Dragon Ball (manga)

Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Toriyama. Originally serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, the 519 individual chapters were printed in 42 tankōbon volumes. Dragon Ball was inspired by the Chinese novel Journey to the West and Hong Kong martial arts films. It initially had a comedy focus but later became an action-packed fighting series. The story follows the adventures of Son Goku, from childhood to adulthood, as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the Dragon Balls, seven magical orbs which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several friends and battles villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls. The manga was adapted into two anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which were broadcast in Japan from 1986 to 1996. A media franchise has built up around the series; among the merchandise, there have been both animated and live-action films, collectible trading card games, action figures, collections of soundtracks and video games. The series was licensed for an English-language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Viz Media, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The companies initially split the manga into two parts, Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z to match the anime series but the most recent edition of the series was released under its original title. Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful manga series of all time. Its initial serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump was partly responsible for the magazine reaching its highest circulation of 6.53 million weekly sales. Its collected tankōbon volumes have over 160 million copies sold in Japan and 260 million sold worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series. Reviewers have praised the manga for its comedy, fight scenes, and pacing, while recognizing a coming-of-age theme and its use of cultural references from Chinese mythology and Japanese folktales.