# TeamFourStar
**Team Four Star** (TFS) is an internet-based entertainment production company best known for *DragonBall Z Abridged*, a fan-made parody redub of the *Dragon Ball Z* anime. The group was founded on May 25, 2008 by Scott Frerichs, Nick Landis, and Curtis Arnott, when a number of pre-established abridgers came together with the ambition of creating a more professional production than had been seen before in the format.[1](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Four_Star) • [2](https://abridgedseries.com/g/team-four-star/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 25, 2008, by Scott Frerichs, Nick Landis, and Curtis Arnott[1](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Four_Star) |
| Signature series | *DragonBall Z Abridged* (DBZA), 60 episodes, June 6, 2008 to December 25, 2018[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged) |
| End of DBZA | Declared over on February 1, 2020; plans to adapt the Majin Buu Saga scrapped[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged) |
| Other abridged works | *Hellsing Ultimate Abridged*, *Attack on Titan Abridged* (canceled), *Final Fantasy VII Machinabridged*[2](https://abridgedseries.com/g/team-four-star/) |
| Size | Described by the group itself as "essentially a 10-person operation" with varying skillsets[4](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/2021-update-47337831) |
| Channel scale | About 4.47 million subscribers and over 2.6 billion total views on the main YouTube channel[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/teamfourstar/) |
| Current projects | *Tales Unwritten*, the "Toonami Abridged" block, *HFIL*, and the FourStar Bento channel[6](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/what-are-we-on-166522822) |
## DragonBall Z Abridged
*DragonBall Z Abridged* is a direct parody of the original *Dragon Ball Z* anime, with most characters and plot lines remaining relatively unchanged. Names alternate between the [Funimation](https://www.edgepedia.org/funimation) dub and the original Japanese version; Tien, for example, is sometimes called "Tenshinhan," and original attack names such as Tien's "Kikōhō" are preserved instead of dub equivalents like "Tri-beam." Characters received personality changes, most prominently [Goku](https://www.edgepedia.org/goku), recast from an energetic, caring hero as a dumb, one-track-minded man-child, along with heavily altered takes on Mr. Popo, Nappa, and Perfect Cell.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged)
Each episode opened with a disclaimer stating the series was a non-profit fan-based parody and that *Dragon Ball*, *Dragon Ball Z*, *Dragon Ball GT*, and *Dragon Ball Super* are owned by Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and [Akira Toriyama](https://www.edgepedia.org/akira-toriyama), asking viewers to support the official release.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged)
The series ran in three seasons: season 1 with 10 episodes from June 6, 2008 to June 12, 2009; season 2 with 20 episodes from January 26, 2010 to June 25, 2012; and season 3 with 30 episodes from December 19, 2012 to December 25, 2018, counting the parts of the final episode separately gives totals of 12, 22, and 33.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged) According to Know Your Meme, each episode drew a minimum of one million views, and the series' popularity led many of its voice actors to reprise their roles in other internet shows and cameo in [Dragon Ball](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-ball) related properties.[7](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/team-four-star) The abridgement community reference site describes DBZA as popular and highly influential, whose success led to a major shift in the production standard for abridged series at large.[2](https://abridgedseries.com/g/team-four-star/)
## The end of DBZA
On February 6, 2020, Scott Frerichs announced on Patreon that the group had no plans to continue with the Buu Saga, either in the original style or through the animation used in the Dragon ShortZ, calling that process untenable after serious deliberation.[8](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/end-of-dbza-33758684) On February 1, 2020, KaiserNeko announced the series was officially over and that the group's future focus would be original content such as Dragon ShortZ; a later video confirmed all plans to adapt the Majin Buu Saga had been scrapped.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged)
In a February 2021 update, Frerichs addressed the gap between fan expectations and the group's reality. He wrote that subscribers and DBZA's success had created an impression of a full production house, but that TFS remained essentially a 10-person operation of editors, composers, entertainers, writers, and actors. He stated the group had no intentions of making another "Abridged" series again, citing legal and practical issues that made them untenable, and that the Dragon ShortZ and an upcoming side project would continue to provide Dragon Ball related parody content.[4](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/2021-update-47337831)
One partial exception followed. To mark the milestone and as a gesture of friendship, Team Four Star came out of retirement on September 2, 2023, when the reviewer TotallyNotMark published his Buu Saga retrospective, reworking selected portions and scenes of that saga as the "Buu Bits" for inclusion in his video.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged)
## Copyright enforcement
Team Four Star's parody work has repeatedly collided with automated copyright enforcement on YouTube. On April 4, 2017, the group's channel was subject, through YouTube's Content ID system, to numerous copyright claims by [Toei Animation](https://www.edgepedia.org/toei-animation) against a significantly large portion of the videos in the DBZA series. The episodes reappeared a short while later, and during their absence the group's own website continued to serve as an alternative distribution platform. A TFS member, Lanipator, commented publicly on the lack of control that users with little financial capital have over the platform's policies.[9](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/983431/7/Chouinard_PhD_S2018.pdf)
## Later projects
After DBZA, the group shifted toward original and self-owned content, a move complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2021 update, Frerichs explained that a slate of projects begun in 2019, including the experimental series *Unabridged* and a project called AWF, was put on hold or shelved when the office closed and in-person recording became impossible; the group instead produced one-off quarantine videos for *Haikyuu* and *Dr. Stone* as experiments in original animation and anime parody.[4](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/2021-update-47337831)
An August 2025 update listed the group's active pipeline: the tabletop series *Tales Unwritten* entering its third season; a "Toonami Abridged" block with a new *Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged* installment in production and scripts planned for *[Sailor Moon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sailor-moon-tv-series)* and a new *Tenchi Muyo* adaptation; a new episode of *HFIL* (Home For Infinite Losers) in animation; [Dragon Ball Super](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-ball-super) commentary videos on the Four Star Bento channel; and an expanded *Metal Gear* parody animation.[6](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/what-are-we-on-166522822) The group's Linktree lists its channels as TeamFourStar, FourStarBento, and TFS Gaming, alongside SpaceDuck.tv for sketches and short films.[10](https://linktr.ee/TFSOfficial)
The main YouTube channel stood at about 4.47 million subscribers and 2.65 billion total views as of late 2026, with recent uploads consisting largely of Yu Yu Hakusho parody shorts.[5](https://www.trari.com/en/c/teamfourstar/) In September 2025 the group's Patreon page was hacked and briefly out of their control; the account was recovered, and the group stated payment information had remained secure.[11](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/all-clear-notice-138685027)
## Members
The founding producers of DBZA were Scott Frerichs, Nick Landis, and Curtis Arnott, and the starring cast included Lawrence Simpson, Nick Landis, Scott Frerichs, Curtis Arnott, Ben Creighton, Corinne Sudberg, Marc Soskin, Martin Billany, and Anthony Sardinha.[3](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged) The abridgement community site lists the members as KaiserNeko, Lanipator, Takahata101, MasakoX, Antfish, Hbi2k, Megami33, LordMoonstone, AinTunez, GanXingba, and MasterWuggles.[2](https://abridgedseries.com/g/team-four-star/)
## References
1. [Team Four Star, Team Four Star Wiki (Fandom)](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/Team_Four_Star)
2. [Team Four Star (creator), Abridged Series](https://abridgedseries.com/g/team-four-star/)
3. [DragonBall Z Abridged, Team Four Star Wiki (Fandom)](https://teamfourstar.fandom.com/wiki/DragonBall_Z_Abridged)
4. [2021 Update, Team Four Star on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/2021-update-47337831)
5. [TeamFourStar: subscribers, views and new videos, Trari](https://www.trari.com/en/c/teamfourstar/)
6. [What Are We Working On? | TFS Update, Team Four Star on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/what-are-we-on-166522822)
7. [Team Four Star, Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sites/team-four-star)
8. [The End of DBZA, Team Four Star on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/end-of-dbza-33758684)
9. [Chouinard, PhD thesis, Concordia University (copyright enforcement and fanvid parody)](https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/983431/7/Chouinard_PhD_S2018.pdf)
10. [TFSOfficial Linktree](https://linktr.ee/TFSOfficial)
11. [All Clear Notice!, Team Four Star on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/tfs/posts/all-clear-notice-138685027)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 1999 to 2016*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license