Dragon Ball Z has a long and complicated history in its journey to America. Though this is certainly to be expected from a series that has been around for more than thirty years (God has it really been that long), the various different dubs for this series is truly staggering.
There were many false starts and tweaking that needed to be done before the dub was perfected into what it is today. Still, while there were many attempts to dub Dragon Ball Z into English, none elicit as much confusion as one particular dub that is referred to as 'The Big Green.' What is this dub though and what makes it so infamous?
The History of Dragon Ball Z in English
The history of Dragon Ball Z in English is too long to completely cover in one article (believe us: We've written several on the topic), however we can tell you that there were many attempts to bring the series over. The first (and least known) was when Harmony Gold tried to get the franchise's prequel series Dragon Ball on the air. That short stint did not yield positive results, and years later Funimation Productions would take a swing at it.
While earlier dubs done as co-productions with Saban and Ocean Studios yielded mixed results, after more than twenty years the Funimation cast (which has since moved over to Crunchyroll) is now considered the gold standard, and have been handling Dragon Ball Z in English to much satisfaction for many fans of the franchise (minus a hiccup or two). Outside of America though another studio known as AB Groupe made an English dub for countries such as the Philippines and France. It is this dub that has been referred to as 'The Big Green' dub by viewers.
Why is the AB Groupe Dub Referred to as 'The Big Green?'
'The Big Green' dub of Dragon Ball Z is often considered to be one of the most infamous and poorly produced English dubs of the show. So bad is this dub there is still debate on whether it's a 'so bad its good' sort of situation or just plain 'bad.' 'The Big Green' dub was created by the aforementioned AB Groupe, who was based in France. They acquired the rights to Dragon Ball Z and produced their own English dub for international distribution. However, the quality of the dub was widely criticized by fans due to its poor voice acting, inaccurate script translations, and numerous editing errors.
In 'The Big Green' dub, many of the character names were changed, and the dialogue often deviated significantly from the original Japanese script (this isn't too much of a surprise, as this was a pretty common practice back then). The voice acting performances were often considered to be subpar, with awkward delivery and mispronunciations. As for why fans refer to this version of the series as 'The Big Green' it refers to the fact that Nameckian Piccolo was renamed The Big Green in the dub. Yes, this is despite the fact that names like Goku and Kiririn stayed the same, the producers at AB Groupe thought that The Big Green would be a better name for Piccolo as opposed to...basically anything else.
Despite its negative reception of the production overall (and the totally baffling name change Piccolo received), 'The Big Green' dub gained some notoriety and became the subject of parody and memes within the Dragon Ball Z fan community. For those who have never watched Dragon Ball Z before, it is generally recommended that fans watch the official English dub produced by Funimation or watch the series with subtitles to experience the show in a more faithful and enjoyable manner. However, for fans who just want to laugh their butt off with a silly dub that is tone-deaf and cringy at best, there is a lot to love about 'The Big Green' dub.
Can Viewers Watch this Dub?
Believe it or not, 'The Big Green' dub of Dragon Ball Z is available for viewing...although its availability may vary depending on the region and platform. Since 'The Big Green' dub was produced by AB Groupe for international distribution, it is more commonly found in non-English-speaking regions where the rights were acquired. That means if you are in America or Canada, you will find the dub less widely available compared to the official Funimation English dub.
However, it is worth noting that 'The Big Green' dub has gained a bit of a cult following due to its infamy, and it can sometimes be found on unofficial or fan-uploaded video-sharing platforms. Additionally, some DVD releases or older VHS tapes may contain 'The Big Green' dub. If we were to make a humble suggestion though, the best way to view this particular dub may be with the various clip collections on YouTube, in which viewers grab the most ridiculous and hilarious lines into ten-minute super cuts. These cuts provide brief but hilarious entertainment for everyone watching!
The Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z can be viewed on Crunchyroll.