Renowned worldwide for his playful, innovative storytelling and humorous, distinctive art style, Akira Toriyama burst onto the manga scene in 1980 with the wildly popular Dr. Slump. His hit series Dragon Ball(published in the U.S. as Dragon Balland Dragon Ball Z) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jumpmagazine. He is also known for his design work on video games such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tobal No. 1, and Blue Dragon. His recent manga works include COWA!, Kajika, Sand Land, Neko Majin, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman and a children's book, Toccio the Angel. He lives with his family in Japan. Dragon Ball is Akira Toriyama's first venture into the adventures of Goku and friends, and it's magical albeit a little rough. It definitely doesn't hold up to 2021 social standards in terms of sexualization and while it does feature many fun female characters like Chi Chi, Bulma, Lunch, and the Crone, it is still an important point for those who don't enjoy reading material that doesn't quite hold up in that regard. But for me, that doesn't take away from what makes it great. Legend has it that if all seven of the precious orbs called “Dragon Balls” are gathered together, an incredibly powerful dragon god will appear to grant one wish. Unfortunately, the orbs are scattered across the world, making them extremely difficult to collect. Enter 16-year-old Bulma, a scientific genius who has constructed a radar to detect the exact locations of the Dragon Balls. She’s on a mission to find all seven orbs, but first she must convince young Son Goku to join her on her quest. With a monkey tail, superhuman strength and a magic staff for a weapon, Son Goku is ready to set out on the adventure of a lifetime...

Dragon Ball Complete Box Set: Vols. 1-16 with premium Dragon Ball Complete Box Set: Vols. 1-16 with premium

Goku and friends battle intergalactic evil in the greatest action-adventure-fantasy-comedy-fighting series ever! Kid Goku is a jovial pure soul embarking on his quest to save the world countless times. First, however, he must learn to hone his innate talents and will do so by wearing heavy turtle shells, finding girls' panties and fighting in the Tenkaichi Budokai - a tournament with some of the weirdest characters under the sun. In the first part of the Dragon Ball series, Goku will meet all manner of folks, including Oxens, demons and Frankenstein's monster. And to me, a special and personal art, not a corporate piece of entertainment, is worth reading regardless of quality. Dragon Ball's solid, not perfect. The art is great, the fights are awesome and the characters are genuine and humorous.Dragon Ball ain't deep, dark, or even that well written, but it's full of heart, passion, and love. My love of manga as a medium is much to do to how personal it feels.. It's a single creator building and it's always something that feels special. From Horimiya to Bleach. From Ayako to Mob Physco, it always feels special. Dragon Ball is no different. Sure it's a battle manga about collecting McGuffins but it never feels like anything else. It's wild and I love it, and while I can't reasonably give it more then a 3.5 because it has some real storytelling issues, Dragon Ball is just special. It was super cool to follow Son Goku along from an innocent, but powerful young boy to hero of the world. Akira Toriyama introduces a large cast of characters that all have their own distinct look and personality. The world slowly expands and expands and the creativity is wonderful. At times you get the feeling that Toriyama is just flying by the seat of his pants, but then there's parts where it's clear a lot of thought went into making things gel.