Dragon Ball Review: The Manga That Made the World Fall in Love with Manga
by Akira Toriyama
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Quick Take
- The manga that defined what shounen action could be — every battle manga since owes something to Dragon Ball
- 42 volumes that evolve from playful adventure comedy to the most intense fighting manga of its era
- Goku is one of the most purely joyful protagonists in fiction — his love of fighting and growth is completely contagious
Who Is This Manga For?
Dragon Ball is for you if:
- You want to understand why every action manga looks the way it does — this is where the template was set
- You love pure, kinetic action with characters whose power you can feel in every panel
- You want something fun and accessible that also has real emotional weight in its later arcs
- You're looking for a series with a genuine beginning, middle, and end
Content Warnings & Age Rating
Age Rating: T (Teen) Content Warnings: Action violence that escalates significantly across the series; early volumes have mild suggestive humor that's more slapstick than explicit; later volumes depict intense combat and characters in peril
The early Dragon Ball volumes are quite light — almost a children's adventure. By Dragon Ball Z (volumes 17 onward), the series has evolved into serious, high-stakes combat. Both tones work.
Yu's Rating
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Story Depth | ★★★★☆ |
| Art Style | ★★★★★ |
| Character Development | ★★★★☆ |
| Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers | ★★★★★ |
| Reread Value | ★★★★★ |
Story Overview
Son Goku is a boy living alone in the wilderness with a tail and no memory of his parents. He has a power that no ordinary person should possess. When a girl named Bulma crashes into his life searching for magical Dragon Balls — seven spheres that, when gathered, summon a dragon that grants any wish — Goku's world opens up.
What follows is a journey across the world and eventually beyond it: martial arts tournaments, scheming villains, transformations that shake the earth, battles that define the limits of what a human body — or a Saiyan body — can do.
Dragon Ball begins as a comedy. Goku is innocent, literal-minded, and utterly powerful. The humor is broad and the adventure is light. Then, gradually, the series darkens and deepens. The stakes rise. The enemies grow stronger. Goku grows with them — not just in power, but in the weight he carries.
By the time the Cell arc arrives, Dragon Ball is something different from what it started as. The comedy is still there, but now it lives alongside something genuinely epic.
Characters
Son Goku — The rarest kind of protagonist: completely selfless, not out of obligation but out of nature. He doesn't fight to protect — he fights because fighting is the thing he loves most. His joy in battle is infectious. His determination, when someone he cares about is threatened, is immovable.
Bulma — The other half of the series' beginning. Smart, resourceful, and unwilling to be sidelined. She is the bridge between the audience and Goku's world.
Vegeta — The rival who becomes something more complicated. His arc — from destroyer to something approaching defender — is the series' most human transformation.
Piccolo — The former villain who becomes Gohan's mentor. The relationship between Piccolo and Gohan is one of manga's great unexpected pairings.
Son Gohan — Goku's son, whose potential exceeds his father's. What Toriyama does with Gohan — building him as the possible center of the story, then stepping back — is one of the series' most discussed decisions.
Art Style
Toriyama's art is clean, dynamic, and instantly readable. His action sequences are among the clearest in manga history — at any speed of reading, you understand exactly what is happening spatially. Characters are distinctive, expressions are expressive, and the visual language of power — the crackling auras, the ground-shattering footsteps — is something Toriyama essentially invented and every manga after has borrowed.
The art evolves enormously across 42 volumes. Early Dragon Ball has a loose, cartoony quality that reflects the comedic tone. By the Frieza and Cell arcs, the linework is tighter, the shadows are heavier, and the visual design has become iconic.
Cultural Context
The Monkey King (Sun Wukong) — Dragon Ball began as a loose adaptation of Journey to the West, the classic Chinese novel. Goku (孫悟空) shares his name and origins with Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. The tail, the staff, the cloud — all references to the source material. Western readers who know the myth will find extra layers; those who don't miss nothing.
Martial arts tournament culture — The Tenkaichi Budokai (World Martial Arts Tournament) that structures much of the early series reflects real Japanese interest in martial arts competition and the discipline that surrounds it. The format — single elimination, escalating opponents — became a template replicated in dozens of manga.
The Saiyan arc as cultural shift — When Dragon Ball introduced the Saiyans and revealed Goku's alien origins, it changed the series' fundamental nature. Japanese readers experienced this as a rupture — the universe suddenly became larger, and the rules changed. This moment is still discussed as one of manga's great genre pivots.
What I Love About It
There is a moment in the Cell arc where Goku, facing a battle he cannot win himself, makes a decision: he passes the fight to his son. He steps back. He believes, completely, that Gohan can do what he cannot.
I was a child reading this moment. I did not understand all the implications. But I understood that the person who had been the center of the story was choosing to trust someone else — to step aside and give another person the space to become great.
That is not a common thing in fiction, and it is not a common thing in life. Dragon Ball taught me what it looks like.
What English-Speaking Fans Say
Dragon Ball is the most recognized manga franchise in the world, and its Western fanbase spans generations. Older fans often discovered it through the Dragon Ball Z anime in the 1990s; younger readers are discovering the manga for the first time and finding it richer than the adaptation suggests.
Common praise: Toriyama's visual invention, Goku's pure characterization, the escalating power system that became the template for the genre.
Common discussion: Whether the series should have ended with the Cell arc (Toriyama has said he felt the series peaked there). The Buu arc has defenders and critics. Most readers consider the first 37 volumes essential; the last few more variable.
Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning
Gohan's transformation against Cell.
After volumes of being told he has the potential to surpass his father, after watching Cell absorb Android 17 and 18, after seeing his friends wounded and his father step aside — something breaks open in Gohan. The transformation sequence, as the energy builds and Cell stands there genuinely afraid for the first time, is one of the most kinetic, cathartic sequences in manga.
And then — crucially — Goku, watching from elsewhere, smiles.
He is proud. That's all. That's enough.
Similar Manga
If you liked Dragon Ball, try:
- Naruto — Next generation of the same template, more emotionally complex
- One Punch Man — A deconstruction of everything Dragon Ball established
- Bleach — Similar escalating power structure, different visual aesthetic
- My Hero Academia — Dragon Ball's DNA filtered through a superhero lens
Reading Order / Where to Start
The 42 volumes break naturally into two sections: Dragon Ball (vols. 1–16, the pre-Z material) and Dragon Ball Z (vols. 17–42). The Z material is what most Western fans know from the anime.
My recommendation: start from Volume 1. The early comedic volumes are genuinely good, and the contrast with the later serious material makes both richer.
Official English Translation Status
Status: Complete English Volumes: 42 (all volumes available) Translator: VIZ Media Translation Quality: Excellent — multiple editions available, including the VIZBIG 3-in-1 omnibus
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The most foundational action manga ever made — essential reading
- 42 volumes that tell a complete story with a genuine ending
- Goku is a joy to read in every volume
- Toriyama's art is some of the clearest, most dynamic in manga
Cons
- The power escalation can feel excessive to some readers by the later arcs
- Early volumes' comedic tone surprises readers expecting Z-era intensity from the start
- Character depth is occasionally sacrificed for spectacle
Format Comparison
| Format | Volumes | Price per vol. (approx.) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback (individual) | 42 vols | ~$10–12 | Collecting |
| VIZBIG 3-in-1 Omnibus | 14 vols | ~$14–17 | Best physical value |
| Kindle | 42 vols | ~$6–8 | Quick read |
Recommendation: The VIZBIG omnibus editions reduce 42 volumes to 14 — much more manageable for physical storage and excellent value.
Where to Buy
- 📱 Dragon Ball Vol. 1 — Kindle Edition
- 📚 Dragon Ball Vol. 1 — Paperback
- 📦 Dragon Ball VIZBIG Vol. 1 (3-in-1)
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Written by
Yu
Manga Enthusiast from Japan
I grew up in Japan and manga literally saved me during a tough time in elementary school. My English isn't perfect, but my love for manga is real — and I want to share it with you.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.