Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might

Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might is the third Dragon Ball Z movie produced. It was originally released in Japan on July 7, 1990, between episodes 54 and 55 of Dragon Ball Z. In the United States, it was first dubbed into English by FUNimation Entertainment in 1997, airing in syndication as a three-episode arc of the television series.

The heavily edited 1997 dub premiered on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on January 29, 1999. It also aired on Toonami on seven other occasions: May 29, 1999, as part of DBZ20XL, February 21, 2000, as part of the DBZ President's Day Movie Marathon, April 8, 2000, as part of Toonami: Full Cycle , December 15, 2000 , March 16, 2001 , July 13, 2001 and November 23, 2001.

Synopsis
The Z Fighters face a new threat that starts with the burning of a forest, caused by the impact of a cosmic object, in which Gohan and Krillin rescue the forest animals and a small dragon named Icarus. Although they are able to restore the forest to its normal state with the Dragon Balls, Icarus does not return and stays with Gohan, much to Chi-Chi's fury. Goku then shows a nearby cave to let Gohan keep the dragon with him. Later, the cosmic object that crashed and caused the forest fire earlier reveals itself to be a probe, and shortly thereafter, the Earth is visited by an unfriendly group of aliens under the leadership of a Saiyan. Upon arriving, they plant a seed which grows the Tree of Might, a plant that sucks the life of the planet on which it was planted and leaves it a desert. At King Kai's request, Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu investigate and try to destroy the Tree, but they are unsuccessful. They are then confronted by the aliens whilst their leader watches from inside the spaceship. Eventually, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu are defeated by the aliens, with only Goku remaining as the one who can hold his own against them.

During the ensuing battle, Chiaotzu is rescued by Gohan, who had just arrived, and demonstrates his incredible fighting skills by easily taking out Lakasei. He is then encountered by the aliens' leader Turles, a Saiyan who bears a striking resemblance to Goku. Turles gives Gohan a choice to either join him or die. Gohan refuses to join Turles, and is saved in time thanks to the arrival of Piccolo. However, Turles ambushes and blasts him from behind, having Gohan where he wants him, he notices Gohan's regrown tail and creates an artificial moon, forcibly turning Gohan into a Great Ape and sets him on Goku, who is almost crushed to death in Gohan's hand until Icarus arrives and calms Gohan down. But when Turles attacks Icarus, Gohan is angered and turns on Turles, who fires an attack at Gohan. Before the attack can make contact, Goku manages to cut his son's tail off and restore him to normal. Cradling the little one in his arms, Goku threatens Turles. Angry and impressed at the same time, Turles sets his henchmen on Goku, who uses the Kaio-ken and makes quick work of them while Piccolo unsuccessfully fights Turles again. Goku and Turles then fight, with Goku having the upper hand, until Turles pushes his power further by eating a fruit from the Tree of Might. With his new power, Turles dominates Goku and beats him to the point that he is no longer able to fight, even with the use of the Kaio-ken x10 (x20 in the FUNimation Dub).

Slowly recovering while Turles is distracted by the rest of the Z Fighters, whom he brutally dispatches, Goku decides to use the Spirit Bomb. Despite gaining energy from the living, he is not able to attack Turles as he counterattacks with the Calamity Blaster, neutralizing Goku's Spirit Bomb. Unable to gather more energy from living beings, Goku decides to steal energy from inside the Tree of Might itself. Eventually successful in creating the Spirit Bomb, Goku sees his opportunity, and fires it straight into Turles, who is carried up the trunk of the Tree of Might and destroyed along with the Tree when the Spirit Bomb explodes. With the terror now over, the Z Fighters return to their normal lives once again.

Characters
Heroes=

Toonami Broadcast History

 * January 29, 1999 at 4:00 PM
 * May 29, 1999 at 12:00 PM (DBZ20XL)
 * February 21, 2000 at 5:00 PM (DBZ President's Day Movie Marathon)
 * April 8, 2000 at 8:00 PM (Toonami: Full Cycle)
 * December 15, 2000 at 5:00 PM
 * March 16, 2001 at 5:00 PM
 * July 13, 2001 at 5:00 PM
 * November 23, 2001 at 5:30 PM