Dragon Ball is a martial arts-themed manga series written and drawn by the Japanese artist Akira Toriyama. Manga are Japanese comics. “Dragon Ball” was published in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 until 1995. “Dragon Ball” is one of the most famous and influential manga of all time. The series stars Son Goku, who is later revealed to be part of a race of alien warriors called the Saiyans. Goku trains to become a strong fighter and works to gather seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls. “Dragon Ball” has been compiled into 42 volumes of manga and has sold hundreds of millions of copies around the world. Its intense action and sparse but dramatic plot have helped to define modern shonen manga, a type of action manga written for teenage boys. “Dragon Ball” has spawned several series of anime (Japanese animation) along with movies and electronic games.
“Dragon Ball” is loosely based on the Chinese folk tale Journey to the West. In “Dragon Ball,” Son Goku, a young boy with a monkey tail, joins the inventor Bulma and the bandit Yamcha on a quest to find the Dragon Balls, which grant wishes when collected together. Goku trains under the martial artist Master Roshi and befriends Kuririn (also called Krillin), another of Roshi’s students. Goku and Kuririn enter the renowned World Martial Arts Tournament with the goal of becoming the strongest fighter in the world.
As Goku grows older, “Dragon Ball” becomes more mature and action-oriented. As an adult, Goku trains his sons Gohan and Goten to become fighters, wins over the villainous Piccolo, and finds a rival in the Saiyan warrior Vegeta. After discovering that he is also a Saiyan warrior, Goku reaches new levels of power and strength, eventually achieving a legendary form known as the Super Saiyan. With his group of friends, Goku travels the galaxy to defeat the villainous alien Frieza, defends the Earth from the android (humanlike machine) Cell, and saves the universe from the pure evil of the genielike Majin Buu.
“Dragon Ball” has spawned several of the most famous anime series of all time. They include “Dragon Ball” (1986-1989), “Dragon Ball Z” (1989-1996), “Dragon Ball GT” (1996-1997), and “Dragon Ball Super” (2015-2018).
