Bulma, a determined 16-year-old girl, embarks on a quest to find the legendary Dragon Balls—seven magical orbs scattered across the world that grant one wish to whoever collects them all. Her sole desire is to have the perfect boyfriend. During her journey, she encounters Gokuu Son, a powerful orphan who has only known one other human besides her. Gokuu possesses one of the Dragon Balls, which he received as a memento from his late grandfather. In exchange for the Dragon Ball, Bulma invites Gokuu to join her on her travels.
Alongside Bulma, Gokuu discovers a world vastly different from anything he has ever known. Powerful adversaries also seek the Dragon Balls, pushing Gokuu to his limits as he strives to protect Bulma and their growing group of allies. Unknown to Gokuu, his immense strength originates from a mysterious source, one that poses a threat to those he cares about.
As Gokuu's martial arts skills improve, he faces increasingly formidable opponents whose evil plans may crumble under his might. He dedicates himself to relentless combat training to safeguard his loved ones and the fate of the planet itself.
Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga series globally, with over 260 million copies sold worldwide. As of 2024, it stands as the fourth best-selling manga of all time and is often credited with ushering in the "Golden Age of Jump," when the magazine's circulation reached its peak.
The series was serialized in English by VIZ Media in a monthly comic book format from March 1998 to March 2005. Later, VIZ Media collected the series into traditional tankoubon volumes from March 12, 2003, to June 6, 2006. To align with the English anime localization, volumes 17 through 42 were 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.
I never watched the Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z anime, except for a few clips. I've heard about the nostalgia many people feel for it, but I only read the manga for the first time recently. From the anime clips I've seen, the anime seems to be much slower paced. The manga, on the other hand, moves much faster, which really benefits the storytelling.
Story: 7
The story follows a boy who embarks on a quest to find the Dragon Balls while battling numerous villains and organizations. Along the way, he meets various characters and matures throughout the series. While the story isn't particularly deep, many consider it to have laid the foundation for modern Shounen manga. It's still an enjoyable tale, starting as a comedy before evolving into an intense action-packed narrative filled with epic battles.
Art: 8
The artwork isn't as intricate as some other manga, but it doesn't need to be. The action scenes and overall page layout are exceptional. It's very easy to follow and understand what's happening. Additionally, the art style is quite distinctive.
Characters: 9
The characters range from silly and comedic to purely evil. Each one is unique and has a memorable design. However, some villains lack depth and seem evil without much reason.
Enjoyment: 8
The incredible characters and easy-to-follow action sequences make for a highly entertaining manga, even if the story itself isn't the most complex.
Overall: 8
I believe this manga is a great starting point for newcomers and for those looking for action-packed fun with engaging characters.
Dragon Ball is arguably the most significant manga to emerge after Osamu Tezuka's works. Nearly every shounen series ever written either aims to emulate Dragon Ball or strives to distinguish itself as something different. It’s often the first thing, aside from perhaps Pokémon, that comes to mind for many non-anime fans when they hear terms like "anime," "manga," or even "action cartoon."
The artwork in Dragon Ball is among the clearest, most comprehensible, and aesthetically pleasing of any manga ever created. It’s easy to overlook how challenging it can be to follow the action in manga fight scenes. Even talented artists like Eiichiro Oda of One Piece, Kentaro Miura of Berserk, and Masashi Kishimoto of Naruto struggle to make combat sequences entirely clear. Dragon Ball doesn't have this problem. If someone offered me a year's salary to find a single panel where "you can’t tell what’s going on," I’d likely fail to earn that money.
The story is more enjoyable than most people remember, and more heartfelt than it typically gets credit for. The characters are so iconic that they sometimes seem like exaggerated parodies of themselves in my memory. Their motivations and personalities are straightforward, their arcs satisfying. Re-read them to discover they were more complex than you recalled! Re-read again to realize they’re even simpler than you feared. Learn to appreciate Goku’s shifts between being a "courageous hero" and a "probable sociopath." Hate the villains! Then love them even more. Feel frustrated that Toriyama’s one-off characters, who could easily carry their own stories, are gone too soon, along with much of the cast from before the Saiyan Saga (with the notable exceptions of Goku, Kuririn, Bulma [kind of], and Piccolo).
Why a 9 instead of a 10? This decision came to me when I saw the "enjoyment" scale on MAL's charts and remembered a minor issue during my read-through. The Freeza arc felt slow! There’s a part where Kuririn takes center stage, but Kuririn lacks personality after the original Dragon Ball arcs. The Buu arc felt rushed! It seemed like Toriyama wanted to cram in every remaining Dragon Ball element into the ending but only decided to do so five chapters before wrapping up. The most subjective reason for docking an enjoyment point is personal overexposure: thanks to Toonami reruns, countless video games, Dragon Ball Kai, and knowing the fates of all the characters, it’s hard to sincerely appreciate the Saiyan Saga. I’ve seen it three times on TV and played through it at least twelve times across eight different games. While some argue it might be the strongest Dragon Ball arc, if I say I didn’t skim through it during my re-read, I’d be lying. However, docking more than one point off this magnificent manga for personal overexposure to just one arc would make me seem overly critical.
*Spoiler free*
Despite spending a lot of time reading manga and watching anime, I never gave Dragon Ball a chance. From what I had seen, it didn't appeal to me, so I dismissed it for a long time. After Akira Toriyama passed away, I felt more inclined to give his story a try.
I truly wish I had picked up this series much earlier. If you're getting into it because of the wild transformations and planet-busting fights, the beginning of Dragon Ball might not grab you right away. Admittedly, I had to mentally prepare myself to start it, realizing that the muscular men with crazy hair and auras wouldn't appear immediately. The early part of Dragon Ball is a humble story that doesn't over-explain itself or take itself too seriously. These aspects actually contributed the most to my enjoyment. It may have moments that seem dumb or anticlimactic, but it's hard for me to say I ever expected what I got. It's also hard not to chuckle a lot while reading this. From the start, Dragon Ball feels like it was created with genuine enjoyment by the author.
Overall, the characters are brilliant. They come across effortlessly and feel so real that even when introduced briefly, they seem familiar. Toriyama played with tropes without being cliché, which is impressive. The character designs are excellent, conveying a lot through shapes and subtle appearances. Every character is meticulously crafted, and I'm sure he went through many scrapped designs to achieve the perfect depiction.
The art still amazes me. While I always respected Toriyama from what I'd seen here and there, actually reading the manga is a different experience. I imagine picking up a physical copy will feel similarly impactful, especially compared to reading it on a screen. Toriyama perfectly portrays everything—weight, impact, fluid movement, timing—in such a way that after reading a sequence, I feel like I've just watched an animated clip. The choreography is impressively done, made even more remarkable by the fact that his art is never over-the-top or flashy. His consistency is as reliable as taxes and death. The art style evolved slightly over time, naturally changing from the first chapter of Dragon Ball to the last one of Z, but his skill was impeccable from the start, and his vision remained clear.
TLDR: I never gave Dragon Ball a chance before, but now I'm floored by every aspect of it. I wish I could read it for the first time again.
Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama, you genius.
Story 9/10
To me, this is both a weakness and a strong point of the series. Different arcs have different stories behind them, but they all connect and make sense in the end. Although everything connects, some parts seem to lose understanding and basic common sense. Though rare, sometimes, the reader might feel or want to say, "Well, this makes sense, but why didn't they do this, or why couldn't they have done that before?"
I give the author credit, though, for it is not easy to connect everything perfectly clearly with such a long series. The author balanced everything to work out pretty well.
However, when the plot gets really good into something unexpected, that's when the series really starts to shine. Secrets are uncovered, and mysteries you could never imagine occur in this wonderful storyline, giving it a solid 9/10.
Art 10/10
This one's quite obvious, I think. The action sequences are very nicely drawn with wonderful designs of landscapes and characters. Also, the way technology is depicted still amuses me :)
Character 9/10
First thing first, I have to say the way the characters were created and how it applies to them is pure genius. Absolute amazing creativity with variety as well. This series ranges from humans to Saiyans to animals to aliens to different aliens to organisms to BUBBLE GUM. I mean, BUBBLE GUM. If that's not enough variety, you also get two types (SPOILER* xP). A fat one and an evil-looking one.
There is a downside to this, which is why I rated it a 9 out of 10, and that is the character development. This seems to be a fatal flaw in the series. Important characters who were good friends of Goku (SPOILER* xP) like Yamcha and Tien have seemed to lose their importance. Bulma, who first discovered Goku, seems to have almost no part in his life afterward. She ends up as the casual techno girl and cheerleader for Goku while he's fighting. But, even though there are some characters who seem to become unimportant, some new characters undergo a very nice change in development. For example, characters like (SPOILER* xP) Vegeta, Piccolo, the androids, Buu, even Satan, seem to become important and likable characters in the series. Despite its flaw in the development of some characters, it doesn't do much to affect the wonderful variety of characters and enjoyment in Dragon Ball.
Enjoyment 10/10
I really enjoyed this series. What more to say about it? x)
Overall 10/10
Don't get intimidated by the flaws I posted. (I'm just a thorough reviewer :P)
Overall, Dragon Ball is a wonderful series filled with adventure and excitement. It's just incredible. You can't miss it!
Dragon Ball is a timeless classic that requires no introduction. Its story is brilliantly crafted, with each arc unfolding in a captivating manner. While there are occasional hiccups in some of the arcs, these minor issues do not detract from the overall reading experience and are hardly bothersome. The characters have become iconic figures in modern fiction, thanks to their well-developed personalities and growth throughout the series. Akira Toriyama's artwork perfectly complements the narrative, making it an absolute pleasure to revisit time and again. Despite some minor inconsistencies here and there, the series remains a must-read for everyone. You would re-read it without hesitation.
Dragon Ball is awesome, dude. It might just be the most awesome thing you can watch or read. Is the plot kinda middling? Sure. Is there much character development? Not really. Does the series have a profound message? Nope. But none of this matters. Dragon Ball is fun, and that's all it needs to be. It has epic fights, lovable characters you can root for, comically evil villains, and some great humor and jokes. Dragon Ball isn't trying to be deep or smart by overcomplicating its story or giving its characters huge existential questions; it knows what it is and stays in its lane, which is why it's so effective.
It was great to read this right after watching Monster; I didn't have to think and could just enjoy seeing Goku be cool and beat up bad guys. This is where the huge difference lies between Dragon Ball and other shonen like Naruto. Naruto tries to be deep and smart, but in doing so, it just overcomplicates its story and bores the audience. Dragon Ball keeps it straightforward and does it better than almost every other shonen on the market.
Comics are not novels. The most important aspect of comics is to convey ideas through visuals, and Dragon Ball exemplifies this perfectly. The passionate young protagonist doesn't need to speak to engage you. When it comes to political content, a simple conversation between Goku and Frisha surpasses most Japanese comics. The central theme is that evil characters meet their just ends. The artwork is clean and beautiful, and the action sequences flow smoothly, setting a standard for comics. If Osamu Tezuka pioneered Japanese manga, then Akira Toriyama and Katsuhiro Otomo further developed its three-dimensional depth and realism, which became one of manga's defining characteristics. It's not an exaggeration to say that Toriyama is the greatest cartoonist after Osamu Tezuka.