemble the medical droid from the Star Wars films.
• The attack that Goku uses to vaporize Cooler's body as well as the Big Gete Star in the ending somewhat resembles the Stardust Breaker, albeit with a yellow colorization.
• It is one of the first Dragon Ball-related movies to receive a theatrical release in the United States.
• One discrepancy is that Dende is Guardian of Earth at the beginning of the movie, by which time Gohan could turn Super Saiyan, which he appears incapable of doing in this film. Gohan is clearly younger than he was in the Cell Games, because his hair is still long and he is still shorter than Krillin. Also, Goku and Gohan did not power down from Super Saiyan form from when they left the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in the anime/manga until after Cell was destroyed, but they are seen in their base forms in this movie.
• In the original FUNimation Dub, Meta-Cooler has a slight mechanical sound to his voice, but in the Remastered edition, the sound effect has been removed, making Meta-Cooler's voice sound exactly like the original Cooler's.

GalleryEdit

New Planet Namek when the Big Gete Star arrives A village on New Namek Moori during the Big Gete Star's arrival on his planet The Gang in the spaceship An unnamed Namekian Warrior The Namekian Warrior breaks free The Namekian Warrior attacks A Cyclopian Guard strangles the Namekian Warrior The Namekian Warrior on the ground Gohan saves the Namekian Warrior Gohan attacks Yajirobe and Oolong on New Namek Roshi and Yajirobe Roshi prepares an attack Roshi punches a Cyclopian Guard Roshi hurt after he punched a Cyclopian Guard Oolong, Roshi and Yajirobe captured by Cyclopian Guard Gohan on New Namek Piccolo on New Namek Goku on New Namek Meta-Cooler on New Namek Meta-Cooler smirking Meta-Cooler battles with Goku on New Namek Meta-Cooler charges a Supernova Goku appears behind Meta-Cooler Meta-Cooler using Instant Transmission Goku transforms to Super Saiyan Goku transforms to Super Saiyan SS Goku vs. Meta-Cooler SS Goku vs. Meta-Cooler Super Saiyan Goku Super Saiyan Goku attacks Meta-Cooler Piccolo Piccolo Gohan and Krillin An angry Gohan Piccolo's punch penetrates a Cyclopian Guard Gohan's punch penetrates a Cyclopian Guard Krillin charges a Cyclopian Guard Krillin destroys a Cyclopian Guard Piccolo getting attacked Cyclopian Guards attack Piccolo Piccolo Piccolo prepares an attack An explosion caused by Piccolo Cyclopian Guards destroyed by Piccolo Piccolo after the battle Gohan is caught Gohan captured Meta-Cooler chokes Super Saiyan Goku Meta-Cooler fires the Finger Blitz Barrage at Goku Goku deflects Meta-Cooler's Finger Blitz Barrage Goku counters Meta-Cooler's Finger Blitz Barrage Vegeta kicks Meta-Cooler Vegeta about to blast Meta-Cooler with no regard for Goku Goku catches Vegeta Goku and Vegeta attack Meta-Cooler One of Cooler's clones Cooler's clones Cooler's clones One of the Meta-Coolers being created Big Gete Star robot captures Yajirobe and his friends Z Fighters and Namekians Vegeta grabs wires to fill with energy Goku forces the Big Gete Star to take in more energy The Big Gete Star starts exploding from the overload The remains of Cooler Goku powers up to Super Saiyan The massive size difference between Goku and the new Cooler Goku prepares a technique to destroy Cooler Cooler ensnares Goku, stopping his attack Goku hurt by Cooler Vegeta's Destructo Disk, right before severing Cooler's arm Goku powers up, destroying his now-weakened restraints The technique used by Goku to destroy Cooler Meta-Cooler before being destroyed Cooler exploding The last remaining part of Cooler after the battle on Earth Big Gete Star exploding Gohan Piccolo and Gohan The Z Fighters Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery

See alsoEdit

• Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge