Source: FUNimation Entertainment Official Site: dragonball2015.com (Japan), dragonballz.com (US) Special Thanks to Scott Barretto FUNimation Entertainment will release Toei`s anime feature film DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ (???????????????, Doragon Booru Zetto: Fukkatsu no `F`, 2015) in theaters across the U.S. and Canada from August 4-12. DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ was written by the series creator Akira Toriyama. The movie is directed by Naoyoshi Yamamuro. The following production notes and images are courtesy of Toei and FUNimation...

FRIEZA IS BACK AND BADDER THAN EVER!

The movie`s plot came from an idea I had while I was still struggling to decide what story to tell in the film. My friend turned me on to a song called `F` by Maximum the Hormone. I remember the band apologizing to me once, saying, Sorry we wrote a song about Frieza without asking you first." The song`s lyrics describe Frieza is a brutal but cool very way, and I thought to myself, "That`s it! I could do that!" So the `F` in the movie`s title stands for Frieza, but also pays tribute to the title of the song that inspired me. With that in mind, I was able to write a story about the resurrection of Frieza in no time flat. I know the character`s personality inside and out, and since he`s the most heinous villain in the series, I knew his defeat would be most rewarding for longtime fans. There`s definitely more to the story than just Frieza`s resurrection. You can look forward to one tremendous battle, too! -- Akira Toriyama Born in Aichi Prefecture, Akira Toriyama debuted as a manga artist in 1978 with the one-off strip Wonder Island (??????????, Wandaa Airando), in Weekly Young Jump. In 1980, serialization of the strip Dr. Slump (Dr. ????, Dokutaa Suranpu) began and gained explosive popularity. Starting in 1984, Dragon Ball began and its serial run continued for 10½ years. Following that were Sand Land, the Neko Majin series, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman and other one=off strips and short series. He has also done character designs for video games, including DRAGON QUEST. This production is the first time he has written the script for an anime movie.

INTRODUCTION

One Year After BATTLE OF GODS is Released in America Even now, nearly two decades after its 10½ year serialized run in Weekly Young Jump, the TV anime series, video games, card games and legendary comic, DRAGON BALL still boasts explosive popularity. In 2013, the first new production in 17 years, DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS (???????Z ???, Doragon Booru Zetto: Kami to Kami), was released in Japan. By bringing new details, including the Gods of Destruction and the 12 universea, into the story, first-time views and people who grew up with the series found themselves caught up in a whirlpool of excitement. The film earned over $50 million in box office sales worldwide. And now, in 2015, the highly anticipated next Chapter has finally arrived! Akira Toriyama Bring Back One of the Most Iconic Villains of All Time For the 19th theatrical release, and the first time ever, original author Akira Toriyama has personally penned a script for an all-new story. In the film, Toriyama takes the evil emperor Frieza, who boasts tremendous popularity and an overwhelming screen presence, and brings him back to life! With a power level of 530,000, multiple evolutions, and a history of killing Goku`s friends, this tough opponent now returns to strike again. True to Toriyama`s statement that he "intentionally increased the scale of the action scenes", a powerful battle unfolds between a powered-up Frieza, his army of 1000 soldiers, Goku, Vegeta and the Z-Fighters of Earth!

STORY

A Duel of Destiny!! Revenge Takes Its Final Form Following the fight with Beerus the Destroyer, Goku and Vegeta are in training on Beerus` world, under the guidance of his attendant, Whis. Meanwhile, with the Earth at peace once again, Sorbet and Tagoma, two of the surviving members of the Frieza force, come by in search of the Dragon Balls. Their goal is to revive Freeza in order to revitalize their forces. When the worst wish in the history of the universe is granted, the resurrected Frieza begins to plot revenge against Goku and the Saiyans. The newly reborn Frieza Force advances on Earth, forcing Gohan, Piccolo, Kuririn and company to take on 1000 of their soldiers while Goku and Vegeta challenge Frieza to a showdown to save the world -- unaware that Frieza has trained to achieve an overwhelming new power level. "Allow me to show you... my further evolution!!!!" And now, the battle for Earth is about to begin...

CHARACTERS

Goku Goku is the hero of DRAGON BALL Z, the most powerful warrior on Earth... an Earth-raised Saiyan who has defended the world from one powerful foe after another. Goku is peaceful, good natured, honest, loving to his family and friends, loyal, trustworthy, and brave. If he has a weakness, it is his trusting nature. He always finds the good in people when others don`t see it, though Goku`s enemies sometimes take advantage of his naive trust. He loves fighting against powerful enemies, and the stronger they are the more excited he gets. After the battle against Beerus the Destroyer, he trains under Whis, seeking even greater strength.






Vegeta The proud Saiyan prince, Vegeta is driven to train by an indomitable will to beat Goku. He and his comrade Nappa are two of the last surviving Saiyans. Though physically small, Vegeta can power up to unbelievable levels. Once a brutal and evil warrior, he has obtained a righteous heart through his battles with Goku.








Gohan Possessing a quiet spirit, Goku`s son is a cross of earthling and Saiyan. Since he was a child, his dream has been to become a scholar -- but when its time to fight, he demonstrates a power that surpasses even pure-blood Saiyans. This time around, he is unable to find is gi, and must fight in a green track suit.








Piccolo A Namekian warrior and one-time demon king who split off from the body of Earth`s Kami. Goku`s one time archenemy, Piccolo has powerful energy blasts, can split into two or four separate entities, and has the ability to regenerate limbs. While training Gohan, Piccolo develops a special bond with the little boy. Through Gohan, the only person who has ever been a friend to him, Piccolo starts changing for the better. Alongside Gohan, he immediately senses Frieza`s Ki, and moves to intercept Frieza and his men.





Krillin The mightiest Earthling warrior. As a young boy, Krillin studied martial arts with Goku under Master Roshi. Originally, he and Goku were fierce rivals, but now they are best friends. A short, bald warrior, loyal Krillin provides comic relief in tense situations as he tries to keep up with Goku and some of the other more powerful warriors. A good fighter on his own accord, he`s always there to help Goku. He can and has saved his friend`s life more than once. Currently, he works as a policeman, patrolling the city`s streets.





Tien Shinhan Tien is a three-eyed man originally trained by one of Master Roshi`s rivals, though he eventually becomes a Z Fighter. A Crane School warrior who once sought to be the world`s greatest assassin, he beat Goku at a worldwide martial arts tournament, is able to stop a waterfall with a blast, and can crush rocks on his head. His fighting techniques include the ability to hover in the air, throw concentration bombs, blind with flashes of light, and split into two or four separate entities. He has continued his training apart from Goku but, sensing the enormous Ki of the revived Frieza, he comes running.






Master Roshi An ancient and wise master of martial arts, Roshi has accumulated great power and knowledge. Because he has lived for countless years on a deserted island with only a turtle for companionship, he is also called the "Turtle Hermit." His home, the Kame house, continues to serve as a gathering place for the good guys. Although he may appear strange, frail, and harmless, Master Roshi is indeed a great warrior. The first Earthling to ever understand how to nurture and control the Power of Light, Roshi trains Goku and Krillin in its use. It was Master Roshi who taught Goku the Kamehameha attack. He`s avoided battle for a short time, but his long-awaited return to combat has finally arrived.



Videl Daughter of the World Martial Arts Champion, Hercule. She met Gohan in high school and married him following the fight against Majin Buu. As of now, they have one daughter together.









Bulma Goku`s first and oldest friend, heiress of the Capsule Corporation, she`s blossomed into a mixed up woman with blue hair and a personality quirk that wouldn`t allow her to shut up for a second. Bulma is a mechanical genius who can operate and fix anything. For instance, she discovers and enhances the capabilities of the Saiyan Scouter. Bulma also designed the Dragon Radar, and becomes the first to learn of Frieza`s resurrection. Her father is Dr. Brief, of the famous Capsule Corporation.







No. 18 An Artificial Human reconstructed by the ingenious scientist Dr. Gero with the purpose of killing Goku. After the fight against Cell she married Krillin and they currently live together in the Kame House with their daughter, Marron.









Pilaf, Shou, Mai Villains who seek to take over the world using the Dragon Balls, but are always thwarted by Goku and the others. They continue to search for the Dragon Balls and are eventually exploited by the Frieza Force to resurrect their leader.




Whis A musterious man who keeps company with Beerus and also serves as his teacher. Ever since the fight between Goku and Beerus he has agreed to train Goku and Vegeta, who seek to grow even stronger.









The Seer A wondrous fish that is able to tell the future. Previously he was able to tell Whis about the appearance of a powerful foe, and with the appearance of Goku that prediction came true. The Seer possesses a somewhat slapdash personality and sometimes forgets his own predictions.








Beerus Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, is easily capable of destroying planet Earth without breaking a sweat. He is, by far, the most dangerous opponent Goku and the Z-Fighters have ever faced. Woe be unto any poor soul with the misfortune to annoy the mighty Beerus for he is prone to chaotic rampages that reduce everything in his path to smoldering piles of rubble!








Sorbet Following Frieza`s demise, Sorbet became the top man in the Frieza Force. His stature may be small, but he`s not for employing crafty measures to get his way. In order to revitalize his forces, he plots to resurrect Frieza with the Dragon Balls on Earth.





Tagoma Sorbet`s bodyguard. He comes to Earth with Sorbet in search of the Dragon Balls.










Frieza Frieza loves death and destruction, and he`s one of the most sadistic characters in the Dragon Ball Universe! An evil emperor who did everything in his power to conquer the universe, including destroying the Saiyan`s homeworld, Frieza is an alien who possesses for different transformations and an incredible power level to match each one. He thoroughly enjoys making his enemies suffer before mercilessly sending them to their painful deaths. He engaged in mortal combat with Goku on Planet Namek, but was defeated when Goku turned Super Saiyan. After that, he outfitted his body to become a cyborg and came to Earth, but was killed by Trunks who had arrived from the future. This time, he is brought back from Hell by the remainder of the Frieza Force. After training and gaining the ability to transform even further, Frieza has become a truly unstoppable force of evil!

FILMOGRAPHY

DRAGON BALL 1: THE LEGEND OF SHENRON (??????? ?????, Doragon Booru Shenron no Densetsu) aka DRAGON BALL MOVIE 1: CURSE OF THE BLOOD RUBIES Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Tohiki Inoue December 20, 1986 DRAGON BALL 2: SLEEPING BEAUTY IN DEVIL CASTLE (??????? ????????, Doragon Booru: Majin-Joo No Nemuri Hime) aka DRAGON BALL: SLEEPING PRINCESS IN DEVIL`S CASTLE Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Keiji Terui July 18, 1987 DRAGON BALL 3: MYSTICAL ADVENTURE (????????????????, Doragon Booru: Makafushigi Dai-Booken) Director: Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Screenplay: Yuki Yoshifumi July 9, 1988 DRAGON BALL Z 1 (???????Z ??????????!!, Doragon Booru Zetto Ora no Gohan o Kaese!!) aka DRAGON BALL Z: DEAD ZONE Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 15, 1989 DRAGON BALL Z 2: THE STRONGEST GUY IN THE WORLD (???????Z???????????, Doragon Booru Zetto: Kono Yo de Ichiban Tsuyoi Yatsu) aka DRAGON BALL Z THE MOVIE: THE WORLD`S STRONGEST Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Takao Koyama Movie: March 10, 1990 DRAGON BALL Z 3: SUPER BATTLE IN THE WORLD (???????Z ?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto: Chikyuu Marugoto Chookesse) aka DRAGON BALL Z THE MOVIE: THE TREE OF MIGHT Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 7, 1990 DRAGON BALL Z 4: SUPER SAIYA, SON GOKU (???????Z ?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto Suupaa Saiyajin da Son Gokuu) aka DRAGON BALL Z: LORD SLUG Director: Mitsuo Hashimoto, Screenplay: Takao Koyama March 9, 1991 DRAGON BALL Z 5: THE STRONGEST RIVALS (???????Z ???????????, Doragon Booru Zetto: Tobikkiri no Saikyoo tai Saikyoo) aka DRAGON BALL Z: COOLER`S REVENGE Director: Mitsuo Hashimoto, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 20, 1991 DRAGON BALL Z 6: BILLION ILLION POWER WARRIORS (???????Z ??!!100?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto Gekitotsu!! Hyaku-Oku Pawaa no Senshi-tachi) aka DRAGON BALL Z: THE RETURN OF COOLER Director: Daisuke Nishio, Screenplay: Takao Koyama March 7, 1992 DRAGON BALL Z 7: SUPER BATTLE OF THREE SUPER SAIYAS (???????Z ?????!!???????, Doragon Booru Zetto Kyokugen Batoru!! San Dai Suupaa Saiyajin) aka DRAGON BALL Z: SUPER ANDROID 13 Director: Kazuhito Kikuchi, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 11, 1992 DRAGON BALL Z 8: THE BURNING BATTLES (???????Z ?????!!?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto Moetsukiro!! Nessen Ressen Choo-Gekisen) aka DRAGON BALL Z: BROLY -- THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Screenplay: Takao Koyama March 6, 1993 DRAGON BALL Z 9: SUPER GUY IN THE GALAXY (???????Z ??????!!?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto: Ginga Giri-Giri!! Butchigiri no Sugoi Yatsu) aka DRAGON BALL Z: BOJACK UNBOUND Director: Yoshihiro Ueda, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 10, 1993 DRAGON BALL Z 10: DANGEROUS RIVALS (???????Z ??????!?????????, Doragon Booru Zetto Kiken na Futari! Suupaa Senshi wa Nemurenai) aka DRAGON BALL Z: BROLY -- SECOND COMING Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Screenplay: Takao Koyama March 12, 1994 DRAGON BALL Z 11: ATTACK! SUPER WARRIORS (???????Z ?????!!???????, Doragon Booru Zetto Suupaa Senshi Gekiha!! Katsu No wa Ore da) aka DRAGON BALL Z: BIO-BROLY Director: Yoshihiro Ueda, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 9, 1994 DRAGON BALL Z 12: REVIVAL FUSION (???????Z ?????????!!???????, Doragon Booru Zetto Fukkatsu no Fyuujon!! Gokuu to Bejiita) aka DRAGON BALL Z: FUSION REBORN Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Screenplay: Takao Koyama Movie: March 4, 1995 DRAGON BALL Z 13: EXPLOSION OF DRAGON PUNCH (???????Z ????!!???????????, Doragon Booru Zetto Ryuu-Ken Bakuhatsu!! Gokuu ga Yaraneba Dare ga Yaru) aka DRAGON BALL Z: WRATH OF THE DRAGON Director: Mitsuo Hashimoto, Screenplay: Takao Koyama July 15, 1995 DRAGON BALL 4: THE WAY TO THE STRONGEST (??????? ?????, Doragon Booru Saikyoo e no Michi) aka DRAGON BALL: THE PATH TO POWER Director: Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Screenplay: Aya Matsui March 2, 1996 DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS (???????Z ???, Doragon Booru Zetto: Kami to Kami) Director: Masahiro Hosoda, Screenplay: Yusuke Watanabe March 30, 2013

POWER DATA

Original Comics: 42 Volumes Total Domestic (Japan) Circulation: Approximately 160 million Total Global Circulation: 230 million Complete Version: 34 Volumes Total Circulation: 20 million TV series DRAGON BALL (???????, Doragonbooru) Broadcasting period: February 26, 1986 - April 19, 1989 Number of Episodes: 153 Average audience rating: 21.2%. Highest audience rating: Episode 47 -- 29.5%. DRAGON BALL Z (???????Z(???), Doragon Booru Zetto) Broadcasting period: April 26, 1989 - January 31, 1996 Number of Episodes: 291 full episodes + 2 special episodes Average audience rating: 20.5%. Highest audience rating: Episode 218 -- 27.5%. DRAGON BALL GT (???????GT, Doragon Booru GT) Broadcasting period: February 7, 1996 - November 19, 1997 Number of Episodes: 64 full episodes + one extra episode Average audience rating: 14.6%. Highest audience rating: Episode 2 -- 19.7%. DRAGON BALL KAI (????????(??), Doragon Booru Kai) Broadcasting period: April 5, 2009 - March 27, 2011 Number of Episodes: 97 full episodes Average audience rating: 9.5%. Highest audience rating: Episode 47 -- 12.3%. DRAGON BALL SUPER (???????? (????), Doragon Booru-Choo (Suupaa)) Broadcasting period: July 5, 2015 - Number of Episodes: tbd Toys Game Software Dragon Ball Z total sales broke 30 million copies!! Merchandising Licensing: About 120 companies through all series Merchandise: About 1800 items

CREDITS

Running Time: 120 Minutes Japanese Release Date: Saturday, April 18, 2015 (2D/3D Nationwide) North American Release Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 Voice Cast (Japanese) Goku: Masako Nozawa Vegeta: Ryo Horikawa Piccolo: Toshio Furukawa Frieza: Ryusei Nakao Tien Shinhan: Hikaru Midorikawa Gohan: Masako Nozawa Master Roshi: Masaharu Sato Videl: Yuko Minaguchi Bulma: Hiromi Tsuru No. 18: Miki Ito Krillin: Mayumi Tanaka Pilaf: Shigeru Chiba Shou: Tessho Genda Mai: Eiko Yamada Beerus: Koichi Yamadera Whis: Masakazu Morita The Seer: Shoko Nakagawa Sorbet: Shiro Saito Tagoma: Kazuya Nakai Voice Cast (English) Goku: Seán Schemmel Vegeta/Piccolo: Christopher R. Sabat Frieza: Chris Ayres Tien Shinhan: John Burgmeier Gohan: Kyle Hebert Master Roshi: Mike McFarland Videl: Kara Edwards Bulma: Monica Rial No. 18: Meredith McCoy Krillin: Sonny Strait Pilaf: Chuck Huber Shou: Chris Cason Mai: Colleen Clinkenbeard Beerus: Jason Douglas Whis: Ian Sinclair The Seer: Monica Rial Sorbet: Jeremy Schwartz Tagoma: Micah Solusod Jaco: Todd Haberkorn Crew Original Story and Character Designs: Akira Toriyama Screenplay: Akira Toriyama Director: Tadayoshi Yamamuro Animation Director: Tadayoshi Yamamuro Producer: Kazumi Fujioka Art Director: Shinzo Yuki Color Design: Teppei Horita Special Effects Director: Nao Ota CG Director: Kai Makino Director of Photography: Yosuke Motoki Music: Norihito Sumitomo Animation Production: Toei Animation Production: DRAGON BALL Z THE MOVIE Production Committee (Toei, 20th Century Fox Japan, Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, Toei Animation, Bandai, Bandai Namco) Distributor (Japan): Toei Co-Distributor: 20th Century Fox International Sales: Toei © Bird Studio/ Shueisha © 2015 DRAGON BALL Z THE MOVIE Production Committee

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About Toei Company, Ltd.

Established in 1951, Toei Company is not only producing and distributing films, but it is also one of the major exhibitors in Japan. The company owns two film studios located in Tokyo and Kyoto. The films produced cover wide range of genres, exceeding 20,000 titles.

About FUNimation Entertainment

FUNimation Entertainment is the leading anime company in North America. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands. They manage a full spectrum of rights for most of their brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, Internet, and home video sales and distribution.

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For more information on DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’, please see the previous coverage here on SciFi Japan:

• DRAGON BALL Z: REVIVAL OF ‘F’ Images and Info from Toei
• More DRAGON BALL Z: REVIVAL OF `F` Images
• FUNimation Entertainment Announces North American Distribution of DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’
• DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ Hits Theaters Across North America August 4 - 12
• DRAGON BALL Z: RESURRECTION ‘F’ in Australian & New Zealand Cinemas August 6th