Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies



Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies, known in Japan as Dragon Ball during its initial theatrical release and later retitled Dragon Ball: Shenron no Densetsu (ドラゴンボール 神龍の伝説, Doragon Bōru Shenron no Densetsu?, lit. Dragon Ball: The Legend of Shenron) for its home video release, is the first in a series of Japanese animated feature films based on the manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. It was originally released in Japan on December 20, 1986 at the "Toei Manga Matsuri" film festival, where it was shown as part of a triple feature along with ''Gegege no Kitarō Gekitotsu!! Ijigen Yōkai no Dai Hanran and Kinnikuman - Seigi Choujin vs. Senshi Choujin''. In 1989, the movie was first premiered on the CBS Television Network

Plot
Curse of the Blood Rubies is a modified adaptation of the initial story arc in the Dragon Ball manga, with the original character King Gurumes substituting Emperor Pilaf's role as the main antagonist. Like in the manga, Curse of the Blood Rubies depicts how Goku meets up with Bulma. During their travel Goku meets Oolong, Yamcha, Pu a rand finally Master Roshi during his first search for the Dragon Balls.

The movie starts with King Gurumes’ soldiers destroying the homes and lands of farmers within his kingdom to look for blood rubies. His two main enforcers are Pasta and Bongo, whom he is also tasked with finding the Dragon Balls. Since finding the blood rubies, King Gurmes has fallen under a curse that makes his hunger insatiable. He hopes to wish the curse away with the Dragon Balls. A little girl named Penny decides to go and find help.

A teenage girl named Bulma is also searching for the Dragon Balls with the help of a Dragon Ball radar. Before she can reach the next ball, she runs into Goku (a young boy with a tail) while he’s carrying home a giant fish. Goku tells Bulma that his grandpa gave him a Dragon Ball before he died. Pasta and Bongo arrive at Goku’s home and steal his Dragon Ball. They flee in a fighter jet and Bulma and Goku give chase in Bulma’s jet. But they are shot down by Pasta. Later that night, Goku and Bulma are looking for food in the forest when the find Penny, who is being accosted by a large monster. The monster flees when Goku proves his strength by destroying a large tree. Goku chases the monster and it finds its true form to be a shape-shifting pig named Oolong. Oolong freaks out when he realizes they have landed in the Desert Bandit Yamcha’s territory. Yamcha and his sidekick Puar attack the duo. Goku battles Yamcha but their duel is cut short when Bulma arrives. Yamcha flees because he has a paralyzing fear of beautiful women. Penny tells the others about her people’s plight and how she must find the great Master Roshi.

The next day, the team arrives on Master Roshi’s island, but Yamcha has arrived first and tricked Roshi into thinking Goku is there to steal his shell. To find out who’s telling the truth, Roshi summons the Nimbus Cloud, which only an honest person can ride. Goku successfully rides it and clears his name; Yamcha flees again. Master Roshi also gives Bulma his Dragon Ball, but Pasta and Bongo arrive in a submarine and attack the island. One of Bulma’s two Dragon Balls is stolen and Roshi’s house is destroyed. Angered by the destruction of his house, Roshi uses the Kamehameha to destroy the submarine. Pasta and Bongo flee in an escape jet. Penny asks Roshi to help her defeat King Gurumes, but he declines and assure Penny that Goku and Bulma will be all the help she needs. They journey to King Gurumes’ castle and are immediately attacked by the king’s air force. Bulma is shot down while Goku has an aerial duel with Bongo. Yamcha and Puar also arrive and infiltrate the castle, where they meet up with Bulma, Penny, and Oolong. Yamcha is attacked by Pasta but is unable to fight back because of his phobia of beautiful women, so they flee. Goku defeats Bongo by knocking him through a wall with his power pole. They all end up in King Gurumes’ throne room. King Gurumes’ curse has turned him into a large, purple monster. He attacks Goku to get the last Dragon Ball. Goku tries the Kamehameha, but it fails. Bulma realizes the other six Dragon Balls are inside Gurumes’ stomach, so she throws her Dragon Ball into his mouth. The Eternal Dragon erupts from his mouth and offers to grant one wish. Penny wishes for her land to be peaceful and beautiful again. The dragon removes all the blood rubies and makes the land fertile again. After granting the wish, the dragon vanishes and the Dragon Balls are scattered across the Earth again.

King Gurumes’ curse is lifted, Yamcha and Bulma decide to date, and Goku begins a journey to find his grandpa’s Dragon Ball.

[edit] New characters

 * Pansy (パンジ, Panji?, Penny in the 1989 and 1995 English adaptations)
 * A young girl who seeks the help of the legendary martial artist Muten Roshi in order to rescue her home village from King Gourmes and his forces.


 * King Gourmeth (グルメス大王, Gurumesu Daiō?, King Gurumes in the 2010 English adaptation)
 * The ruler of the Gourmeth Kingdom. Formerly a human king, his greediness to dig out all the Ritch Stones (リッチストーン, Ricchi Sutōn?) buried within his own kingdom has left his own people in economic ruins and he gradually transformed into a monster-like creature with a gluttonous appetite. Gourmes is confronted by Goku and at the end of the movie, he reverts back to his human form after Shen Long rids the Gourmes Kingdom of all of its Blood Rubies. His name is a reference to gourmet.


 * Pasta (パスタ, Pasuta?, Aldevia in the 1989 English adaptation and Raven in the 1995 English adaptation) and Vongo (ボンゴ, Bongo?, Major Domo in the 1989 and 1995 English adaptations)
 * King Gourmes's two main underlings, who are ordered to seek the Dragon Balls in order to quench his appetite. Pasta is a redheaded female soldier, while Major Vongo is a big strong male one. Their names refer to pasta and vongole sauce respectively.