Bardock, Son Goku's father, is a low-ranking Saiyan soldier who was given the power to see into the future by the last remaining alien on a planet he just destroyed. He witnesses the destruction of his race and must now do his best to stop Frieza's impending massacre.
Direction
Hashimoto compresses epic scale into 48 relentless minutes.
Score
Shunsuke Kikuchi's brass swells as planets burn.
Acting
Nozawa's dual performance: Bardock's gravel, Goku's first cry.
Director
Mitsuo Hashimoto
Masako Nozawa
Bardock / Son Gokû (Kakarotto) (voice)
Kazuyuki Sogabe
Tôma (voice)
Yuko Mita
Seripa (voice)
Takeshi Watabe
Panbûkin (voice)
Kozo Shioya
Toteppo / Dokutâ (voice)
Ryusei Nakao
Freeza (voice)
Show Hayami
Zarbon (voice)
Yukitoshi Hori
Dodoria (voice)
Banjo Ginga
Tôro (voice)
Kinpei Azusa
Grandfather Son Gohan (voice)
Ryo Horikawa
Vegeta (voice)
Shozo Iizuka
Nappa (voice)
Hirohiko Kakegawa
Saiya-jin A (voice)
Yûji Machi
Saiya-jin B (voice)
Chie Sato
Saiya-jin C (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Toriyama initially rejected Bardock; he became canon after fan response to this TV special, which outperformed theatrical Dragon Ball films.
Bardock's design—bandana, scar, lone wolf attitude—codified the 'cooler dad than the protagonist' archetype that influenced shonen for decades.
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