Ask John: Why are New DB Kai Episodes Airing Internationally First?

Question:
I was both happy and surprised at the news that more Dragon Ball Kai would be created. My surprise was, however, at the fact that it was being created for overseas markets and that there were no plans as of yet to air it in Japan. While it is no surprise that some anime have aired first in foreign countries before being broadcast in Japan (Superior Defender Gundam Force comes to mind). But Dragon Ball is one of the biggest anime franchises in Japan, with about every game for any console that has been created, an expanding arcade card game, a new movie coming out being overseen by Akira Toriyama himself. Not to mention that Kai itself was a rating giant when aired and was even syndicated for two years after its apparent finale. So why is it that no new Kai will be airing in Japan first?

Answer:
Particularly with promotion ramping up for the forthcoming Dragon Ball Z: Kami to Kami motion picture, resurrecting the dormant Dragon Ball Kai franchise seems like a logical move. After all, the Dragon Ball Kai series was announced in the first place in order to coincide with the production of the 2009 American Dragonball: Evolution movie. But the revelation that Toei Animation was producing additional Dragon Ball Kai episodes was made in November 2012, four months after the first announcement of a new anime feature film. So two immediate possibilities leap to mind. Although the Dragon Ball anime franchise has been widely popular outside of Japan, the franchise has been dormant since spring 2011. If Toei hopes to eventually distribute the new “Battle of Gods” motion picture internationally, setting the stage for the movie by first refreshing international viewers on the conclusion of the original television series may be a wise idea since the feature film occurs shortly after the end of the television series story. Broadcasting new Dragon Ball Kai episodes globally would reinvigorate international interest in the Dragon Ball franchise, resulting in better global reception for the new feature film than if the film appeared in international theaters without advance groundwork and publicity.

If Toei does not anticipate distributing the new Battle of Gods motion picture internationally, simply getting Dragon Ball Kai broadcast internationally may still advantage Japanese opinion. The ability to publicize the Dragon Ball franchise and new movie with word that the television series is presently airing in many countries outside of Japan may elevate the prestige and profile of the franchise at home. Japanese studios and distributors have used this tactic before. Sony promoted the 1999 Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen OVA series with announcements that the franchise was a hit in America. Geneon Universal similarly publicized the development of the Hellsing OVA series to Japanese consumers by announcing that the Hellsing franchise had been a blockbuster in America.

Of course, the remaining potentially logical explanation is that foreign home video sales have encouraged Toei to produce more Dragon Ball Kai episodes for the foreign market. Japanese consumers and viewers may be eager to see an entirely new Dragon Ball Z movie but possibly not as eager to watch an edited re-broadcast of television episodes that originally aired from late 1992 until late 1995 and have been released on Japanese home video numerous times.