FUNimation is now streaming DragonBall Z episodes online for free. So far, they have got up to episode 15 of DBZ. You can now watch each and every episode as they release here at DragonBall Legends as well. You can do so by clicking the “Watch DragonBall Episodes” tab on the top navigation bar above the content or in the sidebar.

We revealed not too long back that FUNimation would be streaming the entire DragonBall anime series online. They have now confirmed via their twitter and blog that the DBZ episodes will be from the “orange brick” season sets which include the dubbed version with music by Bruce Faulconer and the subtitled version with the original Japanese score. They will begin streaming DBZ episodes online this Saturday, January 15th at 7:30 pm CDT at websites such as www.dragonballz.com and www.funimation.com. If each episode can be embedded then you’ll also be able to catch every episode here at DB Legends too.

A few months ago, new Dragon Ball guide books released in Japan called, “Extreme Battle Collections.” These guides covered the entire Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z series, and you can find scans of both of them at Kanzentai. But what was most interesting about these guides was the brand new interview with Akira Toriyama, in which he answers several questions relating to the Dragon Ball manga and anime. The following interview was recently translated by the DB fansite, Kanzentai.

When the series was being made into an anime, did you give the anime staff any demands?

Toriyama
I intended to leave everything up to them, so I don’t think I had anything in particular. But I did warn them when I felt they were moving too much in a certain direction.

What did you think the first time you saw Goku move? Did the voice fit your own image?

Toriyama
I was wondering what they were going to do when his head moved, since his hairstyle wasn’t really consistent, so I admire whoever had to had to make it look as if it were. The voice fit my image exactly. But I guess that’s only natural, since I listened to the seiyuu audition tapes and picked it myself (laughs). The truth is that I don’t know much about anime, so even when I was told the name Nozawa Masako, at the time I had no idea she was someone famous.

What impressions did you have when you saw the anime battle scenes?

Toriyama
In manga, nothing actually moves, and you just have to draw the poses in each panel, but in anime you have to draw the flow between those poses. I was honesty impressed at how they managed to draw so well while still conveying a sense of speed. But there were also instances where characters would take a whole lot of time rousing themselves up before moving into battle (laughs). Well, I guess this might have been because they were in danger of overtaking the original story before they knew it (laughs).

What are things that you paid attention to while drawing the battle scenes in the original?

Toriyama
Where the characters are, where they are in relation to each other, and how they are fighting. I try to show these things in as easy to understand a way as possible. That’s because I don’t like movies where the fighting scenes are too intense and it’s difficult to tell what’s going on.

What did you fret over when thinking up techniques like the Kamehameha and their poses?

Toriyama
Techniques that are plain but effective aren’t suited for manga. Stuff like strangleholds and locking techniques are troublesome to draw and hard to make very flashy. Even the Kamehameha is a technique that expels “ki”, which by nature is invisible, but I was able to make it flashy by hitting upon the idea of portraying it as something that could be seen with the naked eye. With that pose too, I tried out a lot of different ones. What’s more, I had to think up special characteristics for each character’s techniques, but I ran out of patterns really fast, so it was tough (laughs).

What do you pay attention to when creating a strong character?

Toriyama
In the long run even the pattern of the enemies is limited to a certain extent. I fretted a lot over how I could change stuff like their personality or the way their strength was portrayed, compared to the previous enemy.

Did you decide upon the balance of each characters’ strength beforehand?

Toriyama
I decided it to a certain extent, but it would constantly change as I kept drawing.

Did you decide on the outcomes of battles ahead of time?

Toriyama
I didn’t decide on that at all. Even with the Tenkaichi Budoukai, I only decided on the first round or so. This way it was more fun to draw (laughs).

How was the scouter born?

Toriyama
I thought that maybe if strength and enemy position were shown through numbers, then it would be easy to understand for both the enemy characters and the readers.

Who are five of your favorite warriors?

Toriyama
I basically think that quiet types are absolutely cool. I’ve thought that ever since I was a kid. Speaking of which, Tenshinhan and Trunks are like that too. They’re all just a bunch of strong silent types (laughs). Krillin’s not quiet, but I liked the sense that he was grudgingly hanging in there. At first I only intended him to be just around for a little while, so I drew him pretty shoddily, but somewhere along the line he became Goku’s best friend (laughs). Mister Satan’s the complete opposite of the strong silent type. It was fun drawing him because despite being so petty, he wasn’t really a bad character, so I like him too.

4 and 5. – Piccolo and Vegeta: A pair who never say anything unless they have to, and have a solitary feeling. They’re authentically cool.

3. – Krillin: Krillin stands against strong opponents, despite being freaked out the whole time. He’s now Goku’s #1 friend!

2. Mister Satan: Satan’s a character overflowing with human kindness and weakness. He’s loved the whole world over.

1. Son Goku: Toriyama-sensei’s #1 favorite character is Goku, of course! He’s a super warrior who’s both strong and gentle!