Dragon Ball Kai Pancakes!

Dragon Ball Kai has been all the rage lately, with the show consistently holding the #5 spot in the Japanese TV animation rankings, right behind One Piece and several spots ahead of Naruto Shippuden (which ranks at #9). With this success, companies are racing to get a variety of tie-in products on store shelves, hoping to capitalize on the craze. Out of all these products, however, one stands out due to it’s sheer uselessness and, by extension, awesomeness. I am talking, of course, about the Dragonball Kai Mini Frypan.

No no no! Not that Pan!

That’s more like it.

I’ll let Project Haruhi’s in-house pitchman, Ghost Billy Mays, tell you why these frypans are so awesome.

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Aya Hirano’s First Dragon Ball Appearance

In the 21st episode of Dragon Ball Kai, Gohan and Krillin stumble across a small Namekian village under attack by Frieza and his men. The village elder bravely defends two children… and can you guess who they are?

Still don’t know? Here is another clue, taken from the ending credits…

That’s right! It’s Dende, voiced by Aya Hirano (Haruhi Suzumiya) and his brother Cargo, voiced by Satomi Satou (Ritsu Tainaka). Our favorite voice actors have made their Dragon Ball Kai debut! Unfortunately, neither Dende nor Cargo get any lines in episode 21, and Cargo is killed by Dodoria in episode 22. However, Dende does get a few brief lines in 22 after being saved by Gohan. A short clip of that scene, featuring Aya’s unmistakable voice, can be viewed below.

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Aya Hirano Sings for Dragonball Kai

Aya Hirano, who was recently cast as Dende in Dragonball Kai, will record a Dende character song for the upcoming Dragonball Kai Song Collection CD. The song, entitled “Cure~Boku ga Koko ni Iru you~”, will appear alongside other DBK music, including the OP “Dragon Soul” and ED “Yeah! Break! Care! Break!” by Takayoshi Tanimoto, and songs by Yo Yamazaki and Ryo Horikawa (Vegeta’s VA). The CD is set to be released on October 21st.

Dragonball Kai’s OP and ED, both rolled into one convenient video, can be found below.

–Via ANN

Aya Hirano of Namek

ANN is reporting that Aya Hirano, the voice of Haruhi Suzumiya, is slated to portray Dende in upcoming episodes of Dragonball Kai. Dende’s brother Cargo will be voiced by Satomi Satou, who played Ritsu in K-On!

Dragonball Kai is a HD remastering of Toei’s popular anime Dragonball Z, and features a condensed plotline which follows the manga more closely than the original series. All voice acting is being rerecorded for Kai; however, since the original seiyuu who portrayed Dende and Cargo, Tomiko Suzuki, passed away in 2003, it was necessary to find new actors.

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