Bulma is a
girl in search of the 7 mystical dragonballs that when brought together grant any wish. In her search she bumps into the owner of one of these balls, a strange
boy named Goku. The two then set off together, Bulma in search of the dragonballs and Goku on a quest to become stronger. Along the way, they meet and befriend a plethora of martial artists. Goku also undergoes rigorous training regimes and educational programs in order to fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament, a competition involving the most powerful fighters- in the world.
Outside the tournaments, Goku faces diverse villains such as Emperor Pilaf, the Red Ribbon
Army, the
demon Piccolo Daimao (King Piccolo) and his offspring Piccolo
Jr., who eventually becomes Goku's ally.
Dragonball aired in the U.S. on Toonami in 2001. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen
Jump from 1984 through 1995; later the 509 individual chapters were published into
42 tankobon volumes by Shueisha. Dragon
Ball was inspired by the Chinese folk novel Journey to the West. There are 153 episodes.