Goku later undergoes rigorous training regimes under the martial artist Master Roshi in order to fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament, a competition that attracts the most powerful fighters in the world. Together they go on a quest to find the seven Dragon Balls, which grant the user any wish they desire.
The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma. The anime, particularly Dragon Ball Z, is also highly popular in various countries and was arguably one of the most influential in greatly boosting the popularity of Japanese animation in Western culture. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest manga series ever made, with many manga artists such as Masashi Kishimoto ( Naruto), Eiichiro Oda ( One Piece), Tite Kubo ( Bleach), Makoto Raiku ( Zatch Bell), Yoshio Sawai ( Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo), and Hiro Mashima ( Rave Master, Fairy Tail) citing Dragon Ball as a source of inspiration for their own now popular works. Reviewers have praised the art, characterization, and humor of the story. The manga’s 42 volumes have sold over 152 million copies in Japan and more than 200 million copies worldwide. Since its release, Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga and anime series of all time.
In 2002, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights to produce an American-made live-action film titled Dragonball Evolution that received a negative reception from critics and fans the movie was released on Apin the United States. In China, a live-action film adaptation was produced in 1989. The entire anime series was licensed by Funimation Entertainment for an English-language release in the United States, although the series has not always been dubbed by the same studio. The manga series was licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, Australia and New Zealand by Chuang Yi and Malay-language release in Malaysia by Comics House. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising such as a collectible trading card game, and a large number of video games. From 2009 to 2011, Toei broadcast a revised, faster-paced version of Dragon Ball Z under the title Dragon Ball Kai, in which most of the original version’s footage not featured in the manga was removed. Additionally, Toei has developed seventeen animated feature films and three television specials, as well as an anime sequel titled Dragon Ball GT, which takes place after the events of the manga. The 42 tankōbon have been adapted into two anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which together were broadcast in Japan from 1986 to 1996. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls for their own desires. The series follows the adventures of the protagonist Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven mystical orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which can summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Dragon Ball was inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995 later the 519 individual chapters were published into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha. Films, specials, and original video animationsĭragon Ball (ドラゴンボール Doragon Bōru ?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama.Kenji Yamamoto (1–95), Shunsuke Kikuchi (96–98) Dragon Ballįirst tankōbon volume, released in Japan on November 10, 1985Īction, Martial arts, Science fantasy, ComedyĬartoon Network ( Toonami), Colours TV, Funimation Channel, Toonami Jetstream, KIKU For other uses, see Dragon Ball (disambiguation). This article is about the media franchise.