About Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball is the original Toei Animation series adapted from Akira Toriyama's manga, following a strange, monkey-tailed boy named Goku who lives alone in the mountains until a teenage inventor called Bulma crosses his path. Bulma is searching for the seven mystical Dragon Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered together, and Goku — who guards one as a keepsake from his late grandfather — joins her quest. Their journey kicks off a sprawling adventure-comedy that introduces the warm, eccentric cast and gentle, gag-filled tone that defined the franchise before it turned toward cosmic battles.
Along the way Goku trains under the lecherous but legendary Master Roshi, befriends the desert bandit Yamcha, the shapeshifting pig Oolong, and the young monk Krillin, and tests his growing strength at the Tenkaichi Budokai, the world martial-arts tournament. The series balances slapstick humor and travelogue-style escapades with steadily escalating fights, as Goku faces foes like the Red Ribbon Army, the assassin Tao Pai Pai, and the demonic King Piccolo, maturing from a naive child into a disciplined martial artist.
Spanning 153 episodes from 1986 to 1989, Dragon Ball established the rhythm of quest, training, and tournament that the medium would imitate for decades, and its lighter, comedic spirit distinguishes it from its action-heavy sequel series. In the original Japanese version, the performances of seiyu Masako Nozawa as Goku, Hiromi Tsuru as Bulma, and Kōhei Miyauchi as Master Roshi gave the show the charm and heart that made it a foundational work of shonen anime.