Dragon Ball Chapter 1

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Bulma and Son Goku
Kanzenban Full Color Tankōbon
ブルマと孫悟空 Buruma to Son Gokū
Premiered	Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1984 #51
Sale Date	20 November 1984
Issue Date	03 December 1984
Chapter Data
Pages	Title; 01-07 (Full Color) 08-30 (Limited Color)
Episodes	Dragon Ball Episode 1
Viz Publication
Title	Bloomers and the Monkey King
Release	06 March 1998
Translation	Mari Morimoto
Adaptation	Gerard Jones
Editor	Trish Ledoux
Collected Volumes
Tankōbon	Dragon Ball Tankōbon Volume 1
Kanzenban	Dragon Ball Kanzenban Volume 1
Full Color	Boyhood Arc Volume 1 Digital Color Part 1 Volume 1
VIZBIG	Dragon Ball VIZBIG Volume 1
Viz 3-in-1	Dragon Ball 3-in-1 Volume 1

"Bulma and Son Goku" is the first chapter of the Dragon Ball manga series by Akira Toriyama. It was first published in Japan in the 1984 #51 issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump.

At 30 pages, this is the longest chapter in the series, as most other chapters were typically 14 pages in length. Due to being twice the length of typical chapters, the first tankōbon volume has only 11 chapters, while all others have at least 12. Likewise, the first kanzenban volume has only 14 chapters, while the others each have at least 15. In the first English-language printing of Dragon Ball, the Viz Monthly Comics, the first issue only has one chapter, while all other issues have at least two.

Synopsis

In West City, Bulma learns from a book in her home of the existence of the Dragon Balls, said to grant any single wish if all seven are gathered. She builds a Dragon Radar that picks up the electric waves emitted by the Dragon Balls, and sets out on a journey to find them. Midway through her journey, she meets the peculiar tailed boy Son Goku! Bulma recognizes that Goku's keepsake from his adoptive grandfather is the Four-Star Ball, one of the Dragon Balls. She invites him on her journey to collect the Dragon Balls, and the two set out for an adventure!!

Summary

"Once upon a time, deep in the mountains, thousands of kilometers from any city... At any rate, this bizarre story begins in such a place..."

A young boy prepares to do his daily chores of cutting wood. He grabs a slice of tree, hurls it in the air, and kicks it, creating smaller pieces of wood. He then proceeds to gather and stack the wood in a pile. With his chores done, he grabs a short staff, tells a small orb (which he calls "Grandpa") he will return, and departs to find some food. Elsewhere, a young girl looks out over the mountain trying to find something. She pulls out a small device shaped like an oversized pocket-watch, and finds her object of inquiry is farther to the west. Satisfied that she is heading in the right direction, she gets into her car and drives off.

Meanwhile, the boy comes to a cliff, and, looking down it, decides that today is perfect for eating fish. He jumps off, catches a branch, and springs down onto the bank of the river. He then proceeds to take off his clothes and toss his tail into the river to do some fishing. A huge fish sees his tail and tries to eat what it assumes is merely a monkey, but the boy pulls his tail out of the way and the fish flies out of the water. He kicks the fish, killing it and knocking it into the river. He swims down to claim his prize, and happily heads back home with it.

As the boy gets to the road, he hears a noise. A car comes screaming around the bend, barely missing him and his fish. Angered, he yells at the "monster" trying to steal his food. He picks up the car and tosses it, with the car landing on its side, badly damaged. The girl then sticks her head out the window, pulls out a gun, and shoots the boy who just totaled her car. Seeing the boy in pain but apparently unharmed despite being shot, the girl freaks out and cannot believe he is not dead. The boy prepares to attack with his staff, but the girl suddenly screams that she is human. The boy stops and thinks she looks different from him. She explains that it is because he is a man, and she is just a delicate girl. Having never seen another human, He wonders where her tail is.

The boy wants to know about her monster, and asks if she caught it. She explains that it is not a monster, but an automobile. He then asks her if she came from the city. The girl says she is from the west, and he says she should come with him to his house to have a feast because she is a woman. As they head off to his house, she says that he is strong for such a little guy. The boy explains that his Grandpa trained him, and that is why he is so strong. The girl thinks that he is weird, but his power could be of some use to her.

They arrive at his house, and the boy tells his Grandpa that he has brought back a woman. The girl takes a look at "Grandpa", and suddenly cries out. She goes over to the small orange orb resting on a pillow. The boy yells at her to not hurt Grandpa's memento, and she pulls out two more balls just like it. The boy is shocked that she has two Grandpas. She explains to him that these are called "Dragon Balls". She further explains that there are seven balls in total, and that in the middle they have stars, going from one star to seven stars.

The boy says his Grandpa's ball has four stars, and the girl says it is the Four-Star Ball. The first one she found was in her basement, the Two-Star Ball. She holds up her other one, the Five-Star Ball, which she says she found about ten days ago in a northern valley. The boy wants to know why she is searching for them, so she explains that when all seven are gathered, Shenlong, the Dragon God, will appear and grant any one wish. The boy is amazed that these little balls can do all that. The girl says that the last person to use them became a king, but the balls were scattered, which is why she is searching for them.

The girl says she knows what she will wish for: a dreamy boyfriend. That is why she needs his Four-Star Ball, but he refuses to give up his Grandpa's memento. She decides to bribe him, by lifting up her skirt and offering to let him cop a feel. He says he is not interested, so she suggests that he join her in the search for the Dragon Balls. The boy finally agrees, so long as he gets to hold onto his ball. She is happy and thinks to herself that he will make a good bodyguard for her.

The boy asks how they will find the other balls, if they do not know where they are. She shows him her Dragon Radar, and explains that it detects the faint electromagnetic waves put out by the balls. She shows him on the radar that the next ball is about 1,200 kilometers to the west. Thinking that it is too far to walk, she looks in her pouch for something to use, since he destroyed her car. Realizing she does not know the boy's name, she asks him, and he introduces himself as Son Goku. Goku asks the same and she says her name is Bulma, which makes Goku laugh. Goku begins to make fun of her name, and she yells at him.

Bulma pulls a case out of her pouch and decides to use the No. 9 capsule. She throws it, it explodes, and as the smoke clears there is a motorcycle. Goku accuses her of using evil magic, and Bulma explains that it is just a Hoi-Poi Capsule. They mount the motorcycle and drive off towards the next Dragon Ball. Down the road, Bulma takes a hill a little too fast and lands hard, coming to a stop. Bulma excuses herself, but Goku does not understand, and she yells at him, saying she is a lady and she has to pee. Goku thinks she is strange for going all the way off into the bushes just to pee. Then he hears her scream, and runs to find out what happened.

A Pteranodon has grabbed Bulma, and Goku asks if she knows him. The Pteranodon says he is going off to talk with her, and tells Goku to wait here. He ties Goku to a tree, and flies off with her. Bulma yells at Goku to come help her, or she will get eaten. Goku unties himself with his tail, but realizes he cannot fly. He runs to the motorcycle, starts it, and gives chase. The bike goes up a hill and flies off into mid-air, and Goku jumps off towards the Pteranodon. Goku pulls out his Nyoi-Bō, tells it to grow, and whacks the Pteranodon over the head, causing him to drop Bulma. Now in free-fall, Bulma screams in terror, and Goku throws the Nyoi-Bō at her. He lands safely on the ground and finds Bulma, suspended from the Nyoi-Bō, which is stuck into the side of a cliff. Goku laughs as Bulma wets herself.

Title Page

"I'll Give You Romance" animation (Dragon Box textless version).

The chapter's title page is included in its original place following the first page of the chapter in every Japanese and English publication of this chapter. The original color is used in Kanzenban Volume 1 in Japanese and VIZBIG Volume 1 in English; otherwise it is printed in greyscale, though the entire chapter was reprinted in full with the original colors in Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2.

A scene based on the title page's artwork appeared in the Dragon Ball TV series' first three "I'll Give You Romance" ending animations. The scene's arrangement was slightly reconfigured in the animated version and the background was replaced with something we frequently see early on in the series.

The title page gets a full-page reproduction in Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 1 ("The Complete Illustrations") and a half-page reproduction in the Dragon Ball Chōgashū ("A Visual History"). The illustration is otherwise widely used, serving for example as the cover for Dragon Ball Part 1-7 (Viz Monthly Comics) and the table of contents illustration for Akira Toriyama - The World.

Weekly Shōnen Jump

The cover of the 1984 #51 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Every chapter of Dragon Ball is accompanied by a comment from Akira Toriyama. Below is the comment accompanying the first chapter in the 1984 #51 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Here I am again, and without having had any time to rest! I'm happy, but sad too. Still, I'll do my best!! <Akira>

Toriyama is referring to his short three-month hiatus following the end of Dr. Slump in the 1984 #39 issue. Based on advice from his editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, Akira 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 began working on Dragon Ball. It debuted as issue #51's featured manga, beginning on page 3. The cover illustration is one of the few Toriyama illustrations never to have been reprinted.

Cast

• Son Goku (Debut)
• Bulma (Debut)
• Big Fish (Debut)
• Pteranodon (Debut)
• Shenlong (Depicted without actually appearing)

Items

• Capsule No. 9 Bike
• Dragon Balls (Debut)
• Dragon Radar (Debut)
• Hoi-Poi Capsule (Debut)
• Nyoi-Bō (Debut)

Setting

The events of this chapter take place primarily on Mount Paozu. There are also scenes at Grandpa Gohan's house, which itself is located on Mount Paozu.

This chapter takes place during Age 749, about twelve years after Goku's birth. It is also set during Bulma's summer vacation from school, with 30 days remaining.

• Censorship: Goku's Weenie
• 
  Viz Graphic Novel (31 August 2000).
  This edition was discontinued.
• 
  Viz Comics Part 1-1 (06 March 1998)
• 
  VIZBIG Volume 1 (03 June 2008)
• 
  Digital Graphic Novel (02 November 2010)
• 
  3-in-1 Volume 1 (04 June 2013)
• 
  Shonen Jump Graphic Novel
  (23rd print, May 2019)
• 
  Daizenshuu 2 (25 June 1995)

• Censorship: Bulma's Panties
• 
  Viz Graphic Novel (31 August 2000).
  The most censored version.
• 
  Viz Comics Part 1-1 (06 March 1998)
  The least censored version.
• 
  Shonen Jump Graphic Novel
  (23rd print, May 2019)
• 
  VIZBIG Volume 1 (03 June 2008)
  The middle road.
• 
  Digital Graphic Novel (02 November 2010)
  The middle road.
• 
  3-in-1 Volume 1 (04 June 2013)

• Censorship: Bulma's Tinkle
• 
  Viz Graphic Novel (31 August 2000).
  The only censored edition.
• 
  VIZBIG Volume 1 (03 June 2008)
  The uncensored version.

English Adaptation

Visual Edits & Censorship

The sound effects outside speech bubbles are edited and translated in every Viz edition, but Akira Toriyama's roman-letter sound effects and other roman-letter markings are preserved:

• "AF4029" and "CAPSULE" on the motorbike (title page, etc.)
• "BAKOKOKOKO..!!" on page 3 (skipping the title page)
• "Bulma" on Bulma's shirt and "TURBO" on her car (page 4, etc.)
• "PF8801" on the license plate (page 5, etc.)
• "BAOO..M!!" on page 9
• "BOM!" on page 21

Toriyama's art is uncensored in most English printings of this chapter, including the original English-language edition (Part 1 No. 1 of the Viz Monthly Comics). The sole exception is the first collected edition, the Viz Graphic Novel, where Son Goku's genitalia is obscured, Bulma's panties are drawn over, and Bulma's tinkle at the end of the chapter is edited out. As explained in Part 3 No. 3 of the Viz Comics, the nature of the editing was suggested by Toriyama himself, since he preferred that Goku not be "neutered" entirely. The original art was restored in later printings of the Viz Graphic Novel, and it was never censored in other editions.

The edits to the panties and the tinkle correspond with dialogue censorship detailed below under Translation.

Translation

The direct translation of Akira Toriyama's dialogue by Mari Morimoto is adapted into a casual English tone by Gerard Jones. The most consequential of these changes are listed below.

• CHRONOLOGY: When Bulma tells Goku about the second Dragon Ball she found, in the original she says she found it 10 days previous in the North Valley, while in Viz she instead says that she found it "after weeks searching the North Valley".
• CENSORSHIP: In the Japanese version, Bulma offers Goku the chance to feel up her butt in exchange for his Dragon Ball (he declines, saying he doesn't want to feel her dirty butt).
  • This is translated accurately in Dragon Ball Part 1-1 (Viz Monthly Comics) and some print versions of the Shonen Jump Graphic Novel, Viz's second edition of Dragon Ball Volume 1.
  • In Viz's most-censored release, the Viz Graphic Novel version of Volume 1, Bulma's panties are drawn over, and she says, "You won't even give it to a cute girl like me?" Goku responds, "'Cute?' Well, uh, I feel sorry for you for lookin' funny..."
  • The most common version is still censored in the dialogue, but slightly less so: Bulma tells Goku he can have "just one quick peep" at her butt, and he responds "Why would I wanna see your dirty butt"? This version is used in the 3-in-1 edition, the VIZBIG edition, and the digital edition.
• CENSORSHIP: On the chapter's last page, Bulma wets her pants. In the Viz Graphic Novel version of the chapter's last page, the tinkle underneath Bulma is completely edited out, and the dialogue is altered to make it seem like she hadn't yet lost control of her bladder.

悟空：いやーよかったよかった！
ブルマ：あ〜〜〜ん　けっきょくオシッコもらしちゃった〜〜〜〜っ！！！
Literal:
Goku: Ah, thank goodness!
Bulma: Waaahh, I wound up peeing myself!

• GENERAL: The opening narration serves as a general example of how the original text is localized:

むかしむかし　のこと　都から数千公里も　彼方の　ある山奥... この奇想天外奇想天外な物語はとりあえず　そんなところからはじまります...
Literal: Long, long ago, deep in some mountains thousands of kilometers from the city…　that’s where this fantastic story starts off…
Viz: Long, long ago, in a deep, dark forest far from civilization, beyond a towering range of…　well, you get the idea. It's the kind of place a story like this has to begin…

• In the original, Goku makes some nonsense yelling noises as he approaches the log to make firewood. In Viz, he tells the log, "Prepare to die!"
• In the original the giant fish wonders if Goku's tail belongs to a monkey or a mountain cat, but in Viz he instead says "Got ya, ya dumb-butt little monkey!!" (The "got ya" part is in the original, but not the rest.)
• In Japanese, Goku believes Bulma to be a yōkai (妖怪). Viz translates this as "demon", but yōkai is not the same term used for the various demons who turn up later in the series, like Demon King Piccolo and his children.
• After Bulma shoots Goku, in the original he says he would not die from that, but in Viz he says it does not hurt him. He also says that his body is as hard as stainless steel, but this is not present in the Viz adaptation.
• In the original, when Goku describes how Bulma is different from him, he says she is "frail and weak", while in Viz he calls her "softer…and bumpier!".
• Viz has Bulma refer to Goku with quite a wide range of terms (primarily insults) that are not present in the original, like "brainiac", "goof", "idiot boy", "he-man", and "ape-boy". These do not correspond to anything she calls him in the original. This might be an attempt to replicate Bulma's general tone with Goku, which at this point is very terse and short-tempered.
• Bulma's immediate reaction to Goku being surprised to learn she's a woman:

イナカも〜ん！
Literal: What a hick!
Viz: Heh-loh!!

• Bulma's reaction to Goku's house:

ボロちい家ねー
Literal: What a dilapidated house.
Viz: Not much for home repair, are you?

• In the original Goku calls the Four-star ball his memento/keepsake (形見 katami) of his grandfather, but Viz has him call it his grandfather's "last possession".

Bulma tells Goku about the Dragon Balls.

• When Bulma tells Goku about the "Dragon Balls", his response is adapted as an innuendo that is not present in the original. Despite the censorship of Toriyama's own innuendo in other places, this line persists in every Viz version, even the first printing of the Viz Graphic Novel (the most censored edition):

ドラゴン... ボール？
Literal: Dragon… balls?
Viz: "Y'mean… some poor dragon?"

• Normally "Dragon Ball(s)" is written out in Japanese in katakana: ドラゴンボール (doragon bōru). But when Bulma is first explaining about the Dragon Balls, it is written with the kanji 龍球 ("dragon" + "ball"), which would normally be pronounced ryūkyū. However, ドラゴンボール is written out in furigana above the kanji, to show that they should be read as "dragon ball" rather than ryūkyū.
• In Japanese, the Dragon Balls are given Mandarin Chinese names, all based on the number of stars in them (One-star ball, Two-star ball, etc). They are written in kanji, but the furigana for the kanji indicate they should be pronounced with the Chinese readings for those kanji, rather than the Japanese ones. Viz uses a direct romanization of the Japanese way of writing these Chinese pronunciations—an English approximation of a Japanese approximation of Chinese. For example, the direct romanization of the Mandarin Chinese name for the Four-star ball is Si Xing Qiu, while the romanization of the Japanese approximation of that is Sū Shin Chū, which is what Viz uses.
• Bulma's "Almost half way there!" in reference to her Dragon Ball collecting is a Viz addition.
• Bulma tells Goku that the last person who gathered the Dragon Balls became a king. The Japanese word for king that she uses is 王様 (ō-sama). The term used for Earth's King is 国王 (koku-ō), literally "nation king" (since the Earth of Dragon Ball is a single, global nation). The Turtle Hermit later says that he picked up his Dragon Ball about 100 years previous. If Earth's King were the same person, he would have to be at least 100 years old (700 in dog years).
• When Bulma introduces the Dragon Radar, in most Viz editions she calls it her "ball detector", though the English words "dragon radar" (ドラゴンレーダー doragon rēdā) are used.
  • It is only called the "Dragon Radar" in the VIZBIG and 3-in-1 editions, and in the version of the Digital Graphic Novel available for direct purchase from Viz and Shonen Jump.
  • The Kindle/Comixology Digital Graphic Novel and the single chapters available through the Shonen Jump subscription use "ball detector".

• 
  Viz Graphic Novel
  (31 August 2000).
• 
  Viz Comics Part 1-1
  (06 March 1998)
• 
  Shonen Jump Graphic Novel
  (23rd print, May 2019)
• 
  Viz/Shonen Jump: Digital Chapter
  Kindle/Comixology Graphic Novel
• 
  Viz/Shonen Jump Digital Graphic Novel
• 
  VIZBIG Volume 1 (03 June 2008)
• 
  3-in-1 Volume 1 (04 June 2013)
• 
  Daizenshuu 2 (25 June 1995)

• Goku's reaction to Bulma's name:

Literal: Bulma!? Hahah, what a weird name. Hahaha-----Bulma, huh----
Viz: Doesn't that mean "bloomers"?! Haw!!...Hahaha "Bloomers"!!

• Goku uses the Nyoi-bō for the first time:

Literal: Staff, extend!!!
Viz: OK staff--do your stuff!

• In the ending narration, as with the chapter title, Viz takes the opportunity to emphasize the parallels to Journey to the West, which is relatively obscure in the actual West:

Literal: Well well, what on Earth will happen next in Goku and Bulma's great adventure?...Tune in next time!
Viz: Remember your Chinese fairy tales? You don't? Not even the impish monkey king and his magic staff, the Nyoi-bō? Oh well…drop in next time and you'll learn…

Editor Notes

There are no editor notes in this chapter.

Availability

This chapter has been released in numerous countries and languages around the world in both print and digital formats. The original color pages from the 1984 #51 of Weekly Shōnen Jump are only available in Dragon Ball Kanzenban Volume 1 and Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2 in Japanese, and VIZBIG Volume 1 in English.

Japan

• Dragon Ball Volume 1: Son Goku and Friends (Tankōbon; 10 September 1985)
  • Digital Monochrome Edition Volume 1 (12 October 2012)
• Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide (25 June 1995)
• Dragon Ball Volume 1 (Kanzenban; 04 December 2002)
• Dragon Ball Part 1: Son Goku Training Arc Volume 1 (Digital Color Edition; 04 February 2013)
• Dragon Ball: Boyhood Arc Volume 1 (Full Color Comics; 04 January 2016)
• Dragon Ball Digest Edition - Legend 1: Hunt for the Dragon Balls Arc (13 May 2016)

North America (English)

• Shonen Jump Digital: Dragon Ball Chapter 1
• Dragon Ball Tankōbon Volume 1: "The Monkey King"
  • Viz Graphic Novel (31 August 2000)
  • Shonen Jump Graphic Novel (06 May 2003)
    • Digital Graphic Novel (02 November 2010)
• Dragon Ball VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 1 (03 June 2008)
• Dragon Ball 3-in-1 Edition, Vol. 1 (04 June 2013)
• Dragon Ball Part 1-1 (Viz Monthly Comics) (06 March 1998)

External Links

• Kanzenshuu Manga Guide - Dragon Ball Chapter 1
• Kanzenshuu Manga Guide - Weekly Shōnen Jump 1984
• "Viz-isms" (Herms)