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Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler

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Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler

Japanese box art
Directed by Daisuke Nishio
Produced by Chiaki Imada
Rikizô Kayano
Written by Story:
Akira Toriyama
Screenplay:
Takao Koyama
Starring Masako Nozawa
Ryuusei Nakao
Ryo Horikawa
Toshio Furukawa
Mayumi Tanaka
Naoki Tatsuta
Kohei Myauchi
Tomiko Suzuki
Toku Nishio
Kinpei Azusa
Joji Yanami
Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi
Release date(s) March 7, 1992
Running time 45 min.
Language Japanese and English

Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler, known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Gekitotsu!! 100-Oku Pawā no Senshi-tachi (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 130 and 131. It was released on 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 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, 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. He then seeks to resume his consumption of the universe, one planet at a time.

Contents

[edit] Summary

[edit] Cooler's Return

Cooler's new metallic form
‎

The movie begins with Cooler arriving on New Namek within the Big Gete Star. He molds the liquid metal exterior of the star around New Planet 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 which Cooler deployed on the planet to enslave the Namekians, whom he plans to use as biological fuel for the Big Gete Star.

[edit] Battle for New Namek

Gohan saves a Namekian from a Cyclopian Guard's blast
‎
Piccolo battles Cyclopian Guards

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 were too many to handle and the warriors are captured along with the Namekians. Throughout the battle, Goku is distracted by a familiar face - that of Cooler, who he was sure had perished years ago. Goku battles Cooler, but it is apparent that Goku is no match for Cooler's new metallic form which gives him the ability to regenerate himself. He was even outclassed after becoming a Super Saiyan. 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.

[edit] Super Saiyans vs. Meta Cooler

Goku battles with a Meta Cooler
Out of anger, Vegeta blasts Cooler, with no regard for Goku

Vegeta shows up and joins the battle, and they soon dispose of Cooler. However, the Big Gete Star housed an army of Cooler clones. 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. As Cooler is leeching their Super Saiyan strength via strange wires, Goku and Vegeta regain consciousness and release all their Super Saiyan energy to the wires, overloading the system. They then blast the true Cooler with the last of their energy, causing his ultimate demise as the Big Gete Star explodes in New Namek's orbit.

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. Vegeta is shown flying in space in his Space Pod with the last remaining chip of the Big Gete Star in his hands. He then crushes it and heads back to Earth.

[edit] Major battles

[edit] Canonicity

The events of this movie cannot be placed even in the anime continuity. Its major plot hole is that Dende is Guardian of Earth at the beginning of the movie, by which time Gohan could turn Super Saiyan. But Goku and Gohan didn't power down from Super Saiyan form from when they left the Hyperbolic Time Chamber until Cell was destroyed. Also, Gohan is clearly younger than he was in the Cell Games, because his hair is still long and he is still shorter than Krillin. Vegeta becomes a Super Saiyan in the movie and no one is surpised; this means he must have been Super Saiyan before. However, Goku was out of commission when Vegeta first turned into a Super Saiyan. Also, seeing as how Dende is now the Guardian of Earth, Piccolo is a Super Namek due to his merging with Kami, and therefore is stronger than both Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan forms, yet he has trouble dealing with Cooler's robotic guards. One explanation could be that this film takes place in an alternate universe where Piccolo managed to destroy Imperfect Cell during their first encounter in Ginger Town, and sometime later the Androids were defeated, thus the training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber never took place and Dende was brought to Earth to be guardian slightly earlier.

[edit] Cast

Character Name Voice Actor (Japanese) Voice Actor (English)
Goku Masako Nozawa Sean Schemmel
Gohan Masako Nozawa Stephanie Nadolny
Piccolo Toshio Furukawa Christopher Sabat
Krillin Mayumi Tanaka Sonny Strait
Vegeta Ryo Horikawa Christopher Sabat
Master Roshi Kôhei Miyauchi Mike McFarland
Oolong Naoki Tatsuta Bradford Jackson
Yajirobe Mayumi Tanaka Mike McFarland
Dende Tomiko Suzuki Laura Bailey
Mr. Popo Toku Nishio Christopher Sabat
Moori Kinpei Azusa Christopher Sabat
Metal Cooler Ryuusei Nakao Andrew Chandler
Narration Joji Yanami Kyle Hebert

[edit] Music

  • Ending Theme (ED)
    1. "HERO (Kimi ga Hîrô)"; ヒーロー(キミがヒーロー) (Hero [You’re The Hero])

[edit] Trivia

  • This is the first film in which Vegeta appears (although he can be seen in the opening credits of earlier movies.)
  • This is also the first film in which the Super Saiyans (Goku & Vegeta) work together to combat a villain.
  • This is the only film that takes place on New Namek and the first movie where the Z Fighters fight a villain on another planet (that isn't Earth).
  • It also one of the first Dragon Ball-related movies to receive a theatrical release in the United States.
  • This is the only time that Dende has been shown wearing an outfit similar to Kami's old clothing.
  • The robot trying to cut up the captured Namekians and Z fighters inside the Big Gete Star bares a striking resemblance to the medical droid from the Star War films.
  • The scene which Piccolo enters the Big Gete Star resembles the star gate sequence in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • The Namekian that Gohan saves from a blast bears a striking resemblence to Nail, looks and clothing.
  • The attack that Goku uses to vaporize Cooler's body as well as the Big Gete Star in the ending heavily resembles the Omega Blaster and the Stardust Breaker (albeit with a yellow colorization).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Dragon Ball films
Dragon Ball adaptations
Theatrical films Curse of the Blood Rubies • Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle • Mystical Adventure • The Path to Power
Dragon Ball Z adaptations
Theatrical films Dead Zone • The World's Strongest • The Tree of Might • Lord Slug • Cooler's Revenge • The Return of Cooler • Super Android 13! • Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan • Bojack Unbound • Broly - Second Coming • Bio-Broly • Fusion Reborn • Wrath of the Dragon
Television specials Bardock - The Father of Goku • The History of Trunks
OVAs Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku • Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
Dragon Ball GT adaptations
Television specials A Hero's Legacy
Other adaptations
Live-action films Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins • Dragonball: Evolution
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