Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The number is the joke: Japanese viewers heard 8000, but the Ocean dub's 9000 reportedly fitted Vegeta's animated mouth, and the shouted, slightly clumsy phrasing is what stuck. In 2006 a YouTube Poop mocking the delivery turned it into one of the first big anime memes, and it became shorthand for any absurdly large number. The later Funimation redub, with a new voice for Vegeta, kept the line because by then fans expected it.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Dragon Ball ZShow the scene
In "The Return of Goku", the Ocean Productions English dub of Dragon Ball Z (first aired in the US on 19 April 1997), Goku comes back to Earth after training in the Other World to face the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa. He powers up in rage on learning that they have killed Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chaozu and Piccolo, and Vegeta reads the surge on his scouter. When Nappa asks what Goku's power level is, Vegeta yells the line and crushes the scouter in his fist. The Japanese original has him say it is over 8000.
Sources (1)
- Wikipedia: It's Over 9000!Origins and analysisReference checked
Context reviewed
