Dragon Ball Vol. 1 Review: The Shonen Blueprint, Reviewed

Almost every action manga you’ve ever heard of owes something to Dragon Ball. Created by the late Akira Toriyama and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984, Dragon Ball is the series that codified the modern shonen adventure — the plucky hero who grows stronger, the tournaments, the escalating rivals, the training arcs. But strip away its enormous legacy and Volume 1 is simply a joy: a fast, funny, gorgeously drawn adventure comic that still reads beautifully today. Here’s our review of where it all began.

If your only exposure to the franchise is the Dragon Ball Z anime and its hour-long power-up screams, the original manga’s opening volume may surprise you. It’s lighter, faster, funnier, and far more of a whimsical quest than the world-ending battles that came later. That charm is exactly why it’s worth going back to the source.

What is Dragon Ball about?

A teenage girl named Bulma is searching for the seven mystical Dragon Balls — magical orbs that, when gathered, summon a dragon who grants a wish. Her hunt leads her to Goku, a strange, superhumanly strong little boy with a monkey’s tail who lives alone in the mountains and has never seen another person. Goku happens to own one of the Dragon Balls, so the two set off together on a quest across a strange, gadget-filled world. Volume 1 is pure adventure: new friends, weird villains, martial arts, and Toriyama’s endlessly inventive comedy.

The 3-in-1 edition we recommend collects the first three original volumes, taking Goku from that first meeting with Bulma through his early training and toward the World Martial Arts Tournament — a fantastic chunk of the story in one book.

The tone: adventure comedy, not epic battle saga

This is the key thing to understand about early Dragon Ball: it’s a comedy adventure, closer in spirit to a wuxia romp or Journey to the West (its loose inspiration) than to the solemn power-fantasy the franchise later became. Goku is naive and funny, the gags come fast, and the stakes stay light and playful. Toriyama’s sense of humor — cheeky, a little cheeky, occasionally slapstick — carries the whole volume. It’s genuinely charming in a way the later, more intense arcs sometimes aren’t.

Toriyama’s art: clean, dynamic, timeless

Akira Toriyama is one of the most influential artists in the medium, and it’s obvious from page one. His linework is clean and confident, his character designs are instantly readable and expressive, and his action has a sense of speed and weight that countless artists have tried to copy. He’s also a brilliant designer of vehicles, gadgets, and creatures — the world feels playful and lived-in. Even at forty years old, the art doesn’t feel dated; it feels foundational, because so much of what followed learned from it.

Why it’s the shonen blueprint

Dragon Ball didn’t invent the action manga, but it perfected a template that Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, My Hero Academia, and dozens of others would follow: the good-hearted, food-loving hero who’s always chasing the next challenge; the rivals who become allies; the tournaments as structure; the escalating training. Reading Volume 1, you can see the DNA of an entire genre being written. That makes it not just a fun read but an essential one for understanding modern shonen.

The influence runs deeper than plot mechanics. Toriyama essentially defined the rhythm of a shonen fight — the feints and reversals, the mid-battle power reveals, the way a single duel can stretch across chapters while never feeling static. He also modeled the genre’s emotional register: victory earned through hard work and friendship, villains who can be redeemed, and a hero whose defining trait is joy rather than angst. Creators from Eiichiro Oda to Masashi Kishimoto have openly cited Toriyama as their north star, and you feel that debt in almost every long-running Weekly Shonen Jump title since.

Goku, Bulma, and an all-time cast

The characters are half the reason it endures. Goku is the template for the pure-hearted shonen hero — naive, fearless, endlessly hungry, and completely without malice — and Toriyama plays his innocence for both comedy and genuine warmth. Bulma, meanwhile, is a fantastic foil: brilliant, vain, short-tempered, and far more worldly than the boy she’s traveling with. Their odd-couple dynamic drives the early volumes, and the supporting players Toriyama introduces along the way — the perverted martial-arts master Roshi, the shapeshifting pig Oolong, the desert bandit Yamcha — round out one of the most beloved casts in manga history. Even in Volume 1, you can tell these characters are going to stick around for a reason.

Content notes

Early Dragon Ball is aimed at a young audience, but it’s cheekier than you might remember — there’s cartoonish violence and a recurring streak of juvenile, sometimes crude humor (including some dated gags around nudity and gender). It’s mild by modern standards and firmly in the “all-ages adventure” camp, but worth knowing if you’re buying it for a very young reader. Later arcs get more action-heavy but remain broadly appropriate for teens.

Pros and cons

Pros

Joyful, fast-paced adventure that still holds up
Toriyama’s clean, timeless, hugely influential art
Great value in the 3-in-1 edition
Essential reading for understanding all modern shonen

Cons

Some dated, crude humor in early chapters
Lighter and sillier than the famous DBZ battles
The full saga is very long if you get hooked

Which edition should you buy?

VIZ Media publishes the original Dragon Ball manga (not the split “Z” numbering used by the anime) in several formats. The 3-in-1 omnibus editions are by far the best value for reading the whole saga.

Edition	Collects	Approx. price	Best for
3-in-1, Vol. 1	Original vols 1–3	~US$15	Almost everyone — best value
Individual volumes	One volume each	~US$10 each	Filling gaps in a set
Full 3-in-1 run	The complete series	Buy over time	Binging the whole saga

The 3-in-1 is the clear winner: three volumes for barely more than the price of one, and it’s how we’d recommend anyone read the series from start to finish. For more ways to buy long series affordably, see our best manga box sets guide.

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Is Dragon Ball a good first manga?

It’s a great one — especially for younger readers or anyone who wants to understand where modern action manga came from. It’s easy to follow, fast, and fun. If you’re building a starter shelf, see our best manga for beginners guide, and if you love this kind of adventure, our best shonen manga list is your next stop. As a historical landmark, it also features in our best manga of all time.

The verdict

Forty years on, Dragon Ball, Vol. 1 is still a delight — funny, fast, beautifully drawn, and bursting with the invention that made Toriyama a legend. It’s both a great comic in its own right and the foundation stone of an entire genre. Whether you’re revisiting it or discovering it for the first time, the 3-in-1 edition is the way to go. It’s a cornerstone of our shonen recommendations and the wider manga hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Dragon Ball manga different from Dragon Ball Z?

They’re the same continuous story. “Dragon Ball Z” is an anime marketing split for the later arcs; the original manga is simply titled Dragon Ball throughout, which is why VIZ’s editions cover the whole saga under one name.

Should I read the manga or watch the anime?

The manga is faster and skips the anime’s famous padding, so many fans prefer it. If you’ve only seen the show, the original manga is a leaner, punchier experience well worth reading.

Is Dragon Ball okay for kids?

Mostly yes — it’s an all-ages adventure. Just note some early chapters have crude, dated humor and cartoonish violence, so preview it if it’s for a very young child.

How many volumes are there?

The original series is 42 volumes, collected into 14 of the 3-in-1 omnibus editions. It’s a long but hugely rewarding complete saga.

Ready for more? Explore our best shonen manga guide, or find your next series in the manga hub.