DRAGON BALL

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME ActionDragon Ball Kai
ANIME ActionDragon Ball
ANIME ActionDragon Ball Z
MANGA ActionNeko Majin
ANIME ActionDragon Ball Kai (2014)
MANGA ActionGinga Patrol Jako
MANGA ActionDragon Ball SD
ONE SHOT ActionJump Super Stars
ONE SHOT AdventureCROSS EPOCH
MANGA ActionDragon Ball Super
MANGA ActionDragon Ball Gaiden: Tensei-shitara Yamcha Datta Ken
MANGA ComedyChou Kochikame
ONE SHOT ActionDragon Ball Minus: Hanatareta Unmei no Kodomo
MANGA ActionDragon Ball: Heya! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
MANGA ActionDragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission
MANGA ActionDragon Ball: Episode of Bardock
SPECIAL ActionDragon Ball Z: Zetsubou e no Hankou!! Nokosareta Chousenshi - Gohan to Trunks
MANGA ActionDe Sport Fighter Z
MANGA ActionDragon Ball Xenoverse 2 The Manga
MANGA ActionDragon Boy
ONE SHOT ActionTongpoo no Daibouken
MANGA AdventureDr. Slump

REVIEWS

• 

  myvelouria

  85/100
  A manga that changed everything.

  This review is spoiler free.

  

  A boy with a staff riding a cloud. With just those few words a very specific image appears in your head regardless if you’ve even experienced this series. The word “iconic” is often thrown around rather casually to the point where it starts to feel as if the word has lost its meaning. When it comes to “Dragon Ball” though it not only is iconic, it has reached a level of fame and recognition most manga could only dream of. There are people who have never watched an anime in their life who know who Goku is. It’s the second highest grossing manga in history and used to be the highest selling manga ever until “One Piece” broke its record. It has been referenced in a whole manner of media from anime like “Osomatsu-san” and “Lucky Star” to western shows like “Steven Universe” and “Robot Chicken”. Goku was featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. You can buy “Dragon Ball” shirts at your local Target. It’s one of the most profitable media franchises ever with profits reaching roughly $30 billion. So much of the direction Weekly Shonen Jump would go in after the 80s directly links to “Dragon Ball”. Among its admirers include Eiichiro Oda [“One Piece”], Masashi Kishimoto [“Naruto”], Tite Kubo [“Bleach”], Yusuke Murata [“One Punch Man”, “Eyeshield 21”], Riichiro Inagaki [“Eyeshield 21”, “Dr. Stone”], Hirohiko Araki [“Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”], Takehiko Inoue [“Slam Dunk”, “Vagabond”], Kohei Horikoshi [“Boku no Hero Academia”], Hideaki Sorachi [“Gintama”], Yoshihiro Togashi [“Yu Yu Hakusho”, “Hunter x Hunter”], in short this is your fave’s fave. It is one of the most significant and enduringly relevant manga in history. With it Akira Toriyama managed to capture something that has stood the test of time and continues to bring in new audiences. It’s almost overwhelming the presence it continues to have over otaku circles and seeing how it has transcended those communities is nothing short of impressive. But once, back in 1984, it was a new manga about a boy, a girl, and an adventure.

  Son Goku is a boy with a monkey like tail living in the mountains going about his usual routine. One day a city girl named Bulma Briefs arrives looking for the Dragon Balls, mysterious orbs that are scattered across the world and said to grant any wish when gathered in one place. She discovers Goku owns the four star ball, a memento of his deceased grandfather, and after some convincing they join together to seek out the rest. As the story progresses we see Goku reach adulthood and continue on adventures with him, his friends, and his son Gohan. From these humble beginnings “Dragon Ball” takes its readers to the lairs of world dominating villains, to the arena of the Tenkaichi Budokai martial arts tournament, to the realms of gods and spirits, to the depths of space and back again. Despite all the grand places it brings the reader, it’s a manga with a fairly simple story which I think works amazingly in its favor. It doesn’t concern itself too heavily with being serious or dramatic and is very focused on the sense of adventure. Because of this the reader is able to experience an almost childlike thrill when certain moments unfold. Seeing the characters go through all these situations and battles is exciting and it’s because Toriyama knew exactly what he wanted to prioritize in his story. It doesn’t hit these slow periods where it drags its feet, the pacing is very quick and engaging. Many have complained about “Dragon Ball” feeling crushing in its length, I find that is more of an issue with the anime as that was much slower and contained quite a lot of filler content. Not to make it seem as if the anime isn’t worth exploring if that’s what you desire, but the manga by comparison is a lot tighter and smoother. If you want something vibrant that’s working at a fast and sharp pace “Dragon Ball” absolutely is the manga for you.

  

  Given the presence “Dragon Ball” has not just in the world of shonen manga and anime, but anime communities in general, it can almost be difficult to imagine a world without it. It ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995 so it is something that has been a part of the world for longer than some people on this site have been alive. And due to how long it has existed it can be easy to lose sight of the impact it had. Certain trends and concepts it popularized are so engrained in battle shonen that people might assume they were always done. The 80s proved to be a very pivotal era in Jump’s history, not just with “Dragon Ball” but with other equally essential manga running at this time. And the look of Jump in the mid 80s was drastically different from what many associate with the magazine in 2020. The protagonists of popular franchises from around this time included Kenshiro from “Fist of the North Star”, Ryo Saeba from “City Hunter”, Cobra from “Space Adventure Cobra”, and Jonathan Joestar from “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure”. The look of a Jump hero at the time was that of an adult man, not a kid. There was Arale from Toriyama’s previous manga “Dr. Slump” and Jonathan Joestar did begin his story at age twelve, but that did not last very long and he spends most of the story as an adult. Aside from that there weren’t that many major Jump manga with a younger main character. So Goku really stood out and helped usher in a wave of youthful protagonists for the magazine. After him in 1986 they got Pegasus Seiya from “Saint Seiya” and gradually we were given characters like Gon Freecss from “Hunter x Hunter”, Naruto Uzumaki from “Naruto”, and Emma from “The Promised Neverland” to name a few. These days many people associate child and teenage protagonists with the magazine and we can trace this all back to Goku’s success as a character. Aesthetically Toriyama’s art was very different from what others were doing as well. While many were following in the footsteps of Tetsuo Hara’s detailed art for “Fist of the North Star”, Toriyama was working with a more cartoon like style. This is something that would also influence many great mangaka, but at the time it stood out like a sore thumb because that wasn’t the look everyone was trying to replicate. Place “Dragon Ball” next to any of the manga I mentioned and it is unlike anything else. I can’t help but imagine what it must have been like to be thirteen years old reading Jump in 1984 for “Fist of the North Star” and then here comes along this kid with a monkey tail and round features. It must have been an interesting juxtaposition to say the least, but it definitely helped it stand out.

  

  When it comes to Goku as a character he isn’t just a cheerful simple minded fighter, he is THE definitive cheerful simple minded fighter. His upbeat personality and drive have captured people for decades and he created a whole new breed of shonen heroes. He isn’t a perfect hero though, we see him display some clueless and selfish behavior on more than one occasion and sometimes he does make big mistakes. These are things that keep Goku from being one note or too virtuous. He doesn’t always make the decisions the reader would make, but you still can’t be angry with him because he perseveres and finds a way to set things right. Goku has often been criticized for being too stupid and too selfish, but I didn’t find Toriyama ever went too far with this. There’s honestly just something endearing about him in spite of him making some poor choices in his naiveté. This character type helped pave the way for so many others, such as Monkey D. Luffy from “One Piece” and even Asta from “Black Clover”, and is what made Goku the icon that he is. We don’t just have Goku as our main character though for eventually he grows up and has children. Gohan is my favorite character in the series, he is just so charming and it’s amazing that Toriyama was able to create a character so like his father yet still keep him distinct. He has all of the lovable optimism of Goku while also being a very polite and reserved boy with a mind beyond that of an average child. Gohan in the beginning is a shy little boy who has been thrown through a loop and now has to stand up and fight. We see him go through so many obstacles and develop into someone who is capable of defeating some of the greatest enemies in the entire series. This character development is simple, but it’s effective because you want to see Gohan grow and the payoff is so satisfying. In spite of that he never stops being the sweet natured and somewhat bookish person we knew and I can’t help but see shades of that in Izuku Midoriya from “Boku no Hero Academia”. With Toriyama he never has characters develop in ways that leaves them feeling at odds with who they were in the beginning. You don’t hit this wall where suddenly Goku stops feeling like Goku and then you become alienated from the characters you thought you understood. It’s the type of development where you see the characters become stronger versions of themselves.

  

  According to Toriyama’s editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, the manga actually reached a decline in popularity rather early on. When the Pilaf saga concluded readers were feeling concerned it was going to become redundant and its success dipped. He credits the first arc featuring the Tenkaichi Budokai as the one that really let it take off. And while the earlier material in the manga was good and fans remember them fondly now, I can see why the shift towards a more action orientated story made the manga more popular. Akira Toriyama’s main inspirations for writing it were the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West” and Hong Kong martial arts films like “Enter the Dragon” so from these two sources one can see why the manga is so focused on adventure and action. And indeed Toriyama knew what he was doing when making his fight scenes. He really understands how to depict motion on paper in a way that is easy to follow and dynamic. He has a lot of awareness about the space he is working in and due to that there is almost a three-dimensional perspective to some scenes and the Tenkaichi Budokai was a perfect avenue for displaying all of that. This way of conveying action was something that was very innovative about the manga and you see its influence in so many battle shonen that came after it. The Pilaf saga had its fights, but compared to this it was not exploring it quite as in depth. As the manga progressed the action set pieces would become more grand and epic in scale which allowed for even more creativity. Toriyama’s paneling and use of impact lines really amp up the excitement in these moments where, even though I had already seen their outcome in the anime, I was still fully engrossed.

  

  Another aspect of “Dragon Ball” that would prove to be ahead of the curve is with its creature and technology designs. Some of the most iconic aliens and monsters in all of anime and manga are found in this series. Whether it’s the many forms of Frieza, the Namekians, Cell’s transformations, King Kai, the Ginyu Force, minor characters like Giran who faced Goku in his first Tenkaichi Budokai were memorable too. A lot of mangaka, such as Yusuke Murata, would pay homage to these designs in their art because they’re just that solid. Even with background characters we see Toriyama’s love for creatures on display. When you see the audience at the Tenkaichi Budokai you will see people and then you will see a wolf man sitting next to them. It’s almost as if Toriyama loves creating outside the box of a human design so much that he couldn’t help but add these in. The fact that we see characters like Puar and Oolong casually interacting with the world like it’s no big deal adds to its personality. There’s something very amusing about Toriyama making the king of the Earth a dog man and nobody addresses the fact that he’s a dog man. I find Eiichiro Oda to have taken inspiration from this when making “One Piece” where you will see a wide variety of races and creatures coexist with humans. And we all have seen what a scouter looks like, we all know what the Dragon Radar looks like, not to mention the designs of the Saiyan and Namekian ships, the capsules, and so on. The tech designs in “Dragon Ball” are something I think are sometimes overlooked in discussions, but they really add to its atmosphere. When you’re in Goku’s rustic mountain home and see Bulma on her bike using Capsule Corp tech this shows a contrast between their lifestyles, but neither feels out of place in the narrative. This world is neither purely old fashioned or super futuristic, it is some kind of merging of the two and it complements the story wonderfully.

  

  Narratively speaking “Dragon Ball” is very straightforward and easygoing. Toriyama has always considered it to be a simple action adventure manga and Torishima, to the surprise of many fans, stated “It’s not a lesson in life, it’s useless in our lives; it’s just a funny comic. And that’s fine!”. So when taking this into consideration many have dismissed the manga as too childish and lacking in sophistication, but I feel like that does it a massive disservice. A manga does not need to be incredibly complex to be important or valuable. Toriyama knew his goals with the manga and never wavered into something that wasn’t in line with his vision. And with that writing approach he was able to capture the imagination of countless readers across the world. Some fans of the series will sometimes split the series into two, probably because the anime did that, and say that the first half is “just for kids” while the latter half is seen as more mature in spite of the childlike elements it still has. I think this is also rather unfair to it. “Dragon Ball” from start to end is a manga geared at kids, this is not a bad thing or something to feel ashamed of. Many of the people who were inspired by it are people who experienced it as a child and their love for it didn’t vanish once they reached a certain age. An adult can still appreciate Toriyama’s sense of humor and love for martial arts and along with the designs and art, there is plenty for someone to enjoy about it past childhood. I myself did not grow up with it, I first experienced it through seeing “Dragon Ball Kai” on TV in college. And yet I still was interested. It didn’t matter that this wasn’t doing things as thematically complex as “One Piece”, it was still able to resonate and make for a ton of fun. That’s something I think is always important to remember about “Dragon Ball”, it’s fun and because it wasn’t trying to be very serious you can rely on it to be massively entertaining and exciting.

  At the end of the day “Dragon Ball” is still a manga that remains relevant almost 40 years after its inception. It gave us some of the most memorable characters we’ve ever seen and it inspired an entire generation of mangaka to pick up a pen and create. The trajectory of Weekly Shonen Jump would not be the same if we remove “Dragon Ball” from the picture. I almost have to ask, where would we even be without “Dragon Ball”? Its impact has proven immeasurable, we as a culture are indebted to “Dragon Ball”. Yes there are some childish qualities and some clumsily handled moments, but it still remains one of the most important manga ever printed. To achieve this level of success and to still be something people care about after all this time you have to have hit on something special. It being made for children and not concerning itself with deep messages aren’t issues. It captured imagination and fun in a way that still reaches fans and pulls in new readers all over the world. Your memories aren’t lying to you, you aren’t blinded by nostalgia. In spite of what some people may say to the contrary “Dragon Ball” is not a lesser manga. It is directly responsible for a whole new wave of battle shonen and we still see its influence all around us. Akira Toriyama this is your legacy, a franchise that has stood the test of time and changed an entire medium forever.

  
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• 

  CableComics

  80/100
  Original Dragon Ball (Manga) - Review

  

   Alright, this is my first written review on Anilist, and figured that since I finished the original series of the Dragon Ball manga it’d be good to share my thoughts on that. And while I know that technically both DB and DBZ are actually one whole story, I thought it would be easier just to review the first part of the series since it’s depicted as it’s own thing in the US. Also, both series feel very distinct and could really be enjoyed on their own, so I felt comfortable just reviewing chapters 1 to 194 for now. 

  Characters: I genuinely think that the original series had a really strong cast of simple yet memorable characters. Everyone from Goku, to Krillin, to Lunch, to Piccolo felt so distinct from each other yet were very likable and charming in their own way. Goku’s growth as a fighter was probably the best development throughout the whole story, as seeing him go from an innocent and optimistic kid to a still kindhearted yet ambitious warrior was super satisfying. And everyone supporting him was a blast to have, especially whenever they got to play off of one another, providing some really strong character dynamics that were fun to read.

  Presentation: I think it goes without having to be said that Akira Toriyama is an incredibly adept artist when it comes to making comics that are genuinely entertaining to read. Everything from his soft and charming character designs to how absolutely seamless every fight scene and encounter was proves that you could enjoy this story without caring much for it’s plot and cast, but simply because it’s a legitimately good read. The panel flow and crisp, expressive artwork serve as one of the strongest elements Dragon Ball has to offer. If there’s one thing that’s always spot on about the original run of this series, it’s how perfectly constructed it is just as a comic.

  For my thoughts on the overall plot, I figured it’d be interesting to break down my thoughts on every individual story arc in this series. Since arcs and sagas have always been a staple within the industry, looking at every single one I think would be a fun way to express my thoughts on the overall thing.

  __Dragon Balls arc:__

  Definitely not as memorable or interesting as all that would come later, and it’s episodic nature did make it hard to get into for me (also the sexualization of a 16-year-old Bulma definitely made me uncomfortable) but after pushing through it I’d say it was a charming set of simple stories on it’s own. Not as action packed or intense as what the series would actually become, but I could appreciate just reading fun adventures about Goku and Bulma searching for magic treasure. 6/10

  __Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament arc:__

  I always get excited whenever I see that there’s going to be a tournament in an anime or manga I’m consuming. I’m such a sucker for that trope, so obviously I had a great time with this arc. It was a blast to read, as every fight was a breeze and never once felt as if it went on for too long. I also liked how much development we got to Master Roshi’s character. His role in this saga was pretty interesting, and the final confrontation with Goku was a great way to end it all off. This was just a great tournament arc on it’s own, that’s all that should really be said about it. 7/10

  __Red Ribbon Army arc:__

  Wasn’t as enjoyable as the last arc in my opinion, as a lot of the scenarios and encounters throughout weren’t as interesting or memorable as some from before. Not to mention that Goku being by himself a lot of the time and largely interacting with just one-off characters wasn’t that interesting to read. It certainly wasn’t terrible by any means, in the end I still had a good time. It just honestly felt more like a basic series of quests that didn’t have as much charm as other moments for me.
  I will say, though, that the last third was a great climax. Goku climbing Korin tower, fighting Taupaipai, and storming the Red Ribbon base was a lot of fun to read. It was much more fast paced and featured plenty of entertaining characters and fights than before. So yeah, while a lot of it felt pretty basic to me personally, I’d say that final set of chapters made it all worth the time. 6/10

  __Fortune Teller Baba arc:__

  My least favorite arc, though it’s probably unfair to judge it that way since it’s such a short plot. I simply wasn’t too engaged with any of the fights. It was a very short story that felt like it only served to have more action and show off how much stronger Goku has become. I will say that the moment Goku has with his last opponent was very sweet, but aside from that one scene everything felt pretty average by DB standards. 5/10 

  __Second Tournament arc:__

  Definitely a step-up for me after the last two arcs. With the overall scale of everything slightly larger than the last tournament arc, and the introduction of the infinitely likable husbando king Tien Shinhan, I’d say this part of the manga was on par with the last Martial Arts tournament (if not even better given the stronger cast of characters). 
  From Goku vs. Krillin to Shinhan’s satisfying arc, this second tournament had a lot to offer in terms of great character development. We got to see all sorts of new sides to these characters that would end up greatly defining them for the rest of the series. If there is one criticism I’d have to give, it’s that having another tournament arc take place in the exact same setting as before felt pretty tedious to me. I was hoping for a sort of change in scenery, but having what is essentially the exact same scenario as before with only one or two minor changes sort of irked me. But overall, a pretty good arc. 8/10

  __King Piccolo arc:__

  Easily my favorite arc in the series. The stakes were high, the plot was constantly moving around with its twists and turns, and King Piccolo was a really fun (even if really simple) antagonist. It’s obvious that Toriyama really gave his all to tell this part of the story, pushing the limits of his characters as far as he could to make everything feel so huge and exciting.
  King Piccolo is the biggest threat that has been introduced so far, and just seeing the raving monster become so mad with power was so much fun to read. He may not be a complex character by any means, but just seeing how much ambition this guy had, and seeing him go completely all out once he achieved his goal was an absolute blast. He was a perfect opposition to Goku’s kindhearted ideals, and is certified proof that you don’t need to have a layered or complex villain to still have a great villain. He was evil cause he loved being evil, and that’s really all that this story needed.
  The final confrontation with Goku and King Piccolo was such a top notch fight. Seeing Goku fight a full on Demi-God was exhilarating, and didn’t even feel as if it went on for longer than it needed to. It was a perfectly climactic fight that also served as an amazing payoff to hands down the best saga in this manga. It was honestly just a flawless plot line. 9/10

  __Final arc:__

  While not as great as King Piccolo, this final arc of the original Dragon Ball series felt like a great send off to everything that’s happened. The best part of this arc was easily Goku vs. Piccolo Jr. and how chaotic it all felt. Bringing everything to a close was such an explosive sense of scale was honestly the best way to end what is, at heart, a martial arts series. 8/10

  Dragon Ball is a really great manga. While the first few set of chapters were pretty slow, and not every aspect of the whole story was exciting or interesting, everything that was good was really spectacular. I think I really enjoyed this manga because it was such a simple story. It may not have the most layered characters and richly written plot, but the cast is a set of genuinely lovable personalities and all the fights were wild, entertaining moments of pure action. Toriyama must have had a fun time making this, as the whole thing just oozes with so much heart and energy. Definitely a must read for any manga, shounen, or even martial arts fans as it’s a humble yet charismatic story that pretty much anyone can get into.

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• 

  WhatAGoodShow

  61/100
  Fun but it gets repetitive quick.

  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 the West. The goal being the gathering of the wish granting Dragon Balls which will backfire during the course of the story.
  The character dynamic of the cast was great since everyone had their own interest in mind:

  • Goku didn't want to give Bulma the 4-Star Dragon Ball but went alongside her to learn about the outside world
  • Bulma is a selfish teenager using her sexuality to get what she wants. Also using power over others to her advantage. She uses Goku as her body guard and intends to steal his Dragon Ball at some point.
  • Oolong is a selfish pig and just tries to survive. He is pretty much held captive by the other two.
  • Yamcha is a bandit who acts as a friend in need but uses Bulma and the others to collect the Dragon Balls for him.
    Sadly there are no amazing fights Dragon Ball is usually known for.

  After this arc for a while it will keep repeating:

  • Tournament arc
  • Hunt for the Dragon Balls

  That is until the Saiyans arrive and the story becomes to:

  • Bad guy arrives
  • someone gains a new power up usually a transformation
  • bad guy tries to blow up the planet and fail
  • bad guy gets defeated

  It is then when you realize Dragon Ball can get really repetitive as by the time of the Frieza Saga the author panders with way to many chapters. Most of the fights weren't even worth seeing. And many times the author pulls out a power up out of his ass because of laziness. Eventually power creep happens by the Frieza Saga where characters can get stronger when they even lose, can awaken their potential or get a new transformation.
  It came to the point that storytelling wise it became unreasonable that a character appears out of nowhere and can challenge the Z Fighters, but Toriyama still didn't shy pulling random overpowered villains out his ass.

  But why is it such a big deal? Well, Goku does the following feats during his adventure:

  • trains under Master Roshi the strongest known martial artist on earth (who will retire)
  • trained under God of Martial Arts Korin learning to make the most out of his movements
  • destroyed an entire army by himself
  • drank the holy water which awakens his hidden powers
  • defeats Demon King Piccolo surpassing his old Master
  • Gets trained by God of Earth Kami
  • Beats up the reincarnation of King Piccolo: Piccolo Jr who is stronger than Kami becoming the strongest being on planet earth
  • fights alien race he apparently belongs too and where the weakest, his brother, beat the crap out of him and Piccolo Jr
  • trains under God of the Worlds later only the North Galaxy: King Kai and surpassed him
  • fought the strongest Saiyan and survived
  • fought the strongest being in the Universe who can blow up a planet with a move of a finger by transforming into a legendary warrior: A Super Saiyan

  This is not all. Goku gets stronger as he fights and when he is healed from fatal injuries. Gets multiple more transformation over the course of the series. He already started as an overpowered kid who can barely lose, but what does Toriyama answer with?

  • some robots from an army Goku beat as a kid
  • another never before mentioned demon king who is stronger than the patchwork of the strongest beings in the universe
  • bubble gum monster who always existed and happened to be on planet earth.

  Eventually things got so out of hand that Dragon Ball turned into a self parody with the off springs of the Goku and Vegeta in the Boo Saga who defy established logic for some cheap gags.

  If Dragon Ball were split into different series from the start, this kind of shift may be excused, but many things established at the start don't carry over. Nobody remembers Master Roshi or the Kamehameha by the time of the Boo Saga that watch the Tournaments and think they are cheating. Except the announcer. Animal human disappeared. Animals no longer talk. No mention of the transformation school Oolong and Puar mentioned.

  How about the characters?
  Most of the characters get neglected to the background after the arc they were introduced. Examples as such are Tenshinhan, Chaotzu, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar, Lunch etc.
  Roshi gets to do a few more things before he becomes obsolete by the power creep. Bulma is only a plot device. In the earlier arcs she felt more involved and moved the plot. But after the first arc she only exist to fix the Dragon Radar and use a space ship. Oh, and give birth to Trunks. Female characters in general are a waste in Dragon Ball. They are either violent, ugly or prices for men to give birth. That included Android 18 who's only memorable trait is that she is a strong female character for 1 fight before being demoted into a damsel in distress in the same arc.

  Goku is the main character pretty much. In the first arc he is more a bystander but after that he becomes the most active. He learns the importance of training. Learns about the world and adapts. It is fun to see Goku react to woman. Or when he saw a TV the first time he thought a man was trapped inside so he broke it. But eventually he understands how the world works and even knows how to do basic maths by the time he became a teenager. Goku is also very oblivious to trickery which turns him into victim of pranks of Krillin. It never gets old seeing Goku react to something new or trying a new technique in battle. As an an adult, Goku is now a pretty serious guy. Finally a father of two children. He would be confronted with his sudden origin, having a brother opposite to him and having to accept what he is. That would eventually give him the means to obtain the power no normal Saiyan could archive: Super Saiyan.
  After his character arc was over, he would just show to be a character that calls the shots. Do most decision making on how to handle threats. Put the things he learned from his masters to good use to train his son and Master Super Saiyan before obtaining levels far above.
  While he does do stupid decisions, they were always with good intend... unlike...

  Vegeta... It's the series where he gets introduced. Vegeta would go through several character arcs. He is shown to be confident and in control in the Saiyan Saga. The Frieza Saga he is the opposite where he lurks around looking for opportunity to get what he wants. While being confident, he has less control because the opponents are far stronger.
  In the Cell Saga after obtaining the Super Saiyan form the power went over his head. His interactions with his son also gave him some interesting character development. While Vegeta was unbearable, that character arc indeed made him what people enjoy about Vegeta. Lastly while the Boo Saga was a train wreak, he was one of the highlights. He had an identity crisis.
  At the end, Vegeta's character would go full circle until Toriyama ruined it with a special chapter and Dragon Ball Super.

  Krillin or Kuririn is probably the only useless character that tries to do and move the plot somewhat. He has a good character starting as an insecure kid who tricks Goku several times so only he would receive Roshi's training. He would become Goku's best friend and a punching bag for the badguys to give Goku a power up. Despite all that people like him for having guts. He is scared and avoids fighting even when the elderly and children get killed. But when the time comes, he shows courage even against the likes of Frieza and Cell (not Boo which is sadly only anime exclusive). There is a good reason why he is a fan favorite.

  Piccolo started off as the demon king before Toriyama chanced that. He was a goofy villain who did serious shit, is an enemy from Master Roshi's past and defeating him would make Goku finally surpass his master for real. He would reincarnate as a different Piccolo who tried to take over the world again and failed, wasting most his time training. Eventually he and Goku needed to team up against the Saiyans where he would bond with Gohan. It was a rushed development in the manga making his first death feel cheap.
  What happens with Piccolo is that he would always appear to do something and never succeed. Finishing the final arc he could be relevant being outclassed by the Saiyans.

  Gohan is pretty much a secondary main lead... at least intended to be. As Goku's son and being a half Saiyan, he was introduced as a character with very high potential and means to stop the Saiyans. He gets random rage boosts that allow him temporary to get an advantage over stronger opponents. But it is done in a way he doesn't feel like a gary stu since he lacks experience and the power up doesn't manage to shift the tiles in battle.
  Eventually Goku would train him proper and he would be the first to get Super Saiyan 2 defeating Cell. That moment finally being able to use his full power properly and him growing up to become independent is what made many like Gohan.
  Sadly by the time of the Boo Saga he would be nerved and get another plot induced power up that end up doing nothing. Toriyama must have given up on him being unable to write anything different that a character like Goku. A complete waste for those who got invested.

  Frieza is one of the most beloved anime villains. Despite being one dimensional evil bad guy, the way he represents himself made him beloved. Just on his introduction without him doing anything he made everyone shit their pants. He could kill almost anyone with the move of his finger and even the last villain that survived a massive ass whooping didn't even consider challenging him head on.
  Frieza managed to survive the strongest moves and defeated the mightiest fighters with ease. Even the gods were scared off him. And as the killer of the Saiyans, the viewers really wanted Goku to be the one defeating him.
  Frieza was also a good villain to push Goku far above his own morals and force him to obtain Super Saiyan at the end. Sadly he would eventually be ruined in the next arc and other media, but in the Frieza Saga he is the villain many love to hate.

  Besides Cell the Androids are awful antagonist. Overpowered for no good reason and they are pretty forgettable.
  Android 16 only existed as a plot device for Gohan to get serious.

  Cell started off as a mysterious antagonist who would then just infodumb everything. He was interesting as he is a patchwork of other fighters. Using the knowledge of others to his advantage and their moves... at least that should be what he does. Eventually he would absorb 17 and become one of the ugliest beings ever. And all we remember of that form is him getting his ass kicked by Vegeta to the point Vegeta had to suggest to absorb 18. After absorbing 18 Cell lost everything that made him special. There was no motivation left for him since he reached his life goal and all he could do is test his new power.
  Sadly we need a villain that is worth killing, so Cell threatened to destroy earth if nobody fights him. He would eventually act like Vegeta and Frieza, about to destroy the planet when packed to a corner. All the great moves are also wasted on him since he uses the Kamehameha the most often, the most generic and probably weakest move in his moveset.

  Mr Satan started off as a boring comic relief character with a one note joke. In the Boo Saga his character arc with Boo is what made him actually funny. And he would come in clutch defeating Boo at the end.

  Fat Boo aka Majin Boo aka. Mr Boo started off as a mindless monster with a child's innocent. He liked killing and eating people. After meeting Mr Satan, he would start to respect others' lives and other good things. But since we need a bad guy to beat, his body would span an evil side who absorbs him and becomes the new villain.

  Super Boo who is also just referred as Majin Boo is basically a parody of Cell. Like Cell and Fat Boo he can regenerate. He basically has all of Boo's abilities. Can also absorb others to gain their skills, knowledge etc.
  He rather feels like a filler opponent since all fights against him lead to nowhere. Eventually after the fat Boo gets freed he turns into a small Majin Boo who is just a random psychopath and becomes stronger. Because absorbing Kaioshin makes him weaker.

  Goten, Kid Trunks and Gotenks are basically filler character. They only parody the accomplishment of their dads and otherwise don't add anything to the plot. You can take them out of the plot and miss nothing of importance.

  Art
  I think Toriyama uses the panels really to his advantage and knows how to make good fights... but eventually he stopped paying attention to detail. Night times became rare. He forgot about the Saiyan Tail. Super Saiyan exist so Goku's hair doesn't need to get inked. Moon gets destroyed so we don't know the passage of time.
  Also iconic moments don't feel as impactful as in the anime. Super Saiyan transformation only lasted for 3 panels and didn't leave much of an impression.

  This sadly affects the enjoyment negatively too.
  Fights became really repetitive since every opponents is so strong that strategy and technique no longer matter unless you are about even to your opponent. Master Roshi would have no chance to beat Puipui no matter how much he trains or how much experience he has. Many characters get random illogical power ups. Training is usually skipped and new stuff get introduced like I mentioned. Goku didn't even earn drinking the holy water in the manga during the King Piccolo Saga like in the anime. It was given to him directly by Korin.
  Fights became essentially a tennis match of power where the other fighter would transform to shift the favour of the battle. Thus there are hardly any even fights by the time the Saiyan Saga begins.
  Relationship with Gohan and Piccolo is rushed. Piccolo's fight against Frieza felt even more pointless than in the anime because it only lasted for 1 chapter and Frieza didn't even realize he was fighting Nail again.
  The secondary cast is completely useless and the Boo Saga is dragging out the series for too long. The ending of Dragon Ball doesn't feel like it is giving closure to Goku's adventure but just a closure to the Boo Saga itself. Thus even as an open ending it is a failure.

  Overall
  Dragon Ball didn't age too well. And while filler of the anime is a pain, it still is a much better product than the manga since it fleshes out many characters instead of just putting them on a panel to reminds us: "I didn't forget they exist".
  It is a fine manga, but not something to brag about.

  Continue on AniList

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