is a Japanese anime television series based on Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga franchise that ran from February 1996 to November 1997. Produced by Toei Animation, the series premiered in Japan on Fuji Television and its FNS affiliates, running for a total of 64 episodes. Unlike Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, the previous two television adaptations in the Dragon Ball media franchise, Dragon Ball GT does not adapt the manga. It serves as an anime-exclusive sequel to the Dragon Ball Z anime series, with an original story incorporating the same characters and universe. It follows the exploits of Son Goku, the series' main protagonist who is turned back into a child due to a Black Star Dragon Ball wish. After discovering that if they do not recollect all the balls within one year, the Earth will explode, Goku, his granddaughter Pan, and Trunks set off to traverse the universe in an attempt to find them.
Despite the series being a non-manga adaptation, franchise creator Akira Toriyama designed new characters and concepts for Dragon Ball GT. Chronologically, it is the last Dragon Ball series (taking place after Dragon Ball Z) and until the release of Dragon Ball Super (2015–2018), GT was the final televised series of the original Dragon Ball anime trilogy. Another later anime series where Toriyama was more involved in the production, Dragon Ball Daima (2024–2025), borrows several concepts featured in GT.
Plot
Black Star Dragon Balls Saga Five years after the 28th and the end of Dragon Ball Z (changed from 5 to 10 years in the Funimation dub), Son Goku is accidentally turned back into a child by , a much more powerful red version of Shenron created by the Nameless Namekian (before he split into Kami and Demon King Piccolo) who can grant any single wish, regardless of any restrictions placed on the other dragons, summoned from the by his old enemy Emperor Pilaf. He is then forced to travel across the universe to retrieve them, accompanied by his granddaughter Pan and Trunks as, if he does not retrieve them within a year, the Earth will explode. The trio goes through various adventures in their journey to find the Black Star Dragon Balls, until they encounter the artificial Tuffle parasite, Baby, who intends to destroy the Saiyan race as his revenge for their extermination of the Tuffles many years ago.
Baby Saga After turning practically all of the Earth's population, including the Saiyans, into Neo-Tuffles, Baby decides to convert Vegeta's body into his own and use it to kill Goku. Goku fights him and is quickly defeated, but, after having his tail regenerated by Kibito Kai and Old Kai, transforms and achieves the power of . In this new form, Goku easily overpowers Baby before destroying the evil Tuffle by propelling him into the sun with a . Piccolo sacrifices himself to permanently destroy Ultimate Shenron and the Black Star Dragon Balls when the Earth explodes after Goku and the others help the people of Earth evacuate to Planet Plant, which Baby had wished back into existence using the Black Star Dragon Balls.
Super 17 Saga A year after Baby's defeat and Piccolo's sacrifice, Dr. Myuu (Baby's creator) and Dr. Gero (creator of the Red Ribbon Army androids) create an evil replica of in Hell, and have it control the original Android 17 so that a portal from Hell to Earth opens up, leading to a mass invasion of the planet by revived villains. The original Android 17 attempts to mentally manipulate Android 18 as well, but Krillin intervenes. Enraged, 17 murders Krillin by shooting an energy beam through his heart. The two 17s then fuse into , who vows to destroy all of humanity and avenge the Red Ribbon Army's defeat at the hands of Goku. Super 17 seems impervious to all of Goku's attacks, including the Super Saiyan 4's power, but when 18 attacks him to avenge Krillin's death, Goku takes advantage of the distraction to penetrate through Super 17 with his technique, then unleashes a that completely eradicates him.
Shadow Dragons Saga The Dragon Balls are collected to revive those killed by Super 17, including Krillin. However, an evil black dragon emerges and then splits into seven Shadow Dragons, who set out to punish humanity for their constant misuse of the Dragon Balls by destroying the Earth. All but the most powerful and evil, Syn Shenron, are defeated by Goku and Pan. Syn Shenron appears to be losing until he absorbs the Dragon Balls and gains tremendous power, transforming into Omega Shenron and surpassing even Goku's Super Saiyan 4 power. Goku is about to sacrifice himself to destroy the Omega Shenron, but Vegeta intervenes and gains the Super Saiyan 4 transformation with help from Bulma's newest invention, the Blutz Wave Generator. Goku and Vegeta merge using the Fusion Dance technique to create Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, who uses his immense power to beat Omega Shenron to a pulp. However, after being too confident in his ability to defeat Omega Shenron, he uses up too much time in an attempt to embarrass him. Gogeta then defuses and Goku and Vegeta revert to their Base forms. Eventually, using the energy of every living being in the universe, Goku creates the incredibly powerful and uses it to destroy Omega Shenron once and for all.
Afterward, the original Shenron appears from the purified and restored Dragon Balls to grant Goku and his friends one last wish, which they use to revive everyone killed by Super 17 and by the Shadow Dragons after Shenron informs that the Dragon Balls can no longer be used forever and then proceeds to disappear – along with Goku and the Dragon Balls. Several decades later, Goku's great-great-grandson and descendant, Goku Jr., competes in the 64th World Martial Arts Tournament against Vegeta's great-great grandson and descendant, Vegeta Jr., as the now-elderly Pan cheers him on. Pan then sees a now-adult Goku and tries to approach him, but he quickly disappears into the crowd. Goku leaves the World Martial Arts Tournament with a flashback covering all the events of his timeline. Before leaving the 64th World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku retrieves his Power Pole and rides off on his Flying Nimbus cloud, concluding the story of Dragon Ball.
Characters
Main characters Son Goku
Goku is descended from an alien warrior race known as the Saiyans, who sent him, originally named Kakarot, to Earth to prepare it for conquest. In the first episode, Goku is transformed back into a child by an accidental wish made by the Pilaf Gang using the Black Star Dragon Balls, setting in motion the events of the entire series. The Black Star Dragon Balls were then scattered around the whole universe in different planets after the wish making, and due to the lethal side effect of these Black Star Dragon Balls, the Earth was set to be destroyed in a year if the Balls were not collected within that period of time. Goku, his granddaughter Pan, and the son of Vegeta, Trunks, travel the universe to search for the Black Star Dragon Balls and return them to Earth to prevent its destruction. After acquiring the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, Goku battles the evil Tuffle Baby, Super 17, and the evil Shadow Dragons. His final challenge is against Omega Shenron, whom he destroys using the Super Ultra Spirit Bomb. Goku leaves with the original form of Shenron, but not before saying his goodbyes to his friends on Earth. He then appears 100 years later at the next World Martial Arts Tournament as an adult, where he watches a battle between Goku Jr., his descendant, and Vegeta Jr., Vegeta's descendant. An elderly Pan sees him, but he quickly departs. Goku is the main protagonist of Dragon Ball GT and the overall protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise.
Pan is the granddaughter of Goku and Chi-Chi and daughter of Gohan and Videl, as such her ancestry comes from both humans and the extraterrestrials called the Saiyans. Pan appears as a young child in the final installments of the original manga and Dragon Ball Z anime series and is featured as one of the protagonists of the Dragon Ball GT anime series and its television special A Hero's Legacy. According to Dragon Ball GT producer Kōzō Morishita, Pan's role in the GT series was intended to be a strong but constantly imperiled character who had to be rescued by Goku, essentially a "heroine who makes Goku a hero".
In Japanese media she is voiced by Yūko Minaguchi. In the North American versions of Dragon Ball GT, she is voiced by Elise Baughman in the Funimation dub (who also voices her in Dragon Ball Kai) and by Caitlynne Medrek in the Blue Water dub. Sharon Mann voices the older version of the character in AB Groupe's English dub of the GT TV special, which was recorded in France. In the English version of Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout, she is voiced by Julie Maddalena.
Trunks
In Dragon Ball GT, Trunks' second incarnation has become the president of Capsule Corporation, but does not take the job seriously. During his time on Imecka, Trunks battles with Ledgic, but he is defeated, who after which, Goku fights him. Trunks later encounters more powerful threats, such as Luud, and General Rilldo. He is then later briefly controlled by Baby during the Baby arc, but is able to free himself from control, but not before Baby implants a mind-control seed. Trunks travels through space with Pan and a de-aged Goku in search of the Black Star Dragon Balls during the first half of the series, though his prominence in the series is reduced following the Baby arc. He also plays a very big part of giving energy to Goku to help him fight Omega Shenron.
Supporting characters Vegeta
In the Baby arc, Vegeta is possessed by the Tuffle parasite Baby, who uses his body to fight Goku. Baby is later forced out of Vegeta's body by the Super Saiyan 4 Goku, who destroys him. In the Super 17 arc, Vegeta fights Super 17, but is defeated. In the Shadow Dragons arc, Vegeta transforms into a Super Saiyan 4 and fuses with Goku to become Gogeta, who splits before he can defeat Omega Shenron. After Goku defeats Omega Shenron and departs with the original Shenron, Vegeta advises Pan to hold on to Goku's clothes before flying away.
Giru is a character that first appears in the 3rd episode of Dragon Ball GT. Originally known as T2006 or DB4649T2006RS, Giru is a Machine Mutant, fully mechanical beings with organic properties: they can mold, contort, and reshape themselves like organic lifeforms, absorb and integrate metallic and mechanical materials into their being, as well as restructure themselves. He is encountered by Goku, Pan and Trunks on Imecka. Giru consumes their Dragon Radar for energy in an act of desperation for survival, inadvertently integrating the Dragon Radar's functionality into his software. Giru joins Goku's group and accompanies them to various planets in the galaxy on their quest to find the Black Star Dragon Balls. Giru would become good friends with Pan in the series; however, he is frequently the recipient of abuse, both verbal and physical, at the hands of Pan, which makes him somewhat fearful of her. Giru plays a pivotal role during the group's encounter with his creator Doctor Myuu as well as the parasitic Baby on the planet M-2, and aids them in their subsequent struggle against the villains. During the Shadow Dragons arc, Giru accompanies Goku and Pan to search for the seven Shadow Dragons using his built-in Dragon Radar functionality to track the creatures. He is voiced by Shinobu Satouchi in Japanese media and by Sonny Strait in the Funimation anime dub.
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