Disney+ have once again expanded its anime selection in the UK, as today 54 Episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai have been added to the streaming platform in both dubbed and subbed format.
For those unfamiliar; Dragon Ball Z Kai is described as the ‘true to the manga cut’ version of the Dragon Ball Z anime, and sees filler content removed, some scenes changed, and new scenes animated to give it a more modern fast-paced feel. The episodes added to Disney+ cover the Saiyan, Namek and Frieza Arcs of the story with them available to watch in English, Japanese and French with subtitles available in English and French. It is expected that more episodes will be added in the future, but it is unclear when.
While the availability of Dragon Ball Z Kai on Disney+ in the UK is exciting news it does come with some disappointment. The episodes added to Disney+ are exactly the same as the episodes that were added to Crunchyroll in 2024. This means the episodes are presented in 16:9 widescreen as opposed to the original 4:3 aspect ratio and feature some differences.
As a reminder the Blu-Ray and DVD releases of Dragon Ball Z Kai in the UK (and North America), as well as the original broadcast of the series in Japan, saw episodes presented in 4:3 aspect ratio just like the original series of Dragon Ball Z.
Image above is being used as a reference for the difference between 4:3 and 16:9 versions of the series.
Additionally the opening and closing segments are presented with Japanese text (as opposed to the translated/localized versions seen on the Blu-Ray and DVD releases) and the songs, unlike the Crunchyroll streams, are only sung in Japanese when watching it dubbed in English.
Image above is being used as a reference for the difference between the Blu-Ray and streaming versions of the series.
It seems TOEI Animation have reworked Dragon Ball Z Kai so that the entire series is presented in 16:9 widescreen. This would also explain why the opening and ending sequences, as well as episode title cards, are only presented in Japanese rather than in localized form when watching it in English. Another difference is that the English Dub audio slightly seemed out of sync, just like they did on Crunchyroll, when compared to the Blu-Ray and DVD releases.
Dragon Ball Z Kai: Horrifyingly evil villains from the darkest corners of space and time are colliding with Earth, and Goku—the strongest fighter on the planet—is all that stands between humanity and extinction. Joined in battle by the courageous Z Fighters, Goku travels to distant and dangerous realms in search of the magic powers of the seven Dragon Balls—and a good fight!
Either way, as it stands only 54 Episodes have been added to Crunchyroll, which covers the Saiyan, Namek, and Frieza Arcs of the story with more episodes expected to be added in the near future. The addition of Dragon Ball Z Kai to Disney+ is a welcome surprice, and has most likely been added as part of the Hulu expansion in the UK. Either way, if you are looking to watch Dragon Ball Z in a trimmed down, slightly updated, form then you can now do so on Disney+ (as well as Crunchyroll) in the UK. Of course, if you are looking for the best version of the series then it might be better owning it on Blu-Ray.
