Many anime series are able to leave a permanent mark on the industry, but Dragon Ball is an especially pivotal franchise that's become a benchmark of the shonen genre. Dragon Ball is an important piece of programming due to its positive influence on other anime series, but it also helped open the floodgates for localized English anime dubs in North America.

RELATED: 10 Biggest Mistakes In Dragon Ball Z's English Dub

Dragon Ball Z still holds up well, but it's nearly 300 episodes long and far from perfect. Dragon Ball Z Kai functions as a remedy to this obstacle and functions as a remastered version of Dragon Ball Z that strips out the filler and sticks closer to Akira Toriyama's original manga. The English dub for Dragon Ball Z Kai learns a lot from Funimation's initial dub, which leads to some revised dialogue and altered casting, but also many powerful performances.

10 Christopher Sabat Does The Prince Of Saiyans Justice & Brings Other Bold Roles To Life

Anime DBZ Kai Majin Vegeta Sacrifice

Christopher Sabat has a prolific voice acting career and his work in Dragon Ball demonstrates just how much of a chameleon he can be with his vocal performances. Funimation was a tiny company when the English dub for Dragon Ball Z started and many voice actors like Sabat had to take on multiple roles and spread their talents thin.

The most important characters that Sabat voices are Vegeta, Piccolo, and Yamcha, each of which genuinely feel like distinct performances. There are some growing pains when Sabat first begins to voice Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z, but all of those issues are smoothed out in Kai. Sabat brings more nuance to not only his performance as Vegeta, but all of his roles.

9 Eric Vale Brings The Pain Of An Apocalypse To Life With Future Trunks

Future Trunks returns to his timeline for vengeance in Dragon Ball Z

The arrival of Future Trunks in Dragon Ball Z coincides with some of the series' most compelling storytelling. Future Trunks is a figure who effortlessly exudes confidence and his powerful introduction falls completely flat if there's not a satisfying vocal performance to do it justice.

Eric Vale marks some of the better casting in the original Dragon Ball Z and Vale brings the right level of youthful bravado to Trunks' tortured character. Vale returns to Dragon Ball Z Kai and his work with Future Trunks hasn't lost any of its magic. Vale's strong work in Kai is also a nice precursor to his return as Future Trunks in Dragon Ball Super.

8 Justin Cook Verges From The Past As The Casting For Raditz

Anime death_of_raditz

Christopher Sabat has to play the lion's share of supporting players early on in the run of Dragon Ball Z's dub, which includes figures like Raditz. Dragon Ball Z Kai benefits from having a substantially larger roster of voice actors to pull from and there's no need for performers to overextend themselves.

RELATED: 10 Perks Of Anime Dubs

Justin Cook made waves as the English voice of Yusuke Urameshi, the lead in Yu Yu Hakusho, and he makes for an excellent Raditz. Cook channels a different level of intensity than what was initially present. Cook also voices the Cell Juniors, which is a radically different performance than Raditz.

7 Sonny Strait Celebrates The Humble, Helpful Hero That Is Krillin

Krillin uses the Destructo Disc against Frieza in Dragon Ball Z

Krillin is Goku's best friend, and he helps connect the Saiyan to his humanity and the ties that he's built on Earth. Krillin continues to fight right up until the end of Dragon Ball Z Kai, but his contributions are more symbolic in nature following the rise of Super Saiyans.

Krillin functions as an audience surrogate to some extent, and he needs to sound relatable. Sonny Strait taps into a nasal energy for Krillin that's just right and never becomes too grating. Strait highlights this character's eccentricities, but he doesn't erase the necessary pathos that Krillin requires.

6 Jason Liebrecht Helps Turn The Ginyu Force's Jeice Into More Than A Joke

Anime Dragon-Ball-Z-Burter-and-Jeice

The Ginyu Force is one of the stranger teams to threaten the heroes in Dragon Ball Z and their eclectic nature has resulted in some interesting creative liberties being taken with the dub. Several interpretations for Jeice are explored, including a broad Australian caricature, but it's another case of Sabat taking on too much.

Jason Liebrecht is a fantastic voice actor who's been vital to Funimation's later properties, such as My Hero Academia. He steps in as Jeice and succeeds in a moving, unique performance. He elevates the warrior beyond a broad stereotype.

5 Dartanian Nickelback Exudes Perfection With His Cell Performance

Anime DBZ - Kai SS Goku Surprise Kamehameha Cell

An anime series is often only as strong as its villain. There's a fine line between menacing and parody, which puts a lot of pressure on making these villains sound appropriately evil. It's a major disappointment when the original Japanese voice actor sounds terrifying and the English dub counterpart falls short.

Dragon Ball Z Kai cultivates a regal and destructive persona for Cell that's perfect for the egotistical enemy. Under the pseudonym Dartanian Nickelback, Dameon Clarke does Cell justice, and it makes it all the more disappointing that the character never returns.

4 Chuck Huber Captures The Calculated Intensity Of Android 17

Piccolo punches Android 17 in Dragon Ball Kai.

Dr. Gero's Androids become permanent fixtures in the Dragon Ball franchise, and it's fascinating to watch these weapons of destruction mature into defenders of the planet. There's a natural difficulty in portraying a killing machine who's supposed to be inhuman and void of emotion but still deliver an interesting and effective performance.

RELATED: 10 Anime Ruined By Their Dubs

Chuck Huber really makes Android 17 shine as a character, and it feels like he gains an even greater grasp on the character when he returns to the role in Dragon Ball Z Kai. Huber doesn't struggle to make Android 17 sound appropriately evil.

3 Phil Parsons Becomes The Definitive Nappa By Not Repeating The Past

Nappa shocked over Goku's strength in Dragon Ball Z

Nappa's burly physique and violent outbursts make him a frightening figure, but he turns out to be a relatively weak Saiyan in the grander scheme of things. Nappa doesn't stick around in Dragon Ball Z for very long, but Christopher Sabat's original performance as the brute verges on a parody of machismo.

Dragon Ball Z Kai features Phil Parsons as Nappa rather than Sabat, and it's an effective shift. The scenes between Nappa and Vegeta benefit from not having the same voice actor play both roles.

2 Mike McFarland Knows How To Play The Many Facets Of Master Roshi

Master Roshi bulks up and prepares a Kamehameha in Dragon Ball Z

There's such lively energy to Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball creations, especially the individuals whose roots chart back to the original series. Master Roshi is a character who's an acquired taste for many, but Mike McFarland does inspired work with his portrayal of the old coot who also just so happens to be a martial arts legend.

Mike McFarland accentuates Roshi's frailty when it's appropriate, but he makes sure that the character is always lovable. It's a crucial element that other performers could overlook. McFarland's work as Yajirobe is also a bright spot in Dragon Ball Z Kai.

1 Sean Schemmel Makes His Mark As The Plucky Protagonist Of Dragon Ball Z Kai

Anime DBZ Kai SS Goku On Namek

Goku has to do a lot of the heavy lifting in Dragon Ball Z Kai, which includes some extremely strenuous transformation sequences that aren't easy on the vocal cords. Sean Schemmel faces a tall task in this role, but he's able to capture both Goku's innocence and killer instinct.

Schemmel's performance as Goku in Dragon Ball Z is effective, but he's able to bring so much more confidence and experience into his work in Kai that helps elevate Goku to a higher level. Schemmel has gotten to play this iconic character for years and so his performance in Dragon Ball Z Kai highlights him at his best.