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Dragon Ball is a Japanese manga by Akira Toriyama serialized in the weekly anthology magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, from 1984 to 1995 and originally collected into 42 individual books called Tankōbon. In 2004, the manga was re-released in a 34 volume collection (called Kanzenban) which included a slightly rewritten ending, all new original covers, and original color artwork from its Weekly Jump run.

In the US, the manga was first released as two American-style comic books: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z starting in 2000 (the split corresponds to the two different anime series, though the original Japanese manga does not distinguish between them). This style of release was unsuccessful due to its large size and expensive cost ($2.95 for an issue of 2, and later 3, chapters), and both series were cancelled in 2003. The Dragon Ball Z manga was transitioned into a launch title for the new US edition of the Shonen Jump anthology, starting in January 2003. In parallel to these releases, VIZ Media has released all 42 volumes (nearly matching the first Japanese set) in English. Viz titles the second part of the manga Dragon Ball Z to reduce confusion for North American audiences. The series is published in the United Kingdom by Gollancz Manga.

The story of Dragon Ball follows the life of Son Goku, a monkey-tailed boy loosely based on the traditional Chinese folk tale Journey to the West (西遊記), from his life and adventures as a child all the way up to being a grandfather. During his life, he fights many battles and eventually becomes the strongest martial artist in the entire universe. He is not without help, however: the comic boasts a large ensemble cast of martial artist heroes and villains which provide the conflict that drives the story.

The eponymous Dragon Balls are one component of the universe, but are not the focus of most of the plot lines of the title. The Dragon Balls themselves are seven magical spheres which are scattered across the world. When assembled together, they can be used to summon the dragon Shenlong who will grant one wish (within limits). After the wish is granted, the balls are scattered again across the landscape and become inert for a year. In times past, it would take generations to search the world and gather the balls. In the beginning of the story however, a 16 year old genius girl named Bulma has created a "Dragon Radar" to detect the balls and making the process far easier than it was intended to be.