DBZ VOLUME & EPISODE NUMBERING SYSTEM EXPLAINED
Missing Dragon Ball?
If you're a DBZ fan, you've probably been pulling your hair out when buying VHS / DVD lately. Due to the simultaneous release of several DBZ sagas at one time, the volume numbers don't always correspond to the chronological ordering of the series. Fans worked around this by checking the episode numbers listed in the descriptions. It was a trade off that many were willing to deal with in exchange for getting more episodes on the market faster.
However, lately another level of confusion has entered the picture. A number of fans have noticed that there are several gaps in the episode sequencing within DBZ sagas. For instance, in the Imperfect Cell Saga, DBZ 45: Hunt for 18 has episodes 138-140 while the next volume in the saga, DBZ 48: Temptation, starts at episode 156. That's 15 missing episodes! And in the Great Saiyaman Saga, DBZ 47: Gohan's Secret ends on episodes 188 while the next volume, DBZ 50: Crash Course, skips all the way to episodes 206!
So where are the missing episodes? Actually, there aren't any. FUNimation accidentally printed the Japanese episode numbers on the box instead of their American counterparts. The company stated that they won't be replacing the boxes since they've already been printed, however they will be continuing with the old American numbers in further DBZ volumes.
