Dragon Ball Z 3 Original Soundtrack - Album Information

Album Information

Like its predecessor Dragon Ball Z & Z 2 Original Soundtrack this album contains a collaboration of American as well as Japanese artists. American credits include Steve Lukather guitarist of the 80's rock band Toto and 70's R&B Soul Funk band Tower of Power, but despite these credits the album remains a Japanese exclusive. The opening theme "Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai" is performed by Hironobu Kageyama. As its title suggests this release stays focused on tracks that are heard on Budokai 3, unlike its predecessor which focused on the first two games on a single disc. As a result the soundtrack's track list appears to contain a more complete selection. However, many compositions that were featured throughout the trilogy's story modes yet were left out of the previous soundtrack were still overlooked, prompting many disappointed fans to rip copies of the tracks straight from the game itself.

Ironically, many of these and a few cuts from the previous soundtrack were use for the North American release of Budokai Tenkaichi because at the time of that game's release neither Funimation nor Atari had secured rights to the compositions by the anime's composer Shunsuke Kikuchi which was used in that game. The cuts used appear to have rip straight from this album as the instrumentation does not loop as it did in the Budokai games. Like the previous soundtrack Z & Z 2, the back of the album's jewel case feature track listings in both Japanese as well as English. However, a few of the English names are not all direct translations, but distinct track names the songs were given when the game was released as Budokai 3 (see below). Also like the previous soundtrack with Budokai 2's opening theme "Kusuburu Heart ni Hi o Tsukero!!", the Budokai 3 theme song "Ore wa Tokoton Tomaranai!!" is only presented in this collection its TV size version as it was heard at the beginning of the game. Fortunately the full versions of both songs, performed by Hironobu Kageyama, were released coupled in a single disc between the two soundtrack releases.