Dragon Ball facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dragon Ball |
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| Creator | Akira Toriyama |
| Original work | Dragon Ball (1984–1995) |
| Owner | Bird Studio/Shueisha |
| Print publications | |
| Books | Companion books |
| Comics | Manga |
| Films and television | |
| Films | List of films |
| Short films |
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| Animated series |
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| Television specials |
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| Direct-to-video |
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| Games | |
| Traditional |
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| Video games | List of video games |
| Audio | |
| Soundtracks | List of soundtracks |
Dragon Ball (Japanese: ドラゴンボール, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru) is a super popular Japanese story series created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. It started as a manga comic book series, written and drawn by Toriyama. The manga was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1995. All 519 chapters were later collected into 42 special books called tankōbon by Shueisha.
Dragon Ball was inspired by an old Chinese story from the 16th century called Journey to the West. It also mixed in ideas from exciting Hong Kong martial arts films. The characters in Dragon Ball use many different East Asian martial arts styles, like karate and Wing Chun (kung fu).
The story follows the adventures of a main character named Son Goku. We see him grow from a young boy to an adult as he trains in martial arts. When he's young, he lives far from people until he meets a teenage girl named Bulma. She asks him to join her search for seven magical orbs called the Dragon Balls. When all seven are gathered, they can summon a dragon that grants wishes! Along the way, Goku makes many friends, starts a family, learns about his alien background, and fights many different bad guys. Many of these villains also want the Dragon Balls.
Toriyama's manga was turned into two anime TV series by Toei Animation: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. These shows aired in Japan from 1986 to 1996. Toei Animation also made 21 animated movies and three TV specials. Later, they created a sequel anime series called Dragon Ball GT (1996–1997) and a series set between Dragon Ball Z and GT called Dragon Ball Super (2015–2018).
From 2009 to 2015, a new version of Dragon Ball Z aired in Japan as Dragon Ball Kai. This version was re-edited to follow the manga's story more closely. Many companies have made toys, trading card games, action figures, music albums, and video games based on the series. Dragon Ball has become one of the biggest and most successful story series of all time.
Dragon Ball is one of the most popular manga and anime series ever. The manga has been sold in over 40 countries, and the anime has been shown in more than 80 countries. The manga's 42 collected books have sold over 160 million copies in Japan and 260 million copies worldwide. This makes it one of the best-selling manga series ever. People who review the series often praise its art, characters, and humor. Many manga artists say Dragon Ball inspired their own popular works. The anime, especially Dragon Ball Z, is also very popular globally. It helped make Japanese animation famous in Western countries. Dragon Ball has had a huge impact on popular culture around the world. Many artists, athletes, celebrities, filmmakers, musicians, and writers have mentioned it as an inspiration.
Contents
The World of Dragon Ball
The main setting for the Dragon Ball series is Earth, also known as the Dragon World (ドラゴンワールド). In this world, Earth is called "Planet 4032-877" by the gods. It is home to Earthlings (地球人, Chikyūjin), which includes humans, animal-like people, and monsters. Later in the Dragon Ball Z series, many aliens like the Saiyans (サイヤ人, Saiya-jin) and Namekians (ナメック星人, Namekku-seijin) become very important.
The story mostly follows Son Goku, a Saiyan. At the start of the series, he meets Bulma. They go on an adventure to find the seven Dragon Balls. These orbs can summon the wish-granting dragon Shenlong. Goku then trains in martial arts with Kame-Sen'nin and meets his friend Kuririn. He enters the Tenkaichi Budōkai (天下一武道会, lit. "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament") to fight the world's strongest fighters.
When Piccolo Daimao and later his son Piccolo try to take over the planet, Goku trains with Earth's gods to defeat them. Goku even gives his life to save the planet from his alien brother Raditz. But he is brought back to life after training in the afterlife with the North Kaio. This training helps him fight other Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta. Goku later becomes a Super Saiyan and defeats the powerful alien ruler Freeza. This sets the stage for the rest of the series. Each new enemy is stronger than the last, making the heroes train even more.
Dragon Ball Super shows that the story takes place in a multiverse with twelve different universes. Most of the Dragon Ball series happens in Universe 7 (第７宇宙, Dai-Nana Uchū). Each universe has good gods called Kaioshin and destructive gods called Gods of Destruction. A super powerful being named Zeno watches over all the universes.
How Dragon Ball Was Made
Akira Toriyama loved Hong Kong martial arts films. He especially liked movies starring Bruce Lee like Enter the Dragon (1973) and Jackie Chan films like Drunken Master (1978). He wanted to make a manga inspired by these movies. This led him to create a short manga story in 1983 called Dragon Boy. He later turned this into Dragon Ball.
Toriyama based the story and characters of Dragon Ball loosely on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
- Goku is like Sun Wukong (who is called "Son Goku" in Japanese).
- Bulma is like Tang Sanzang.
- Oolong is like Zhu Bajie.
- Yamcha is like Sha Wujing.
Toriyama wanted to mix the Journey to the West story with "a little kung fu" from Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee movies. The name Dragon Ball was inspired by Enter the Dragon and other kung fu movies that often had "Dragon" in their titles. The fight scenes were influenced by Jackie Chan's films.
Since it was for a shōnen magazine (for boys), he added the idea of the Dragon Balls. This made it like a game where characters collect something. He didn't even think about what wishes they would make at first. The idea of collecting Dragon Balls came from a Japanese novel called Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (1814–1842). In that story, heroes collect eight Buddhist prayer beads. Toriyama changed this to collecting seven Dragon Balls.
He first thought the series would only last about a year or end once the Dragon Balls were found. Toriyama said he made the stories easy to understand. He aimed Dragon Ball at readers older than those of his previous series, Dr. Slump. He also wanted to move away from Western influences seen in Dr. Slump. He chose Chinese scenery, using Chinese buildings and photos of China his wife had bought. Toriyama wanted Dragon Ball to be in a made-up world based on Asia. He got ideas from many Asian cultures, including Japanese, Chinese, South Asian, Central Asian, Arabic, and Indonesian cultures. The island where the Tenkaichi Budōkai tournament is held is like Bali in Indonesia. He visited Bali with his wife and assistant in 1985. For the area around Bobbidi's spaceship, he looked at photos of Africa. Toriyama was also inspired by the jinn (genies) from The Arabian Nights.
In the early chapters of the manga, Toriyama's editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, thought Goku looked too plain. To fix this, Toriyama added characters like Kame-Sen'nin and Kuririn. He also created the Tenkaichi Budōkai martial arts tournament to focus the story on fighting. Dragon Ball became very popular when the first Tenkaichi Budōkai started. Toriyama knew readers would expect Goku to win, so he had him lose the first two tournaments. This allowed Goku to grow as a character.
He said Muscle Tower in the Red Ribbon Army story was inspired by the video game Spartan X. In that game, enemies appear quickly as the player climbs a tower. He then created Piccolo Daimao as a truly evil villain. He said that part of the story was the most fun to draw.
Once Goku and his friends became the strongest on Earth, they started fighting aliens like the Saiyans (サイヤ人, Saiya-jin). Goku himself was later changed from an Earthling to a Saiyan who was sent to Earth as a baby. Freeza, who took over planets to sell them, was created around the time of a big economic boom in Japan. Toriyama said he was inspired by real estate speculators, whom he called the "worst kind of people."
When Toriyama created the Super Saiyan (
Toriyama often designed powerful characters to be small, like Goku. He explained that he made Goku grow up to make drawing fight scenes easier. His first editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, was against this at first because main characters in manga rarely change so much. When drawing fights, Toriyama had characters go to empty places. This helped him avoid drawing people and destroyed buildings. Toriyama said he didn't plan story details much, which led to some strange things later, like changing character colors or not using screen tones because they were hard to use. Even after finishing Dragon Ball, Toriyama has kept adding to its story. He often shares background information in guidebooks.
Toriyama said that during the second half of the series, he became more interested in creating the story than drawing it. The battles became more intense, and he simplified the lines. In 2013, he said that because Dragon Ball is an action manga, speed is the most important thing. He didn't draw very detailed art. He also said his goal was to tell an "unusual and contradictory" story. In 2013, talking about Dragon Ball's global success, Toriyama said, "Frankly, I don't quite understand why it happened. While the manga was being serialized, the only thing I wanted as I kept drawing was to make Japanese boys happy." He added, "The role of my manga is to be a work of entertainment through and through. I dare say I don't care even if [my works] have left nothing behind, as long as they have entertained their readers."
Manga Comics
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The Dragon Ball manga, written and drawn by Akira Toriyama, was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from December 3, 1984, to June 5, 1995. Toriyama stopped drawing because he felt tired and needed a break. The 519 chapters were collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by Shueisha between September 10, 1985, and August 4, 1995.
Later, from December 4, 2002, to April 2, 2004, the chapters were re-released in 34 kanzenban volumes. These had a slightly changed ending, new covers, and color artwork from their original magazine run. In December 2012, V Jump magazine announced that parts of the manga would be fully colored and re-released in 2013. Twenty volumes, starting from chapter 195, were released from February 4, 2013, to July 4, 2014. Twelve volumes covering the first 194 chapters came out between January 4 and March 4, 2016. A sōshūhen edition, which looked like the original magazine version with color pages and previews, was published in eighteen volumes from May 13, 2016, to January 13, 2017.
Other Manga Stories
- Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock: This three-chapter manga by Ōishi is about Bardock, Goku's father. It was published in V Jump in 2011.
- Jaco the Galactic Patrolman: The last chapter of Toriyama's 2013 manga series Jaco the Galactic Patrolman showed that it takes place before Dragon Ball. It even featured some Dragon Ball characters. The collected volumes of Jaco include a bonus Dragon Ball chapter about Goku's mother.
- Dragon Ball Side Story: The Case of Being Reincarnated as Yamcha: In December 2016, a spin-off manga started in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ digital magazine. Written by Dragon Garow Lee, it's about a high school boy who wakes up in Yamcha's body from the Dragon Ball manga after an accident.
Crossover Stories
- Neko Majin (1999–2005): Toriyama also created this short series, which made fun of Dragon Ball itself.
- Super Kochikame: In 2006, Toriyama worked with Kochikame author Osamu Akimoto on a crossover between Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo (Kochikame) and Dragon Ball.
- Cross Epoch: In the same year, Toriyama teamed up with Eiichiro Oda to create a crossover chapter of Dragon Ball and One Piece.
Anime TV Shows
Dragon Ball is also a big anime TV series.
- Dragon Ball (1986–89)
- Dragon Ball Z (1989–96)
- Dragon Ball Super (2015–18)
These three shows follow the main story.
- Dragon Ball GT (1996–97)
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes (since 2018)
These explore different versions of the story.
Original Dragon Ball Series
Toei Animation made an anime TV series based on the first 194 manga chapters. It was also called Dragon Ball. The show first aired in Japan on Fuji Television on February 26, 1986. It ran until April 19, 1989, with 153 episodes. It has been shown in 81 countries around the world.
Dragon Ball Z
Instead of continuing the anime as Dragon Ball, Toei Animation decided to use a new name. They asked Akira Toriyama to come up with it. Dragon Ball Z (ドラゴンボールZ(ゼット), Doragon Bōru Zetto, often called DBZ) starts five years after the first series ended. It covers the last 325 chapters of the manga. It first aired in Japan on Fuji Television on April 26, 1989, taking over the previous show's time slot. It ran for 291 episodes until January 31, 1996.
Two TV specials based on Z were shown in Japan:
- Bardock – The Father of Goku (October 17, 1990).
- The History of Trunks (February 24, 1993), based on a special manga chapter.
Dragon Ball GT
Dragon Ball GT (ドラゴンボールGT(ジーティー, G(rand) T(ouring)) started on Fuji TV on February 7, 1996. It ran until November 19, 1997, with 64 episodes. Unlike the first two anime series, this one is not based on Akira Toriyama's original manga. Toei Animation created it as a sequel. Toriyama called it a "grand side story of the original Dragon Ball." Toriyama designed the main characters, the spaceship, three planets, and came up with the title and logo. He also helped oversee the production of the series. A TV special episode, A Hero's Legacy, aired on March 26, 1997. It was like a preview for the end of the series.
Dragon Ball Z Kai
In February 2009, Dragon Ball Z celebrated its 20th anniversary. Toei Animation announced a re-edited and improved version of the Dragon Ball Z anime. It was called Dragon Ball Kai (ドラゴンボール改, Doragon Bōru Kai, meaning "Dragon Ball Revised"). The show was re-edited to follow the manga more closely. This meant removing scenes and episodes that were not in the original manga. This made the story move faster and be more focused. The episodes were updated for HDTV. Most of the original voice actors recorded their lines again. The opening and ending songs were also updated. The series started in Japan on April 5, 2009, on Fuji TV. Dragon Ball Z Kai had 159 episodes (167 internationally), much fewer than the original 291 episodes. Damaged parts of the animation were fixed, and some small scenes were remade to fix problems. Most international versions, including the English dub, are called Dragon Ball Z Kai.
Dragon Ball Super
On April 28, 2015, Toei Animation announced Dragon Ball Super (ドラゴンボール超, Doragon Bōru Sūpā). This was the first brand-new Dragon Ball TV series in 18 years. It started on July 5 and aired weekly on Fuji TV until March 25, 2018, with 131 episodes. Masako Nozawa returned to voice Goku, Gohan, and Goten. Most of the original voice cast also came back. Koichi Yamadera and Masakazu Morita also returned as Beerus and Whis.
The story of this anime takes place after the defeat of Majin Boo, when Earth is peaceful again. Akira Toriyama is credited as the original creator. He also helped with the "original story and character design concepts." A manga version of Dragon Ball Super is also being made.
Super Dragon Ball Heroes
In 2018, an anime was announced to promote the Super Dragon Ball Heroes card and video game series. It started on July 1. The story is about Trunks returning from the future to train with Goku and Vegeta. But he suddenly disappears. A mysterious man named "Fu" appears and tells them Trunks is trapped on the "Prison Planet." This is a strange place between universes. The group searches for the Dragon Balls to free Trunks. But a never-ending super battle awaits them!
Other Anime Stories
- Dragon Ball: Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!: This short film was made for the Jump Super Anime Tour in 2008.
- Dragon Ball: Episode of Bardock: A short animated version of Naho Ōishi's Bardock manga was shown in 2011 at the Jump Festa 2012 event.
- Dragon Ball Z Side Story: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans: A two-episode original video animation (OVA) was made in 1993. It was a guide for a Famicom video game. A remake called Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans was a bonus for the Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 video game in 2010.
- Dream 9 Toriko & One Piece & Dragon Ball Z Super Collaboration Special!!: A two-part, hour-long crossover special between Dragon Ball Z, One Piece, and Toriko aired on April 7, 2013.
Other Dragon Ball Fun
Anime Movies
Twenty animated movies based on Dragon Ball have been released in Japan. The most recent films are Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013), Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' (2015), Dragon Ball Super: Broly (2018), and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022). These were full-length movies shown in theaters in Japan and sometimes in the U.S. They were also the first movies where original creator Akira Toriyama was very involved. Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F' were even remade into the first two parts of the Dragon Ball Super anime.
The 1996 movie, Dragon Ball: The Path to Power, was also a full-length movie. It was made for the anime's 10th anniversary and retold the first few parts of the series. Most older films were shorter (around 45–60 minutes). They were often shown with other Toei films. These older films mostly retold parts of the story or were extra side-stories that didn't fit the main series. The first three films and The Path to Power are based on the original Dragon Ball anime. The other thirteen older films are based on Dragon Ball Z.
Live-Action Movie
An American live-action movie called Dragonball Evolution was made by 20th Century Fox. It was released in the United States on April 10, 2009. Before this, two unofficial live-action films were made many years earlier: a Korean film and a Taiwanese film. Dragonball Evolution was directed by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow. The movie was supposed to have sequels, but they were canceled. This happened because the movie didn't do well at the box office. Fans also thought it didn't stay true to the original story. Akira Toriyama, the creator, said he was not involved in making the movie, even though he offered to help. He said he couldn't even call it Dragon Ball. Years later, the movie's writer, Ben Ramsey, apologized. He said he wrote the film "chasing for a payday" instead of "as a fan of the franchise."
Theme Park Rides
"Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4D" opened at Universal Studios Japan in 2016. It shows a battle between Goku and Freeza using CGI. A second ride, "Dragon Ball Z: The Real 4-D at Super Tenkaichi Budokai," opened in 2017. It features a battle between the heroes and Broly.
Video Games
The Dragon Ball series has many video games for different systems. Early games for the Famicom used a card battling system and followed the story. Later games for the Super Famicom and Mega Drive were mostly fighting games or RPGs (role-playing games), like the Super Butoden series. The first Dragon Ball game released in the United States was Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout for the PlayStation in 1997.
For the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, characters were made in 3D cel-shaded graphics. These included the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series. Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit was the first game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Dragon Ball Xenoverse was the first game for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
A massively multiplayer online role-playing game called Dragon Ball Online was available in some Asian countries until 2013. Fans have since started recreating the game. "Dragon Ball Online Global" is a new European version being developed.
The mobile game Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle (2015) has been downloaded over 350 million times worldwide as of 2021. A popular recent game is Dragon Ball FighterZ (2018), a fighting game by Arc System Works. This game was highly praised by fans and critics for its fast 3v3 battles and great graphics. It won "Best Fighting Game of 2018" at The Game Awards. It also sold very well, with 4 million copies sold across all platforms. It has a big eSports scene and is one of the most popular fighting games.
Merchandise
In 1994, the company Bandai made $140 million each year from Dragon Ball toys, video games, and other items in Japan. By 1996, Dragon Ball Z had earned $2.95 billion from merchandise sales worldwide. By early 1996, over 100 companies outside Japan wanted to make Dragon Ball products. Bandai sold over 2 billion Dragon Ball Carddass cards in Japan by 1998. They also sold over 1 million Dragon Stars action figures in North and South America and Europe by 2018. In 2000, Burger King gave away 20 million Dragon Ball Z figures in North America. By 2011, the series had made $5 billion from merchandise sales. In 2012, it made $76.7 million from licensed merchandise sales in Japan.
Soundtracks
Many soundtracks have been released for the anime, movies, and games. Shunsuke Kikuchi composed the music for the first two anime, Dragon Ball and Z, and their movies. Akihito Tokunaga composed music for GT, and Kenji Yamamoto and Norihito Sumitomo for Kai. For the first anime, Dragon Ball: Music Collection (1985) and Dragon Ball: Complete Song Collection (1991) were released. For Dragon Ball Z, the Dragon Ball Z Hit Song Collection Series was released by Columbia Records of Japan from 1989 to 1996. Other CDs include collections, video game music, and English versions of songs.
Companion Books
There are many companion books about the Dragon Ball series. The most important are the Daizenshuu (大全集) series. These include seven main hardcover books and three softcover books. They cover the manga and the first two anime series and their movies. The first book, Dragon Ball: The Complete Illustrations (Daizenshuu volume 1), was first published in Japan in 1995. It was the only one released in English, by Viz Media in 2008. It has all 264 color drawings Akira Toriyama made for Weekly Shōnen Jump covers and other special art. It also has all the covers for the 42 tankōbon manga books. The book includes an interview with Toriyama about how he works. The other Daizenshuu books were never released in English and are now out of print in Japan.
From February to May 2013, shorter versions of the Daizenshuu with updated information were released as the four-volume Chōzenshū (超全集) series. For Dragon Ball GT, the Dragon Ball GT Perfect Files were released in 1997. They have information about the series, art galleries, and behind-the-scenes details. They were out of print for many years but were re-released in 2006.
Along with the 34-volume kanzenban manga re-release and the DVD release of the entire series in Japan, four new guidebooks came out in 2003 and 2004. Dragon Ball Landmark and Dragon Ball Forever cover the manga. Dragon Ball: Tenkaichi Densetsu (ドラゴンボール 天下一伝説) and Dragon Ball Z: Son Goku Densetsu (ドラゴンボールZ 孫悟空伝説) cover the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z anime. Much of the information in these books is from the older Daizenshuu volumes. But they also have new text and interviews with the creator, voice actors, and staff. Son Goku Densetsu shows never-before-seen drawings of Goku's father, Bardock.
After Dragon Ball Kai was released in Japan, four new guidebooks came out: the two-volume Dragon Ball: Super Exciting Guide (ドラゴンボール 超エキサイティングガイド) in 2009 (covering the manga), and the two-volume Dragon Ball: Extreme Battle Collection (ドラゴンボール 極限バトルコレクション) in 2010 (covering the anime). These books also have new questions and answers with Akira Toriyama. They share new details about the world and characters. In 2010, a new artbook, Dragon Ball: Anime Illustrations Guide – The Golden Warrior (ドラゴンボール アニメイラスト集 「黄金の戦士」), was released. It's like the Complete Illustrations but for anime art. It has anime-only drawings and interviews with the main character designers for the anime. Each Japanese "Dragon Box" DVD and Blu-ray set of the series and movies comes with a Dragon Book guide. These books have details about the content and new interviews with cast or staff members.
Collectible Cards
Bandai has released collectible cards based on the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT series. These cards show scenes from the manga and anime, plus special artwork. Bandai released the first set in the United States in July 2008.
Tabletop Role-Playing Game
Dragon Ball Z: The Anime Adventure Game, a tabletop role-playing game by R. Talsorian Games, was published in 1999.
Dragon Ball's Big Impact
Dragon Ball has had a huge impact on popular culture around the world. In 2015, the Japan Anniversary Association officially named May 9 as "Goku Day" (悟空の日, Gokū no Hi). In Japanese, the numbers five and nine can sound like "Go" and "Ku."
Dragon Ball is very popular in many parts of the world. In the Philippines, a children's musical called Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z: Myth, Magic, Music was performed in June 1996. Dragon Ball is often mentioned in American popular culture, from TV and music to celebrities and athletes. Goku has appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade several times. Dragon Ball murals can be seen in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Kansas City, and Denver.
It's also very popular in Latin America. In 2018, public screenings of the Dragon Ball Super finale filled public spaces and stadiums with thousands of fans. In May 2019, the French government honored Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. He was given the title of Chevalier or "Knight" of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts. Dragon Ball is credited with making manga popular in France.
Vegeta's famous line "It's Over 9000!" from the English dub of Dragon Ball Z is a popular Internet meme. Goku has been called a superhero, as has Gohan with his Great Saiyaman character. Motorola's Freescale DragonBall and DragonBall EZ/VZ microcontroller computer chips, released in 1995, are named after Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.
Comics and Animation Impact
- Further information: Dragon Ball (manga)#Legacy and cultural impact
Dragon Ball has inspired many different types of media. It is known for setting trends for popular shōnen manga and anime since the 1980s. Manga critic Jason Thompson said in 2011 that it is "by far the most influential shōnen manga of the last 30 years." Successful shōnen manga authors like Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Tite Kubo (Bleach), Hiro Mashima (Fairy Tail), and Kentaro Yabuki (Black Cat) have all said Dragon Ball influenced their own popular works. Thompson noted that "almost every Shōnen Jump artist lists it as one of their favorites and lifts from it in various ways."
Ian Jones-Quartey, a producer of the American animated series Steven Universe, is a fan of Dragon Ball. He uses Toriyama's vehicle designs as inspiration. He said, "We're all big Toriyama fans on [Steven Universe], which kind of shows a bit." Comic book artist André Lima Araújo said Dragon Ball influenced his work for Marvel Comics. Filipino comic artist Dexter Soy, who has worked on Marvel and DC comics, also said Dragon Ball was a big inspiration. Tony Stark: Iron Man #11 (2019) mentions Dragon Ball Z, with Miles Morales as Spider-Man talking about the Super Saiyan transformation.
Film and TV Impact
In December 1990, an unofficial live-action Korean film called Dragon Ball: Ssawora Son Goku, Igyeora Son Goku was released. Another unofficial live-action film, Dragon Ball: The Magic Begins, came out in Taiwan in 1991.
Action film star Jackie Chan is a fan of Dragon Ball. He said Goku is his favorite character. In 1995, Chan was interested in making a Dragon Ball movie. But he said it would need "a lot of amazing special effects and an enormous budget." In 2013, Toriyama said his perfect live-action Goku would have been a young Jackie Chan.
The Matrix movies have action scenes that remind people of Dragon Ball Z. This includes the big fights in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions from 2003. Filipino-American film storyboard artist Jay Oliva said Dragon Ball greatly inspired his work. This is especially true for the action scenes in the 2013 Superman film Man of Steel.
Several films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have also been influenced by Dragon Ball Z's look. Erik Killmonger's armor in Black Panther (2018) looks like Vegeta's battle armor. Actor Michael B. Jordan, a Dragon Ball fan, said it might have inspired Killmonger's armor. The fiery look of Carol Danvers' Binary powers in Captain Marvel (2019) also got some ideas from Dragon Ball Z. In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Katy calls one of Shang-Chi's moves a "Kamehameha fireball." The film's director, Destin Daniel Cretton, said Dragon Ball Z inspired the movie's big fight scene.
One key thing that made Dragon Ball Z different from American TV shows back then was its story format. It had a continuous story arc that stretched over many episodes or seasons. American TV usually had separate stories in each episode. Dragon Ball Z and other anime shows changed this. This continuous story format has since become common in American streaming television shows.
Music and Sports Impact
Dragon Ball has been mentioned and used by many musicians. It is popular in the hip hop community. Many rappers and artists have referenced it in their songs. These include Chris Brown, Chance the Rapper, Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert, The Weeknd, Childish Gambino, Denzel Curry, Thundercat, B.o.B, Soulja Boy, Drake, Frank Ocean, and Sese.
Many athletes have also mentioned Dragon Ball. These include NBA basketball players like De'Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Bell, and Lonzo Ball. American football NFL stars like Darren Fells and David Njoku are also fans. Mixed martial artist Ronda Rousey and WWE wrestlers like The New Day are also inspired. Japanese kickboxer Panchan Rina got her nickname from the Dragon Ball character Pan. Japanese mixed martial artist Itsuki Hirata is nicknamed "Android 18" because she looks like the character. Canadian mixed martial artist Carlos Newton called his fighting style "Dragon Ball jiu-jitsu" to honor the series. Other mixed martial artists inspired by Dragon Ball include Kana Watanabe, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Yuya Wakamatsu. The French group Yamakasi said Dragon Ball influenced their development of parkour. They were inspired by how the heroes gained amazing abilities through hard work.
Video Game Impact
The producer of the Tekken video game series, Katsuhiro Harada, said that Dragon Ball was one of the first works to show chi visually. This influenced many Japanese video games, especially fighting games like Tekken and Street Fighter. Masaaki Ishikawa, art director of the video game Arms, said its art style was largely influenced by Dragon Ball. French video game designer Éric Chahi also said Dragon Ball influenced his 1991 game Another World. Other video game industry veterans who were inspired by Dragon Ball include Suda51, SWERY, Insomniac Games, Nina Freeman, Heart Machine, Iron Galaxy, and Mega64.
Images for kids
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The Earth of Dragon Ball, as published in Daizenshuu 4: World Guide
See also
In Spanish: Dragon Ball para niños
