The facts
Created by
Akira Toriyama
Publisher
Shueisha
English publisher
Viz Media
Serialised in
Weekly Shōnen Jump
Run
1984–1995
Volumes
42 (complete; as of 2026)
Demographic
Shōnen
Genres
Adventure, fantasy comedy, martial arts
Anime adaptation
Toei anime Dragon Ball (1986–1989) and Dragon Ball Z (1989–1996)
About Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball follows Son Goku from childhood to adulthood as he trains in martial arts and hunts for the seven Dragon Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon. Toriyama drew on Journey to the West and Hong Kong martial-arts films, and the series began as a comedy before turning into a fighting story.
It ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995 and is collected in 42 volumes. Viz Media publishes the English edition.
Toei Animation adapted it as Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z (1986–1996), later followed by the remastered Dragon Ball Z Kai.
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