Okay, so I figured I would post my fan cast, at least those I have chosen so far and then follow with my justifications. So while I'm presenting these actors and images first, I hope everyone takes the time to read through how I've logically thought this out. And just so everyone knows beforehand, I've been a longtime Dragonball and Dragonball Z fan. Before I even knew about fan casts, I was making fan casts for Dragonball with actors like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Robin Shou. But this was purely out of me favoring martial arts movies and that potential to match Dragonball greatness and nowhere near the level of thought put into the following:
Goku- Sean Faris / Young Goku- Leo Howard
Chi-Chi- Kristin Kreuk
Bardock- Jeffrey Dean Morgan
King Vegeta- Gerard Butler
Ox King- John-Rhys Davies
Grandpa Gohan- Jackie Chan
Gohan- Jon Foo
Vegeta- Ray Park
Krillin- Shaobo Qin
Tien- Johnny Nguyen
Chiaoztu- Jin Bin Park
Yamcha- Rick Yune
Yajirobe- Jack Black
Piccolo- Idris Elba
Master Roshi- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Bulma- Mila Kunis
Dr. Briefs- Gary Oldman
Mrs. Briefs- Michelle Pfeiffer
Oolong- Patton Oswalt
Raditz- Hugh Jackman
Nappa- Nathan Jones
Master Shen- Ken Watanabe
Emperor Pilaf-
Trunks- Taylor Kitsch / Young Trunks- Jimmy Bennett
In order to well define the casting process for a representative Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z movie, one must seriously consider the information from which this canon is grounded. Since the story mostly revolves around the Saiyan race, and Goku, the main protagonist of the show and presumably any subsequent movie, it is a logical deduction to begin by carefully selecting Saiyans first. However, one must also be reminded of a general process, by which casting should occur, that which is based on legacies.
For instance, you can’t cast a young African American as your top choice for a child in a movie, and have that child’s biological parents be cast as white. Therefore, the obvious has become known; one starts by casting the ancestors, working down through lineage to figure out which actor/actress type is most suitable for the character in mind.
Now, back to the Saiyan casting. It is highly importance to understand what a Saiyan is. Not by us (the common people) decreeing the Saiyan race should be Asian in similarity, or that the manga is Japanese-based so it’s only natural to cast Asian actors instead of American, but by focusing on what is factually defined as “Saiyan.” For this and all other source material, it is best to turn to an encyclopedia of knowledge regarding this one particular subject, Dragon Ball Z. And due to the lack of resources available, that allow for one to easily access information on such detail, the usage of a wiki site is in order, more specifically dragonball.wikia.
From here out things become much simpler because now we have a basis from which to extract all foundational elements to casting- body type, height, facial features, hair style and color, etc. Only then can things such as “acting chops” be seriously considered. After all, break out stars make their debut by submersing themselves into the material and really devoting their job to executing the role they have taken on, for one reason or another. So it is easy to understand that if a no-named actor/actress can give a phenomenal performance, it only depends on the willingness of famous actors/actresses to resurrect performances like those seen in the Dragon Ball Z tv show. As such, one must negate all bias opinions toward certain actors/actresses in regards to how well one thinks that individual might have done in a movie. If this is to be evaluated for acceptance, then it must be evaluated based on their execution of such roles, and even then it may be hard to determine viability in the event the actor/actress never portrayed a similar role to the one they are being assessed for. An objective view is best when it comes to casting of any sort, but fan-casting allows for one to not be hindered by money attached to a famous name, or access to a series of characters.
If anything, fan-casting is something that should always be done first and to the level of scrutiny that is being taken right now. What this does is create ideals for the casting choices. While it might be a wonderful wish to have all of your favorite actors on screen together, it might not work due to multiple conflicts not yet known. This is why it’s important to set up real-life ideals. Maybe I see Vin Diesel as the perfect actor for Frieza (while other actors may make a better portrayal), but he’s not willing to sign on for a film. I don’t just scrap the Vin Diesel idea, because now I have a real-life example from which to go by. I can search for another actor who fits Vin Diesel’s build, facial structure, and possibly acting chops; however, the benefit of developing ideals is that this allows for no-named actors to be more easily accessed and as a result, the price behind the movie will decrease as the value increases.
But, according the dragonball.wikia, the Saiyan race is largely based in the translation of a “wild man.” The average height of Saiyans is comparable to humans. As witinessed, Saiyans are known to eat what is beyond logical possibility. And based on different size variations, some Saiyans are naturally built more than others. Each aspect will be individually broken down in order to understand how to accurately cast a Saiyan.
First off, the barbaric nature of the Saiyan race brings a sort of image into our heads as to what kind of man would be threatening enough to pull off the Saiyan warrior attitude. It’s pretty safe to assume that since this is an attitude, the majority of actors could pull this off if they tried, some without.
However, an image that can’t be removed from my mind is how the warrior race’s members have distinct features, such as height, that do not pertain to any actor. For example, Goku, being the primary Saiyan subject from which we can regulate all other Saiyan casting around, has a rather pointed nose (it’s not an actual point, but its shape is more narrow than wide). His eyes, while not containing any specifically distinct quality other than color, can be soft, but in many images shows a firm seriousness. This look isn’t forced; however, in the same breath Goku’s face is soft; he is a more innocent-looking Saiyan. Goku’s father, Bardock, is pretty much an exact first copy of Goku, so it would be safe to assume both actors would have to have some type of similarities. This brings to mind a dilemma with casting already and that is no two actors are going to look so identical that they’d both be able to be cast for the two roles of Goku and Bardock if ever a possibility. Yes, you could use the same actor if it were a flashback sort of thing, but this gets to a point about similarities that would caution such rash casting. Yes, we as Dragon Ball Z fans may be able to differentiate between Goku and Bardock clearly, but in order for a movie to be successful in its grand form, the uninformed audience must also be able to differentiate, and if the actors or portrayals of each character are frightfully similar, this simple act could lose an audience. So how do you reconcile with this fact? You go for an older version of the character in mind, just like you would cast a younger version of an actor, the actor has to be believably a child-form of who you are focusing on just as depicted above with the mixing of ethnicities. Also, since size is indeed a major issue, you can’t just assume the actor will wear some special boots that make them taller or to use camera work to make them shorter. While this can be done, it will take more effort, and in creating a good movie, it is always comforting to know more work is being done on the filming, acting, production, etc. as opposed to on-set magic tricks that could be easily avoided. As such, Goku must be cast as someone who is not too stocky for they will have to eventually be compared to the Humans within the film. He also can’t be too short, skinny, or tall. If this wasn’t taken into account, Goku could very well be standing over Raditz, leveled with Napa and Broly, and so on. This also applies to all other actors and roles. If Gohan is Goku’s young son, and he’s already taller than him, well I can only wish you so much luck. When properly transferring fiction to real-life, size and image do matter. It’s what makes the audience believe. It’s what sells. And all movies need good sales.
As for the eating capacity, it is not too absurd to see an alien race of any size consume a ridiculous amount of food in comparison to their human counterparts; however, this is where things get tricky. From what I recall of my favorite Dragon Ball Z episodes, and Dragon Ball, Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and other Saiyans are all seen stuffing their faces beyond belief after fights. This would clearly contribute to their physical build as it is an energy-consumption and retaining process. It is not known how much other Dragon Ball Z fighters consume, but as everyone who is not Saiyan is (for the most part) human, the Saiyan meal devouring is drawn comparatively with that of humans. Like I’ve stated, this could be only indicative of the individual’s energy expenditure, but it logically comes down to a question of what’s believable. If the great consumers are portrayed on screen for some comedy effect, would we believe that much food could be consumed given an underwhelming body size? Perhaps, but what would be more believable is if you saw a “Viking-size” man throwing back plates on plates. There is less question of “where does that all go?” And to further assess the validity of this statement, you may even suggest that according to this, all Saiyans should be burly men to demonstrate their ability to use energy and eat. Yet, an easy maneuver out of this trap is to introduce the idea of Gohan eating. Yes he may be smaller, but if he’s taking after his father, Goku, then it’s more believable to hear that stated than “Saiyans just eat a lot.” This holds less water than other reasons, but it is not meant to stand alone. Instead it is to substantiate that proper way of casting a Saiyan.
It is as significant to inform the uninformed that while one might believe the Saiyan race to bare similarities to that of Asian qualities, or vice versa those of strictly American stature, it is never stated what they may bare similarities to so it is up for interpretation as far as who is cast as who.
Still, once these problems are dealt with, a new dilemma arises from the course of deep thought regarding casting. Hypothetically speaking, cast the Dragon Ball Z cast as a full Asian ensemble. They could all be very invested in the roles they play, bringing to screen a fine piece of work since classic kung fu bouts. But what the film would be lacking, in a one-word statement, would be diversity. Dragon Ball Z is probably the only martial arts based fiction that really appeals to story enough that it is globally recognized for the Z Fighters, and a universe so vast many characters are introduced in it. To cast all Asian actors would be to destroy the credibility of “mixing it up.” Watch Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, or Tekken. Yes, the stories might suck, and the acting may not work well either, but what remains is the idea. That here is this Justice League of martial arts and they aren’t from different worlds, they are a family first. Their differences speak to their story. Even Karate Kid embraces this idea. Of course, good arguments could be held for how all Asian casts do great jobs, but my argument here is to only say, if you can make a good, diverse movie, don’t sell yourself short. Once accepting the diverse nature of Dragon Ball Z, one must now fully analyze casting logic.
Saiyans, Nameks (for the most part), and humans would have to have some very defining similarities between them. This is only to say, you couldn’t cast an African American as a Namek because his facial feature fit the part if another character (non-Namekian) is cast as an African American who bares very similar resemblances. This is not to say African Americans can’t be casted as Nameks, but that facial features are a very big concern for this kind of cast-type. If you cast Goku as an Asian man, you can’t cast Yamcha as Asian as well (although you can), because then if Goku (a Saiyan) were Asian, his father would have to bare some resemblance, and likewise his father’s brother, and essentially the entire race, since for the most part the Saiyan race’s appearances were all very much the same. Casting Yamcha as Asian and Goku and subsequently all Saiyans, or even just one other Saiyan would lead to possible confusion by an audience. Yes, the story is supposed to feed the audience with belief on who’s who as opposed to appearance, but just think about the Last Samurai. What would happen if Tom Cruise’s character were Asian American instead? The movie would still be a good movie, given that the replaced actor would still perform as nicely. But now the actor would have to stand out from the other Asian actors in some way or another. Maybe he’s the only one wearing no shirt. Maybe he’s flamboyantly dressed while the others aren’t. Whatever it may be, those contrasts are going to be necessary in order for things to not get confusing. Not to mention the fact that as Z Fighters, they wear similar outfits. And of course, it is reiterated that lineage is key in determining actors/actresses.
Which now brings us into the logic behind the casting choices. Starting with Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Gerard Butler. In a way this casting choice is similar to that of Goku and Vegeta. Both Bardock and King Vegeta could possibly be interchanged with actors because while the roles demand different performances, the physical appearance is also required. It’s not hard to believe Gerard Butler could pull off a mighty King Vegeta, so what would King Vegeta’s rebellious counterpart look like? Well, for starters, since they are both Saiyans in a more barbaric period in Saiyan history, their features would be rather similar. That same counterpart would have to be experienced in the art of war, a true badass underdog kind of guy. We’ve seen Jeffrey Dean Morgan take on that badass warrior as The Comedian, but give him Saiyan pride and watch him tear up the role of Bardock.
This essentially kicks off a snowball effect in the casting option. Since Gerard Butler is seen as a good King Vegeta figure, all Saiyans mustn’t deviate too far from the burly, Caucasian-featured actor, unless…unless they procreate with a female of Asian decent.
As understood, Chi-Chi is more characterized as Asian, so naturally her casting choice would be a no-brainer Asian actress. However, what must be taken into account is her father, the Ox King. While he may be able to be pulled off by an Asian guy, allowing Chi-Chi’s ethnicity to be full Asian, his features are like a more battle-ready Hagrid of sorts, something menacing enough to intimidate enough people into knowing he is a true king. While this casting choice is not dead set (none of these are, but this especially), the idea is to cast Ox King as a larger, older, burly white man. From there, since Chi-Chi’s mom is never really talked about, it can be assumed that her mother was Asian and therefore Chi-Chi receives her mother’s dominant Asian gene. So it’s logical to see an actress like Kristin Kreuk take up the role of Chi-Chi. I had always liked the idea of Jamie Chung as Chi-Chi, but that can’t be undone (I refuse to discuss any past movie attempts).
And since Bardock directly passes his main features over to Goku, it is presumed that Goku would most likely be Caucasian as well; however, the two can’t look exactly the same, perhaps (if at best) just have Goku be a younger version of Bardock. Which is why Sean Faris is brought into the picture. I must say, I’ve swayed with the idea of Jon Foo being Goku and developing a cast around that, but the options become far too complicated, and while Goku is the main protagonist, I believe Jon Foo can serve an even better role in the Dragon Ball Z story. So with Sean Faris in line for Goku, my choices for Vegeta grow rather limited; Vegeta’s character is shorter than Goku and since Sean Faris isn’t extremely tall, this leaves few options open for a white (Saiyan-based) shorter actor with enough chops to pull off Vegeta. I’ve seen Ray Park thrown around a lot, and I didn’t see it at first, but I believe he would be an excellent person to dedicate to the role of Vegeta. By contrast, Sean Faris has served as the protagonist in other films, but there’s a dynamic not yet explored within Faris that I believe the role of Goku can really bring out. Goku is, by nature, fighting-capable, but he’s innocent, compassionate. Yes, he’s somewhat rash, but only because he cares the way he does. I think Sean Faris can pull this off. His facial features have a natural tendency to soften, so Goku’s compassionate side would come easy when pitted against Vegeta’s (Park’s) sinister look.
This is where I really thought my execution of casting choices really played into something amazing. By biological code, Chi-Chi’s genes dominate Goku’s. Therefore, we have now created the kind of Saiyan all people seem to be pretty satisfied with- one that is of Asian decent, yet bares some resemblance to the ambiguity of the Saiyan race, Gohan. And why I have built this up so much? Probably because, as we all know, Gohan has demonstrated the ability to achieve a power far beyond that which Goku could, at times making Gohan the strongest Z Fighter. To me, while Goku is the leader, Gohan is the real hero. We root for Goku before Gohan is really around, but once Gohan comes into his own, we are content with Goku killing himself, traveling around, etc. because we know he’s left us this legacy with Gohan. Since Gohan really is a strong character and personality to take on, Jon Foo seems like the logical choice for creating that image. Sean Faris could be seen as a weaker actor in comparison to Jon Foo, but Faris doesn’t have the toughest role to play. Yes, audiences and fans are going to root for Goku throughout the series, but once this teenager who has a need to prove himself comes into play that’s going to really pull at some heart strings. A serious actor needs to be in place for that part.
Likewise, with Bulma and Vegeta’s procreation it is safe to assume that Trunks is probably not of Asian decent at all. So this opens the door for a lot of different actors to take up the role; however, I’ve seen Taylor Kitsch act and he fits the bill; plus, in recent times he is rising up in the filming industry so it might be a nice snag for casting when the time comes. As for Bulma, I was really indifferent about choosing because I thought Emmy Rossum was the best choice for Bulma. I wasn’t exactly sure how to redirect that casting choice. Yeah, you could get a blonde or something, a girl who will commit even more to the role than Emmy did, but I wanted to get that shrieking Bulma back. The one that would annoy you just slightly, but you always appreciate what she did for the Z Fighters. Maybe make her a little more badass, but not too much or else Bulma and Chi-Chi start to look like the same person. Anyway, I went with Mila Kunis because while she’s come a long way from Jackie on That 70s Show, I feel she can bring that kind of character to the table once again, but with more fiction behind it, grounded in the Dragon Ball Z realm. And as a plus to that, Mila seems to be an actress who appreciates that fiction-loving crowd more than others, so I feel her ability to appeal to the Bulma fans would be a definite win.
There are a few matchups on here that are pretty self-explanatory, such as Jack Black as Yajirobe or Gary Oldman as Dr. Briefs, and there are some others that do not really have much logic invested in like Mrs. Briefs and Chaotzu. What can be said about the rest of the Z Fighters is that as homage to the Japanese manga, more Asian characters should be placed in significant roles. Logically speaking, it doesn’t make sense to cast Taylor Kitsch as Yamcha or having a master martial artist be anything but Asian. I haven’t tackled all of the roles either, so there is always more room to add more Asian castings.
Another thing to take into consideration is while the Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball series were broken into sagas, some may have to be condensed in order to deliver a well-rounded trilogy (at least). With that being said, an ensemble of outstanding actors and actresses may be a little harder to swallow for budget purposes, one reason why Justin Chatwin wasn’t a bad choice for Goku in the past. So when thinking about casting options, each part of the trilogy shouldn’t focus on famous plugs, but more so what’s it going to take to make the story right. It would be less reasonable to expect Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan to only cameo in a big-production film unless they were signed on for a prequel movie for later. This is something to consider when spacing out the abundance of actors/actresses.
Back to the remainder of the cast. The additional casting options are supplied in the event there is a great disgust toward some actors. It’s not a very extensive list, but I do feel that on a logical level these actors all deserve a well-placed role in a Dragon Ball Z film. I’ve only selected the most logical placements for them. There is some leniency though, for instance, with Master Roshi, Master Shen, and Grandpa Gohan. All three are portrayals of older Asian men with enough acting chops to be wise. Jackie Chan, while probably the best actor for this kind of role, was placed as Grandpa Gohan so that in the event a Dragonball-styled film (or prequel) were to be taken on, he could take up his role as Fortune Teller Baba’s last fighter, a supposed antagonist to Goku. As for Master Roshi, I simply focused on the look. Roshi’s look was the hardest to search for because to me, logically speaking, Roshi always gave off this more American, Chuck Norris vibe, and I couldn’t bring myself to subject the role to a Caucasian actor. I’ve only seen Cary as a villain, but I think it’d be a nice change in pace and since he’s always taken his roles seriously maybe he can get the Master Roshi, turtle hermit role down better than past attempts. As for Master Shen, I needed someone big enough to possibly take on the antagonist role, but not too big to where it’d be unreasonable to not have Master Shen appear in more than one film.
Anyway, while some of the cast here can vary from actor to actor, each one was specifically chosen based on the concepts distinguished above. Some are perfect matches for more than one reason. Others, not so much. Let me know what you think!