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.