Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

By Final Forum Podcast

Dragon Ball has a wealth of cultural context and inspiration that’s often overlooked because the fights are cool. Though not averse to fawning over animation and allowing for the Rule of Cool, Jelli a... more

4.6

99 ratings

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 118 episodes available.

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast episodes:

October 22, 2025Gamera vs Guiron Commentary (S4E17)
What is it about giant fire-breathing turtles that can become airborne flying saucers that delights children and even worms its way into the hearts of cynical adults?
Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!

In this episode, Jelli and Bekinney break down the 1969 film, Gamera vs. Guiron. It's part of our October/Halloween Festivities where we're taking a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and delving into times our franchise's creators have "put on a costume" and worked on other shows and movies. In this case, we're talking about Shunsuke Kikuchi, the composer behind Dragon Ball. And since we felt like we couldn't do it alone, we've brought along a friend: John DeSentis is a composer, musician, and kaiju fan who has conducted orchestras, scored films, and helped organize kaiju conventions. His credits include the anthology Worst Laid Plans, the short film The Conduit, and Kaiju Crescendo: An Evening of Japanese Monster Music. He has appeared on the Kaiju Transmissions podcast, as well as Imaginary Worlds, Growing up with Godzilla and is a frequent guest on the Gen X Lounge. (He also loves Vin Diesel memes and enjoys being confused with Ron DeSantis.)

In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney say hello to Johnny
We discuss why we chose to look at Gamera vs Guiron
Production facts and history behind 1969's Gamera vs Guiron, including its place in the Gamera pantheon of films, budget, and release history
Brief discussion of Daiei studios as a company
Why Gamera exists and how it kept Daiei afloat for close to a decade
Discussing the film's "stars" including Yuko Hamada, Khan Omura (aka Kon-Chan, aka Cornjob), and Christopher Murphy
A look at the life of director Noriaki Yuasa, his filmmaking prior to Gamera, including Nezura and If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands, how Gamera became his signature franchise, and how Yuasa differed from his contemporaries, especially Ishiro Honda
Yuasa's filmmaking philosophy and his thoughts on the 1990s Heisei Gamera films directed by Shusuke Kaneko
How budgetary limitations affected the production of the film including the creation of Space Gyaos and the Guiron suit
Daiei's financial struggles in the late 60s leading to their bankruptcy in 1971, as well as a unique agreement worked out with screenwriter Niisan Takahashi and how that may have influenced some of the Showa Gamera crew's feelings about the 90s Gamera films
A discussion of Counter Earth or Opposite Earth and the Greek philosopher Philolalus, a disciple of Pythagoras and Aristotles thoughts on Philolalean cosmology as well as Pythagorean discipleship
Shunsuke Kikuchi, his life, his background, and his career including Doraemon and Grendizer
A comparison of Gamera films to fantasy and fairy tales including Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilock and the Three Bears, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel (including a recommendation to check out the 2025 film The Ugly Stepsister)
A brief discussion of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (aka MST3K) and their history with the Gamera franchise including the KTMA season of the show
A closing in which we talk about our Halloween viewings including the Hammer Dracula films (and particular focus on The Satanic Rites of Dracula), Blacula, Tales from the Hood, Let the Right One In, the Grudge films, Sadako vs Kayako, Weapons and the documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror
...and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise....or in this case, the Gamera franchise....for our special Dragon Ball-o-Ween event!
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod

John DeSentis:
https://www.instagram.com/johndesentis/?hl=en
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5044010/
https://www.youtube.com/user/JDeSentis3
https://genxlounge.buzzsprout.com/
...more
1h 57min
October 21, 2025 Dragon Ball-oween MINISODE - Jelli's Top Ten Dragon Ball Attacks
Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!
In this special Jelli-only mini-sode we take a complete break from format, and from breaking down Akira Toriyama's manga and anime smash success to continue our October/Halloween Festivities and on this episode, it's all about attacks. Because of the punching. That's...scary...right?
Sure.
So, what will make Jelli's Top Ten Dragon Ball Attacks? The pool to choose from is ENORMOUS:
Vegeta's Final Flash and Galick Gun and Big Bang Attack and Final Explosion, Tien Shienhan's Kikoho, General Blue's Hypnosis, Tao Paipai's Dodonpa aka Dodon Ray, Piccolo's Makonkosappo aka Special Beam Cannon , Frieza's Laser Blasts and Death Ball, Android 16's Hell's Flash, Majin Buu's Candy Beam and Human Extinction Attack, Dabura's Stone Spit, Beerus' Hakai, Goku Black's Sickle of Sorrow, Hit's Time Skip, Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist, Gohan's Masenko and of course Goku's Kamehameha
....and more...?

Jelli threw all these in a pile and picked out just TEN of his favorites. Who will they be?
...more
16min
October 07, 2025Journey to the West 1986 (S4E16)
What makes the 1986 adaptation of Journey to the West so endearing?
Welcome to Final Forum's Dragon Ball-oween Spooktacular!

In this episode, Jelli and Bekinney break down the 1986 Chinese television event, Journey to the West. It's part of our October/Halloween Festivities where we're taking a break from breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon and delving into times our franchise's creators have "put on a costume" and worked on other shows and movies. In this case, it's a little bit different, as we talk about Wu Cheng'en and the inspiration behind the Dragon Ball franchise.

In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney say hello to Halloween
We discuss why we chose to look at Journey to the West
The life of Wu Cheng'en, novelist, poet, and politician who is the most likely author of Journey to the West
Why the authorship of Journey to the West is up for debate and assertion from Anthony Christopher Yu, scholar, theologian, sinologist, and professor who translated JTTW that Cheng'en did in fact write the novel originally
The production history of the show and how that ties into Mao Zedong, the Cultural Revolution, and China's moves towards embracing its traditions
The struggles that Yang Jie, director, showrunner, producer, writer, editor, location scouter, casting director, and budget overseer had while making the show, including a single camera and accusations of theft
The cast being largely derived from Peking Opera backgrounds
Liu Xiao Ling Tong's performance as Sun Wukong
The dangers of the show
The reception of the show and its legacy
Plans to continue breaking down the show in the future
...and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise....or in this case, the Halo trans-media franchise....for our special Dragon Ball-o-Ween event!
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
48min
September 23, 2025Ansibles and Faster-than-Light Travel (S4E15)
Quarks! Quantum entanglements! Relativity! Non-Einsteinian simultaneity! What do these have to do with Bulma making a phone call from Namek to Earth? Everything, it turns out.
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 46 through 50: "Defying Orders," "Namek's Defense," "The Hunted," "The Prince Fights Back," and "Unexpected Problem." Wedive into the Namek Saga and tackle the problem of faster-than-light communications and time travel.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney are being cagey
Back to a solid run of episodes
Putting some SCIENCE into our science fiction
How long it SHOULD take to send a message to Namek
Ursula K LeGuin and her creation of the ansible
What is an ansible? Why is it called an ansible? How does an ansible work?
Robert Heinlein's (Starship Troopers) answers to how faster than light communication would work
Non-Einsteinian simultaneity and how early work on non-simultaneity and relativistic speeds influenced Einstein's theory of relativity
Lorentz transformations and Einstein's train thought experiment
How the term ansible and the work of Le Guin influenced people like David Langford and Orson Scott Card
A brief slagging of Card
Research done into tachyons and reverse time travel
The work of physicists Ben Tippet and David Tsang in the math behind reverse time travel
Whether changing the past changes the future
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
...more
59min
September 16, 2025 BONUS: Jelli's Trip to Japan PART II
We've still never heard of editing but we HAVE heard of Dragon Ball this time...kind of.
Join Jelli and Bekinney as we catch up after just a couple weeks.
Bekinney discusses a new book series he's reading, while Jelli delves back into Japan, walking through Osaka, Dotonbori, Tanuki statues, the Orix Buffaloes, Expo 2025 (which leads us into a brief discussion of the movie Gamera vs Jiger) the Curse of the Colonel and the Hanshin Tigers, Hiroshima and Peace Park, and the Hotel Gracery or the Godzilla Hotel in Tokyo. Jelli also talks about some general tips for travel and alludes to a video that may or may not ever happen.
We also discuss The Princess Bride, and the Buffalo Bills, and Dragon Ball Gekishin Squadra

Join us for this more casual conversation as we dig through our lives.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
...more
1h 21min
September 09, 2025Fake Namek (S4E14)
How do you pad for time between arcs? Are those Crows? What awaits us as we begin a new story arc?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 41 through 45: "Look Out Below," "The Search Continues," "A Friendly Surprise," "Brood of Evil," and "Frieza Strikes." We begin discussing the Namek Saga and attempt to break down some filler episodes and preview this new arc.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney try to plot their next move
The run of great episodes is over, but let's not lose hope.
Breaking down the names for Raiti and Zaacro, as well as Cui
Attempting to evaluate the Treedon birds through the lens that they might be crows and looking at how crows are viewed in Japan
Cannibalism? One of us totally would. Which one will (not) shock you
Jack and the Beanstalk and its origins as a very different story from the one we know
A little bit about Group TAC, which allows us to talk about the voice talents behind Pokemon's Mewtwo, and get tangentially into a wild tokusatsu movie...
...Rex: A Dinosaur's Story, the tale of how a baby tyrannosaurus rex is raised by a little girl, gets in a food fight, escapes marketing executives on a snowmobile after stealing a Christmas cloak from Colonel Sanders and the story of how the movie's production led to the arrest of the head of Kadokawa for smuggling drugs
A bit about Japan's Sesssho-seki, or Killing Stone famous in Tochigi Prefecture
Nautilus, their shells, the Golden Ratio, the Fibonacci Sequence, and illusions
We're not grasping at straws AT ALL
Setting the stage using examples from X-Men, DCEU and Journey to the West
Vegeta's history as the heir to the throne, and his early life
Some of Toriyama's thoughts on Vegeta, at least early in the story
Vegeta and Goku: Opposite sides of the same coin
How Vegeta so internalizes the lessons he learns as a child that it shapes his entire worldview, and how the very existence of Goku flies in the face of said worldview
The Six-Eared Macaque from Journey to the West, one of Sun Wukong's most formidable foes
Some researched theories about the relationship between Wukong and Six-Ears and how that is mirrored by the relationship between Goku and Vegeta
The Lego series Lego Monkie Kid and its portrayal of Six Ears
Why Vegeta is always invoking his prince status as if it is a boast, despite there being only a handful of Saiyans left
Why Vegeta is so relatable
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
...more
52min
September 08, 2025 BONUS: Jelli's Trip to Japan and Casual Catchup
Dragon Ball? Editing? Never heard of those things.
Join Jelli and Bekinney as we catch up after six weeks of not talking much.
Bekinney discusses a family reunion and riding sketchy rides on the boardwalk, including the Himalayan, and Jelli regales everyone with the first week of his trip to Japan, with his usual penchant for rambling and self-indulgence
We also discuss Superman, Thunderbolts, Captain America: Brave New World, Better Man, Robbie Williams, Paddington in Peru, James Gunn's DC universe, Jurassic World Rebirth, and provide one of the only reviews you're likely to hear about the movie Brush of the God.

Join us for this more casual conversation as we dig through our lives.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
...more
1h 25min
August 26, 2025The World's Strongest Commentary (S4E13)
What would have happened if they saved Hitler's brain and put it in the body of a robot with a bubble-dome? What does the film Phantasm have to do with Dragon Ball? How did we manage to work in a reference to the Aum Shinrikyo cult that carried out multiple poison attacks on Japanese public transit in the early 90s?
The answers to these, and similar questions, abound as Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon by tackling the 1990 movie, The World's Strongest.
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney narrowly escape disaster
We sync up our audio commentary for the listeners
We discuss some of the production facts about the film Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest such as its 1990 release at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, the film's box office, and the production team working on the film
We talk about the other films released alongside the movie: Akuma-kun: Welcome to Devil Land, and Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Sally the Witch movie.
A little history about Misuteru, including his creation of Tesujin 28, Babel II, Iga no Kagemaru, Sally the Witch, and adaptations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water margin
Contextualizing the box office of the film
Shedding light on Shinji Fukumitsu, the editor, who worked on Dragon Ball Z, Gegege no Kitaro, One Piece, and Transformers: The Movie
A little bit on Motoaki Ikegami and his career spanning Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dr Slump, Pokemon, Inuyasha and Twilight of the Cockroaches
Discussing the film's unique antagonists, Kishime, Ebifurya, Misokatsun, Dr. Kochin, and Dr. Wheelo (or Uiro)
Misokatsun --> Buyon --> The Blob --> horror movies --> Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (yes, really)
A bit about the Funimation composer, Nathan Johnson and his career, including his time as a Texas state senator
(Nathan) Johnsons, (Anthony) Wieners, adult film parodies of Chinese classic novels...things are coming unglued
A bit about the Metaluna Men from This Island Earth, Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Universal Monsters movies, especially Ghost of Frankenstein
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual as we react to this wickedly fast-paced film
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
1h 12min
August 12, 2025Saiyan Arc Manga Review (S4E12)
We've reached the end of the Saiyan Arc. How do we feel about it having reached its end and being primed for the next adventure?
Jelli and Bekinney continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball by jumping into comparing the Dragon Ball anime to the Dragon Ball manga. We continue discussing Saiyan arc, and talk about pacing. We also discuss five episodes of the anime, episodes 36-40, "Picking Up the Pieces," "Plans for Departure," "Nursing Wounds," "Friends or Foes," and "Held Captive."
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney destroy the gravity generator
We recap the story a little bit
Wukong Hospital and Goku's unique looking hospital bed, with a possible inspiration from Alien
Bulma's outfit being inspired by Alien, and its possible influence on Hideaki Anno's Neon Genesis Evangelion
A theory about Bulma's evolving hairstyles
A brief discussion of Frank Frazetta, the "godfather of fantasy art" who was a well-renown illustrator who worked on Conan the Barbarian and John Carter of Mars among other things in his career
A conversation about the Russian attempts to place mirrors in space, and a brief tangent into discussing Archimedes' Sun Death Ray
Wrapping up the arc with grades and comparing the manga to the anime
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise, and unspool what we all love so much about Goku, the Dragon Ball franchise, the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball manga, and more.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://twitter.com/finalforumpod
...more
55min
July 29, 2025Vegeta, a primer (S4E11)
How do you handle introducing a rival? Why does Vegeta always call himself the Prince of All Saiyans? Is there any basis for this character in the story Journey to the West?
Join Jelli and Bekinney as they continue breaking down Akira Toriyama's worldwide manga and anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z by looking at episodes 30 through 35: "Goku vs. Vegeta," "Saiyan Sized Secret," "Spirit Bomb Away!" "Hero in the Shadows," "Krillin's Offensive," and "Mercy." We continue discussing the Saiyan Saga and talk in detail for the first time about one of the franchise's most iconic characters: Vegeta. We talk about his in-universe history, and his psychology, as well as his possible sources for inspiration, and what makes him so popular
In this episode:
Jelli and Bekinney enter into the gravity well
Just how good are THESE episodes? For really real.
Who is Vegeta?
Setting the stage using examples from X-Men, DCEU and Journey to the West
Vegeta's history as the heir to the throne, and his early life
Some of Toriyama's thoughts on Vegeta, at least early in the story
Vegeta and Goku: Opposite sides of the same coin
How Vegeta so internalizes the lessons he learns as a child that it shapes his entire worldview, and how the very existence of Goku flies in the face of said worldview
The Six-Eared Macaque from Journey to the West, one of Sun Wukong's most formidable foes
Some researched theories about the relationship between Wukong and Six-Ears and how that is mirrored by the relationship between Goku and Vegeta
The Lego series Lego Monkie Kid and its portrayal of Six Ears
Why Vegeta is always invoking his prince status as if it is a boast, despite there being only a handful of Saiyans left
Why Vegeta is so relatable
and more, including some general pop culture, trivia, and editorializing, as usual
Join us as we continue to uncover the cultural meanings, publication facts, inspirations and more behind the wildly popular Dragon Ball franchise.
https://www.facebook.com/FinalForumPodcast
https://bsky.app/profile/finalforumpod.bsky.social
...more
51min

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 118 episodes available.

More shows like Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Kame House Party - A Dragon Ball Comedy Podcast

56 Listeners

Eric Hates Dragon Ball Z

54 Listeners

Share Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Sign up to save your podcasts

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast episodes:

FAQs about Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast:

How many episodes does Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast have?

More shows like Final Forum: A Dragon Ball Podcast

Kame House Party - A Dragon Ball Comedy Podcast

Eric Hates Dragon Ball Z