Dragon Ball

***Dragon Ball*** (Japanese: ドラゴンボール Hepburn: *Doragon Bōru*?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. It was originally serialized in *Weekly Shōnen Jump* from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters published into 42 *tankōbon* volumes by Shueisha. *Dragon Ball* was initially inspired by the classical Chinese novel *Journey to the West*. 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 orbs known as the Dragon
Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his
journey, Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of
villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls.

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. Additionally, the studio has developed nineteen animated feature films and three television specials, as well as a third anime titled *Dragon Ball GT*. Between 2009 and 2015, a revised, faster-paced version of *Dragon Ball Z* was broadcast under the title *Dragon Ball Kai*, in which most of the original version's footage not featured in the manga is removed. A fifth television series titled *Dragon Ball Super* began on July 5, 2015. Several companies have developed various types of merchandising based on the series leading to a large media franchise that includes films, both animated and live-action, collectible trading card games, numerous action figures, along with several collections of soundtracks and a large number of video games.

The manga series was licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media, in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga, and Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. 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. There have been
many films of the franchise including the first live-action film
adaptation being produced in 1989 in Taiwan. 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 April 10, 2009 in the United States.
Since its release, *Dragon Ball* has become one of the most
successful manga and anime series of all time. The manga's 42 volumes
have sold over 156 million copies in Japan and more than 230 million
copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling manga series
 in history. Reviewers have praised the art, characterization, and humor
 of the story. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest manga series
 ever made, with many manga artists such as Eiichiro Oda (*One Piece*), Masashi Kishimoto (*Naruto*), Tite Kubo (*Bleach*), Hiro Mashima (*Rave Master*, *Fairy Tail*) and Kentaro Yabuki (*Black Cat*) citing *Dragon Ball* as a source of inspiration for their own now popular works. The anime, particularly *Dragon Ball Z*,
 is also highly popular in various countries and was arguably one of the
 most influential in boosting the popularity of Japanese animation in
Western culture.

## Plot summary

The series begins with a monkey-tailed boy named Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma, whom he accompanies to find the seven Dragon Balls (ドラゴンボール *Doragon Bōru*?), which summon the dragon Shenlong to grant the user one wish. The journey leads them to the desert bandit Yamcha, who later becomes an ally; Chi-Chi, whom Goku unknowingly agrees to marry; and Pilaf,
 an impish man who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire to rule
the world. Goku then undergoes rigorous training regimes under the
martial arts master Kame-Sen'nin in order to fight in the Tenkaichi Budōkai (天下一武道会?, "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament"). A monk named Kuririn
 becomes his training partner and rival, but they soon become best
friends. After the tournament, Goku searches for the Dragon Ball his
grandfather left him and almost single-handedly defeats the Red Ribbon Army and their hired assassin Taopaipai. Thereafter Goku reunites with his friends to defeat the fortuneteller Baba Uranai's fighters and have her locate the last Dragon Ball to revive a friend killed by Taopaipai.

At the Tenkaichi Budōkai three years later Goku and his allies oppose
 Kame-Sen'nin's rival and Taopaipai's brother, Tsuru-Sen'nin, and his
students Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Kuririn is killed after the tournament and Goku tracks down and is defeated by his killer, Piccolo Daimao. The samurai Yajirobe takes Goku to the hermit Karin,
 where he receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, Piccolo fights
Kame-Sen'nin and Chaozu, leading to both their deaths, and uses the
Dragon Balls to regain his youth before destroying Shenlong. Goku then
kills Piccolo Daimao, who, just before dying, spawns his
son/reincarnation Piccolo. Karin then directs Goku to Kami-sama,
 the original creator of the Dragon Balls, to restore Shenlong and
revive his slain friends. Goku trains under Kami for the next three
years, once again reuniting with his friends at the Tenkaichi Budōkai,
where he narrowly wins against Piccolo before leaving with Chi-Chi to
keep his promise to marry her.

Five years later, Goku is a young adult and father to his son Gohan, when Raditz
 arrives on Earth, identifies Goku as his younger brother 'Kakarrot' and
 reveals to him that they are members of a nearly extinct
extraterrestrial race called the Saiyans (サイヤ人 *Saiya-jin*?), who sent Goku to conquer Earth for them, until he suffered a severe head injury
 and lost all memory of his mission. Goku refuses to continue the
mission, sides with Piccolo, and sacrifices his life to defeat Raditz.
In the afterlife Goku trains under the North Kaiō until he is revived by the Dragon Balls to save the Earth from the invading Nappa and Vegeta.
 In the battle Yamcha, Chaozu, Tenshinhan, and Piccolo are killed, and
the Dragon Balls cease to exist. Kuririn and the galactic tyrant Freeza learn of another set of Dragon Balls on planet Namek (ナメック星 *Namekku-sei*?),
 whereupon Bulma, Gohan, and Kuririn search for them to revive their
friends and subsequently the Earth's Dragon Balls, leading to several
battles with Freeza's minions and Vegeta, the latter standing alongside
the heroes to fight the Ginyu Force, a team of mercenaries. The long battle with Freeza himself comes to a close when Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan (超サイヤ人 *Sūpā Saiya-jin*?) of legends and defeats him.

A group of Androids (人造人間 *Jinzōningen*?, "Artificial Humans") created by a member of the former Red Ribbon Army, Doctor Gero, appear three years later, seeking revenge against Goku. During this time, an evil life form called Cell
 also emerges and, after absorbing two of the Androids to achieve his
"perfect form," holds his own fighting tournament to challenge the
protagonists. After Goku sacrifices his own life to no avail, Gohan
avenges his father by defeating Cell. Seven years later, Goku, briefly
revived for one day, and his allies are drawn into a fight against Majin Boo. After numerous battles, including destruction and re-creation of the Earth, Goku destroys Boo with a *Genki-Dama*
 (a sphere of pure energy drawn from all intelligent beings on Earth)
and wishes for him to be reincarnated as a "good person." Ten years
later, at another Tenkaichi Budōkai, Goku meets Boo's human
reincarnation, Oob. Leaving their match unfinished, Goku departs with Oob to train him to be Earth's new guardian.

## Production

Akira Toriyama loosely modeled *Dragon Ball* on the classic Chinese novel *Journey to the West*;[2][3] but also redeveloped it from his 1983 one-shot manga *Dragon Boy*.[3] He has said that the fighting was influenced from movies by famous martial arts actor Jackie Chan,[4][5] as he wanted to create a story with the basic theme of *Journey to the West*, but with "a little kung fu."[6] Since it was serialized in a shōnen
 magazine, he added the idea of the Dragon Balls to give it a game-like
activity of gathering something, without thinking of what the characters
 would wish for.[6] With Goku being Sun Wukong, Bulma as Xuanzang, Oolong as Zhu Bajie and Yamcha being Sha Wujing, he originally thought it would last about a year or end once the Dragon Balls were collected.[5][7] Toriyama stated that although the stories are purposefully easy to understand, he specifically aimed *Dragon Ball* at readers older than those of his previous serial *Dr. Slump*.[8] He also wanted to break from the Western influences common in *Dr. Slump*, deliberately going for Chinese scenery, referencing Chinese buildings and photographs of China his wife had bought.[9] The island where the Tenkaichi Budōkai (天下一武道会?, "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament", renamed "World Martial Arts Tournament" in Funimation's dub) is held is modeled after Bali, which he, his wife and assistant visited in mid-1985, and for the area around Bobbidi's spaceship he consulted photos of Africa.[9]

It was when the Tenkaichi Budōkai martial arts tournament began that *Dragon Ball* truly became popular, having recalled the races and tournaments in *Dr. Slump*.[5]
 Anticipating that readers would expect Goku to win the tournaments,
Toriyama had him lose the first two while planning an eventual victory.
He said that Muscle Tower in the Red Ribbon Army storyline was inspired
by the video game *Spartan X*,
 in which enemies tended to appear very fast. He then created Piccolo
Daimao as a truly evil villain, and as a result called that arc the most
 interesting to draw.[5]
 Once Goku and company had become the strongest on Earth, they turned to
 extraterrestrial opponents including the Saiyans. Freeza, who forcibly
took over planets to resell them, was created around the time of the Japanese economic bubble and was inspired by real estate speculators, whom Toriyama called the "worst kind of people."[5] Finding the escalating enemies difficult, he created the Ginyu Force to add more balance to the series. He added time travel
 next, but said he had a hard time with it, only thinking of what to do
that week and having to discuss it with his second editor Yu Kondo.[5] After Cell's death, Toriyama intended for Gohan to replace Goku as the series' protagonist, but felt the character was not suited for the role and changed his mind.[5]

Going against the normal convention that the strongest characters
should be the largest in terms of physical size, he designed many of *Dragon Ball'*s most powerful characters with small statures, including the protagonist, Goku.[10]
 When creating a character, his process is to first come up with their
face and body type, and then the clothes while thinking of the world
they inhabit and if the fighters can move around in them.[11]
 Toriyama said that he did not plan the details of the story, resulting
in strange occurrences and discrepancies later in the series, including
changing the colors of the characters mid-story and few characters
having screen tone because he found it difficult to use.[4][6][7][11]

Toriyama later explained the he had Goku grow up as a means to make drawing fight scenes easier, even though his first editor Kazuhiko Torishima was initially against it because it was rare to have the main character of a manga series change drastically.[12]
 When including fights in the manga, Toriyama had the characters go to
uninhabited locations to avoid difficulties in drawing residents and
destroyed buildings. While he personally dislikes the idea of naming
fighting techniques, Torishima at the time felt it would be better, so
Toriyama proceeded to create names for all of the techniques, except for
 the series' signature *Kamehameha* (かめはめ波?, lit. "Kamehame Wave") which his wife came up with when he was indecisive about what it should be called.[9] In order to advance the story quickly by having characters travel without inconvenience, he created the flying cloud *Kinto-un* (筋斗雲?, lit. "Somersault Cloud", renamed "Nimbus" in Funimation's dub), then gave most fighters the flying technique *Bukū-jutsu* (舞空術?, lit. "Air Dance Technique"), and finally granted Goku the teleportation ability *Shunkan Idō* (瞬間移動?, lit. "Instant Teleport", renamed "Instant Transmission" in Funimation's dub).[9] Once he came up with the idea of the Super Saiyan (超サイヤ人 *Sūpā Saiya-jin*?), he felt the only way to show Goku's massive power up was to have him transform.[11]
 Initially he was concerned that the facial expression looked like that
of a villain, but felt since the transformation was brought about by
anger it was acceptable.[11] While talking to his long-time friend and fellow manga artist Masakazu Katsura
 about how there was nothing stronger than a Super Saiyan, Katsura
suggested having two characters "fuse" together, leading to the creation
 of the Fusion (フュージョン *Fyūjon*?) technique.[13][14] Since the completion of *Dragon Ball*,
 Toriyama has continued to add to its story, mostly background
information on its universe, through guidebooks published by Shueisha.

During the second half of the series, Toriyama has said that he had
become more interested in coming up with the story than actually drawing
 it, and that the battles became more intense with him simplifying the
lines.[4]
 He also said he would get letters from readers complaining that the art
 had become "too square", so he intentionally made it more so.[4] In 2013, he stated that because *Dragon Ball*
 is an action manga the most important aspect is the sense of speed, so
he didn't draw very elaborate, going so far as to suggest one could say
that he wasn't interested in the art.[12] He also once said that his goal for the series was to tell an "unconventional and contradictory" story.[10] In 2013, commenting on *Dragon Ball'*s
 global success, Toriyama said, "Frankly, I don't quite understand why
it happened. While the manga was being serialized, the only thing I
wanted as I kept drawing was to make Japanese boys happy.", "The role of
 my manga is to be a work of entertainment through and through. I dare
say I don't care even if [my works] have left nothing behind, as long as
 they have entertained their readers."[15]

## Media

### Manga

Written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama, *Dragon Ball* was serialized in the manga anthology *Weekly Shōnen Jump*
 from November 20, 1984 to May 23, 1995, when Toriyama grew exhausted
and felt he needed a break from drawing. The 519 individual chapters
were published into 42 *tankōbon* volumes by Shueisha from September 10, 1985 through August 4, 1995.[16][17][18] In 2002, the chapters were re-released in a collection of 34 *kanzenban* volumes, which included a slightly rewritten ending, new covers, and color artwork from its *Weekly Shōnen Jump* run. The February 2013 issue of *V Jump*, which was released in December 2012, announced that parts of the manga will be fully colored and re-released in 2013.[19] Twenty volumes, beginning from chapter 195 and grouped by story arcs, were released between February 4, 2013 and July 4, 2014.[20][21]

The *Dragon Ball* manga is licensed for release in English in North America by Viz Media. Viz originally released volumes 17 through 42 (chapters 195 through 519) under the title "*Dragon Ball Z*"
 to mimic the name of the anime series adapted from those volumes,
feeling it would reduce the potential for confusion by its readers. They
 initially released both series chapter by chapter in a monthly comic
book format starting in 1998, and later began collecting them in graphic
 novels in 2000.[22] In 2000, while releasing *Dragon Ball* in the monthly format, Viz began to censor the series in response to complaints by parents.[23][24] They argued that when there are parental complaints, major chain stores stop selling the series, so to keep wide distribution, they made some "concessions".[24]
 They assured that all changes were done with approval by Toriyama and
Shueisha, with Toriyama making suggestions himself: such as to obscure
Goku's genitals with objects, rather than "neuter him".[24]
 A fan petition that garnered over 10,000 signatures was created, and a
year later, Viz announced they would stop censoring the series and
instead increased its "rating" to 13 and up, and reprinted the first 3
graphic novels.[23][24]

"*Dragon Ball Z*", from Trunk's appearance to chapter 226, was published in Viz's monthly magazine *Shonen Jump*
 from its debut issue in January 2003 to April 2005. Later, the first
ten collected volumes of both series were re-released from March to May
2003 under their "*Shonen Jump*" imprint, with *Dragon Ball* being completed on August 3, 2004 and *Dragon Ball Z* finishing on June 6, 2006.[25][26] However, when releasing the last few volumes of *Dragon Ball Z*,
 the company began to censor the series again; translating the sound
effects of gunshots to "zap" and changing the few sexual references.[27] In June 2008, Viz began re-releasing the two series in a wideban format called "Viz Big Edition," which collects three individual volumes into a single large volume.[28][29] These editions are on higher quality paper and include some of the original *Weekly Shōnen Jump*
 color pages, however, they include new censorship not in the 2003
releases. On November 3, 2008, the first volumes of both series were
released in hardcover "Collector's Editions."[30][31] Viz began releasing new 3-in-1 volumes of *Dragon Ball*, similar to their "Viz Big Edition", with volume one released on June 4, 2013.[32] This version uses the Japanese *kanzenban* covers and marks the first time in English that the entire series is being released under the *Dragon Ball* name. They serialized chapter 195 to 245 of the fully colored version of the manga in their digital anthology *Weekly Shonen Jump* from February 2013 to February 2014.[33] They began publishing *Dragon Ball Full Color Edition* into large printed volumes on February 4, 2014.[34]

The manga has also been licensed in other English-speaking countries, distributed in the same Viz format of separating it into *Dragon Ball* and *Dragon Ball Z*. The United Kingdom's release of the manga has been through different distributors. From August 2005 to November 2007, Gollancz Manga an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group released the 16 volumes of *Dragon Ball* and the first 4 of *Dragon Ball Z*.[35][36] Viz would release the books after Gollancz and expand to digital sales on the Nook in August 2013.[37] In Australia and New Zealand, Madman Entertainment has released all 16 volumes of the *Dragon Ball* manga and the 9 "Viz Big" volumes of *Dragon Ball Z*.[38][39][40][41]

#### Spin-offs and crossovers

Toriyama also created a short series, *Neko Majin*, that became a self-parody of *Dragon Ball*. First appearing in August 1999, the eight chapter series was released sporadically in *Weekly Shōnen Jump* and *Monthly Shōnen Jump* until it was completed in 2005. These chapters were compiled into one *kanzenban* volume for release on April 4, 2005.[42] In 2006, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of *Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo* (or *Kochikame*), a special manga titled *Super Kochikame* (超こち亀 *Chō Kochikame*?) was released on September 15.[43] It included characters from the series appearing in special crossover chapters of other well-known manga. The chapter "This is the Police Station in front of Dragon Park on Planet Namek" (こちらナメック星ドラゴン公園前派出所 *Kochira Namekku-sei Dragon Kōen-mae Hashutsujo*?) was a *Dragon Ball* crossover by Toriyama and *Kochikame* author Osamu Akimoto. That same year, Toriyama teamed up with Eiichiro Oda to create a single crossover chapter of *Dragon Ball* and *One Piece*. Entitled *Cross Epoch*, the chapter was published in the December 25, 2006 issue of *Weekly Shōnen Jump* and the April 2011 issue of English *Shonen Jump*.[44] The final chapter of Toriyama's 2013 manga series *Jaco the Galactic Patrolman* revealed that it is set before *Dragon Ball*, with several characters making appearances.[45] *Jaco'*s collected volumes contain a bonus *Dragon Ball* chapter depicting Goku's mother. *Jaco* and the bonus chapter were both published in Viz's digital English *Weekly Shonen Jump*.[46]

A colored spin-off manga titled *Dragon Ball SD* and written by Naho Ōishi has been published in Shueisha's *Saikyō Jump* magazine since its debut issue released in December 2010.[47] The manga is a condensed retelling of Goku's various adventures as a child, with many details changed, in a super deformed art style, hence the title.[48]
 It has been collected into three volumes, with the first being released
 on April 4, 2013, the second on April 4, 2014, and the third on
December 4, 2014.[49][50][51]

*Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock* is a three-chapter manga, once again penned by Naho Ōishi, that was published in the monthly magazine *V Jump* from August and October 2011.[52] This manga is a sequel to the 1990 TV special *Bardock – The Father of Goku* with some key details changed. As the title indicates the manga's story revolves around Bardock,
 Goku's father, who in this special is featured in a "what-if" scenario
in which he did not die at the hands of Freeza and gets to fight his
enemy as a Super Saiyan.

### Anime series

#### *Dragon Ball*

Toei Animation produced an anime television series based on the first 194 manga chapters, also titled *Dragon Ball*. The series premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on February 26, 1986 and ran until April 12, 1989, lasting 153 episodes.[3]

#### *Dragon Ball Z*

Instead of continuing the anime as *Dragon Ball*, Toei Animation decided to carry on with their adaptation under a new name and asked Akira Toriyama to come up with the title. *Dragon Ball Z* (ドラゴンボールZ(ゼット) *Doragon Bōru Zetto*?, commonly abbreviated as *DBZ*)
 picks up five years after the first series left off and adapts the
final 325 chapters of the manga. It premiered in Japan on Fuji
Television on April 26, 1989, taking over its predecessor's time slot,
and ran for 291 episodes until its conclusion on January 31, 1996.[3]

#### *Dragon Ball GT*

*Dragon Ball GT* (ドラゴンボールGT(ジーティー) *Doragon Bōru Jī Tī*?, *G(rand) T(ouring)*[53]) premiered on Fuji TV on February 2, 1996 and ran until November 19, 1997 for 64 episodes.[3] Unlike the first two anime series, it is not based on Akira Toriyama's original *Dragon Ball* manga,[54] being created by Toei Animation as a sequel to the series or as Toriyama called it, a "side story of the original *Dragon Ball*".[53] Toriyama only designed the main cast and some machines, and came up with the title.

#### *Dragon Ball Kai*

Main articles: Dragon Ball Kai and List of Dragon Ball Z Kai episodes

In February 2009, Toei Animation announced that it would begin broadcasting a revised version of *Dragon Ball Z*
 as part of the series' 20th anniversary celebrations. The series
premiered on Fuji TV in Japan on April 5, 2009, under the name *Dragon Ball Kai* (ドラゴンボール改 *Doragon Bōru Kai*?, lit. "Dragon Ball Revised"), with the episodes remastered for HDTV, featuring updated opening and ending sequences, and a rerecording of the vocal tracks by most of the original cast.[55][56]
 The footage was also re-edited to more closely follow the manga,
resulting in a faster-moving story, and damaged frames removed.[57] As such, it is a new version of *Dragon Ball Z* created from the original footage. Some shots were also remade from scratch in order to fix cropping and continuity issues.[58] The majority of the international versions, including Funimation Entertainment's English dub, are titled *Dragon Ball Z Kai*.[59][60]

#### *Dragon Ball Super*

On April 28, 2015, Toei Animation announced *Dragon Ball Super* (ドラゴンボール超 *Doragon Bōru Chō*?), the first all-new *Dragon Ball*
 television series to be released in 18 years. It debuted on July 5 and
will run as a weekly series at 9:00 am on Fuji TV on Sundays.[1] Masako Nozawa reprised her roles as Goku, Gohan, and Goten. Most of the original cast reprise their roles as well.[61][62] Kouichi Yamadera and Masakazu Morita also reprise their roles, as Beerus and Whis, respectively.[62] The story of the anime is set six months[63]
 after the defeat of Majin Boo, when the Earth has become peaceful once
again. Akira Toriyama is credited as the original creator, as well for
"original story & character design concepts."[64] It will also be adapted into companion manga.[65]

### Films

#### Anime

Nineteen animated theatrical films based on the *Dragon Ball* series have been released in Japan. The first three films are based on the original *Dragon Ball* anime series. The remaining films include fifteen *Dragon Ball Z*
 films and one tenth anniversary special (also based on the first anime
series). However, the films are generally either alternate re-tellings
of certain story arcs or extra side-stories that do not correlate with
the same timeline as the series. The exception being *Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods* and *Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F'* released in 2013 and 2015 respectively, these films being the first to have original creator Akira Toriyama deeply involved in their production.[66][67]

#### Live-action

An unofficial live-action Mandarin Chinese film adaptation of the series, *Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins*, was released in Taiwan in 1989.[3] In December 1990, the unofficial live-action Korean film *Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku* was released. 20th Century Fox acquired feature film rights to the *Dragon Ball* franchise in March 2002 and began production on an American live-action film entitled *Dragonball Evolution*.[68][69] Directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow, it was released in the United States on April 10, 2009.[69][70]

### TV Specials and other animations

Three television specials based on the series were aired on Fuji TV in Japan. The first, *The One True Final Battle ~The Z Warrior Who Challenged Freeza -- Son Goku's Father~*, renamed *Bardock – The Father of Goku* by Funimation, was shown on October 17, 1990. The second special, *The Hopeless Resistance!! Gohan and Trunks -- The Two Remaining Super Warriors*, renamed *The History of Trunks* by Funimation, is based on a special chapter of the original manga and aired on March 24, 1993. *Goku Side Story! The Four Star Ball is a Badge of Courage*, renamed *A Hero's Legacy* by Funimation, aired on March 26, 1997. A two-part hour-long crossover special between *Dragon Ball Z*, *One Piece* and *Toriko*, referred to as *Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special!!* aired on April 7, 2013.[71]

A two-episode original video animation (OVA) titled *Dragon Ball Z Side Story: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans* was created in 1993 as strategy guides for the Famicom video game of the same name.[72] A remake titled *Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans* was created as a bonus feature for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game *Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2*, which was released on November 11, 2010.[73]
The short film *Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!* was created for the Jump Super Anime Tour,[74] which celebrated *Weekly Shōnen Jump'*s 40th anniversary, and debuted on November 24, 2008. A short animated adaptation of Naho Ōishi's Bardock spinoff manga, *Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock*, was shown on December 17–18, 2011 at the Jump Festa 2012 event.[75]

### Video games

The *Dragon Ball* franchise has spawned multiple video games across
 various genres and platforms. Earlier games of the series included a
system of card battling and were released for the Nintendo Entertainment System following the storyline of the series.[76] Starting Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Mega Drive/Genesis, the Sega Saturn and the PlayStation, most of the games were from the fighting genre or RPG (Role Playing Game), including the series *Super Butoden*.[77] The first *Dragon Ball* game to be released in the United States was *Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout* for the PlayStation on July 31, 1997.[78] For the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable games the characters were redone in 3D cel-shaded graphics. These games included the *Dragon Ball Z: Budokai* series and the *Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi* series.[79][80] *Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit* was the first game of the series developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[81] A massively multiplayer online role-playing game called *Dragon Ball Online* was available in Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan until the servers were shut down in 2013.[82]

### Soundtracks

Myriad soundtracks were released in the anime, movies and the games. The music for the first two anime *Dragon Ball* and *Z* and its films was composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, while the music from *GT* was composed by Akihito Tokunaga and the music from *Kai* was composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Norihito Sumitomo. For the first anime, the soundtracks released were *Dragon Ball: Music Collection* in 1985 and *Dragon Ball: Complete Song Collection* in 1991, although they were reissued in 2007 and 2003, respectively.[83] For the second anime, the soundtrack series released were *Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection Series*. It was produced and released by Columbia Records
 of Japan from July 21, 1989 to March 20, 1996 the show's entire
lifespan. On September 20, 2006 Columbia re-released the Hit Song
Collection on their Animex 1300 series.[84][85] Other CDs released are compilations, video games and films soundtracks as well as music from the English versions.[86]

### Companion books

There have been numerous companion books to the *Dragon Ball* franchise. Chief among these are the *Daizenshuu* (大全集?)
 series, comprising seven hardback main volumes and three supplemental
softcover volumes, covering the manga and the first two anime series and
 their theatrical films. The first of these, *Dragon Ball: The Complete Illustrations* (*Daizenshuu* volume 1), first published in Japan in 1995, is the only one that was released in English, being printed in 2008 by Viz Media.[87] It contains all 264 colored illustrations Akira Toriyama drew for the *Weekly Shōnen Jump* magazines' covers, bonus giveaways and specials, and all the covers for the 42 *tankōbon*.
 It also includes an interview with Toriyama on his work process. The
remainder have never been released in English, and all are now out of
print in Japan. From February 4 to May 9, 2013, condensed versions of
the *Daizenshuu* with some updated information were released as the four-volume *Chōzenshū* (超全集?) series.[19] For *Dragon Ball GT*, the *Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files* were released in May and December 1997 by Shueisha's *Jump Comics Selection*
 imprint. They include series information, illustration galleries,
behind-the-scenes information, and more. They were out of print for many
 years, but were re-released in April 2006 (accompanying the Japanese
DVD release of *Dragon Ball GT*) and this edition is still in print.[88][89]

Coinciding with the 34-volume *kanzenban* re-release of the
manga, and the release of the entire series on DVD for the first time in
 Japan, four new guidebooks were released in 2003 and 2004. *Dragon Ball Landmark* and *Dragon Ball Forever* cover the manga, using volume numbers for story points that reference the *kanzenban* release,[90][91] while *Dragon Ball: Tenkaichi Densetsu* (ドラゴンボール 天下一伝説?) and *Dragon Ball Z: Son Goku Densetsu* (ドラゴンボールZ 孫悟空伝説?) cover the *Dragon Ball* and *Dragon Ball Z* anime, respectively.[92][93] Much of the material in these books is reused from the earlier *Daizenshuu*
 volumes, but they include new textual material including substantial
interviews with the creator, cast and production staff of the series. *Son Goku Densetsu*
 in particular showcases previously-unpublished design sketches of
Goku's father Bardock, drawn by character designer Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru
prior to creator Akira Toriyama's revisions that resulted in the final
version.

Following the release of *Dragon Ball Kai* in Japan, four new guidebooks were released: the two-volume *Dragon Ball: Super Exciting Guide* (ドラゴンボール 超エキサイティングガイド?) in 2009, covering the manga,[94][95] and two-volume *Dragon Ball: Extreme Battle Collection* (ドラゴンボール　極限バトルコレクション?) in 2010, covering the anime series.[96][97] Despite the TV series airing during this time being *Kai*, the *Extreme Battle Collection* books reference the earlier *Z*
 series in content and episode numbers. These books also include new
question-and-answer sessions with Akira Toriyama, revealing a few new
details about the world and characters of the series. 2010 also saw the
release of a new artbook, *Dragon Ball: Anime Illustrations Guide - The Golden Warrior* (ドラゴンボール アニメイラスト集 「黄金の戦士」?); a sort of anime-counterpart to the manga-oriented *Complete Illustrations*,
 it showcases anime-original illustrations and includes interviews with
the three principal character designers for the anime. Each of the
Japanese "Dragon Box" DVD releases of the series and movies, which were
released from 2003 to 2006, as well as the Blu-ray boxed sets of *Dragon Ball Kai*, released 2009 to 2011, come with a *Dragon Book*
 guide that contains details about the content therein. Each also
contains a new interview with a member of the cast or staff of the
series. These books have been reproduced textually for Funimation's
release of the *Dragon Ball Z* Dragon Box sets from 2009 to 2011.

### Collectible cards

Collectible cards based on the *Dragon Ball*, *Dragon Ball Z*, and *Dragon Ball GT* series have been released by Bandai.
 These cards feature various scenes from the manga and anime stills,
plus exclusive artwork from all three series. Bandai released the first
set in the United States in July 2008.[98]

## Reception

### Manga

*Dragon Ball* is one of the most popular manga series of all
time, and it continues to enjoy high readership today. By 2000, more
than 126 million copies of its *tankōbon* volumes had been sold in Japan alone.[99] By 2012, this number had grown to pass 156 million in Japan and 230 million worldwide, making it the second best-selling *Weekly Shōnen Jump* manga of all time.[100][101] *Dragon Ball* is credited as one of the main reasons for the "Golden Age of *Jump*", the period between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s when manga circulation was at its highest.[102][103] For the 10th anniversary of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006, Japanese fans voted *Dragon Ball* the third greatest manga of all time.[104]

In a survey conducted by Oricon
 in 2007 among 1,000 people, Son Goku, the main character of the
franchise, ranked first place as the "Strongest Manga Character of All
Time."[105] Goku's journey and his ever growing strength resulted in the character winning "the admiration of young boys everywhere".[2] Manga artists, such as *One Piece* creator Eiichiro Oda and *Naruto* creator Masashi Kishimoto, have stated that Goku inspired their series' main protagonists as well as series structure.[106][107]

Manga critic Jason Thompson stated in 2011 that "*Dragon Ball* is by far the most influential shonen manga of the last 30 years, and today, almost every *Shonen Jump* artist lists it as one of their favorites and lifts from it in various ways."[108] He says the series "turns from a gag/adventure manga to an nearly-pure fighting manga",[108] and its basic formula of "lots of martial arts, lots of training sequences, a few jokes" became the model for other shōnen series, such as *Naruto*.[109] Thompson also called Toriyama's art influential and cited it as a reason for the series' popularity.[108] James S. Yadao, author of *The Rough Guide to Manga*, claims that the first several chapters of *Dragon Ball* "play out much like *Saiyuki* with *Dr. Slump*-like humour built in" and that *Dr. Slump*, Toriyama's previous manga, has a clear early influence on the series.[110]
 He feels the series "established its unique identity" after the first
occasion when Goku's group disbands and he trains under Kame-sen'nin,
when the story develops "a far more action-packed, sinister tone" with
"wilder" battles with aerial and spiritual elements and an increased
death count, while humor still makes an occasional appearance.[110] Yadao claims that an art shift occurs when the characters "lose the rounded, innocent look that he established in *Dr. Slump* and gain sharper angles that leap off the page with their energy and intensity."[111]

*Animerica*
 felt the series had "worldwide appeal", using dramatic pacing and
over-the-top martial arts action to "maintain tension levels and keep a
crippler crossface hold on the audience's attention spans".[112] In *Little Boy: The Art of Japan's Exploding Subculture*, Takashi Murakami commented that *Dragon Ball'*s "never-ending cyclical narrative moves forward plausibly, seamlessly, and with great finesse."[99]
 Ridwan Khan from Animefringe.com commented that the manga had a
"chubby" art style, but as the series continued the characters got more
refined, leaner, and more muscular. Khan prefers the manga over the slow
 pacing of the anime counterparts.[113] Allen Divers of Anime News Network
 praised the story and humor of the manga as being very good at
conveying all of the characters' personalities. Divers also called Viz's translation one of the best of all the English editions of the series due to its faithfulness to the original Japanese.[114]
 D. Aviva Rothschild of Rationalmagic.com remarked the first manga
volume as "a superior humor title". They praised Goku's innocence and
Bulma's insistence as one of the funniest parts of the series.[115]

The content of the manga has been controversial in United States. In November 1999, Toys "R" Us removed Viz's *Dragon Ball* from their stores nationwide when a Dallas parent complained the series had "borderline soft porn" after he bought them for his four-year-old son.[116] Commenting on the issue, Susan J. Napier explained it as a difference in culture.[116] After the ban, Viz reluctantly began to censor the series to keep wide distribution.[24] However, in 2001, after releasing three volumes censored, Viz announced *Dragon Ball* would be uncensored and reprinted due to fan reactions.[24] In October 2009, Wicomico County Public Schools in Maryland banned the *Dragon Ball*
 manga from their school district because it "depicts nudity, sexual
contact between children and sexual innuendo among adults and children."[116]

### Anime

The anime adaptations have also been very well-received and are
better known in the Western world than the manga, with Anime News
Network saying "Few anime series have mainstreamed it the way *Dragon Ball Z*
 has. To a certain generation of television consumers its characters are
 as well known as any in the animated realm, and for many it was the
first step into the wilderness of anime fandom."[117] In 2000, satellite TV channel Animax together with *Brutus*, a men's lifestyle magazine, and Tsutaya, Japan's largest video rental chain, conducted a poll among 200,000 fans on the top anime series, with *Dragon Ball* coming in fourth.[118] TV Asahi conducted two polls in 2005 on the Top 100 Anime, *Dragon Ball* came in second in the nationwide survey conducted with multiple age-groups and in third in the online poll.[119][120] On several occasions the *Dragon Ball* anime has topped Japan's DVD sales.[121][122]

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network summed up *Dragon Ball* as "an action-packed tale told with rare humor and something even rarer—a genuine sense of adventure."[123]
 Both Kimlinger and colleague Theron Martin noted Funimation's
reputation for drastic alterations of the script, but praised the dub.[123][124]
 However, some critics and most fans of the Japanese version have been
more critical with Funimation's English dub and script of *Dragon Ball Z* over the years. Jeffrey Harris IGN
 criticized the voices including how Freeza's appearance combined with
the feminine English voice left fans confused about Freeza's gender.[125]
 Carlos Ross of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews considered the series' characters
 to be different from stereotypical stock characters and noted that they
 undergo much more development.[126] Despite praising *Dragon Ball Z* for its cast of characters, they criticized it for having long and repetitive fights.[127]

*Dragon Ball Z* is well-known, and often criticized, for its
long, repetitive, dragged-out fights that span several episodes, with
Martin commenting "DBZ practically turned drawing out fights into an art
 form."[128] However, Jason Thompson of io9 explained that this comes from the fact that the anime was being created alongside the manga.[129] *Dragon Ball Z* was listed as the 78th best animated show in IGN's Top 100 Animated Series,[130] and was also listed as the 50th greatest cartoon in *Wizard* magazine's Top 100 Greatest Cartoons list.[131]

Harris commented that *Dragon Ball GT* "is downright repellent",
 mentioning that the material and characters had lost their novelty and
fun. He also criticized the GT character designs of Trunks and Vegeta as
 being goofy.[125] Zac Bertschy of Anime News Network also gave negative comments about *GT*,
 mentioning that the fights from the series were "a very simple childish
 exercise" and that many other anime were superior. The plot of *Dragon Ball GT* has also been criticized for giving a formula that was already used in its predecessors.[132]

The first episode of *Dragon Ball Z Kai* earned a viewer ratings percentage of 11.3, ahead of *One Piece* and behind *Crayon Shin-chan*.[133] Although following episodes had lower ratings, *Kai* was among the top 10 anime in viewer ratings every week in Japan for most of its run.[134][135]

Source: ☀https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon\_Ball