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"What do we do about Moon festivals from now on?!! What about moon pies?! And what about those poor werewolves who want to transform?! This is terrible!!"
— World Tournament Announcer after Jackie Chun blew up the moon in "The Final Blow"


The World Tournament Announcer[2][3] (てんいちどうかいアナウンサー Tenkaichi Budōkai Anaunsā, lit. "The Number One Under Heaven Martial Arts Gathering Announcer") is the man who hosts every World Martial Arts Tournament from the beginning of Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball GT. Along with commentating, he sometimes acts as a referee for tournament matches other than the preliminary matches, usually counting when a contestant is down.

Quick Answers

Who provides the voice for the DBZ announcer? toggle section
In Dragon Ball Z, the World Tournament Announcer is voiced by Hirotaka Suzuoki in Japanese and Eric Vale in the Funimation English dub.
Provided by: Fandom
What role does the World Tournament Announcer play in Dragon Ball Z? toggle section
In Dragon Ball Z, the World Tournament Announcer serves as the commentator for the World Martial Arts Tournaments. Known for his energetic style, he provides live commentary during the events. Over time, he becomes aware of the Dragon Team's true role in saving Earth, despite Mr. Satan receiving public credit. He mistakenly thought Goku defeated Cell, having seen Goku's skills in past tournaments. The announcer also appears in Dragon Ball GT, hosting the 31st tournament.
Provided by: Fandom
What unique traits define the Dragon Ball Z announcer's appearance? toggle section
The Dragon Ball Z announcer is known for his blonde hair, sunglasses, and a navy-blue or black suit with a pink shirt and red necktie. He later develops a black pencil mustache and shows signs of aging like a receding hairline.
Provided by: Fandom
How does the World Tournament Announcer interact with Ranfan? toggle section
The World Tournament Announcer interacts with Ranfan by announcing and providing commentary during her match against Nam. Nam wins the match using his Shura Gekiretsuken technique.
Provided by: Fandom

Appearance[]

The announcer has blonde hair and wears sunglasses with a navy-blue/black business suit, a pink shirt and red necktie. By the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he has grown a black pencil mustache, which is consistent for the rest of his appearances. Between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, he loses one tiny hair bang probably due to age. Ten years after Kid Buu's defeat, his age starts to show as his hairline has receded and his face has developed noticeable wrinkles.

Personality[]

For the most part, he is shown to have an eccentric personality, being very loud and demonstrative whenever describing the battle occurring in front of him, along with showing the amazement of the unique techniques every fighter he sees uses. But a major flaw he is shown to have is not starting the countdown at the correct time due to him being too distracted with the events occurring around him, and if he did not have this trait, many fights would have ended differently or earlier based on the time he started the countdown. He seems to have an understanding of ki techniques and is familiar with a select few of them.

The announcer is also one of the few Earthlings to know full well that Goku and his friends were responsible for Cell's defeat at the Cell Games instead of Mr. Satan, and refuses to believe Mr. Satan's claims of ki attacks being mere "tricks" due to his passion, familiarity, and understanding of the techniques. His amazement in Goku's abilities also caused him to view regular human's matches as boring, and he spent numerous years craving for Goku's return to the tournaments. This has put him on good terms with Goku and co., even Piccolo, who he jokingly reminds not to destroy the tournament stage, even earning a smirk from the Namekian.

Biography[]

Dragon Ball[]

Tournament Saga[]

The announcer declaring Jackie Chun wins against Man-Wolf

The announcer declaring Jackie Chun wins against Man-Wolf

In the 21st World Martial Art Tournament, during the first battle of Krillin vs. Bacterian, a helper is seen counting instead of the announcer. 

Tien Shinhan Saga[]

The announcer during 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament

The announcer during 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament

In the 22nd World Martial Art Tournament, when Krillin brings Goku down by grabbing his tail, the announcer gets distracted after he said '9' by an audience member who complemented him on his hair. In every tournament, aside from the 21st, an unfortunate event occurs that enhances his role, such as in the King Piccolo Saga when he witnessed Krillin slain by Tambourine.

Piccolo Jr. Saga[]

The announcer telling everyone to run away from Piccolo

The announcer telling everyone to run away from Piccolo

Later, he becomes very important as he witnesses Goku's fight with Piccolo from the sidelines along with Goku's friends; the World Martial Arts Announcer is the only non-Z Fighter not to abandon the tournament when Piccolo states he will slaughter everyone. When Piccolo is later assumed knocked out when Goku uses his Meteor Combination, the announcer counts down, however, Piccolo makes a quick recovery when the announcer counts to 9 and use a mouth blast to impale Goku through the chest, continuing the brutal torture with Goku. He eventually declares Goku the winner of the tournament match when Piccolo is knocked out of the arena by Goku's headbutt, making him one of the few civilians to know the truth (this event was later referenced in the World Tournament Saga when Piccolo competes in the tournament, where he jokingly asks him not to destroy the ring again).

Dragon Ball Z[]

Cell Saga[]

The World Tournament Announcer is seen in a flashback.

Majin Buu Saga[]

The announcer in Dragon Ball Z

The announcer in Dragon Ball Z

Over the years, he has become an acquaintance with the Z Fighters, and knows that they, not Mr. Satan, are responsible for saving the Earth. He thought that it was Goku that killed Cell, as he was witness to Goku's feats of power in the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd tournaments (although it was Gohan who actually destroyed the villain, even though Goku did somewhat helped him to bring out the energy that was hidden in Gohan). He exhibits doubts over Mr. Satan's abilities, such as when Vegeta who was under the control of Babidi goes out of control. Although he believes Mr. Satan is not the hero he claims to be, he praises him in order to make fans cheer and hides the secret about Mr. Satan not being the one who defeated Cell.

Peaceful World Saga[]

The announcer at the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament

The announcer at the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament

He rates Goku on par with Majin Buu in the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament, saying they would be in the finals.

Dragon Ball GT[]

Super 17 Saga[]

The announcer in Dragon Ball GT

The announcer in Dragon Ball GT

6 years later in Dragon Ball GT, he is seen hosting the 31st World Martial Arts Tournament, as Goku competes in the Junior Division, and Pan along with Mr. Satan and Majuub (as Papayaman) compete in the Adult Division.

Shadow Dragon Saga[]

The World Tournament Announcer is seen in a flashback.

Appearances[]

Manga[]

Chapter Appearances
v  e
Tournament Saga
24. The High Price of Education Absent
25. A Rival Arrives!! Absent
26. Who's That Girl? Absent
27. Nothing to Sneeze At Absent
28. Let the Training Begin! Absent
29. Bad Day at Turtle Rock Absent
30. Milk Run Absent
31. It Only Gets Harder Absent
32. Let the Contest Begin!! Absent
33. Hard Work Pays!! Absent
34. Strongest Under the Heavens! Absent
35. The Battle is Set!! Debut
36. Match No. 1 Appears
37. Match No. 2 Appears
38. Water and Cheesecake! Appears
39. Monster Smash Appears
40. The Tail of Goku Appears
41. Kuririn vs. Jackie Chun Appears
42. The Big Fight Appears
43. The Mysterious Jackie Chun Appears
44. The Name of the Game is Namu Appears
45. Taking the Air Appears
46. The Final Match Appears
47. The Kamehameha Appears
48. One Lucky Monkey Appears
49. The Big Sleep Appears
50. Jackie's Shocking Secret Appears
51. And the Crowd Goes Wild!!! Appears
52. The Climax Approaches! Appears
53. The Final Blow Appears
54. On the Road Again Appears
v  e
Tien Shinhan Saga
113. Return to the Tournament Absent
114. The Qualifying Rounds Absent
115. King Chappa Absent
116. The Doctored Lottery Appears
117. Yamcha's Kamehameha! Voice
118. The Cruelty of Tenshinhan Appears
119. The Full Moon Grudge Appears
120. Look Out! The Dodon Blast! Appears
121. Kuririn's Master Plan Appears
122. Goku vs. Panpoot Appears
123. Tenshinhan vs. Jackie Chun Appears
124. Young Tenshinhan Appears
125. Goku vs. Kuririn Appears
126. Goku vs. Kuririn, Part 2 Appears
127. Goku vs. Kuririn, Part 3 Appears
128. Goku vs. Tenshinhan Appears
129. The Volleyball Play Appears
130. The Fist of the Sun Appears
131. Tsuru-Sen'nin Appears
132. The Arms Race Appears
133. Desperation Move Appears
134. Up in the Air Appears
v  e
King Piccolo Saga
135. The Death of Kuririn Appears
136. Target: Tenka'ichi Budokai Absent
137. We Need You, Goku! Absent
138. The Weirdo with the Ball Absent
139. Yajirobe's Prey Absent
140. The Martial Artist Hunters Absent
141. Goku vs. Tambourine Absent
142. Piccolo Descends! Absent
143. Goku vs. The Demon King Absent
144. Goku... Loses? Absent
145. The Muten-Rōshi's Decision Absent
146. The Mafū-Ba Absent
147. The Demon King of Old... Restored! Absent
148. Go Ask Karin! Absent
149. World Domination Absent
150. Karin's Quandary Absent
151. The Superest Super Water!!! Absent
152. Piccolo's World Absent
153. Tenshinhan's Resolve Absent
154. Tenshinhan vs. Drum Absent
155. Guess Who's Back? Absent
156. Fury Absent
157. The Immortal Battle Absent
158. Goku's Greatest Crisis! Absent
159. The Blasted Earth Absent
160. Goku's Final Gamble Absent
161. The Fist of Son Goku Absent
v  e
Piccolo Jr. Saga
162. The Niyoi-bo's Secret Absent
163. The Sanctuary of Kami-sama Absent
164. Enter God Absent
165. Shen Long Resurrected! Absent
166. The Reunion Absent
167. New Challengers Absent
168. The 8 Finalists Appears
169. Tenshinhan vs. Taopaipai Appears
170. The Assassin's Struggle Appears
171. Goku Gets Married! Appears
172. Kuririn vs. Demon Junior Appears
173. Kuririn vs. Demon Junior, Part 2 Appears
174. Yamcha vs. Shen Appears
175. Shen Appears
176. Goku vs. Tenshinhan Appears
177. Goku vs. Tenshinhan, Part 2 Appears
178. Tenshinhan's Secret Move! Appears
179. The Two Weak Points Appears
180. Kami-sama vs. the Demon King Appears
181. God's Miscalculation Appears
182. The Fated Showdown! Appears
183. Testing the Waters Appears
184. The Real Fight Appears
185. The Super Kamehameha Appears
186. Panic at the Tenkaichi Budokai! Appears
187. Piccolo's Super Giantification Spell Appears
188. Goku's Fight Appears
189. The Demon King's Final Gamble Appears
190. Piccolo Destroys Everything! Appears
191. The 10 Count Appears
192. The Last Gasp! Appears
193. The Fate of the Strongest Appears
194. The Gift of the Dragon Balls Appears
v  e
Great Saiyaman Saga
421. Herculopolis High Absent
422. Undercover Absent
423. A Hero Is Born! Absent
424. Videl's Emergency!! Absent
425. Revealed!!! Absent
426. Strongest in the Heavens! Absent
427. Let the Training Begin! Absent
428. Videl Learns to Fly Absent
429. Fathers Absent
430. The Dragon Team Returns! Absent
431. The Preliminaries Begin Appears
v  e
World Tournament Saga
432. The Two Little Warriors Appears
433. Trunks vs. Goten Appears
434. Trunks vs. Goten, Part 2 Appears
435. The Winner! Appears
436. Hercule's Courage! Appears
437. The Mysterious Duo Appears
438. The Finalists are Chosen! Appears
439. The First Two Fights Appears
440. Shin's Surprise Appears
441. Videl... Battered Appears
442. Gohan Gets Mad!! Appears
443. The Plot of the Lords Appears
444. The Stolen Energy Appears
445. The Terrible Mystery Appears
v  e
Babidi Saga
446. Bobbidi the Warlock Absent
447. The Evil Masters Absent
448. The Descent Absent
449. Stage One: Pocus Absent
450. Stage Two: Yakon Absent
451. Yakon's Treat Absent
452. Battle Royale Appears
453. Mighty Mask Shows His Power! Appears
454. We Have a Winner!! Voice
455. A Wicked Soul Revealed Absent
456. Goku vs. Vegeta Appears
457. Vegeta's Pride Appears
458. Two Battles to the Death Absent
459. Countdown Absent
v  e
Fusion Saga
484. The Creature of Wrath Absent
485. Two Boos?! Absent
486. The New, Terrible Boo Absent
487. Humanity's End Death
488. Return to the Room of Spirit and Time Absent
489. The Confidence of Gotenks!! Absent
490. The Extreme Confidence of Gotenks!! Absent
491. The Kamikaze Ghost! Absent
492. The Door Closes Absent
493. Escape From the Time Dimension Absent
494. Super Gotenks! Absent
495. Super Fusion Unleashed!! Absent
496. Deep Trouble!! Absent
497. Gohan's Counterattack! Absent
498. What's Boo Doing?! Absent
499. Ambush! Absent
500. A Turn of the Tables Absent
501. Enter a Savior?! Absent
502. Will the Potara Prevail?! Absent
503. The Ultimate Combination!! Absent
504. The Ultimate Fighter Absent
505. Vegerot's Game Absent
506. Two Inside Boo Absent
507. Boos Inside Boo Absent
v  e
Peaceful World Saga
517. A Happy Ending... And Then... Absent
518. 10 Years After Appears
519. Farewell, Dragon World! Appears

Anime[]

Episode Appearances
v  e
Daima Saga
1. Conspiracy Flashback
2. Glorio Absent
3. Daima Absent
4. Chatty Absent
5. Panzy Absent
6. Lightning Absent
7. Collar Absent
8. Tamagami Absent
9. Thieves Absent
10. Ocean Absent
11. Legend Absent
12. True Strength Absent
13. Surprise Absent
14. Taboo Absent
15. Third Eye Absent
16. Degesu Absent
17. Gomah Absent
18. Awakening Absent
19. Betrayal Absent
20. Maximum Absent

Appearances in other media[]

Nippon Ijin Taishō[]

The announcer in Nippon Ijin Taishō

The announcer in Nippon Ijin Taishō

The World Tournament Announcer appears in anime segment in the 2007 Nippon Ijin Taishō · Saikyō no Ijin wa Dare? (日本偉人大賞・最強の偉人は誰?; lit. "Japan's Great Awards - Who is the Strongest Hero?"), along with Goku who is a commentator with the Fuji TV announcer Masaharu Miyake. The segment featured a special World Martial Arts Tournament that was to decide who was the greatest person in Japanese history. The fighters were Musashibo Benkei, Himiko, Prince Shotoku, and Amakusa Shiro. The winner was Prince Shotoku, who defeated Benkei in the final.

Dream 9 Toriko x One Piece x Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special[]

The announcer along IGO Director Mansam

The announcer along IGO Director Mansam

He appears as an announcer in the World's Best Eating Tournament (Tenkaichi Kuōkai) hosted by the International Gourmet Organization (IGO). He takes the commentary in the race and the battle between the lead characters Goku, Luffy, and Toriko.

Video Game Appearances[]

The announcer appears in the following games:

The announcer in Ultimate Battle 22

The announcer in Ultimate Battle 22

The announcer in Dragon Ball Online

The announcer in Dragon Ball Online

In Raging Blast 2, the World Tournament Announcer talks but cannot be seen.

In FighterZ, the World Tournament Announcer appears as the default Replay Commentator under the name Announcer in replay commentary settings.

Voice Actors[]

Trivia[]

The abusive man who resembles the announcer

The abusive man who resembles the announcer

  • The announcer looks very similar to a shady and abusive man who appeared in Akira Toriyama's 1987 one-shot "Lady Red" who had demoted the heroine to prostitution.
  • The announcer seems to have a form of dyslexia; he has trouble reading Goku's and Chiaotzu's names the first time they enter the tournament. He also announces one entrant as Wolf-Man instead of Man-Wolf.[5] This, however, is a dubism, as the Japanese versions have him mispronounce the hanzi/kanji used in their names. The change in setup is due to linguistic differences between written Japanese and written English.
    • In Goku's case, he reads his name in kun'yomi (as "Mago Gosora") instead of fully rendered on'yomi (as "Son Gokuu").
  • In the (English version) manga, the announcer says that Chi-Chi was the first female ever to be in the finals in the 23rd World Tournament, but Ranfan was in the finals of the 21st tournament.
The new announcer at the end of Dragon Ball GT

The new announcer at the end of Dragon Ball GT

  • In the last episode of Dragon Ball GT, there is a new announcer with white hair who is most likely a descendant of the announcer. However, this is not confirmed. He does seem to know Mr. Satan and Goku well since he introduces the Goku and Mr. Satan Statue at the beginning of the tournament. His enthusiasm is also identical to the previous announcer's.
  • The announcer is one of the few humans to recognize Goku and the Z-fighters' power/talent, and that they are the true Earth's defenders, as shown when viewing them as the ones who saved Earth.

Gallery[]

References[]

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