Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
The great King Gurumes is searching for the Dragon Balls in order to put a stop to his endless hunger. A young girl named Pansy who lives in the nearby village has had enough of the treachery and decides to seek Muten Rōshi for assistance. Can our heroes save the village and put a stop to the Gurumes Army?
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies is a condensed retelling of the early Dragon Ball manga, streamlined into a movie-length adventure with an original villain. The plot is straightforward and functional but thin, serving primarily as a vehicle for action and humor rather than meaningful storytelling. The voice acting is serviceable for its era and target audience but unremarkable. The animation and cinematography are competent mid-80s Toei work with decent color and fluid action sequences for the time, though nothing groundbreaking. Novelty is limited since the film largely recycles the introductory Dragon Ball arc with a substitute antagonist, offering little that fans or newcomers wouldn't find in the source material. The ending resolves tidily but without much emotional payoff or surprise.