Series: Dragonball / Dragon Ball Z
Company: AB Groupe (Re-released by KidzBiz, Giochi Preziosi, Mattel and Irwin Toy)
Year: 1996, 2000
Size: 3~7cm / 2″
Main distribution: Europe, America
These figurines, also known as the “Super Guerriers” (Super Warriors) or 2″ figures, were made by the AB Groupe. AB Groupe (now Mediawan Thematics) is a French broadcasting group, and the distributor of the Dragon Ball merchandise for European and Canadian markets. They made the English dub for the Dragon Ball Z movies in the Netherlands (based of their French dub), with awkward changes like Piccolo being “Big Green” and the Saiyans “Space Warriors”. As terrible as that dub was, their toys were one of the first you could get in Europe. Here you’ll find the mini figures of them. They made 186 different ones, which later got re-releases under KidzBiz, Giochi Preziosi and Irwin Toy.
Alongside their Action Figures, Super Guerriers Articule (Articulated Super Warriors), AB Groupe also made sets of small figures, Super Guerriers or Super Warriors, that didn’t have any articulation.
The figures seem based on Bandai’s Full Color Battle figures from 1993~1997.
I’ve seen several different packaging for these mini figures, just like I did for the Action Figures. In the Netherlands and Germany, I mostly saw the “The Legend is here” blister packs from KidzBiz whereas in Belgium and France I found the “Super Guerriers” boxes. I also saw them in tins, and one shop in my neighbourhood sold them loose (I’m guessing they opened all the boxes).
“The Legend is here” is a 2000 re-release of the “Super Guerriers” by KidzBiz. They also have the Italian Giochi Preziosi logo on them, so they might be related.
These also got re-released in 1999~2000 as well under Irwin Toy under the line “The Saga continues”, bringing the toys to America for the first time as it had started re-airing in 1998 and slowly became popular. Irwin Toy also had blister packs, with generic purple/green and red flames cartons. Irwin Toys sold Bandai’s Full Color Battle figures first as well in sets of 4, then later the AB Groupe’s Super Guerriers in sets of 6.
Irwin Toys later released them as well in a smaller scale, using the exact same molds but half their size, 1″ figures. You can find those here.
Interestingly several of the characters were unknown to the Western market at the time, as only up to the Frieza saga had been shown here. A lot of characters are also from the movies, probably due to the licensing AB Groupe had with them. As some of these have very little merchandise, it was cool to see figures from the tertiary characters, even though they were odd choices at the time.
Some of the figures look very similar to the Japanese Bandai release; “Full Color Battle”, and some seem to be copied directly, although an alternative release with their own figures was made afterwards.
As these AB Groupe figures do have Bandai marking on them, it’s possible AB Groupe re-purposed the Japanese Bandai figures for the West, or slightly altered their models to bypass them as their own.
All of AB Groupe’s figures have © 1989 B.S./S.T.A on them somewhere. Re-releases have © BS/S. T.A.1989 on them somewhere. Although the figures have 1989 on them, it seems they were released in 1996, when Dragonball was first aired in the West, and later re-released in 2000 with KidzBiz, Giochi Preziosi and Irwin Toy as the show become popular. It is possible it’s referring to the copyright of Dragonball, which released in 1989 in Japan.
31 boxes of 6 mini figures in total were made, resulting in 186 figures. I used to have most of them, but I sold them when I started to downsize my collection and only kept some of my favourites. Of course I regretted this so I have been slowly buying them back now.
I have 79/186 (85/198).
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #1
Release date: 1996
The initial #1 set were direct copies of Bandai’s Full Color Battle figures. This set has Super Saiyan Gohan (Great Saiyaman), Mighty Mask (Trunks & Goten), Kibito, Goku, Supreme Kai / Shin and Spopovich. The box does not have the AB Groupe’s logo on it.
I have 0/6 of these.
Later, possibly to avoid legal issues, they re-made #1. This set also has Super Saiyan Gohan (Great Saiyaman), Mighty Mask (Trunks & Goten), Kibito, Goku, Supreme Kai / Shin and Spopovich, but their poses are slightly different and altered from Bandai’s. The box now has the AB Groupe’s logo on it.
I got 6/6.
I even got a variant of Super Saiyan Gohan (Great Saiyaman) and Mighty Mask (Trunks & Goten), with slightly different skin colours. Most likely one being the AB Groupe’s release and the other Irwin Toy / KidzBidz’s re-release, although I’m not sure which one is which.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #2
Release date: 1996
The initial #2 set were direct copies of Bandai’s Full Color Battle figures. This set has Super Saiyan Trunks, Super Saiyan adult Gohan, Super Saiyan Goten, Ultra Super Saiyan Broly, Super Saiyan Goku with halo and Zangya. The box does not have the AB Groupe’s logo on it.
I have 6/6 of these.
Later, possibly to avoid legal issues, they re-made #2. This set also has Super Saiyan Trunks, Super Saiyan adult Gohan, Super Saiyan Goten, Ultra Super Saiyan Broly, Super Saiyan Goku with halo and Zangya, but their poses are slightly different and altered from Bandai’s. The box now has the AB Groupe’s logo on it.
I got 6/6.
I got a variant of Super Saiyan Gohan, with a slightly different pose. The one looking left is AB Groupe’s release, and the one looking forward is an Irwin Toy / KidzBidz’s re-release. AB Groupe’s is made of a harder plastic, has 2 holes in its feet and © 1989 B.S./S.T.A on his butt. The other is of a softer plastic, and has some give when you try to bend him. He only has one hole in his left foot, and has © BS/S. T.A.1989 on his butt. Their heads are the same, just looking in a different direction. Although I’ve seen several colour variants between releases, this is the only one I’ve found that has a different pose!
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #3
Release date: 1996
This set has Vegeta, Super Saiyan Gogeta, Janemba, Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Buu and Trunks.
I got 6/6.
I had kept Vegeta and Trunks from my childhood, but I have since bought them all back. I even got a new Trunks, as mine has some paint missing due to heavy play. I’m still keeping my old Trunks, for nostalgia reasons. I also noticed there’s some slight colour differences between them. Most likely one being the AB Groupe’s release and the other Irwin Toy / KidzBidz’s re-release, although I’m not sure which one is which. Unfortunately my Janemba is missing his tail, so I hope to get to replace him at some point.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #4
Release date: 1996
This set has Janemba, Super Saiyan Goku, adult Gohan, Goten, Gotenks and Janemba (base form).
I got 5/6.
I kept Goten and Gotenks from my childhood.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #5
Release date: 1996
This set has Perfect Cell, Super Saiyan Future Trunks, Super Saiyan Future Trunks in Bulma’s saiyan armour, Yamcha, Krillin and Hercule / Mr. Satan.
I got 6/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #6
Release date: 1996
This set has Goten, Super Saiyan Vegeta, Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, Android #16, Cell Jr. and Super Saiyan Goku.
I got 6/6.
I kept Super Saiyan Vegeta and Cell Jr. from my childhood.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #7
Release date: 1996
This set has Piccolo, Super Saiyan Goku (Kamehameha pose), adult Gohan, Bojack (full power), Super Saiyan teen Gohan and Tien.
I got 6/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #8
Release date: 1996
This set has Trunks, Videl, Super Saiyan Goku, Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, Ultimate Super Saiyan Broly and Great Saiyaman.
I got 6/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #9
Release date: 1996
This set has Mr. Popo, Turles, Gohan (student), Frieza (second form), Tapion and a Gotenks Kamikaze Ghost.
I got 6/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #10
Release date: 1996
This set has Saike Demon, Master Roshi, Great Saiyaman 2 / Great Saiyawoman, Hirudegarn, Baba and Super Saiyan Trunks (fusion pose).
I got 5/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #11
Release date: 1996
This set has Hercule/Goku Fusion, Super Buu, Gotenks, Metal Cooler, Wild Tiger and Trunks.
Interestingly Super Buu came with a white Gi, and Gotenks has Super Saiyan eyebrows.
I got 4/6.
I got 2 Trunks, with a slight colour variation, most noticeable in the skin colour and red in the mouth. I love this figure so I’m keeping his double. Most likely one being the AB Groupe’s release and the other Irwin Toy / KidzBidz’s re-release, although I’m not sure which one is which.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #12
Release date: 1996
This set has Super Saiyan Gotenks, Pikkon, Kid Buu, Android #19, Master Roshi and Gotenks.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #13
Release date: 1996
This set has Super Saiyan Goten, Grand Kai, Super Saiyan teen Gohan, Kami, adult Gohan (Great Saiyaman) and Vegeta.
I got 6/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #14
Release date: 1996
This set has Evil Buu, Super Saiyan Future Trunks, Hoi, Bardock, Machine Gunner and Oolong.
I got 1/6.
My Evil Buu is quite pink instead of grey, probably an Irwin Toys / KidzBiz re-release.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #15
Release date: 1996
This set has Imperfect Cell, Goku, Krillin, Super Saiyan Future Trunks, Super Saiyan Goten and Super Saiyan Goten (fusion pose).
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #16
Release date: 1996
This set has Frieza, Android #20, Raditz, Majin Buu, Super Saiyan Vegito and Uub.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #17
Release date: 1996
This set has 5 various poses of Goku doing a Kamehameha and a shirtless Goku.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #18
Release date: 1996
This set has Super Saiyan Goku, 3 different Buu, Super Saiyan Vegito and Majin Buu.
I got 1/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #19
Release date: 1996
This set has Hercule / Mr. Satan, Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Videl, Super Saiyan Vegito, Android #16 and Goku.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #20
Release date: 1996
This set has ultra Super Saiyan Broly, adult Gohan, Super Saiyan Vegito, Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Tien and kid Trunks with sword.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #21
Release date: 1996
This set has adult Goku on nimbus, Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks, Great Saiyaman 2 / Great Saiyawoman, General Blue, Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Future young Trunks.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #22
Release date: 1996
This set is slightly different in that it only has 4 figures. It includes Super Saiyan Gogeta, Janemba, Super Saiyan 3 Goku and Buu. It also includes a base you could put 2 figures on, and use a slider to move them around / have them fight each other.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #23
Release date: 1996
This set has Goten (fusion pose), Supreme Kai / Shin, Trunks (fusion pose), Minotia, Tapion and Chiaotzu.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #24
Release date: 1996
This set has Garlic Jr., Babidi, Android #17, Super Saiyan Gohan (Kai outfit), Super Android #13 and East Kai.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #25
Release date: 1996
This set has Salza, Super Saiyan Gohan (Great Saiyaman), Chi-Chi, kid Gohan, Kibito Kai and Mercenary Tao.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #26
Release date: 1996
This set has Bulma holding baby Trunks, Yamcha, Lucifer, Ran Ran, Chiaotzu and Android #15.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #27
Release date: 1996
This set has Hirudegarn, Videl, Broly, Minotia, Super Saiyan Goten and Hercule / Mr. Satan.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #28
Release date: 1996
This set has Goku (Spirit Bomb), Super Saiyan Goku (Spirit Bomb) Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, Puar, Gotenks and Caterpy.
I got 0/6.
I thought I had Puar of these, but this is actually the smaller Irwin Toys one! I didn’t realise this until I got more of them in that scale.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #29
Release date: 1996
This set slightly differed in that the figures were ornaments and therefor had a little metal ring at the top. All the characters are wearing Santa outfits. The set includes Master Roshi, Gohan, Puar, Piccolo, Bulma and Goku.
I got 0/6.
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #30
Release date: 1996
This set was based on Dragonball rather than Dragonball Z and included 2 young Goku’s in orange gi, a Goku in blue gi, 2 Goku’s on Nimbus and a young Krillin.
I got 3/6.
I got a The Legend is Here re-release. My mother bought this and split it up between my brother and I, so I only have half the set. (Still hoping to get the other 3 of my brother!)
AB Groupe Super Guerriers Box #31
Release date: 1996
The last set was a very nice conclusion to the series and another one based on Dragonball rather than Dragonball Z. The set has Shenron, with Oolong, Bulma, Chi-Chi and Yamcha riding its back, and a Goku on Nimbus to fly along.
I have the full set.
Again this is a The Legend is Here re-release.
KidzBiz The Legend is Here
The Legend is Here line had these figures in blister packs. The ones I got were exactly the same sets as the Super Guerriers’ boxes. They also did a series of 12 figure packs, with a mix of figures inside.
Series 1
Release date: 2000
This set came with: Gotenks Kamikaze Ghost (#9), Super Saiyan Trunks (fusion pose) (#10), Super Saiyan 2 Gohan (#6), Puar (#28), Janemba (#4), adult Gohan (#4), Super Buu (#11), Super Saiyan Goku (#7), ultra Super Saiyan Broly (#2), Super Saiyan Gogeta (#3), Perfect Cell (#5) and Saike Demon (#10).
Series 2
Release date: 2000
This set came with: Zangya (#2), Hercule/Goku fusion (#11), Super Saiyan 2 Gohan (#8), Android #19 (#12), Baba (#10), Frieza (#16), Spopovich (#1), Buu (#3), Android #16 (#6), Super Saiyan Trunks (#10), Janemba (#3) and Supreme Kai / Shin (#1).
Series 3
Release date: 2000
This set came with: Mighty Mask (#1), Hercule / Mr. Satan (#5), Frieza (second form) (#9), Minotia (#27), Uub (#16), Kid Buu (#12), Super Saiyan Goten (#15), Buu (#18), ultra Super Saiyan Broly (#8), Mr. Popo (#9), Trunks (#8) and Tien (#7).
Re-release of #30
Release date: 2000
Barcode: 8005163008650
Re-release of #31
Release date: 2000
Barcode: 8005163008377
Irwin Toy The Saga Continues
The Saga Continues line also had these figures in boxes and blister packs.
Boxed
Series 1
Re-release of #6
Release date: 2000
Series 2
Re-release of #5
Release date: 2000
Series 3
Re-release of #16
Release date: 2000
Series 4
Re-release of #13
Release date: 2000
Series 5
Re-release of #28
Release date: 2000
Series 6
Re-release of #10
Release date: 2000
Blister Packs
Series 1
Re-release of #1
Release date: 2000
Series 2
Re-release of #2 (alternate)
Release date: 2000
Series 3
Re-release of #3
Release date: 2000
Series 4
Re-release of #4
Release date: 2000
Series 5
Re-release of #5
Release date: 2000
Series 6
Re-release of #6
Release date: 2000
Series 7
Re-release of #7
Release date: 2000
Series 8
Re-release of #30
Release date: 2000
Series 9
Re-release of #9
Release date: 2000
Series 10
Re-release of #10
Release date: 2000
Series 11
Re-release of #11
Release date: 2000
Series 12
Re-release of #12
Release date: 2000
Series 13
Re-release of #13
Release date: 2000
Series 14
Re-release of #14
Release date: 2000
Series 15
Re-release of #15
Release date: 2000
Series 16
Re-release of #16
Release date: 2000
Series 17
Re-release of #17
Release date: 2000
Series 18
Re-release of #18
Release date: 2000
These re-released around 2002~2003 again including card and sticker packs as a Collector’s Bonus Pack.
I was a massive Dragonball fan at the time, and one of the first series I truly collected besides the Lion King. I spent all my pocket money on these.
This was a time before internet, and we hunted for these figures in all the shops. Trading and selling on was a huge part of collecting, especially then, and it created some cool friendships.
The local Bruna (a stationary shop of all places!) had these figures in a large pot at the register. They were cheap, only cost about ƒ1 or ƒ2 as I recall, and after school me and my friend would go by the shop on the way home and buy one daily. This is why I had so many random ones and not full sets. It’s also impossible for me to tell which ones are AB and which are KidzBiz or Irwin Toys, unless I actually bought that set boxed and still have the card back. I ended up with so many, some of characters I didn’t even know at the time! Goten was a young Goku holding cheese to us until the anime had caught up in the Netherlands, and we realised it’s Goten holding a rock, haha.
One day my mom came home with set #30, which she just found somewhere. She was going to give it to me, but then my younger brother whined he wanted it too. So she split up the set. I picked the Goku and Krillin duo, and then my mom said I should pick one on Nimbus as there are 2 of them in the set. That’s how I ended up with half a set.
We would also often do our groceries just over the border in Tüddern at a German supermarket, which was near where my aunt lived. Often we would visit her after the shopping, so I ended up in this supermarket a lot. I usually looked at the pictures in the German magazines as I couldn’t read German at the time, or look at the small toy section. And one day I find set #31 here! I remember it being incredibly random at the time, and when I got to the register it also scanned in lower than it said on the box! Since then I insisted I went along to see what they had, but I never saw any more Dragonball figures there.
I also played lots with these, which is evident on the Trunks figure as his hair lost some paint.
When I started saving for Uni, I sold a lot of my collection. These were kinda derpy to me, and I figured I was never going to get them all. Whenever I thought I had them all, another one I had never seen would show up. So I only kept a few of my favourites. Looking back, I have huge regret of this of course. It’s mostly nostalgia, as they aren’t that great looking, but it’s cool to have some early European merchandise. I have since tried to buy them all again.
My favourite has to be #31 though. I love it when the merchandise is like a 3D rendition of Akira Toriyama’s art, and this set nails it.
I would also love to find #29 one day, as it’s based on another of Akira’s artworks I like.
Some of the figures’ poses are also directly of the manga / anime which I find cool, like Goten (#4) for example.
The Newest Super Saiyan
悟飯もビックリ! 悟天の爆発パワー Gohan mo Bikkuri! Goten no Bakuhatsu Pawā
(Even Gohan is Surprised! Goten’s Explosion of Power)
I also like how some look exactly like the action figures AB Groupe also did, like Vegeta and Trunks (#3).
As simple as they are, these are so nostalgic to me. I hope I can get them all, just like back then.
If you like European or vintage Dragonball Z merchandise, you might want to look into these. If you’d like more high quality stuff, you might give these a miss.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own any of these figures? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!