THE DRAGONS
Porunga – the Dragon of Namek, a.k.a. Dragon of Dreams or of Love, created by Guru, the eldest Namek
Shenron – the Dragon of Earth, created by Kami
Shiryu – the Dragon of Death, created by Suishoku & Shirayuri

THE GODS
King Kai – powerful deity who watches over Earth and the North part of the galaxy from Other World
King Yemma – the equivalent of St. Peter, who resides in Other World and judges all souls

THE HUMANS
Bulma Briefs – Goku’s oldest friend, a scientific genius and boy-crazy dingbat, girlfriend to Yamcha
Chiaotzu – Prince-Emperor of a tiny land up north, this small fighter is best friends with Tien
Dr. Briefs – Bulma’s father, president of the world-spanning ultra-rich Capsule Corporation
Dr. Gero – mastermind behind the Red Ribbon Army, creator of killer androids two years hence
Grandpa Gohan – human martial artist who found Goku as a baby and raised him as his own (deceased)
Krillin – the most powerful human warrior, and best friend to Goku
Kurenai – immortal avatar of the Dragon Shiryu, daughter of Suishoku & Shirayuri, the heroine of AtGoT
Master Roshi – Goku & Krillin’s martial arts master, an incurable lecher, a.k.a. Turtle Master
Mrs. Briefs – Bulma’s mother, and Dr. Briefs’ ditzy blonde wife
Omega – a powerful human warrior & wizard, who seeks the power of the Dragon Shiryu
Shirayuri – human sorcerer and a gifted seer, wife of Suishoku (deceased)
Son ChiChi – Goku’s human wife, overprotective and overbearing mother of Gohan
Suishoku – human sorcerer and Lord of the Eastern Mountains, husband of Shirayuri (deceased)
Tien – a human monk & fighter, friend of Goku, devoted to his companion Chiaotzu
Yajirobe – a wandering ronin, cowardly but an excellent swordsman, acquainted with the others
Yamcha – a powerful human warrior, also friend of Goku, and boyfriend of Bulma

THE NAMEKS
Dende – a Namek child with the power of healing, friend of Gohan and Krillin, now lives on New Namek
Kami – a Namek who is currently the Guardian of Earth, and creator of Earth’s Dragonballs
Piccolo – the embodiment of all of Kami’s evil, now fused with another Namek warrior, mentor to Gohan

THE OTHERS
Frieza – alien tyrant, defeated by Goku, later revived, then killed by Trunks
Korin – cat sage, friend of Yajirobe and Kami, once-teacher of Goku, grows the healing Senzu beans
Mr. Popo – the genie who lives at Kami’s Lookout and serves as caretaker and friend to Kami
Oolong – a shape-shifting pig who lives with Master Roshi, cowardly and lecherous
Puar – Yamcha’s dedicated shape-shifting companion
Umigame Turtle – the 1000-year-old tortoise who lives with Master Roshi at Kame House

THE SAIYANS
Son Gohan – Goku & ChiChi’s half-Saiyan, half-human child
Son Goku – a Saiyan raised on Earth, the most powerful warrior alive, and the hero of DBZ
Trunks – son of Vegeta & Bulma (not yet born), a gifted swordsman from an alternate reality
Vegeta – Prince of all Saiyans, the only other surviving Saiyan, the second most powerful warrior

The following is a verbatim transcript of the featurette, “The World of Dragonball Z.”  It can be found on the DVDs for the Trunks Saga, as well as a couple of the movies.  It’s a great recap for those not familiar with the series, and tells the story that begins in DragonBall and goes all the way through the start of the Androids Saga.  Enjoy!

In the beginning of time, before land, before water, there existed only fire, a fire that rages to this day deep within the core of the earth.  It is said that within this heart of fire, there dwells an Eternal Dragon, who can be called forth only when the seven magic Dragonballs, now scattered over the face of the earth, are found and brought together.  When the seven magic Dragonballs are united, the Eternal Dragon will appear before the adventurer who brought them together and grant that person a single wish.  Then, once more the balls will be scattered to the four winds, and the Dragon beast will return to his fiery lair to sleep in peace, until another brave or foolish soul rediscovers the balls…

... and tries to bring them together again.

The World of Dragonball Z

Far away, deep in space, there were two races of people that shared a planet together.  The Tuffles were a refined culture that fancied the arts, while the Saiyans, who peopled the arid wastelands beyond the cities, were a savage bunch who lived in primitive fashion.  This tribe of titans had two distinguishing traits in common – they all had tails, and they all shared the same passion: they loved to fight! 

One day, the inevitable happened.  The Saiyans attacked.

Even though the Saiyans were superior in size and strength, the Tuffles had advanced technology on their side and they quickly gained the upper hand.  But as the battle raged on into the night, the Tuffles made a horrible discovery – that a full moon causes Saiyans to transform into giant, apelike creatures!

The Tuffles never had a chance against the awesome destructive force of the transformed Saiyans.

A new era began on the planet, which is now known as Vegeta.  Deals were made – in exchange for a wealth of money and technology, the Saiyans would conquer other planets and hand them over to whoever hired them to do the job.  The Saiyans’ operations grew exponentially, and to keep up with the demand, these planet pirates even sent their babies to distant planets, knowing that one day, the babies would grow up and carry out the order to extinguish the planet’s inhabitants.  But when the infant Saiyan Kakarrot was sent to the planet Earth, something went drastically wrong…

… and a legend was born.

Unaware of his dark origin, a pure and innocent boy named Goku lived alone in the woods.  Found in the wild, and raised by a legendary master of the martial arts, the boy possessed incredible powers.  And when this exceptional young man teamed up with a girl named Bulma, who was searching for the Dragonballs, it was the beginning of a fantastic adventure.  But little did the unsuspecting pair know how perilous their journey would be.

Bear: “Hand over the turtle if you want to get out of here alive!”

Goku: *pbbbt*

On his journey, Goku met his best friend, Krillin; together, they studied martial arts under the great Master Roshi.  Goku even met his future wife, ChiChi, on his travels. 

Goku: “What’s up?”

ChiChi: “Oh, nothing.  I was just wondering if you’re ever gonna think about me again.”

Goku: “Yeah, I think so.”

ChiChi: “Oh, my, you’re so funny!”

Goku: “Do you think you’re ever gonna think about me again, ChiChi?”

ChiChi: “Oh my gosh!”

And so the boy known as Goku continued to grow and prosper, until one day, he had a boy of his own.  The virtuous little warrior had become a man.

But little did Goku realize that his life was about to change forever. 

Something was approaching him from his past, a past that he had no recollection of.  From the darkness of space, it came; menacing and unexpected, it arrived…

Raditz: “Allow me to introduce myself.  I’m Raditz… your big brother.  You were born on the planet Vegeta.  You are a space fighter, a Saiyan warrior, just like me.”

Master Roshi: “Goku?  There’s something your grandfather told me that I think you should know.  A long time ago, your grandpa Gohan found some sort of spaceship in the woods, and there you were, lying right there in a little round pod.  Gohan tried to take care of you, but you were wild, downright uncontrollable, and unusually powerful for a baby!  Then, one day there was an accident.  You fell into a ravine and badly injured your head.  Any other child would have died, but you recovered.  And from that day on, you became a happy, loving boy!”

Raditz: “Kakarot, with the help of the full moon, you could have destroyed them all in a few years, if you only had remembered!”

Goku: “Listen, this is my home and these are my friends, so it doesn’t matter what you say I am.  My name is Goku and I live here!  Now leave us alone!”

Raditz: “All right, I’ll take the boy instead.”

And so it happened that an innocent reunion of friends turned into a nightmare of epic proportions.  And that wasn’t the only surprise of the day!

Krillin: “PICCOLO!”

Goku’s archrival Piccolo appeared, but something unexpected happened…

Goku: “Let’s team up.”

Piccolo: “All right then, let’s consider it done.”

And so an unlikely alliance was formed between the two greatest super-powers on Earth.  But would it be enough?

Raditz: “All right!  Ready or not, here I come!”

The duo struggled gallantly against Raditz, but the evil Saiyan proved to be too much for them. 

Raditz: “Hey, Kakarot!  Look, we’re both gonna be history if you don’t let me go right now!”

It was only when Goku decided to sacrifice himself that the pair was able to fell the evil giant.  Unfortunately, Raditz wasn’t finished with being the bearer of bad tidings.  He revealed that two more Saiyans, much more powerful than he, were on their way to Earth…

… and that they would arrive in one year.

Krillin: “Goku?  GOKU?!”

It was an emotional time for Goku’s friends, who had to say goodbye to the one they loved so dearly.

Master Roshi: “Goku… hey, look, he’s disappearing!  What happened?”

Piccolo: “I know… it was Kami.”

Krillin: “Who’s Kami?”

Piccolo: “The Guardian of the Earth.  Goku knows him well.  Yes, this is his work.”

It was here that Goku’s unusual journey began… at the Check-In station to the Next Dimension.

Kami: “The other two Saiyans are on their way to Earth right now.  For this reason, we humbly ask that you allow Goku to seek training from King Kai himself!”

Under King Kai’s tutelage, Goku was able to master techniques in a year’s time that would have taken him twenty years to master on Earth… including the devastating Spirit Bomb!

Now that Goku’s training was complete, Master Roshi and Bulma summoned the Eternal Dragon and wished Goku back to the physical plane. 

Shenron: “So be it, your wish has been granted.”

With his sights set on Earth, Goku raced back to the Check-In station as fast as he could!  But the pair of Saiyan space travelers were already too close for comfort, and they arrived shortly before Goku was able to get there! 

Without Goku, Earth’s Special Forces had little hope of fending off the aliens, but they tried their best.

Yamcha was the first to fall. 

Then Chiaotzu made a brave attack, but to no avail. 

Next, his dedicated friend Tien went all out, but it wasn’t enough. 

And finally, Piccolo made the ultimate sacrifice to save Gohan from destruction.

But enough was enough.

At long last, Goku arrived at the battlefield to challenge the two Saiyan invaders.  The colossal Saiyan known as Nappa was the first to encounter Goku.  The giant attacked furiously, but in an awesome display of speed and power, Goku immobilized the enormous titan. 

Now it was time to do battle with Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans.

Vegeta: “Let’s see what you’ve got, Kakarot!  Galic Gun, FIRE!”

It was a horrible clash of unspeakable power, but somehow Goku was able to hold on and do the impossible.

He sent the Saiyan prince packing.

As Master Roshi descended from above, it seemed like a happy dream to the battle-weary Goku and his companions.  No time was wasted, as a plan was hatched to recover their friends who were lost in battle by using the Dragonballs of Planet Namek to bring them back.

Group: “Ha ha ha!  Onward to Namek!”

And so Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma began a new journey into outer space.

Goku’s injuries left him homebound, but the determined warrior never passes up a chance to train… no matter how small it is.

Meanwhile, after a journey that lasted months, the travelers from Earth finally arrived on the planet Namek! 

But no one could have prepared them for the surprise they got after disembarking from their ship…

Bulma: “A Saiyan space pod?!”

Krillin: “What the heck is it doing here?!”

Vegeta had arrived!  He, too, was in search of the Dragonballs!

But little did the others know that a much more formidable adversary had his sights set on the Dragonballs as well…

Frieza, the most feared tyrant in the universe, could destroy entire planets by merely lifting his finger!  And when he underwent a series of bizarre transformations, the giant of evil finally assumed his ultimate form!

Now, a routine mission to Namek turned into a desperate struggle for survival.

In a horrible campaign to gather the Dragonballs and wish for immortality, Frieza left only death and destruction in his wake.  No one had the power to stop this ruthless monster…

… except, perhaps, one man.

Goku: “You seem to delight in seeing other people suffer.  And you treat life like a disposable commodity.  Well, now it’s your turn!”

Goku had finally arrived from Earth, fully recovered, showing the benefits of training in one-hundred-times normal gravity!  In a spectacular display of his newfound skills, Goku went head to head against the mighty Frieza.  But in the end, Frieza’s terrible power was just too much for Goku…

… that is, until the loss of his closest friends and companions sent the Saiyan from Earth over the edge. 

And from the brink of despair, Goku underwent a wild transformation.  In fulfillment of the ancient legend, Goku was now a Super Saiyan!

Frieza: “What… what are you?!”

Goku: “I am the hope of the universe!  I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace.  Your evil deeds are like a noose around your neck!”

Completed rejuvenated, Goku’s power now exceeded Frieza’s!  And though he tried to let the evil tyrant go, the proud Frieza wouldn’t have it.

Frieza, the one who had destroyed so many innocent lives, had finally met his match. 

But the planet Namek had had enough.  She was about to blow, and once again, Goku found himself in a race for his very life!  With his last hope of getting off the planet about to melt in front of his eyes, Goku went for it.  With less than a fraction of a second to spare, Goku escaped the fiery blaze…

… and crash-landed on Planet Yardrat.

Full of awe and wonder at their unexpected guest, the humble inhabitants of Yardrat nursed Goku back to health and treated him as an honored guest for as long as he was among them.

Elsewhere, another survivor of the Namek explosion was being restored to health…

Frieza was alive.

Frieza: “Set a course for Earth, father.”

King Cold: “Planet Earth?  Whatever for, my son?”

Frieza: “I’d like to blow it up.”

Arriving on Earth before Goku, Frieza and his father planned to massacre all of the Earth’s inhabitants in a horrible act of vengeance!

But suddenly a mysterious stranger appeared out of nowhere and boldly declared that he was going to stop them… single-handedly.

Perhaps the daring young man didn’t know what he was getting into, or perhaps, it was the other way around.

But when the radical youth transformed into a Super Saiyan, the writing was on the wall.

And so, Frieza, the destroyer of worlds, finally met his end at the hands of this stranger.  Who could this mystery man be?

Trunks: “My name is Trunks.  This is going to sound really strange, but I’m not from this time.  I traveled here in a time machine twenty years from the future.”

Goku: “Really?  From the future?  That’s incredible!”

Trunks: “Yes.  Vegeta was right.  Only he, yourself, and Gohan have Saiyan blood, and I got mine from him… he’s my father.”

Goku: “WHAT?!  You’re kidding!”

Trunks: “I didn’t come here to tell you that.  I have to talk to you about something.  In three years, on the morning of May twelfth at ten a.m., a horribly destructive duo will show up on an island nine miles southwest of South City.  They have dreadful power, even by our standards!  They’re monsters!  Once this pair surfaces, the Earth and everything you know will be gone for good.”

What shocking news this powerful young emissary from the future brings!  Will his fantastic prophecies about the androids really come true? 

Find out in the upcoming episodes of Dragonball Z!