Dragon Ball

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Dragonball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragonball Z

Japanese: ドラゴンボール

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Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: 42

Chapters: 520

Status: Finished

Published: Nov 20, 1984 to May 23, 1995

Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Themes: Martial Arts, Super Power

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Toriyama, Akira (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.43¹ (scored by 101,520 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #192²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #61

Members: 166,891

Favorites: 15,141

Resources

Wikipedia

8.43

Ranked #192Popularity #61Members 166,891

MangaShounen Jump (Weekly)Toriyama, Akira (Story & Art)

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Volumes: /42

Chapters: /520

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Synopsis

Bulma, a headstrong 16-year-old girl, is on a quest to find the mythical Dragon Balls—seven scattered magic orbs that grant the finder a single wish. She has but one desire in mind: a perfect boyfriend. On her journey, Bulma stumbles upon Gokuu Son, a powerful orphan who has only ever known one human besides her. Gokuu possesses one of the Dragon Balls, it being a memento from his late grandfather. In exchange for it, Bulma invites Gokuu to be a companion in her travels.

By Bulma's side, Gokuu discovers a world completely alien to him. Powerful enemies embark on their own pursuits of the Dragon Balls, pushing Gokuu beyond his limits in order to protect Bulma and their growing circle of allies. However, Gokuu has secrets unbeknownst to even himself; the incredible strength within him stems from a mysterious source, one that threatens the many people he grows to hold dear.

As his prowess in martial arts flourishes, Gokuu attracts stronger opponents whose villainous plans could collapse beneath his might. He undertakes the endless venture of combat training to defend his loved ones and the fate of the planet itself.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga series of all time. With over 260 million copies sold worldwide, the series is the fourth best-selling manga of all time as of 2024. It is often credited for the "Golden Age of Jump," where the magazine's circulation was at its highest.

The series was serialized in English by VIZ Media in a monthly comic book anthology format from March 1998 to March 2005. The publisher later collected the series into traditional tankoubon volumes from March 12, 2003, to June 6, 2006. To closely follow the English anime localization, the series was split, with volumes 17 through 42 titled Dragon Ball Z and renumbered as volumes 1 through 26. Other releases by VIZ Media include the large format VIZ Big Edition, kanzenban cover-based 3-in-1 edition, and a full-color edition of chapters 195 through 245. The series was also published in Spanish by Planet DeAgostini Cómics; in German and Danish by Carlsen Verlag; and in French and Dutch by Glénat Editions.

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Related Entries

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Characters

Son, Gokuu

Main

Vegeta

Main

Son, Gohan

Main

Piccolo

Main

Bulma

Main

Kuririn

Main

Future Trunks

Supporting

Freeza

Supporting

Trunks

Supporting

Muten-Roushi

Supporting

Reviews

Oct 4, 2024

Dejv666

Recommended

This is epic! A total bomb!
It is true that the last passage is perhaps the weakest, but anyway this is very high.
1000000000000000/10
Lots of great announcements, excellent fights, you never know where it can go.
I fell in love with the character of Son Goku.
It barely took me a week to read the whole manga, I didn't want to go to sleep.
I had never seen a Dragon ball anime before, so I had no idea what to expect. Anyway, I have many theories that the author of Naruto must have been inspired here or that Naruto and Dragon Ball are the same universe?
There is a Turtle Hermit ...

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Aug 25, 2024

RafaVS

Recommended

YOU'LL FIND A LONGER AND MORE DETAILED REVIEW BELOW!

OVERALL THOUGHTS AND A VERY SUMMARIZED VERSION:

Dragon Ball remains a foundational work in shonen manga, known for its high-energy battles, memorable characters, and engaging plot. While it may not be the most complex or intricately crafted narrative, its impact and excitement make it essential for genre fans.
Despite its flaws, including underdeveloped elements and a weaker final saga, Dragon Ball’s legacy as a pioneering manga series is firmly established.

It’s worth noting that, based on the average scores used for this analysis, with more 0.2 points Dragon Ball might have achieved an overall rating of 8 for me if ...

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Nov 19, 2022

WhatAGoodShow

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Dragon Ball manga is the source material of the famous anime series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z and has the key indigence that make these shows as good as they are. Usually when something doesn't make sense and stupid retcons are introduced in Dragon Ball Super, people are using this manga in means of defence and site it as the superior Dragon Ball experience.
But is it?

Story
Being a combination of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z in being in one manga, the source material of Dragon Ball has its own can of worms.

Dragon Ball started off as an adventure story with elements of Journey to ...

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Pra vocês, onde Dragon Ball deveria ter acabado? Suricate_ - Sep 16	8 replies	by zeallexandre »» Yesterday, 6:28 PM
Poll: Dragon Ball Chapter 343 Discussion Rasco - Sep 24, 2011	4 replies	by Animeweebisali »» Oct 15, 4:37 PM
Poll: Dragon Ball Chapter 418 Discussion Rasco - Sep 25, 2011	6 replies	by LeonardoFrav »» Oct 11, 5:59 AM
Poll: Dragon Ball Chapter 34 Discussion Rasco - Sep 17, 2011	8 replies	by Timeline_man »» Oct 10, 9:22 PM
Poll: Dragon Ball Chapter 413 Discussion Rasco - Sep 25, 2011	4 replies	by LeonardoFrav »» Oct 9, 10:12 PM

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