Anime like Dragonball

[B]

And BLEACH is also not a "second Dragon Ball". Because it's a rip-off of YuYu Hakusho. Heck!! It was rejected initially because it was so similar to YuYu Hakusho.

Fuuuuu-... No, that was made up, and there's absolutely no source for that. Damn ingrained fanshit. That, along with Toriyama's "letter of recommendation" is the "It was supposed to end at the Freeza arc" of Bleach. Stop telling people that, please.

I would recommend Konjiki no Gash!!, or Zatch Bell!, to the OP. Literally, they don't have a lot in common, but it's pretty amazing how seriously both series take each other, which is not a lot. The author, Makoto Raiku, has a real knack for outrageous and fun designs, akin to Toriyama. I would personally rec the manga first, because the anime(also by Toei) had an alternate ending due to unfortunate circumstances. However, prior to that, the anime is actually a fairly well done adaptation, so if you think you're enjoying manga, check the anime out sooner or later.

[Bussani]

I would recommend Konjiki no Gash!!, or Zatch Bell!, to the OP. Literally, they don't have a lot in common, but it's pretty amazing how seriously both series take each other, which is not a lot. The author, Makoto Raiku, has a real knack for outrageous and fun designs, akin to Toriyama. I would personally rec the manga first, because the anime(also by Toei) had an alternate ending due to unfortunate circumstances. However, prior to that, the anime is actually a fairly well done adaptation, so if you think you're enjoying manga, check the anime out sooner or later.

Seconding this. I would have mentioned it myself, but...it struck me as something that wasn't very Dragon Ball like. Still, it's one of my favorite shonen manga. Interesting, emotional... Oh, but if you're turned off by shonen tears and talks about friendship (which you probably aren't if you like One Piece), then it may not be for you.

[Adamant]

And I'll toss in a recommendation for Saint Seiya, which together with Dragonball really kickstarted the entire "genre".

Seriously, 20 replies and no mention of it? Damn, people.

[Hellspawn28]

^ Too bad the whole Saint Seiya manga is hard to find, and that Episode G is on hold though. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is worth checking out. It's start off rather slow but it picks up rather quicky. It's one of the best fighting manga's out their, and if you like DB then you might like JJBA.

[Kendamu]

A very short series, Photon is like a Dragonball/Tenchi mix. The humor and action remind me of DB but the plot is more Tenchi-ish.

[the_abberration]

Oh, I almost forgot. Since the original DB was inspired by Journey to the West, you may want to try the Saiyuki series. It's also inspired by JTTW, and even has a character named Son Goku.

And to a lesser degree, you could look into the Transformers Unicron Trilogy. It has characters powering up, searching for and bringing together items, a galaxy conquering tyrant, and fusions between characters.

[.:PoetikaL:.]

You could try the 2 part OVA of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Legend of the Supermutants. I haven't seen it yet, but it's an anime version of TMNT that seems to have a lot going in the line of fighting in a DBZ-esque style.

A clip of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGMfb60lc14

But I believe everyone else has stated most of the anime I'd say, Fist of the North Star, Saint Seiya, Bleach, etc.

[Hellspawn28]

If you also like YYH and DBZ then you should check out The Guyver series. It's full of good action, has a great story, and very good characters.

The 2005 anime series is a good place for people that are new to the series.

[skatezeppelin]

I checked out Fist of the North Star and it looks pretty cool. There is a video game that is being released that looks really good. By the way no one mentioned Dr. Slump. I watched the first two eps on youtube but can't seem to find the rest. Has anyone watch the series before?

[Vegeta1056]

You could try the 2 part OVA of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Legend of the Supermutants. I haven't seen it yet, but it's an anime version of TMNT that seems to have a lot going in the line of fighting in a DBZ-esque style.

A clip of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGMfb60lc14

Haha. I love how you say it's like DBZ and Hironobu Kageyama sings the theme song.

[Bussani]

I checked out Fist of the North Star and it looks pretty cool. There is a video game that is being released that looks really good. By the way no one mentioned Dr. Slump. I watched the first two eps on youtube but can't seem to find the rest. Has anyone watch the series before?

Dr. Slump is great. I've read a decent amount of the manga. I didn't think of it as a show that's "like Dragon Ball" though, despite being written by the same guy.

[Adamant]

Well...


(okay, that's pretty much the only page in the entire manga that's anything "like Dragonball", but hey, you could easily show this to someone and make them think it's from the 21st Budokai preliminaries or something)

[Bussani]

You know what that page reminds me of more than Dragon Ball? Ranma ½. Maybe that would be a good one to check out, too...though I highly recommend getting the manga over the anime.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

Oh, I almost forgot. Since the original DB was inspired by Journey to the West, you may want to try the Saiyuki series. It's also inspired by JTTW, and even has a character named Son Goku.

Apart from the fact that it's based on Journey to the West and has a character called Gokū, Saiyūki doesn't have that much in common with Dragon Ball. It's still a good Anime, though.

[Bussani]

That's true, but there are plenty of other anime based on Saiyuki, too. Science Fiction Saiyuki Starzinger is essentially Saiyuki in space. Mushrambo (called Shinzo when it was released in English) is another one that springs to mind, though it reminds me more of something like Digimon than Dragon Ball for some reason. It has a pretty cool opening, though.

[Adamant]

And Itadakiman. See what "Goku as a superhero" would really be like - complete with an actual superhero speech and everything.

And coincidentally, he looks amusingly much like Great Saiyaman

[the_abberration]

I would also suggest Shura No Toki. The main character will sort of remind you of Goku with his laid attitude, excitement when he meets a strong opponent, and such. He also comes for a clan of great fighters (similar to Goku coming from a race of warriors). Oh, and it also spans three generations, so you get to see the descendants of the main character too.

[NeoKING]

A manga that's really similar to Dragon Ball is Tenjho Tenge. It's a seinen series from Oh! Great(AKA "The God of Fanservice and Hentai" by some, "Greatest Manga Artist Ever" to others, the author of Air Gear, and some hentai manga you may or may not know) and it's pretty funny, and even has explicit references to Dragon Ball by the characters themselves. So does Air Gear, which is an action sports manga that's... not too similar to Dragon Ball, but awesome nonetheless(Lol, in one of the manga volumes, one of the team mascots is a monkey on a cloud called "Son Goku" who was said to be a monkey from the "Salad Planet" that did battle with some alien with a ripoff name of either Vegeta or Freeza and was trained under the Sennin and some other master who's name escapes me at the moment.) Another funny scene would be in Tenjho Tenge where the main character is trying to unlock his hidden powers and does the Fusion Dance steps, which his master scolds him for "imitating something that dangerous," lol.

But yeah, Tenjho Tenge is pretty Dragon Ball-esque, just add in realistic martial arts battles and theory with ki and high school drama, long flashback sagas, JapanJapanJapan, sex scenes all around, juvenile delinquency, AMAZING ART, and little to no sensible story.