Dragon Ball (manga): Difference between revisions
m Correcting date of last chapter in Jump. |
mNo edit summary |
||
| (60 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{incomplete}} | {{about|the manga|the media franchise in general|Dragon Ball}} | ||
{{incomplete|needs=Additional history and background}} | |||
{{Infobox manga | {{Infobox manga | ||
| image = [[File:db_manga_title.png|320px|Dragon Ball Manga Logo]] | | image = [[File:db_manga_title.png|320px|Dragon Ball Manga Logo]] | ||
| caption = "Dragon Ball" Manga Logo<ref>{{Cite manga|Book=kan5|Page=p. 34}}</ref> | |||
| jpn_title = ドラゴンボール | | jpn_title = ドラゴンボール | ||
| rom_title = Doragon Bōru | | rom_title = Doragon Bōru | ||
| Line 7: | Line 9: | ||
| author = [[Akira Toriyama]] ([[Bird Studio]]) | | author = [[Akira Toriyama]] ([[Bird Studio]]) | ||
| publisher = Shueisha | | publisher = Shueisha | ||
| publication = ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' | | publication = ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'' | ||
| demographic = Shōnen | | demographic = Shōnen | ||
| date = WJ 1984 #51 - 1995 #25<br />(20 November 1984 - 23 May 1995) | | date = WJ 1984 #51 - 1995 #25<br />(20 November 1984 - 23 May 1995) | ||
| chapters = 519 + 1 side-story ([[List of Dragon Ball Chapters|List of Chapters]]) | | chapters = 519 + 1 side-story ([[List of Dragon Ball Chapters|List of Chapters]]) | ||
| volumes = 42 Tankōbon Volumes<br />34 Kanzenban Volumes | | volumes = [[Dragon Ball Tankōbon|42 Tankōbon Volumes]]<br />[[Dragon Ball Kanzenban|34 Kanzenban Volumes]] | ||
| anime = [[Dragon Ball (anime)|Dragon Ball]]<br />[[Dragon Ball Z]]<br />[[Dragon Ball | | anime = [[Dragon Ball (anime)|Dragon Ball]]<br />[[Dragon Ball Z]]<br />[[Dragon Ball Kai]] | ||
| films = [[Dragon Ball (anime)#Theatrical Films|Dragon Ball]]<br />[[Dragon Ball Z#Theatrical Films|Dragon Ball Z]] | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Dragon Ball''''' (often abbreviated as '''DB''') is a Japanese manga series created and illustrated by famed manga artist [[Akira Toriyama]] ([[Bird Studio]]). The series was originally a gag manga (comic) that evolved into a martial arts action manga. It is comprised of a total of 520 individual chapters, including one side-story, and began its run on '''20 November 1984'''<ref>"Bulma and Son Goku". ''Weekly Shōnen Jump 1984 #51''. Japan: Shueisha, 20 November 1984. (pp. 3-32)</ref> in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'', a popular manga anthology magazine published by Shueisha in Japan. The series was serialized from 1984 to 1995, remaining a staple in Japan for nearly ten and a half years. | |||
Each week a new chapter would be published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' with approximately 14 pages per chapter. Since its serialization, these weekly manga chapters have been compiled into 42 ''[[Dragon Ball Tankōbon|tankōbon]]'' volumes, 34 ''[[Dragon Ball Kanzenban|kanzenban]]'' volumes, and various other collected releases. The manga series was adapted by [[Toei Animation]] into two animated television series: ''[[Dragon Ball (anime)|Dragon Ball]]'' and ''[[Dragon Ball Z]]''. The TV series were sequentially broadcast in Japan on [[Fuji TV]] from 1986 to 1996. | |||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
In search of the seven [[Dragon Balls]], [[Bulma]] crosses paths with a mysterious young boy by the name of [[Son Goku]]. Realizing Goku's unnatural strength, she convinces him to join her in search of the remaining Dragon Balls. Along the way the two encounter many friends and foes, all in search of the Dragon Balls. After training under the perverted Kame-Sen'nin, Goku learns to fully harness his unnatural raw talent and quickly masters the ''[[Kamehameha]]'' technique. However the Earth is plunged into darkness, as the [[Piccolo Daimaō|Demon King Piccolo]] has returned to rule the planet with an iron fist. Goku steps in to oppose Piccolo, eventually defeating him, but not before Piccolo creates an offspring with the sole purpose of seeking revenge. Three years later, after training under the [[Earth's God]], Goku and [[Piccolo|Ma Junior]] face off at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budōkai. | |||
Five peaceful years have passed since Goku's victory over Ma Junior and his marriage to [[Chi-Chi]], when a mysterious alien warrior arrives on Earth in search of "Kakarrot". The alien eventually finds Goku, identifying him as Kakarrot, and introduces himself as Goku's older brother, [[Raditz]]. He proclaims that Goku is actually a Saiyan, the strongest warrior race in the universe, that was sent to Earth to exterminate humanity. From here the series takes to the stars, with even stronger and stronger opponents appearing before Goku and friends. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
===Japan=== | ===Japan=== | ||
In early-1980, Akira Toriyama's gag manga series ''Dr. Slump'' began serialization in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' and ran just over four and a half years, coming to an end in issue 1984 #39. However, prior to it ending Toriyama was already considering what to draw for his next serialized series. Based on advice from his editor, [[Kazuhiko Torishima]], Toriyama released a two-part manga one-shot entitled "Dragon Boy" in ''Fresh Jump'' in mid-1983 to test the viability of a kung-fu ''shōnen'' manga series. After an incredibly positive response from readers, Toriyama finally decided on his next, and what would ultimately turn out to be his final, long-term serialized work. | |||
A short three months after the end of ''Dr. Slump'', Toriyama was back at work again with his second long-running serialized series — ''Dragon Ball''. To contrast with the western-influenced setting of ''Dr. Slump'', Toriyama wanted to give ''Dragon Ball'' a Chinese feel and initially loosely based the series on the Chinese tale ''Journey to the West''. Toriyama also introduced the seven Dragon Balls to allow the characters to go on their own adventurous journey, and at this point he had only intended the series to run up until they had collected all seven. | |||
Early on in 1985, Kazuhiko Torishima informed him that ''Dragon Ball'' was not faring well in Shueisha's popularity polls, concluding that his protagonist ([[Son Goku]]) was just too plain to appeal to readers. Wanting to change this, Toriyama recalled that tournament events in ''Dr. Slump'' had always been popular, and decided to transition the story into a more tournament-like format. To accomplish this transition he withdrew the other characters, with the exception of Goku, brought back [[Kame-Sen'nin]], and added [[Kuririn]] as a new rival character. Taking a trip to Bali in mid-1985, mere weeks after concluding the initial hunt for the Dragon Balls, Toriyama used the local atmosphere and architecture as inspiration to design the Tenka'ichi Budōkai grounds. | |||
===North America=== | ===North America=== | ||
| Line 29: | Line 42: | ||
{{see|List of Dragon Ball Chapters}} | {{see|List of Dragon Ball Chapters}} | ||
==Releases== | ==Collected Releases== | ||
=== | {{see|List of Dragon Ball Chapters}} | ||
=== | Outside of its original serialization in ''[[Weekly Shōnen Jump]]'', the ''Dragon Ball'' manga has been made available in Japan to consumers in various formats and quality. | ||
===Tankōbon Release=== | |||
{{see|Dragon Ball Tankōbon}} | |||
Beginning in '''September 1985''', these weekly manga chapters began to be compiled into separate volumes called ''tankōbon'' ("separate volume"). In most English-speaking countries, the ''tankōbon'' are referred to as "graphic novels", while most people in Japan simply refer to them as "comics", taken from English. Each ''tankōbon'' volume contained roughly 12 chapters and was printed in a greyscale format only. Unfortunately, this meant that all of the original colored pages from ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' could only be viewed in greyscale. This issue was later rectified with the ''[[Dragon Ball Kanzenban|kanzenban]]'' releases, which retained the original color pages. | |||
===Kanzenban Release=== | |||
{{see|Dragon Ball Kanzenban}} | |||
In 2002, Japan experienced a revival of the once forgotten ''Dragon Ball'' series. Due to this resurgence of interest, Shueisha began releasing the series in a complete ''kanzenban'' ("Perfect Edition") format in '''December 2002'''. The ''kanzenban'' release condensed the original 42 ''tankōbon'' volumes into 34, with each volume containing approximately 15 chapters. Unlike the ''tankōbon'', the ''kanzenban'' retained all of the colored pages originally printed in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. As a special treat, the ''kanzenban'' volumes featured restored artwork and newly drawn cover illustrations by [[Akira Toriyama]]. Each volume also featured an insert poster of its respective volume's cover illustration. | |||
[[File:db_full_color_chp195.png|thumb|200px|A digitally colored page from the "Full Color Comics".<br />(Saiyan Arc Chapter 1)]] | |||
===Full Color Comics Release=== | |||
{{see|Dragon Ball Full Color}} | |||
Beginning in early-2013, Shueisha began releasing a fully-colored print-only version of the manga based on the ''kanzenban'' edition, beginning with the "Z"-era storyline. These print-only "Full Color" releases are different from the "Digital Color Edition" volumes released digitally, with the chapter numbering being divided up by story arc. Shueisha later revisited the beginning of the series in January 2016. Each "Full Color" volume contains roughly 17 chapters, as opposed to the ''kanzenban'' which typically contain 15 chapters per volume. | |||
===Digital Color Edition Release=== | |||
{{see|Dragon Ball Digital Color Edition}} | |||
When the first "Full Color" print volumes hit bookstores on 04 February 2013, Shueisha also began releasing the first 194 chapters, compiled into 20 volumes, as part of a new digital-only "Color Edition" format via a variety of sources. The remaining "Z"-era chapters were subsequently released in conjunction with their respective "Full Color" print releases. | |||
===Digest Edition Release=== | |||
{{see|Dragon Ball Digest Edition}} | |||
The ''sōshūhen'' ("Digest Edition") recreate the chapters of ''Dragon Ball'' as they were originally serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', including original colors and promotion text. This release condenses the series into larger volumes organized by story arcs. Unlike other compilation releases of the manga, the digest editions are not smaller, but the same size as issues of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 38: | Line 73: | ||
{{Manga}} | {{Manga}} | ||
[[Category:Dragon Ball | [[Category:Dragon Ball|*]] | ||
Latest revision as of 19:42, 22 January 2020
- This article is about the manga. For the media franchise in general, see Dragon Ball.
|
This page is incomplete. Kanzenshuu wiki team members are aware that they must edit this page to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Additional history and background. |
| Dragon Ball | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 "Dragon Ball" Manga Logo[1] | |||
| |||
| Author | Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio) | ||
| Publisher | Shueisha | ||
| Publication | Weekly Shōnen Jump | ||
| Demographic | Shōnen | ||
| Manga Series | |||
| Original Run |
WJ 1984 #51 - 1995 #25 (20 November 1984 - 23 May 1995) | ||
| Chapters | 519 + 1 side-story (List of Chapters) | ||
| Volumes |
42 Tankōbon Volumes 34 Kanzenban Volumes | ||
| Animated Adaptation | |||
| TV Series |
Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z Dragon Ball Kai | ||
| Films |
Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z | ||
Dragon Ball (often abbreviated as DB) is a Japanese manga series created and illustrated by famed manga artist Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio). The series was originally a gag manga (comic) that evolved into a martial arts action manga. It is comprised of a total of 520 individual chapters, including one side-story, and began its run on 20 November 1984[2] in Weekly Shōnen Jump, a popular manga anthology magazine published by Shueisha in Japan. The series was serialized from 1984 to 1995, remaining a staple in Japan for nearly ten and a half years.
Each week a new chapter would be published in Weekly Shōnen Jump with approximately 14 pages per chapter. Since its serialization, these weekly manga chapters have been compiled into 42 tankōbon volumes, 34 kanzenban volumes, and various other collected releases. The manga series was adapted by Toei Animation into two animated television series: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. The TV series were sequentially broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV from 1986 to 1996.
Plot
In search of the seven Dragon Balls, Bulma crosses paths with a mysterious young boy by the name of Son Goku. Realizing Goku's unnatural strength, she convinces him to join her in search of the remaining Dragon Balls. Along the way the two encounter many friends and foes, all in search of the Dragon Balls. After training under the perverted Kame-Sen'nin, Goku learns to fully harness his unnatural raw talent and quickly masters the Kamehameha technique. However the Earth is plunged into darkness, as the Demon King Piccolo has returned to rule the planet with an iron fist. Goku steps in to oppose Piccolo, eventually defeating him, but not before Piccolo creates an offspring with the sole purpose of seeking revenge. Three years later, after training under the Earth's God, Goku and Ma Junior face off at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budōkai.
Five peaceful years have passed since Goku's victory over Ma Junior and his marriage to Chi-Chi, when a mysterious alien warrior arrives on Earth in search of "Kakarrot". The alien eventually finds Goku, identifying him as Kakarrot, and introduces himself as Goku's older brother, Raditz. He proclaims that Goku is actually a Saiyan, the strongest warrior race in the universe, that was sent to Earth to exterminate humanity. From here the series takes to the stars, with even stronger and stronger opponents appearing before Goku and friends.
History
Japan
In early-1980, Akira Toriyama's gag manga series Dr. Slump began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump and ran just over four and a half years, coming to an end in issue 1984 #39. However, prior to it ending Toriyama was already considering what to draw for his next serialized series. Based on advice from his editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, Toriyama released a two-part manga one-shot entitled "Dragon Boy" in Fresh Jump in mid-1983 to test the viability of a kung-fu shōnen manga series. After an incredibly positive response from readers, Toriyama finally decided on his next, and what would ultimately turn out to be his final, long-term serialized work.
A short three months after the end of Dr. Slump, Toriyama was back at work again with his second long-running serialized series — Dragon Ball. To contrast with the western-influenced setting of Dr. Slump, Toriyama wanted to give Dragon Ball a Chinese feel and initially loosely based the series on the Chinese tale Journey to the West. Toriyama also introduced the seven Dragon Balls to allow the characters to go on their own adventurous journey, and at this point he had only intended the series to run up until they had collected all seven.
Early on in 1985, Kazuhiko Torishima informed him that Dragon Ball was not faring well in Shueisha's popularity polls, concluding that his protagonist (Son Goku) was just too plain to appeal to readers. Wanting to change this, Toriyama recalled that tournament events in Dr. Slump had always been popular, and decided to transition the story into a more tournament-like format. To accomplish this transition he withdrew the other characters, with the exception of Goku, brought back Kame-Sen'nin, and added Kuririn as a new rival character. Taking a trip to Bali in mid-1985, mere weeks after concluding the initial hunt for the Dragon Balls, Toriyama used the local atmosphere and architecture as inspiration to design the Tenka'ichi Budōkai grounds.
North America
Characters
Chapters
Collected Releases
Outside of its original serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump, the Dragon Ball manga has been made available in Japan to consumers in various formats and quality.
Tankōbon Release
Beginning in September 1985, these weekly manga chapters began to be compiled into separate volumes called tankōbon ("separate volume"). In most English-speaking countries, the tankōbon are referred to as "graphic novels", while most people in Japan simply refer to them as "comics", taken from English. Each tankōbon volume contained roughly 12 chapters and was printed in a greyscale format only. Unfortunately, this meant that all of the original colored pages from Weekly Shōnen Jump could only be viewed in greyscale. This issue was later rectified with the kanzenban releases, which retained the original color pages.
Kanzenban Release
In 2002, Japan experienced a revival of the once forgotten Dragon Ball series. Due to this resurgence of interest, Shueisha began releasing the series in a complete kanzenban ("Perfect Edition") format in December 2002. The kanzenban release condensed the original 42 tankōbon volumes into 34, with each volume containing approximately 15 chapters. Unlike the tankōbon, the kanzenban retained all of the colored pages originally printed in Weekly Shōnen Jump. As a special treat, the kanzenban volumes featured restored artwork and newly drawn cover illustrations by Akira Toriyama. Each volume also featured an insert poster of its respective volume's cover illustration.
(Saiyan Arc Chapter 1)
Full Color Comics Release
Beginning in early-2013, Shueisha began releasing a fully-colored print-only version of the manga based on the kanzenban edition, beginning with the "Z"-era storyline. These print-only "Full Color" releases are different from the "Digital Color Edition" volumes released digitally, with the chapter numbering being divided up by story arc. Shueisha later revisited the beginning of the series in January 2016. Each "Full Color" volume contains roughly 17 chapters, as opposed to the kanzenban which typically contain 15 chapters per volume.
Digital Color Edition Release
When the first "Full Color" print volumes hit bookstores on 04 February 2013, Shueisha also began releasing the first 194 chapters, compiled into 20 volumes, as part of a new digital-only "Color Edition" format via a variety of sources. The remaining "Z"-era chapters were subsequently released in conjunction with their respective "Full Color" print releases.
Digest Edition Release
The sōshūhen ("Digest Edition") recreate the chapters of Dragon Ball as they were originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump, including original colors and promotion text. This release condenses the series into larger volumes organized by story arcs. Unlike other compilation releases of the manga, the digest editions are not smaller, but the same size as issues of Weekly Shōnen Jump.
References
- ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Kanzenban Volume 5. Japan: Shueisha, 04 February 2003. ISBN 4-08-873448-3. (p. 34)
- ↑ "Bulma and Son Goku". Weekly Shōnen Jump 1984 #51. Japan: Shueisha, 20 November 1984. (pp. 3-32)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||