The Dragon Ball series has been absolutely iconic series spanning 575 episodes in the mainline series and over 20 films. This doesn't even include the non-canonical Dragon Ball GT. With so much media to watch for the series, not to mention countless volumes of manga to read, it may be hard to know the watch order for Dragon Ball at all, let alone being able to see it all.
However, even among the most dedicated fans, one particular OVA for the series has gone mostly forgotten. It not only has a moment where Goku travels back in time to meet his younger self but was part of an obscure game console that many don't know outside of Japan. It also builds up the story of what happens in the ten days prior to the Cell Games and was worked on by Akira Toriyama himself making its forgotten status all the more unfortunate.
Dragon Ball Z: Atsumare! Gokū Wārudo & The Terebikko
Translated to Dragon Ball Z: Gather Together! Goku's World in English, the OVA was exclusively released on VHS in Japan making it hard to come by these days. As a unique piece of Dragon Ball media, copies tend to sell for hundreds of dollars to collectors when they appear on auction sites.
The VHS was meant to be used with the Bandai Terebikko, an obscure console released in Japan back in 1988 that was responsible for many other series receiving special OVAs including Sailor Moon and a special Super Mario anime game. The system was entirely unique, using sounds played from the VHS on the television to interact with the "telephone" that made the console. Players could listen to "calls" from some of their favorite characters and help answer multiple-choice questions using the buttons on the phone.
The Terebikko would eventually be completely rebranded and released in the United States as the See n' Say Video Phone. While the West only got basic animated games to play that didn't feature any major series, the Mattel version of the console is identical enough to the Terebikko that it could play the Japanese games if players were able to get ahold of the VHS.
The Time-Travelling Story Of The OVA
The story of Future Trunks traveling back in time (which is later revealed to be an alternate timeline) to help the Z Fighters be able to take down the Androids is one of the most exciting parts of Dragon Ball Z. While most believe that no one would get into the time machine other than Vegeta's son until Dragon Ball Super, this OVA presents a unique alternate timeline where Goku, Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan travel with Future Trunks back in time while seeing some of the most iconic parts of the original Dragon Ball timeline.
Goku nearly causes a time paradox while trying to introduce himself to his younger counterpart before Trunks manages to save the day. Krillin ends up asking the player what kind of training they did during their younger days, and the group watches as they deliver milk in crates to people. They then travel forward to see Goku's first World Martial Arts Tournament fight with Jackie Chun, aka Master Roshi, and see how he transforms into Great Ape form during the battle. Of course, Master Roshi manages to use the Kamehameha to blow up the moon saving everyone.
Master Roshi then talks a bit about when the Grand Kai trained Goku before the crew in the time machine go forward slightly more in time to see the turtle hermit attempt to seal away King Piccolo using the Evil Containment Wave. Viewers also get to see Goku's epic first clash against Vegeta where a Kaio-ken powered Kamehameha is able to overpower the Galick Gun to attain victory. They then move on to when Goku and the gang traveled to Planet Namek, summoning Puronga, and eventually defeating Frieza in battle. They then fast-forward to where Future Trunks takes on Mecha Frieza with ease.
This is where the OVA changes from the main timeline. They show Cell managing to absorb Android 17 and Android 19 to become Perfect Cell. Future Trunks tries to take him on but fails. With the help of the player, Goku is able to land a blow against the mighty opponent and sends him on his way. In the canon timeline, Gohan fights against Cell as a teenager and of course, Goku doesn't take down Perfect Cell with a single well-landed punch.
Where To Watch The OVA Today
With the extreme rarity of VHS copies of Dragon Ball Z: Gather Together! Goku's World, it would be difficult to see it today without the help of media preservationists online. A completely unedited version of the OVA is available on YouTube and can be watched above while a version edited to remove the multiple-choice questions is also available to view on the platform.