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The Path to Power Movie - Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball: Path to Power is a Japanese fantasy martial arts anime film originally released on March 2, 1996, and based on Akira Toriyama 's Dragon Ball manga . The Path to Power adapts the Red Ribbon Army and Dragon Ball Search arcs of the original story. The release took place at the Toei Anime Fair for the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Dragon Ball anime series. It was produced and distributed by Toei Animation Company and grossed 600 million yen at the box office.

Summary

The path to power begins with the introduction of Goku , a young boy with a monkey tail who possesses superhuman strength and martial arts skills. One day, he goes fishing, catches a fish, and is almost hit by a car driven by a girl named Bulma. Goku thinks the car looks like a monster and throws it aside, Bulma shoots him in return. Goku also thinks she is a demon, but she manages to convince him that she is not.

Goku invites her to his house because his Grandpa Gohan Goku always taught him to treat girls well. Bulma agrees to visit Goku's house and, once inside, he shows Bulma a glowing orange ball, a sign that makes Goku believe his grandfather's spirit is inside. Suddenly, Bulma asks if she can have the orange ball. Goku refuses the request, leading Bulma to show him two of her own Dragon Balls, which she claims to have received from her uncle.

She convinces Goku to go on a journey with her after telling him the story of the wish-granting Dragon Balls (with the ulterior motive of making Goku her bodyguard). She says she would use the Dragon Balls to find the perfect man for herself. At first, Goku disagrees, but Bulma convinces him by telling him that finding the Dragon Balls will make him strong.

They jump on Bulma's bike and, as they ride through the forest, are stopped by a bull that tries to scare Goku, but he doesn't move. The bull then transforms into a robot and tries to scare Goku again, but he remains unfazed. After that, the creature tries to escape by transforming into a bat. After five minutes, the monster transforms back into its original form, a pig, and introduces itself as Oolong . None Yamcha then attacks the group, demanding capsules and money. Puar then recognizes Oolong and chastises him for using perverted antics during Transfiguration School. Yamcha attacks Goku and is about to defeat him, but Bulma wakes up, causing Yamcha to become paralyzed with fear. Both Yamcha and Puar retreat.

On their journey to retrieve the remaining Dragon Balls, they find Muscle Tower, which is filled with soldiers who attack as soon as they are detected. Goku charges inside the tower until he encounters the robot Major Metallitron, whose head Goku quickly decapitates. General White of the Red Ribbon Army orders all of his forces to attack Goku and unleashes their deadliest weapon, Android 8.

Android 8 is a robot that resembles Frankenstein's monster and initially charges at Goku, but when ordered to kill Goku, refuses. This led White to decide to self-destruct Android 8. Goku kicks the controller away and saves Android 8, after which they become friends. They say their goodbyes before continuing their journey.

On the road, Oolong drives the house car and has to steer around a sea turtle on the road to avoid hitting it. The sea turtle explains that it is lost and wants to return to the sea. The group helps it reach the sea, and the turtle promises them a reward the next day. They spend the night on the beach, and when the turtle returns, it brings Master Roshi with it. Master Roshi summons an Immortal Phoenix. Unfortunately, the mythical bird apparently died at some point. Thus, Roshi summons the Flying Nimbus. Goku is the only one who can ride it, making him its new owner.

While Goku is flying on the Nimbus Cloud, Bulma discovers that Roshi also has a Dragon Ball. Master Roshi agrees to give it to her only if she shows him her underwear. She goes to change in the wagon, but General Blue and the Red Ribbon Army attack them in battleships. Roshi decides to stand up and fight with a Kamehameha wave, but the rest of Goku's friends end up being captured by Blue's soldiers and sent to prison at the Red Ribbon headquarters.

Goku wakes up alone on the beach and discovers the others are being held captive. He goes to rescue them, finds the other Dragon Balls, and battles the Red Ribbon soldiers. While Goku fights a group of soldiers, Red Ribbon Commander Red and Officer Black escape with all six Dragon Balls. However, Black hears Red wishing to become bigger, which enrages him enough to shoot the commander, vowing that he wants the Red Ribbon Army to rule the world.

Officer Black then summons a giant robot that nearly destroys Goku. As Goku struggles to survive, Android 8 appears and saves Goku, allowing him to defeat the giant robot. Unfortunately, Android 8 is shattered in the process. Goku finishes Officer Black off in despair over Android 8. Bulma then summons the Dragon Shenron, and Bulma and the others allow Goku to make the wish since they are already satisfied. Goku wishes for Android 8 to be reborn without a bomb inside him.

Music

The ending theme "Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku" is performed by Field of View and features lyrics written by Izumi Sakai, music by Tetsuro Oda, and arrangement by Takeshi Hayama.

Press releases

The film was originally released on VHS and Laserdisc in 1998. In 2009, a DVD version of the film was released. The English dub by Funimation received praise from fans for its well-written dialogue. The English dubbed version was released on VHS and DVD in April 2003. A remastered four-disc box set was also released in North America in February 2011.