Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon, known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Ryū-Ken Bakuhatsu!! Gokū ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru (ドラゴンボールZ 龍拳爆発!!悟空がやらねば誰がやる, Doragon Bōru Zetto Ryū-Ken Bakuhatsu!! Gokū ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru; ; ; lit. "Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Fist Explosion!! If Gokū Can't Do It, Who Will"), is the 13th movie in the Dragon Ball Z series. It was originally released in Japan on July 15 1995 between episodes 270 and 271. It was translated by FUNimation and was released in the United States on September 12, 2006. It was re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 19, 2009 alongside Fusion Reborn.
Plot
The return of Hirudegarn
The movie begins with a young boy, Minotia, on a distant planet frantically searching his current area, sword at the ready. Suddenly a loud noise alerts him that the thing he was searching for is behind him. However, it is too late to react as the young boy is smashed under the foot of a giant creature. Off in the distance, a villainous laugh can be heard.
Hirudegarn in his Second Form
The movie then cuts to Earth as a bank robbery is taking place. The bank robbers are getting away when Great Saiyaman, Gohan’s superhero alter ego, stops the car with his foot and smashes the front end flinging the felons out the car to confront Great Saiyaman II (Funimation dub Great Saiyawoman), Videl’s superhero alias. They apprehend the felons and turn them into the police, all the while being spied on by some strange old man in the shadows. A short while later, they are summoned again from their school to rescue an old man who wants to commit suicide. When Gohan and Videl arrive on the scene, they discover that he is the same man who had been spying on them. After rescuing him, the old man introduces himself as Hoi and tells the two about the legendary warrior Tapion and that he needs their help in releasing him from the music box he is being held in, as the Earth would be endangered if he were not released. Gohan tries to open the box with his massive strength but to no avail. The old man tells them he knows of the Dragon Balls, and advises the couple to use them to open the box. They agree to bring the box to Bulma’s home first to see if there was another way to open the mysterious box, not knowing that Hoi had other plans on his mind.
They arrive at Bulma’s house with Goku, Goten, and Krillin. After analyzing the box, Goku tries his hand at opening the box but he cannot open it either. So it was decided to gather the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron to see if he can open it. After summoning Shenron, Tapion is released and the music box shatters into pieces. Angry at the fact that he was released, Tapion demands that he be resealed in the box, impossible due to the damage done by his emergence. A furious Tapion storms off, determined to stay alone in order to hide the fact he was holding the upper half of the creature called the Hirudegarn in his body. He isolates himself in a dilapidated building. The warrior is visited regularly by Trunks, who has taken a liking to him and brings him food, but Tapion refuses to eat and rebuffs Trunks' attempts to bond with him. Trunks only becomes more determined to crack the loner's icy exterior, as he sees in Tapion what Goten has in Gohan, something he never had: an older brother.
Shortly after Tapion is released, Hirudegarn's lower half starts to wreck West City. Gohan and Videl arrive at the scene to investigate, but shortly after they arrive, they are almost swept away by the monster's tail. They execute their Great Saiyaman poses, however Hirudegarn's legs are not impressed; he throws the two heroes to opposite sides of the street, causing Videl to lose her helmet, and Gohan losing his turban and sunglasses. Gohan, with Videl's support, immediately counter-attacks. After Gohan transforms into his Ultimate form, Videl thinks Gohan has won, but Gohan says it isn't over yet. Tapion comes to aid Gohan and Videl by playing a magical tune on his ocarina, weakening Hirudegarn's bottom half, causing it to vanish. Leaving the battlefield, Tapion comes to believe that Hoi has already killed Minotia, Tapion’s younger brother.
Later on, while Trunks is again visiting Tapion, Hoi attempts to steal the ocarina from Tapion. Hoi is confronted by Trunks. The devious Hoi tells Trunks that Tapion is the true monster. The young Saiyan doesn't believe him, and instead gives the instrument back to Tapion. Tapion then befriends Trunks, and asks him to dine with him. Tapion is invited by Trunks to stay at Capsule Corporation. While there, Tapion explains the whole story to Bulma.
Tapion's past
Main article: Hirudegarn war Tapion starts his story beginning thousands of years ago. On Planet Konats, a planet in the southern galaxy of the universe, a group of black magicians, the Kashvar, use a spell on a statue to bring the monster it depicted to life, thus sparking a war on the planet. The monster, Hirudegarn, goes on a rampage and kills everyone who tries to get in his way, devastating the planet. Two young heroes, Tapion and his brother Minotia, manage to freeze the monster in his tracks by each playing their divine ocarinas, giving a wizard the opportunity to cut the monster in half with a divine sword. Since Hirudegarn can't be killed at the time, his upper-half is sealed in Tapion and the other half in Minotia. However, fearing that the monster might reappear someday, the brothers are separated, each sealed in a music box, and shot into opposite ends of the galaxy. The music box holding Tapion lands on Earth. Soon after, Hoi becomes determined to resurrect the monster to rule the universe. He releases Hirudegarn's lower half on a distant planet and easily disposes of Minotia, with the monster crushing the young warrior underfoot. Now on Earth, Hoi plans to unite the Hirudegarn’s body and release the creature on Earth.
After hearing Tapion’s story, Bulma decides to create a room based on the broken music box design and the music the ocarina produces so that Tapion can finally rest.
Z Fighters vs. Hirudegarn
Hirudegarn attacks a city on Earth
Tapion tries sleeping inside the new chamber, but he has a terrible nightmare that causes him to destroy the chamber. At the same time, Hirudegarn's lower half is once again wreaking havoc, as he draws many men and women into his tail to devour their life energy. The next morning Goku, his sons, and Videl arrive at Bulma’s house to inspect the destroyed chamber. Tapion appears suddenly, warning everyone the lower half of the creature is on the loose. To stop the creature from uniting its body he asks the group to kill him, in turn killing the creature’s upper half. Then however Hoi and the lower half of the Hirudegarn appear to stop anyone from killing Tapion. When Tapion is about to play the tone from the ocarina, the power of the lower half being so close to Tapion causes the upper half in Tapion’s body to react and release itself. Hoi succeeds in his plans, and with the monster back together, he believes nothing can stop him. A battle begins. Goku transforms into his Super Saiyan 2 form, Goten transforms into his Super Saiyan form, and Gohan powers up his maximum potential, thanks to Elder Kai's ritual, to do battle. They launch their counterattack, but are quickly beaten since the monster can easily dodge by teleporting and countering their attacks. Gohan is grabbed and just before he is about to be squezzed into a pulp by Hirudegarn, Vegeta saves him by firing a ki blast at Hirudegarn's arm and proceeds to fight. He transforms into a Super Saiyan 2, angry at Hirudegarn for wrecking his house in Capsule Corporation. After a brief fight Vegeta is thrown into a nearby building but is knocked out after he saves the people in the building from Hirudegarn's flame attack by using all his powers to create a barrier strong enough to withstand the assault. Goku comes in to help but still is unable to beat the monster and is knocked out. Goten and Trunks become Gotenks with the Fusion Dance. Gotenks, now a Super Saiyan 3, seems to be enough to fight the monster and fires his Die Die Missile Attack at the monster. Hirudegarn is believed to be dead or at least neutralized but the attack only causes him to evolve into his second, more powerful form. Now in his new insect-like form, Hirudegarn mows Gotenks down to the ground and splits Gotenks back into Goten and Trunks. Gohan and Videl are then thrown into a building and Goku into some rubble. However, Goku isn't out and keeps on fighting with all his might.
Just then, Tapion plays the ocarina again and manages to seal Hirudegarn inside himself. He then asks Trunks to kill him with his own sword, which will destroy the trapped monster. Trunks hesitates at first, but is about to do as requested when Hirudegarn breaks free. His ocarina is destroyed in the process. Hoi (who's been watching the whole fight) mocks Tapion for being so foolish, but is killed as Hirudegarn steps on and crushes him. Just then Goku reappears in his powerful Super Saiyan 3 form and a battle
Hirudegarn is obliterated by Goku's Super Dragon Fist
begins between Goku and the Hirudegarn. Nevertheless, Trunks tries to fight Hirudegarn too with Tapion's sword and manages to cut off the monster's tail, but Goku stops Trunks. Gohan yells at Goku about the weakness of the Hirudegarn which Goku has already seen and uses his Dragon Fist to pierce through Hirudegarn, obliterating the monster.
With the monster gone for good, Tapion uses Bulma's time machine to go back to his own planet, after giving his sword to Trunks.
Canonicity
This film, Wrath of the Dragon can be placed on the series timeline, after the demise of Kid Buu by Goku. According to Daizenshuu 7, it takes place in approximately 774 Age.
Cast
| Character Name | Voice Actor (Japanese) | Voice Actor (English) |
|---|---|---|
| Goku | Masako Nozawa | Sean Schemmel |
| Gohan | Masako Nozawa | Kyle Hebert |
| Goten | Masako Nozawa | Kara Edwards |
| Vegeta | Ryo Horikawa | Christopher Sabat |
| Trunks | Takeshi Kusao | Laura Bailey |
| Bulma | Hiromi Tsuru | Tiffany Vollmer |
| Krillin | Mayumi Tanaka | Sonny Strait |
| Videl | Yuko Minaguchi | Kara Edwards |
| Master Roshi | Masaharu Satou | Mike McFarland |
| Oolong | Naoki Tatsuta | Bradford Jackson |
| Shenron | Masaharu Satou | Christopher Sabat |
| Gotenks | Masako Nozawa Takeshi Kusao |
Kara Edwards Laura Bailey |
| Hoi | Shigeharu Matsuda | Troy Baker |
| Tapion | Hiro Yuuki | Jason Liebrecht |
| Hirudegarn | Shin Aomori |
Robert McCollum |
| Narration | Joji Yanami | Kyle Hebert |
Trivia
- Unlike the other movies, this one does not have an opening credits sequence. Instead, the credits are played over the first part of the movie following the "teaser" scene at the beginning.
- When Shenron is summoned, he says he is there to grant them one wish, even though this is set after Dende has become guardian of the Earth, meaning that Shenron should grant two wishes.
- This movie shows that a Fusion can be ended if the fused character takes too much damage.
- Vegeta only appears briefly in the film. His screen time is only about two minutes.
- This is the first movie where Goku fights in his Super Saiyan 2 form. (In Fusion Reborn, Goku appears in this form for a brief moment, but only while transforming into Super Saiyan 3.) Goku didn't use his Super Saiyan form in this movie (only his 2 and 3 forms).
- This is the first and only movie to feature Gotenks in his Super Saiyan 3 form.
- This movie marks the last time Gohan fights in his Ultimate form.
- This and Fusion Reborn are the only movies to feature both Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Gotenks. Together they defeat both of Hirudegarn's forms. (Gotenks defeats his first form and Goku defeats his second form.)
- At the end of the Japanese version of this movie, as the Z fighters bid their final farewell to Tapion, they mention that they will gather the Dragon Balls and wish everyone back to life who was caught in the crossfire during their battle. The English version features no such dialogue.
- At the beggining of the ending credits Future Trunks is shown fighting Mecha Frieza, slicing him with his sword which is a strong hint that the sword that Tapion gave Kid Trunks somehow got to the hands of his alternate self.