Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge
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Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Tobikkiri no Saikyō tai Saikyō (ドラゴンボールZ とびっきりの最強対最強, Doragon Bōru Z: Tobikkiri no Saikyō tai Saikyō; English "Dragon Ball Z: The Incredible Mightiest vs. Mightiest"; Literally meaning "The Best of Strongest versus Strongest mighty Dragon Ball Z") was originally released in Japan on July 20, 1991 between DBZ Episode 99 and DBZ Episode 100. It was dubbed by FUNimation in 2002 and released on VHS and DVD on January 22. The film was re-released with its sequel, Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler, in November 2008 alongside the remastered Season 7 of the anime series.
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[edit] Summary
[edit] Backstory and Cooler's arrival
In this movie, Freeza's older brother, Cooler, is introduced. The film begins with a flashback to when Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta, and Cooler's ship picks up Goku's space pod escaping the system. Cooler calls off the order to have it destroyed and lets it go, believing it to be no threat to him. More then twenty-five years later, Cooler unexpectedly discovers that his brother had been killed by a Saiyan, something he disregards at first, believing that no Saiyan could generate enough power to kill Frieza. Cooler shows no compassion for his fallen brother, but is angered that someone in his family was slain by a Saiyan, and thinks that Frieza has dishonored the Cold Family name by doing so. Soon after, Cooler and his "Armored Squadron" go to Earth with the plan to kill the Saiyan who damaged his families honor. Upon arrival, his forces ambush Goku and his friends on a camping trip, and after battling Salza, Neiz, and Doore, Goku is wounded by an energy blast launched by Cooler that was meant to kill Gohan, although he had enough strength left over to counter with an energy blast at Cooler, which he effortlessly parried, to which Cooler then realized that he was most likely going to survive and then tried to finish him off with a Death Flash, but he escaped underwater.
After Krillin sets up shelter in a small cave with Goku, Gohan flies off to obtain Senzus from Karin at his tower. After obtaining the Senzu, he is ambushed by the squadron, but just as he is about to be mercilessly beaten, Piccolo arrives on the scene and saves him from the beat-down. Piccolo proceeds to battle the warriors, and effortlessly kills Doore with a homing energy blast. He continues to fight Salza and Neiz, but is trapped for a moment in Neiz Bind Wave allowing Salza to chase down the fleeing Gohan. However, Piccolo proves far to powerful for the attack to work on him, and he backfires it on Neiz, which kills the warrior. Piccolo then ambushes Salza in a forest, but Cooler arrives and blasts Piccolo through the chest. He then orders Salza to track down Gohan as a near-dead Piccolo falls to the ground below. Gohan arrives at the cave with the Senzu Beans a short time later, but Salza arrives and destroys the bag just as he is about to give them to Krillin. An outraged Krillin attacks Salza but proves no match for the elite warrior, and as Krillin is smashed down, Gohan comes to his aid, but not before giving Goku the extra bean Yajirobe had thrown to him. As Gohan charges at Salza and proceeds to be thrashed around, Goku is healed with the spare bean. Goku walks out of the cave much to the surprise of Salza, who was just heading over to finish the wounded fighter off. Cooler arrives moments later and during a conversation, Salza attacks Goku to absolutely no affect. Goku powers up and Salza is sent hurdling into a rock face. Goku then charges at Cooler, and the titanic battle begins.
[edit] Goku vs. Cooler: An Epic Battle
After several minutes of a somewhat even fight, Cooler tells of his history with his younger brother Frieza, and how he always hated his "spoiled brat" of a brother, and that he was planning on killing him himself one day. As the conversation continues, Cooler reveals that Frieza always had the edge in strength until Cooler found a transformation beyond his brothers. The tyrant then reveals his final transformation, and proceeds to pummel Goku easily. Even with uses of the Kaio-ken and the Kamehameha, Goku proves no match for the transformed power of Cooler, and finds himself completely outclassed. However, as Cooler threatens to destroy the planet, Goku , after witnessing a small bird die from its wounds, he lets out a scream so powerful,it cracks solid stone, thus transforming inot a Supa Saiya-jin. Cooler finds himself, like Frieza was, grossly outclassed, but summons a trump card in the form of a large scale orange sun-like energy ball (the same attack Frieza used to blow up Planet Vegeta and the one he used to attempt to kill Future Trunks) to destroy Goku and the Earth. However, after a stint of struggling, Goku eventually manages to send it back with a Kamehameha wave, sending Cooler hurdling into the sun. As Cooler curses Goku, he realizes that Goku is the Saiyan he let escape over two and a half decades ago, and that he could have prevented this fate by killing the Saiyan child when he had the opportunity. Cooler then disintegrates and seemingly dies in the Sun.
Goku, drained after his battle, is found by Krillin and Gohan. They are searching for the injured Piccolo when Salza reappears, and attempts to attack them. However, before he can attack, he is run through and killed by a Special Beam Cannon from a distance. Gohan looks around for Piccolo to no avail, and the movie ends with Piccolo staring at the sun and drinking some water, his wounds fully healed due to his Regeneration ability.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Heroes
[edit] Villains
[edit] Major battles
- Cooler's Armored Squadron vs. Goku
- Cooler's Armored Squadron vs. Gohan
- Cooler's Armored Squadron vs. Piccolo
- Salza vs. Gohan and Krillin
- Goku vs. Cooler
- Goku vs. Cooler (Final Form)
- Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Cooler (Final Form)
[edit] Continuity
Cooler's Revenge is one of the few Dragon Ball Z movies that can be placed in the series timeline without serious problems. The events of the movie could be placed between episodes "Z Warriors Prepare" and "Goku's Ordeal" of the Trunks Saga, while the Z Fighters were training for the arrival of the androids. In the book Daizenshuu 7, the movie events are placed chronologically in this period, around years 764-767 Age. A debriefing prior to the "Strongest vs. Strongest" stage of the Special Saga in the video game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 asserts that Cooler's Revenge takes place following "[Goku's return] to Earth after crushing Frieza", somewhat confirming this.
However, there are several minor facts that disturb the continuity of the mainstream series. To begin with, in spite of Future Trunks killing both King Cold and the revitalized Mecha-Frieza only hours prior to Goku's return to Earth, Cooler seems intent only seeking vengeance for the shame thrust upon his family by Frieza's display of inferiority on Namek, as though he were completely unaware of not only his father's recent death, but also of the second (and actual) death of his brother, as well. However, it is entirely possible that news of these recent events never reached him, since Trunks, along with killing Frieza and King Cold, blew up their spaceship and killed all of Frieza's men. Another inconsistency stems from the fact that Gohan has a tail in the film, despite not having one during the time in the series when Cooler's Revenge is purported to take place. This is not unheard of in the mainstream series, however, as Gohan's tail regrows twice within just twenty-one episodes of the first time his tail is removed by Piccolo in "Gohan Goes Bananas". (In the edited Ocean Group dub, there is a 7-episode difference between "Gohan's Metamorphosis" and "The End of Snake Way"). In addition, Goku was shown to easily transform into a Super Saiyan upon his return to Earth, but needed to enter a "rage" to transform against Cooler. Then again this could have also been done just for dramatic purposes, as in the movie Bojack Unbound Gohan should have been able to transform into a Super Saiyan 2 with no problem, yet it was not until the end that he finally did it.
[edit] Releases
The movie was originally released on both VHS and Laserdisc in Japan. They were in a 16:9 format, cropped from it's original 4:3 format. It was then released later in Japan as part of the well-known Dragon Box sets, remastered from it's original film masters and in a 16:9 anamorphic widescreen format. There was much controversy from fans over the decision to crop the movies from it's original 4:3 format. The controversy died down when Toei announced that the films were originally animated for widescreen viewing. The boxed set was released (containing all four Dragon Ball and all thirteen Dragon Ball Z movies) with great critical and audience reception.
In the United States, it was released in January 22, 2002 by Funimation, in VHS, Laserdisc, and DVD. It was released in a 4:3 format.[1]. The fast-food chain Burger King featured Dragon Ball Z toys in it's "kids" and "big-kids" meals, in which figurines of Goku, Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, and Cooler where bundled for a limited time. [2] The movie was later re-released on October 15, 2002, bundled with Lord Slug and The Return of Cooler. [3]
FUNimation re-released this film in November 11, 2008, alongside the sixth movie, Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler, digitally remastered and in a 16:9 format, as a "Double Feature" DVD and Blu-ray.[4]
[edit] Cast
[edit] Music
Original music
- Opening theme (OP)
- "Cha-La Head-Cha-La"
- Lyrics: Yukinojō Mori, Music: Chiho Kiyooka, Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto, Vocals: Hironobu Kageyama
- "Cha-La Head-Cha-La"
- Ending theme (ED)
- "Tobikkiri no Saikyō tai Saikyō"
- Lyrics: Masaru Satō, Music: Chiho Kiyo'oka, Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto, Vocals: Hironobu Kageyama & Ammy
- "Tobikkiri no Saikyō tai Saikyō"
- FUNimation dub
- Drowning Pool - "Reminded"
- Dust for Life - "Poison"
- American Pearl - "Seven Years"
- Breaking Point - "Under"
- Finger Eleven - "Stay and Drown"
- Breaking Point - "Falling Down"
- Drowning Pool - "Mute"
- Disturbed - "The Game"
- Drowning Pool - "Told You So"
- Deftones - "Change"
- American Pearl - "Revelation"
- Breaking Point - "Phoenix"
[edit] Trivia
- By title, Cooler's Revenge is sometimes mistaken for The Return of Cooler, as the theme of the latter film deals with a true plot for revenge by Cooler. The 'revenge' referred to in the title of Cooler's Revenge is an allusion to Cooler's non-personal vendetta with Goku, for his shame over the defeat of his brother, Frieza.
- Cooler's Revenge establishes that Cooler is the reason Goku's Saiyan Pod made its safe travel to Earth, after identifying Goku is harmless to his brother's operation (that, as well as the fact that he was upset at his Brother for making a mistake like that).
- Icarus, who first appeared in The Tree of Might, Lord Slug and the Garlic Jr. Saga is seen multiple times in the film.
- This is the first Dragon Ball Z film in which Goku transforms into his traditional Super Saiyan form.
- Goku was able to easily transform into a Super Saiyan when Future Trunks showed up in the Trunks Saga; however, he had to become enraged to turn Super Saiyan when fighting Cooler. Of course, this was done so the fight with Cooler would last longer, as Goku was stronger than Cooler in Super Saiyan form, but it is a plot hole, though this could be because of the alternate timeline theory.
- All three of Cooler's henchmen are killed by Piccolo. Coincidentally, all members of the Ginyu Force (except Ginyu), who Cooler's Armoured Squad is based on, are killed by Vegeta.
- This is the first Dragon Ball Z movie in which the Dragon Balls are not a part of the plot.
- For reasons unknown Gohan has a tail in this movie. It is however possible for it to have grown back and to be removed again between when Frieza came to earth and the arrival of the Androids.
- When Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan, a Robin that died as a result of Cooler's tearing the planet apart is revived and flies away. This would imply that the Super Saiyan has a degree of healing abilities.
- Final appearance of Icarus/Higher Dragon.
- First time Goku defeats a movie villain using an attack other than the Spirit Bomb/Genki Dama.
[edit] Sources
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ball-Z-Feature-Uncut/dp/B00005M2C4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245608457&sr=8-2
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpdsqUjFUX0&feature=channel_page
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ball-Movies-Coolers-Revenge/dp/B00006SFK6/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1245608457&sr=8-7
- ↑ http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Ball-Coolers-Revenge-Steelbook/dp/B001F2U6YM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1247880467&sr=8-2
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