Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
The Z Warriors discover an unopenable music box and are told to open it with the Dragon Balls. The contents turn out to be a warrior named Tapion who had sealed himself inside along with a monster called Hildegarn. Goku must now perfect a new technique to defeat the evil monster.
Wrath of the Dragon is a serviceable but formulaic DBZ movie entry. The plot follows the well-worn DBZ movie template: mysterious warrior appears, massive monster threatens Earth, Goku powers up with a new technique to save the day. Tapion is a genuinely sympathetic character and adds some emotional weight, but the narrative is thin and predictable. The animation quality is solid for its era with some well-choreographed action sequences, though nothing groundbreaking visually. The ending features the fan-favourite debut of Tapion's sword connection to Trunks, which provides a charming payoff. Novelty is low as it recycles the standard movie formula with few distinguishing creative choices. Japanese voice cast delivers with conviction as expected from the franchise veterans.