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Dragon Ball

Read up on the latest Dragon Ball franchise News, Reviews and Features from the team at CBR.

Dragon Ball

Created by
Akira Toriyama
First Film
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
Latest Film
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
First TV Show
Dragon Ball
Latest TV Show
Dragon Ball Super
First Episode Air Date
April 26, 1989
Latest Episode
Cast
Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil
Current Series
Dragon Ball Super

Summary

Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.

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Dragon Ball: How Old Is Goku in Every Anime Series? 1
Dragon Ball: How Old Is Goku in Every Anime Series?

Over the course of the entire Dragon Ball franchise, Goku has aged from a young child to a fully-grown adult and back again.

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Split Images of Grappler Baki, Fist of The North Star, and Dragon Ball 1
The 15 Best Martial Arts Manga

Featuring incredible fights of strength and determination, the greatest martial arts manga of all time will have readers on the edge of their seats.

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Super Saiyan Blue Goku, Vegeta and Goku fighting, and Broly from Dragon Ball Z: Sparking Zero game. 1
10 Obscure Dragon Ball Characters Who Need To Be In Sparking Zero

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO is set to be one of 2024's biggest anime video games and fans are hopeful that some Dragon Ball deep cuts make it in!

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Dragon Ball Canon Movies 1
Which Dragon Ball Movies Are Actually Canon?

As Dragon Ball prepares for its next film, here's a look back at which anime movies in the franchise are actually canon.

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DBZ's Goku as a Super Saiyan with Burn the Witch characters in the background 1
Dragon Ball Fans Spot Reference in Bleach Creator's New Burn the Witch Anime

The recent release of Bleach creator Tite Kubo's new Burn the Witch #0.8 anime adaptation has caught the attention of sharp-eared Dragon Ball Z fans.

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Vegeta Super Saiyan 1
Why Couldn't Vegeta Reach Super Saiyan 3?

Super Saiyan 3 was one of the more epic transformations in Dragon Ball—so why wasn't Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, able to achieve it?

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split image of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Budokai Tenkaichi 2 game covers 1
Dragon Ball: Every PS1 & PS2 Game In The Franchise (In Chronological Order)

Even though Dragon Ball didn’t begin its PlayStation career all that gracefully, the PS2 is home to some of the best games in the franchise.

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Piccolo on planet Namek 1
Dragon Ball Namek Trend Makes a Run for Best Anime Meme of 2023

Dragon Ball memes go viral as X users put any and every fictional character (and some rappers) on Planet Namek.

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From left to right: Gamma 2, Broly, Vados. 1
The 35 Strongest Dragon Ball Super Characters At The End Of The Series

Dragon Ball Super contains some of the most powerful characters in Dragon Ball, but their exact power rankings are always in motion.

Gohan Beast mode charges a special beam canon while Goku and Raditz are hit with piccolo’s special beam canon from DBZ 1
The Importance of Gohan’s Special Beam Cannon in Dragon Ball Super

Gohan's mastery of Piccolo's signature attack in Super Hero is a reflection of the deep history the two have shared since the earliest days of DBZ.

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Baby Broly, See-Through the Invisible Man, and Bee the dog from Dragon Ball. 1
10 Questionable Storylines In Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball deserves lots of praise for its suspenseful storytelling, but there are also several storylines that have tested the audience's patience!

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A collage of Stag Knight and Yelan from various gacha games 1
15 Highest Grossing Gacha Games Of All Time

Thanks to their dedicated fanbases and appealing products, iconic gacha games like Genshin Impact continue to rake in a massive profit.

Young Goku from Dragon Ball stands beside Saitama from One-Punch Man against colorful background 1
Goku Gets a One-Punch Man Makeover in Dragon Ball Collaboration Project

One-Punch Man artist Yusuke Murata commemorates Dragon Ball's 40th anniversary with a fun redesign of the cover artwork for Volume 12.

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How Manga Treat Their Non-Canon Content Cover Image 1
How Shonen Manga Treat Their "Non-Canon" Content

As more anime-original content becomes canon, the line between what is and isn't part of a series' continuity continues to blur.

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How to Succeed in Modern Shonen Jump

Shonen Jump has a cutthroat business practice of axing underperforming series early in their run. Luckily, there are strategies for avoiding the axe.

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A collage featuring Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball's Goku 1
Godzilla, Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon Meet in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball creators get a fun reference in the latest episode of the Godzilla sequel series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

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Goku in front of Perfect Cell and Raditz from Dragon Ball Z 1
How Goku Makes Dragon Ball's Villains Stronger

Goku has saved the world numerous times from powerful villains, but it could be argued that, because of him, villains only get stronger.

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Goku from Dragon Ball Super goes Ultra Instinct in new official art from the Dragon Ball Legends mobile game. 1
Dragon Ball Super Artist Pens Ultra Instinct Goku as Original Wallpaper for Download

The newest character in Dragon Ball Legends received brand-new wallpaper art by Super artist Toyotarou on the game's official X (Twitter) account.

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Goten and Trunks grinning and in costume in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero manga 1
Dragon Ball's Super Hero Movie Arc Is Ending – And Manga Readers Couldn't Be Happier

Dragon Ball Super fans don't have long to go until the conclusion of the Super Hero arc, turning to social media to voice their excitement.

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Son Goku and Monkey D Luffy in front of Planet Namek. 1
How One Piece Echoes DBZ's Best Arc

Many of One Piece's arcs are similar to Dragon Ball Z's Namek, Ginyu, and Frieza Sagas.

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