Dragon Ball Z Kai premiered in Japan in 2009 as a remastered, streamlined version of Dragon Ball Z, which originally aired from 1989 to 1996 and adapted Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga. Kai removed much of the filler, updated the visuals and re-recorded dialogue, introducing Goku and the Z Fighters to a new generation. Clips and cues associated with the series spread widely through anime edits, AMVs and soundboards, where their dramatic shonen energy became shorthand for powering up, facing a stronger opponent or turning a joke scene into an epic confrontation.