Dragon Ball (1995–2003) User Reviews

A classic!

[alj005 · 10/10 · 7 July 2006]

Dragon Ball... what can i say about this great show...? Is there really someone in the world who hasn't seen or heard about dragon ball..?

This show is about the humorous adventures of a boy named Goku, who goes on a journey with a young girl named Bulma in the look for the 7 Dragon Balls.

This show is simply a classic.! It's very creative, it has lots of action and great characters, and the animation is great for the time it was made.

The show starts as kind of a comedy with martial arts but as the adventure goes on it turns into a more serious thing. During Goku's journey he meets with all kinds of characters, and i really mean it ALL KINDS. Dragon Ball is that kind of show where everything can just happen.!

Dragon Ball also has a great martial arts concept, the characters strength grow up as they train and fight, and they get all kind of techniques and abilities that make them even stronger.

The adventure goes from the race after the dragon balls against a little blue guy, to some fantastic martial arts tournaments, and it has also some legendary villains, it simply has everything.! If you haven't seen this great show -if that's even possible- don't waste time.! download it, watch it on toonami, buy it, do as you can but watch it.! you won't be disappointed this show is really a classic.!

One Hell of a show!

[halobluecat · 10/10 · 15 December 2008]

I have to say that Dragonball is by far my Favorite series of all time. Its the show that got me into anime and I cant wait to buy all the seasons remastered when they come out.

The Dragonball story is goofy, fun, and all around brilliant! It throws great humor with huge action and you cant beat it. I started Dragonball by reading the manga when I was younger and still love them and the show is just as good if not better! Sure, some stuff form the manga has been taken out of the show but thats because some of that is more mature(nudity) then would be for the audience.

All in all, Dragonball is one show you need to see in it entirety to feel its greatness. I recommend it to everyone because its that good and every age can enjoy it. From the silly monkey boy to the perverted Turtle Hermit, its all out fun.

10-10

The series that simplifies and introduces anime.

[jonjosejamora · 9/10 · 8 February 2007]

Dragon ball is the cartoon that pioneered the fame that anime enjoys today. "What FF7 did for Rpg's, DB does for anime". It showcases wacky characters that each develop over time. It is definitely for kids but, considering Japanese culture, some actions(e.g. young Goku touching/smelling "genitalia") may seem vulgar but of course in a comedic and innocent manner. This is as well, slapstick humor.... not in its finest... BUT IN ITS EXTREME FORM! (e.g. One of Goku's enemies, Ninja Murasaki, falls from the roof. Then.... the "poor" ninja lands ass-first on Goku's stretch stick, protruding from the ground. Talk about the worst anal probe ever! Thats how the guy loses. Hahahaha....)

The plot is built around an odd little boy that that is blessed with great strength and physical prowess. The general formula of the series is one of a "Boss saga" type. What i mean by this is that each "chapter" always begins with a new enemy boss introduced while it ends with the protagonist defeating that boss. Later on, in the series (DBZ), the origins of Goku is revealed. Dragon ball is centered on how Goku attains super hero status. By the latter parts of Dragon ball, Goku actually "grows up". A trademark as well of the show is the many memorable characters that it has. What is memorable?? This is simply: Ulong (the shape-shifting pig), Yamcha (the outcast that fights using his "Wolf fang fist"), Bulma (the main focus of "fan service"), Goku (the monkey boy), Lange (the schizophrenic sneezing babe).....

This is actually a good example of what anime generally is. All the peculiar humor that Japanese cartoons portray are nicely shown. From the sexual overtones, slapstick, stupidity, childishness, super deformed "chibi" and what not considering Jap-humor. Don't forget that this is a kiddie show. It is enjoyable though even for adults as the "oddities" (goku's old master, the ultimate "hentai" "perv" Tortoise Genie, in his eternal pursuit for sexy women.) are enough to keep you laughing.

So Much Better than Z, & Yet No Love

[klv17 · 10/10 · 8 January 2009]

There are no fights with people staring at each other for an entire episode, & 10 minutes turns into half of a saga as in the last half of the Frieza series. nor are there any ridiculous power levels.. No huge inaccuracies in the plot-lines, & lame filler that has you scratching your head.

Since when was Mercenary Tao a General? Since when did Dr. Gero lead the red ribbon army? He didn't.. It was Commander Red. Goku never met Dr.Gero, because he never existed.

I think the whole power level thing is great for video games, but makes for a "yaaawn" of a series.

Dragonball is actually believable, but fantastical all at once. You are never sitting & waiting & waiting for what you know is going to happen, because you simply don't know.

Always new characters, adventures, & twists in the stories that actually make for a fun series. Awesome humor, & magical places. Tests of strength & purity of character, & friendships built on realistic type events.

You see how Goku wins over the most evil of hearts & minds, From Yamacha, to Tien to Piccolo. All the characters are involved & help to solve the crisis at hand.

Do yourself a big favor if you're a fan of Goku & the crew, & make sure you watch this series from the very beginning. Don't just pick it up in the middle from seeing one episode & say yuck!!!

I did exactly that. Then when i saw how god-awful GT was, I decided to start here instead. Was well worth it. It really is so much better than Z hands down..

One of the best shows on TV

[chaching259 · 10/10 · 10 January 2010]

I just finished watching this series, and I have to say this is one of the best shows on television.

Dragon Ball is considered a prequel of the more famous Dragon Ball Z, but I have to say that after watching it, Dragon Ball stands as a legitimate show on its own. It is a much better counterpart to DBZ than GT is. It may seem a bit childish at the beginning, but the show matures as the characters do as well. The show is funny too.

Compared with Z, Dragon Ball is more about the basics of fighting while Z harnesses advanced techniques. Overall I would say the fighting in Dragon Ball is actually better than Z while the plot in Z is better than Dragon Ball (though this is not to say that either are bad in anyway)

I highly recommend watching it and see the excitement of Goku's journey.

Take a look!

Amazing anime!

[fingers4092003 · 10/10 · 8 June 2006]

Well I just have to say this is at least one of the best anime I've ever seen. I still like DBZ and DBGT but not as near as much as Dragon Ball. First of all all, the characters in this series are not godlike, like in DBZ and DBGT. It's not quite as readiculus as the others. The characters actually have real problems besides just fighting another guy from outer space. They try to actually find the dragonballs. They show the Tournaments a lot more often. It was more magical and involved spirits, and now they mostly feature science fiction instead. Dragon Ball doesn't have a billion transformations like the others. They even fought armies of brutal fighters as well instead of just fighting a few guys. And last but not least, every character is useful. Even Yajerobe and Tien! All of the characters power levels are more closer to each other, but now one of them is way farther than the other, making the other character almost useless.

For example, Goku far surpasses the other fighters with ease because of his Super Saiyan Transformations making other weaker fighters like Tien and Yamcha almost useless. It makes you think" Hey if they don't fight, why are they even there? It's almost pointless. And even though Dragon Ball doesn't quite have as much action as DBZ or DBGT, it still surpassess it with it's realistic problems, the other fighters being useful and even humor! It also doesn't quite have as much violence or cussing, but it sures have a lot more nudity, and more girl nudity, too, intead of just seeing Goku and Gohan's butt. I hope more people check out this anime and not be a jerk, by seeing a few episodes and immediately assumming it's not good. I don't see how this could be hated by a couple of others. I really don't. Guess they don't have a sense of humor.

Find the Dragon Balls!

[QprP7wuvk · 9 September 2001]

What starts off as an unusual re-telling of a Chinese legend called "Journey to the West" immediately turns into into pure madness!! On a twisted version of earth, the amazingly strong child named Son Gokuu goes on a quest to find the magical dragon balls with his friends Bulma and Oolong. Once all 7 dragon balls are gathered and the dragon is called, the sky will darken and the dragon will grant any one wish within its power. Unfortunately, only one wish can be granted per year and after the wish is granted, the dragon balls scatter across the earth and turn into stones. Within 365 days, they will once again become magical dragon balls. Dragon Ball is the funniest anime I have ever seen. From Master Roshi and Oolong's hentai "problems" to Gokuu trying a Kamehameha for the very first time!

A More Simple Series Without Super Saiyans

[byson5186 · 10/10 · 30 December 2014]

First off, I'm surprised there aren't many reviews or messages for DragonBall. This is the first review in 2 years. Now, to talk about the DragonBall franchise, clearly it has been a successful franchise worldwide. However, when we think about the franchise, most of us think about DragonBall Z. I even prefer DragonBall Z over DragonBall, and both of them are a lot better than DragonBall GT. Let's face it, Toriyama is the only one who can write the DragonBall series, they can have filler like they do throughout the series with even good sagas like the Garlic Jr. Saga, but if somebody else tries to come up with their own stories, it will fail.

As we know, DragonBall Z came out in America before DragonBall even though DragonBall is the earlier series, and again it seems like Z is more popular. From what I heard, the reason the companies started with Z in America before DragonBall is because they thought DragonBall Z would attract more viewers, which it probably did. Even in DragonBall Z, sometimes they show earlier scenes from DragonBall, and talked about what happened earlier, enough where you don't need to watch the earlier series to get the latter series. DragonBall didn't come on TV in America, on Toonami until 2001. The company also didn't do as good of a job editing the episodes, I mean in Z they have totally different music from Bruce Faulconer. In this series, the main difference is just the dub.

Now, when we think of the DragonBall series, one of the first things that comes to our mind is a Super Saiyan. Super Saiyans are big from the Frieza Saga on. In DragonBall, there are no Super Saiyans. We see Goku with his tail and transform into a Great Ape a couple of times. The Saiyan tails and Great Apes almost seemed forgotten in DragonBall Z after the Saiyan Saga. Also, considering we don't know what a Saiyan is yet we also don't get to know one of the main characters through the rest of the series, Vegeta. He isn't in DragonBall. Despite not getting to know one of our favorite characters Vegeta, or even any other Saiyan or Half-Saiyan, as Half-Saiyans weren't born in DragonBall, we get to know Goku as a kid. We also get to know most of the human characters we know in DragonBall Z, and they play a bigger role in the series. As we know, that how in a lot of DragonBall Z, only the Saiyans stood a chance against the villains.

What else differs in this series, well the series is called DragonBall, and the latter series is DragonBall Z. When we think of the series, we mostly think about the action even when it is called DragonBall. In this earlier series, they seem to show more of their hunting for DragonBalls, which can make it more adventurous. So, that makes it more fun. They also seem to have more World Martial Arts Tournaments, as those weren't big in DragonBall Z until the Majin Buu Saga. We have interesting World Martial Arts Matches where Master Roshi, who is almost of no use in DragonBall Z is Jackie Chun and one of the top competitors. We also don't get to know Mr. Satan who was the main World Martial Arts Competitor in Z.

The fighting in this series is also more simple, because in DragonBall Z even when their power levels kept getting higher, the fighting mostly seemed the same where it would be really fast that normal people couldn't see. Where the fighting and power would shake the entire planet. Characters powering up screaming to their fullest power by going Super Saiyan and killing them with an energy attack known as Ki. Power Level is hardly mentioned in DragonBall. Also, in DragonBall it seems like the villains want World Domination, in Z they want universal domination, so in terms of fighting a more simple series.

If you're at all a fan of DragonBall Z, then this series is for you. It will be almost as enjoyable, if not more enjoyable than DragonBall Z. I don't know see how you could not like it, and it's nice to see the continuous storyline and the earlier parts when Goku and Krillin were cute kids. I give this series a 10/10.

It's much better than people give it credit for

[yabuturtle · 10/10 · 4 October 2008]

It isn't just filled with sex jokes or Dragon Ball hunts. Only idiots will think of that without watching the rest of the series. It has comedy, drama and action all rolled into one. And it pulls it off effectively. At first there weren't that many villains. They had Emperor Pilaf, but he wasn't nearly as threatening as the others that would come. Goku really had to test himself against the Red Ribbon Army. Then he REALLY had to test himself by fighting the all powerful King Piccolo. Mostly they had to go through tournaments, which don't appear very often in DBZ. This is basically a much tamer version of DBZ.

In some ways it is better than DBZ. While not having as much action, it's much funnier. They are also not insanely powerful as they are on DBZ, and everyone is useful in this series. Even Chouzu and Yajirobe. That's because everyone's power level was kind of similar. In DBZ, some characters are WAY stronger than some other characters, and that makes the other character almost useless. Still it was enjoyable, like this series. It doesn't waste too much time with transformations or power ups, so if you don't like that kind of thing, go ahead and watch this series.

Dragon Ball Rocked!!!!

[nightdawndaylandofthedea · 10/10 · 4 August 2006]

Dragon Ball is the beginning of the long running series that has become insanely popular in America. In the beginning it's a campy, funny adventure with Goku, a happy boy that's has amazing power for not only a child his age, but for most normal people. Of course no one's normal in this show. He first meets Bulma, a pretty blue haired teenager. Bulma explains to Goku (And us) about the legendary Dragon Balls which have the power to grant you one wish. Any wish you desire. The story takes off from there. As the story progresses though, the story losses it's campy feel and turns into a rather dark telling of Goku's travels. Towards the end he's friends actually die which is sort of strange because when I first started watching it I thought it was kids show. It was for awhile. But the show obviously is preparing you for the next series Dragon Ball Z, a much darker telling of Goku's travels. But Dragon Ball is great show and has a hero that pretty simple. Goku is pure of heart and will always be, no matter what.

Wonderful

[marsson_90 · 7/10 · 1 August 2006]

Well I hadn't really heard about DB before I started to watch the episodes. I totally fell for it, its absolutely adorable, all the characters, the humor, everything, is perfect. But I only have one question, why is Gokus voice made by an girl? Well it doesn't really matter, 'cause she sound like a boy. Well at least the info on the site on IMDb says that it is a girl, but like I said, it doesn't matter, she does her work totally perfect, now I read all the books, watch all the episodes, I can't have enough of it! To everyone who haven't seen it,buy it, download it, watch it on TV, however you do, just make sure you watch it all!

Untamed, unashamed and action-packed!

[smetin · 9/10 · 14 June 2017]

I'm a 90's kid and grew up with Dragon Ball Z. I never watched the original Dragon Ball since it was never on Cartoon Network whenever I got back from school. However, now that I am 25 (getting old!) I decided to watch the original series where it all started. I had been told it was a lot more light-hearted and fun, so I was looking forward to it. Boy oh boy, was I in for a treat!

Dragon Ball comes from a time when cartoons were truly free to do whatever they chose. From the 1st episode we got a taste of this and saw things that would cause a cartoon to get an instant ban...namely Goku's method of determining what identifies a girl. Goku is the main protagonist in this series as he is in DBZ, but seeing him as a kid really makes you see him in a new light. The word Saiyan is never used, so to new watchers he is just a kid with a tail. He still has the same kind personality and love for fighting (and eating!). The other characters of the series are great too. Roshi is how I remember him in DBZ...as sexist as ever. Seeing others like Yamcha, Bulma, Krillin and Tien as their younger counterparts was also a treat. Their personalities really differed from their DBZ characters and it was great to see them develop throughout the series.

The fighting in Dragon Ball is what I really wanted to see. I knew that it was a lot more focused on martial arts, rather than crazy ki-blasts, powers or even flying (the Nimbus was as close as we got in the early episodes). I have to say, despite the fights being a lot less epic they were still enjoyable. A prime focus on martial arts was actually quite refreshing. The martial arts tournaments were great to see new characters be introduced and seeing their methods.

In terms of the story lines, they were as I had expected from my experience of DBZ. The first few sagas were more of an introduction to the world of martial arts and Dragon Ball. The focus was on collecting the dragon balls and the main enemies were merely those trying to get in Goku's and Bulma's way. However, in later sagas you get to see true evil villains. Seeing Tien and Piccolo as a villains was weird, but the fights were great fun. It was also weird to see Goku struggle against them! Goku from DBZ would have wiped the floor of them!

All in all, I really enjoyed this series. Seeing the origins of my favourite DBZ characters was great. It was a lot more light-hearted than DBZ but it had its serious moments. If you loved DBZ then I highly recommend you watch this. If you are new to the world of Dragon Ball, I would recommend you actually watch this first!

The jovial journey and world-saving exploits of Son Goku

[tinytots2 · 7/10 · 8 April 2022]

***As this is the English dub of the original Dragon Ball (1986) anime, I will adapt the same review I wrote for that series.***

A fun light-hearted romp, Dragon Ball is the English dub of the first instalment of the beloved animated franchise adapted from the manga. With the pure-hearted yet determined Son Goku as its lead protagonist, the story can be broken down into a number of distinct arcs. The first follows the quest for the seven Dragon Balls and the foiling of the plans of the evil Emperor Pilaf while also introducing Goku's companions like Bulma and Yamcha. The second brings Krillin into the picture as well as Master Roshi's tutelage, culminating in the first (of the three featured in the show) World Martial Arts Tournament. The third arc re-introduces the Dragon Balls with the Red Ribbon Army as the force with which to contend. The fourth involves more training for our heroes and contains the entry of Tien in the second World Martial Arts Tournament. The fifth sees the destructive King Piccolo emerge and his ultimate defeat at Goku's hands. After three more years of disciplined rigorous preparation, the sixth arc has Piccolo's son as the fearsome enemy in the last World Martial Arts Tournament. The show concludes with Goku's marriage to Chi-Chi and sets the stage for the start of Dragon Ball Z.

There are many reasons why Dragon Ball is still a notable part of the cultural consciousness when it comes to animes. It blends action and comedy excellently with an endearing cast of memorable characters. The story, while simplistic overall, makes for a satisfying hero's journey. The art and animation are beautiful, suitable to the style of the series and successful at depicting the diverse world settings, the complexity of martial arts techniques, and the mystery of magical elements. The sound effects and music too deserve praise, enlivening each scene and providing the required tonal impact.

But Dragon Ball is not without its share of weaknesses. The inconsistencies in power level are evident throughout and Goku is far too overpowered, precluding the build-up of any tension. There is no dearth of deus ex machina, with convenient solutions to resolve problems frequently at hand. Moreover, some of the storylines are significantly less gripping; for example, the Red Ribbon Army arc feels far too prolonged and never attains the high points of the World Martial Arts Tournament settings. The humour can be crude and juvenile at times, and a few antagonists (like Pilaf's gang) are excessively comedic and fail to inspire any fear.

To sum up, Dragon Ball is an entertaining adventure tale. I appreciate it most for its vivid character designs, its elaborate fight sequences, and its realization of a colourful fantasy world. At the same time, I recognize that others might enjoy different aspects and that the show is not without its flaws and deficiencies. Even if it is a bit long, it should make for a good gateway anime to young adults who are in search of a mindless merry ride.

Funny, but Dragon Ball Z is better

[Lady_Targaryen · 5/10 · 24 June 2006]

I started watching "Dragon Ball" when I was very young and I really liked it. But the main difference nowadays, is that I prefer much more DragonBall Z, when Son Goku is an adult then when he is a kid. ''DragonBall'' is very funny and a ''light'' anime to be watched.

The story of DragonBall Z shows us the life of Son Goku, a boy who is a monkey tailed.( This is based on the Chinese folk) Goku was adopted when he was a kid, and created by his grandfather, and in this series we see the battles he fights and all the friends he is going to know for the next series,Dragon Ball Z (like Bulma,Yamcha and Chi chi for example) until he eventually be considered the strongest martial artist in all the universe.

The name ''dragon ball'' is because there are seven magical balls that are separated in different places across the world. When you have them all, they can be used to summon the dragon Shenlong that will give you a wish.

The best anime for kids!

[ShotaroShima · 23 February 2005]

Young Goku is here. Lovable, kind, and pure-hearted. Also discover the origin of how it all started. To be honest, this was the best anime cartoon I ever saw next to my other favorites, Akira and Galerians.They don't compare at all but its funny and perfect for the family. If you heard DBZ was good, watch this series. The best shows are the first two sagas, when Goku did the most comedy. Although this isn't REALLY recommend for kids, due to violence and nudity. I recommend this to ages 9 and up. Young Goku journeys with a girl named Bulma hoping to find the seven dragon balls. During there journey they run into enemies who also have the same objective. Will Goku and Bulma receive all of the dragon ball and summon the dragon or will there plan be a failure. The whole search rides on a dragon radar created by Bulma.

BRILLIANT!

[youru-70932 · 10/10 · 10 October 2020]

I enjoyed every episode very much.I loved kid goku's innocence and courage.

This is a simple review because i have no experience of being a critic but for a dragon ball lover like me

[shitwojshitski · 10/10 · 24 October 2020]

Pilaf saga 8/10 Tournament saga 8/10 Red ribbon army 10/10 Baba saga 8/10 Tien saga 9/10 King picollo saga 10/10 Picollo jr saga 10/10 Wedding saga 7/10 but beautiful ending anyway

"Find the Dragon Balls! Look out for them all! You can search around the world with me. Gotta heed the call of magic Dragon Balls! What a great adventure this will be. You can climb on board, 'cause the Nimbus doesn't wait! A fantastic journey for your dreams -- a thrilling mystery!

Through the fires of time, they've waited patiently. When all seven balls you find, the Dragon is set free. Rising, rising, mesmerizing, unbridled ecstasy. Radiant and shining, hidden somewhere in the field, Luminous and blinding, with your desire revealed. Ageless, timeless, what you'll find is beyond belief!

Let's try, try, try, look high and low! Search the sky and the sea below! Let's try, try, try, seize the day, And make new friends along the way!

Find the Dragon Balls! Look out for them all! Come and hunt those Dragon Balls with me. Gotta heed the call of magic Dragon Balls! What a great adventure this will be. Set a course for action, adventure doesn't wait! A fantastic journey for your dreams -- a thrilling mystery! "

Watch the YTV version, or the edited Toonami version

[imanhassan-53889 · 8/10 · 30 April 2018]

Dragon ball is a great japanese cartoon for children 7 and up, however there are several english dubs due to licensing and lack of popularity compared to its sequel dragon ball z. there is an edited Canadian dub (aka, blue water dub) that aired on ytv in the early 2000s, and alternate Funimation dub that used to air on cartoon network at the same time. the toonami dub was then released on home video, uncut. and that's where the problem starts. in the uncut version, you constantly see goku naked or other kinds of nudity, as well as perverted inapporpriate jokes from the characters, particularity coming from goku's teacher, master roshi. these jokes are unaccpetable for a PG rated show, and was never shown on YTV. If you are a child, or if a parent looking for this show, i highly reccommend you watch the edited version. it keeps all the actions, and removes dirty jokes.

despite that, dragon ball is an awesome show, that stars goku when he was just a kid, searching for dragon balls while going on advewntures and fighting in the martial arts. this show main focus is fighting for whats right, friendship, never giving up, and so on. Kids will cheer for Goku!

Best animation, best story,best characters and best pacing in dragon ball

[woah-24491 · 10/10 · 12 April 2021]

The very best of Dragon Ball, every character has their time to shine unlike dragon ball z where it's all goku and his family, the character developments are great and the story is the best, it's a fun show about going on adventures and learning martial arts, with great animation on tip of it, this is True Dragon Ball, this is where the creator was at his prime and liked to work on it, this show is a gem,perfect from beggining to end.

i love dragon ball

[mirnic666 · 10/10 · 11 April 2011]

I remember, coming home from school when i was about 10 or 11 years old, and sitting in front of the TV and laugh. Goku, Bulma and much much more incredible and funny characters, entertained me for 2 years, then it was canceled. But i remembered them and now even after 10 years, i still love the show. The story, the fights, and of course the sex. I only wish that people would see that, kids wont go out and start killing people, if the show wasn't censored, the Japanese version had soul it had heart, Americans ruined it. Dragon Ball Z was crap. I know that Goku is now older, married, has a kid, but the show sucked. The show has to return on TV uncensored. MY VOTE 10/10

Excellent

[colombo_canada · 10/10 · 6 April 2009]

A classic title excellent animation for the time made. In the series Goku the main character looks for the seven magical dragon ball's with Bulma and others. Whoever gathers the dragon ball's will be granted one wish by the dragon God dragon shenlong. Dragon Ball focuses on the adventures of Goku , a 10 year old boy who through out the series fights different evil enemy's for the good of others or the entire earth. From the very beginning Goku shows amazing super human strength and strange features like a monkey tail. later in the show we find out that the tail is not just some weird mutation and Goku progresses to get stronger and stronger to unbelievable ends. The amazing magical story of dragon ball is followed by further incredible developments in Dragon Ball Z. A really good anime one of the best, very funny and interesting from the beginning same as dragon ball z the anime is one if not the most famous world wide. Worth watching and a must if your into anime.

A fun series

[zackeryburgedd · 10/10 · 29 July 2011]

Now I am a big fan of the Dragon Ball series. Like most people in North America I saw Dragon Ball Z first, however Dragon Ball is actually a little better than Dragon Ball Z.This is a modern adaptation of Journey to the West. Now I like DBZ, but Dragon Ball have very fun stories that we barely saw in Dragon Ball. While DBZ was more action, Dragon Ball was more about the comedy. Like in DBZ you saw a lot of violent scenes, with Dragon Ball they were more perverted. Now this is a classic in anime history such as Astro Boy or Robotech. I love this series, it has fun stories and characters. Now the review I've posted may sound like I don't like DBZ, but I love DBZ. It's what got me into Dragon Ball. Overall this is an awesome series and it should be remastered like Dragon Ball Z Kai.

Great battles, a great protagonist...and not much more

[Fenrir_Sleeps · 5/10 · 13 June 2016]

I managed to finish my Dragon Ball saga, watching all the episodes from the series just a few days ago, seeing them in varying frequency over the last several months.

I think I missed the Dragon Ball generation for a couple of years, and I spent my childhood times watching other, more recent anime series. Notwithstanding, Dragon Ball is a canonical memory for several of my friends, and after years over years of hearing about Goku and Vegeta and company from them, I decided to fill in that gap of collective memory, and started watching Dragon Ball for the first time in my twenties.

Ridden off warm childhood nostalgia towards Dragon Ball, I found the plot of the series to be thin to the limit of reasonability. Dragon Ball is pure afterwork (or afterschool, as it was in most of the cases) escapism, something to see after a hard day's work, to sit on the sofa and switch the mind off and let yourself loose on those martial arts/fantasy fights. Everything in between them is mined with plot holes, brusque changes of pace in the story and pure indifference from the creative team to keep such errors under a minimum of control.

So, what's the secret behind the success of an anime series so blatantly careless about the consistency of its story? I'd say that, even though the plot of Dragon Ball is so limited, the story is aware of those limits, and can even be satirical about its own weaknesses. It's a humble position that is lacking on most of today's top animes, and the great secret behind Dragon Ball's irresistible charm. Just try to name another anime's main villain who is so bad and so amusingly aware of its own maleficence as Piccolo.

And even though we can name all the plot between the fights in Dragon Ball as "fillers", something quickly sketched just to rush the viewers into the next epic battle, I can safely assure you that those same battles are (at least the majority of them) something noteworthy. The come out of each battle and the way they develop follow almost always the rules of predictability, but no one can assert that the animation crew isn't able to create some great action scenes. The way the characters are designed and move around the screen are brimming with adrenaline, and one cannot help but feel fully engaged on the fights.

Another stand out from the series is the character of Goku: his mix of naivety and unbreakable resilience may seem simple on paper, but sure is a winning formula. And as the monkey boy flies over the cities and towns on his magical Nimbus, filling the hearts of its inhabitants with hope in times of despair, you can be sure you'll also feel inspired to always put all of you in everything you do.

Very good start for one of the best series ever

[vittoriobaky · 29 November 2007]

When the 1st episode of Dragon Ball kicks in, no one would even imagine where this is going to lead. That single episode led to near 500 episodes divided into 3 series, about 20 OAVs, real-life movies (one of them still being produced), hella-long mangas, mass hysteria when it ended, fan fictions all around, rumors about a new series that never arrived, several videogames and gadgets... did I forget something? Probably. Dragon Ball is what brought animes outside of Japan to the mainstream. And it did deservedly, as Dragon Ball, as a whole, is one of the best series ever made.

But let's focus on Dragon Ball, the famous prequel to the even more known Dragon Ball Z. Forget the extreme sci-fi from Z. Forget the huge muscles (well, do not, just imagine them smaller), put in loads of humor, and you get Dragon Ball, the first series. The story is funny, but smart and thrilling, and despite the obvious ending of all the parts, there's still some thrill to be had - mostly with the typical superhero scene where you wonder "How will they get out of this?" even if you know for sure they WILL get out of that. The characters are hilarious, but given the impressive amount of them, you'd better not start loving too many of them, because there could pass dozens of episodes without seeing certain people. This is quite a flaw in the Dragon Ball formula, in fact the power levels of the characters raise so fast that someone who appears to be the strongest person on the world, will be beaten by half of the cast about 50 episodes later.

The drawing style is very typical and good, although sometimes it's a little flawed - nothing bad though. Another flaw is that some sagas inside the story are quite boring - the last episodes are quite a filler that do not inflict the later storyline in any way, so it could have been avoided, and cut at the last fight. Otherwise, Dragon Ball all things considered is epic. You might watch it today and think "What's the fuss all about?" - you might not get it with today's eyes. But believe me, this thing was huge, and I could re-watch it anytime. And it leads to Dragon Ball Z, which is one of the best TV-shows ever made.

Amazing Action, Comedy Package

[SalahuddinAhammad · 9/10 · 7 July 2019]

I really watched it in 2019. it's a little bit late at my age, i know but after watching the first episodes, i can't resist myself watching the whole series sequentially. I most liked the innocence of Goku, his resemblance and the other character was quite good too. This show is amazing. After this i watched Dragon Ball Z. That has more action but not quite like the Dragon Ball original show. Of all the Dragon Ball series and movies i liked it best.