Dragon Ball (TV series) — BrandWiki

Dragon Ball (TV series)

native name	ドラゴンボール Doragon Bōru
genre	Adventure‡R1R‡ Fantasy comedy‡R1R‡ Martial arts‡R2R‡
based on	Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama
director	Minoru Okazaki Daisuke Nishio
producer	Tokizō Tsuchiya Kenji Shimizu Jun'ichi Ishikawa
writer	Toshiki Inoue Takao Koyama
voices	Masako Nozawa Hiromi Tsuru Mayumi Tanaka Kōhei Miyauchi
open theme	"Makafushigi Adventure!" by Hiroki Takahashi
end theme	"Romantic Ageru yo" by Ushio Hashimoto
music	Shunsuke Kikuchi
country	Japan
language	Japanese
executive producer	Keizo Shichijo Keizou Nanajou Kōzō Morishita
cinematography	* Hirotoshi Rissen * Katsunori Maehara * Kenji Ninomiya * Kiyoshi Saeki * Motoaki Ikegami * Noriko Suzuki * Takao Satō * Tetsu Nakamura * Tetsuo Ōfuji
runtime	24 minutes
company	Fuji Television Toei Animation
network	FNS (Fuji TV)
first aired	February 26, 1986
last aired	April 19, 1989
num episodes	153
num seasons	5
list episodes	List of Dragon Ball episodes
related	Dragon Ball Z Dragon Ball GT Dragon Ball Z Kai Dragon Ball Super Dragon Ball Daima

Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It aired for 153 episodes from February 26, 1986, to April 19, 1989, on Fuji TV.[3][4][5] The series is an adaptation of the first 194 chapters of the manga series of the same name created by Akira Toriyama, which were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995. It was broadcast in 81countries worldwide and is the first television series adaptation in the Dragon Ball franchise.[6][7] The series follows the adventures of Goku, a young eccentric boy with a monkey tail and exceptional strength who has a passion for fighting and battling villains.

Plot

Emperor Pilaf Saga

The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku who lives alone in a forest befriending a teenage girl named Bulma, who is in search of the seven mystical Dragon Balls (ドラゴンボール), one of which is in Goku's possession. Together, they go on an adventure to find the balls, which summon the eternal dragon Shenron and grants whoever summons him any wish. The journey leads Goku to meeting Master Roshi and a confrontation with the shape-shifting pig Oolong, as well as a desert bandit named Yamcha and his companion Pu'ar, and the Ox-King, who all later become allies; Chi-Chi, whom Goku unknowingly agrees to marry; and Emperor Pilaf, a blue-skinned imp who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire for world domination. Oolong stops Pilaf from getting his wish by wishing for a pair of perfect panties. After each wish, all the Dragon Balls are scattered all over the world and take one full year to take on their distinctive appearance.

World Martial Arts Tournament Saga

After finding the Dragon Balls and using them, Goku undergoes rigorous training under world renowned martial artist Master Roshi in order to fight in the World Martial Arts Tournament (天下一武道会), a competitive fighting tournament that attracts fighters from all around the world. A monk named Krillin becomes Goku's training partner and rival, but they quickly become best friends. After training with Master Roshi for a few months, Goku and Krillin start in the tournament, which is held every five years. They battle various opponents, and Yamcha fights a mysterious man named Jackie Chun, who looks and fights oddly similar to Master Roshi. As the tournament continues, Goku and Jackie Chun are the final fighters, and after hours of battle, Jackie Chun realizes Goku is mimicking all of his moves. Recognizing that Goku is shorter, he lunges a flying kick at Goku. Knowing that Goku will do one right back, Jackie Chun's longer leg can reliably reach Goku and knock him out, defeating him.

Red Ribbon Army Saga

After the tournament, Goku sets out on his own to recover the Dragon Ball his deceased grandfather left him and encounters a terrorist organization known as the Red Ribbon Army, whose diminutive leader, Commander Red, wants to collect the Dragon Balls so he can use them to become taller. Goku mostly single-handedly defeats the entire group, including Mercenary Tao, a feared assassin the Red Ribbon hired; whom Goku originally loses to, but after training under the hermit Korin, easily beats. After defeating Tao, Goku sets his sights on the Red Ribbon Army headquarters, where he plans to take the two Dragon Balls in the army's possession. After defeating the Red Ribbon Army, Goku reunites with his friends and they go to Fortuneteller Baba to locate the last remaining Dragon Ball in order to resurrect Upa's father, who was defeated by Tao, but they have to defeat all five of Baba's fighters first. After defeating Baba's fighters and finding the last Dragon Ball, Goku resurrects Upa's father, Bora, and sets out on his own to train for three years.

King Piccolo Saga

Goku and his friends reunite at the World Martial Arts Tournament three years later and meet Master Roshi's rival and Tao's brother, Master Shen, and his students Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, who vow to exact revenge for Tao's apparent death at the hands of Goku. Krillin is murdered after the tournament and Goku tracks down and is defeated by his killer, Tambourine, and the evil King Piccolo, who was freed by Emperor Pilaf after being sealed away by Master Mutaito for destroying and trying to take over the world. Goku meets the overweight samurai Yajirobe, who takes Goku to Korin after being defeated by King Piccolo and receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, King Piccolo kills both Master Roshi and Chiaotzu, and uses the Dragon Balls to give himself eternal youth before destroying Shenron, which results in the Dragon Balls' destruction. As King Piccolo prepares to destroy West City as a show of force, Tien Shinhan arrives to confront him, but is defeated and nearly killed by one of Piccolo's spawns. Goku arrives in time to save Tien and then kills King Piccolo by blasting a hole through his chest with the Great Ape Fist.

Piccolo Junior Saga

Just before King Piccolo dies, he spawns his son, Piccolo Junior. Korin informs Goku that Kami, the creator of the Dragon Balls, might be able to restore Shenron and the Dragon Balls so that Goku can wish his fallen friends back to life, which he does. He also stays and trains under Kami for the next three years, now-adult Goku once again reuniting with his friends for the World Martial Arts Tournament, as well as a now-adult Chi-Chi and a revived cyborg Mercenary Tao. Piccolo Junior enters the tournament to avenge his father's death, leading to the final battle to death between him and Goku. After Goku narrowly wins and defeats Piccolo Junior, he leaves with Chi-Chi and they get married, leading to the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Reception

The show's initial U.S. broadcast run in 1995 met with mediocre ratings.[24]

In 2000, satellite TV channel Animax together with Brutus, a men's lifestyle magazine, and Tsutaya, Japan's largest video rental chain, conducted a poll among 200,000 fans on the top anime series, with Dragon Ball coming in fourth.[25] In 2001, the staff of Animage listed the series as the fifty-second most important anime of all time.[26] TV Asahi conducted two polls in 2005 on the Top 100 Anime, Dragon Ball came in second in the nationwide survey conducted among multiple age-groups and third in the online poll.[27][28] On several occasions the Dragon Ball anime has topped Japan's DVD sales.[29][30]

Otaku USA's Joseph Luster called Dragon Ball "one of the most memorable animated action/comedy series of all time." He cited the comedy as a key component to the show, noting that this might surprise those only familiar with Z.[31] Todd Douglass of DVD Talk referred to it as "a classic among classics [that] stands as a genre defining kind of show." and wrote that "It's iconic in so many ways and should be standard watching for otaku in order to appreciate the genius of Akira Toriyama."[32][33] He had strong praise for the "deep, insightful, and well-developed" characters, writing "Few shows can claim to have a cast quite like Dragon Ball's, and that's a testament to the creative genius of Toriyama."[34]

T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews' Tim Jones gave the show four out of five stars, referring to it as a forerunner to modern fighting anime and still one of the best. He also stated that it has much more character development than its successors Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.[35] Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network summed up Dragon Ball as "an action-packed tale told with rare humor and something even rarer—a genuine sense of adventure."[36] Kimlinger and Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network, noted Funimation's reputation for drastic alterations of the script, but praised the dub.[36][37]

The positive impact of Dragon Ball's characters has manifested itself in the personal messages Masako Nozawa sent to children as taped messages in the voice of Goku.[11] Nozawa takes pride in her role and sends words of encouragement that have resulted in children in comas responding to the voice of the characters.[11]