Dragon Ball
| Dragon Ball | |
|---|---|
The logo for the original manga series | |
| Created by | Akira Toriyama |
| Original work | Dragon Ball (1984–1995) |
| Owner | Bird Studio/Shueisha |
| Years | 1984–present |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) | Companion books |
| Comics | Manga |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | List of films |
| Short film(s) |
|
| Animated series |
|
| Television special(s) |
|
| Direct-to-video |
|
| Games | |
| Traditional |
|
| Video game(s) | List of video games |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) | List of soundtracks |
| Official website | |
| en.dragon-ball-official.com | |
Dragon Ball (Japanese: ドラゴンボール, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru) is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama. The initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters collected in 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha. Dragon Ball was originally inspired by the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West, combined with elements of Hong Kong martial arts films. Dragon Ball characters also use a variety of East Asian martial arts styles, including karate[1][2][3] and Wing Chun (kung fu).[2][3][4] The series follows the adventures of protagonist Son Goku from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts. He spends his childhood far from civilization until he meets a teenage girl named Bulma, who encourages him to join her quest in exploring the world in search of the seven orbs known as the Dragon Balls, which summon a wish-granting dragon when gathered. Along his journey, Goku makes several other friends, becomes a family man, discovers his alien heritage, and battles a wide variety of villains, many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls.
Toriyama's manga was adapted and divided into two anime series produced by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which together were broadcast in Japan from 1986-1989 and 1989-1996 respectively. Additionally, the studio has developed 21 animated feature films and three television specials, as well as an anime sequel series titled Dragon Ball GT (1996–1997) and an anime midquel series titled Dragon Ball Super (2015–2018). From 2009 to 2015, a revised version of Dragon Ball Z aired in Japan under the title Dragon Ball Kai, as a recut that follows the manga's story more faithfully by removing most of the material featured exclusively in the anime. Several companies have developed various types of merchandise based on the series, leading to a large media franchise that includes films (both animated and live action), collectible trading card games, action figures, collections of soundtracks, and numerous video games. Dragon Ball has become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The Dragon Ball manga has been published in over 40 countries and the anime has been broadcast in more than 80 countries. The manga's 42 collected tankōbon volumes have over 160 million copies sold in Japan and 260 million sold worldwide,[5][a][c] making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Dragon Ball has been praised for its art, characterization, humor, and broad audience appeal. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential manga series of all time, with many manga artists citing Dragon Ball as a source of inspiration for their own now-popular works. The anime, particularly Dragon Ball Z, is also highly popular around the world and is considered one of the most influential in increasing the popularity of Japanese animation in the Western world. It has had a considerable impact on global popular culture, referenced by and inspiring numerous artists, athletes, celebrities, filmmakers, musicians, and writers around the world.
- ^ "The Martial Arts of Dragon Ball Z". www.nkkf.org. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Arts, Way of Martial. "What Martial Arts Does Goku Use? (Do They Work In Real Life?)". Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Gerardo (April 19, 2021). "What Martial Arts Does Goku Use in Dragon Ball Z?". Combat Museum. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ "Dragon Ball: 10 Fictional Fighting Styles That Are Actually Based On Real Ones". CBR. May 5, 2020. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ "DRAGON BALL SUPER: SUPER HERO GLOBAL THEATRICAL RELEASE DATES". Toei Animation. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, G. Allen (January 16, 2019). "'Dragon Ball Super: Broly,' 20th film of anime empire, opens in Bay Area". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Booker, M. Keith (2014). Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. ABC-CLIO. p. xxxix. ISBN 9780313397516. Archived from the original on February 10, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ 『ドラゴンボール超』劇場版最新作、2022年に公開決定. Toei Animation (in Japanese). May 9, 2021. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
- ^ ドラゴンボール超Dragon スーパーヒーロー："930倍"超巨大2.4メートルの超ムビチケ好調 3日間で受注200件 想定以上の売れ行き. Mantan Web (in Japanese). March 7, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ "Top Manga Properties in 2008 - Rankings and Circulation Data". Comipress. December 31, 2008. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
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