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Dragon Ball Omnibus #3
Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 3
Akira Toriyama's groundbreaking, iconic, best-selling series now in an omnibus edition!
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy...
The World’s Most Evil Crime Organization
You do not want to mess with the Red Ribbon Army. To get what they want, they’ll sic you with scary thugs, machine-gun fire and even torpedoes! Only Son Goku would think nothing of challenging this evil crime organization—anything to get back the one Dragon Ball his grandfather gave him.
As the Red Ribbon Army closes in on Goku and his friends, Goku must face an array of opponents while preventing all seven Dragon Balls from falling into evil hands. First, there’s cruel General Blue, who has a mysterious power up his sleeve. Then there’s master assassin Taopaipai, so strong that Goku’s blasts barely faze him. But neither of these opponents compare to the masked challenger Goku faces at Baba Uranai’s—he’ll give Goku the shock of his life!
Dragon Ball introduces a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku (a wry update of the classic Chinese "Monkey King" legend), whose quiet life changes when he meets a girl named Bulma who is on a quest to collect seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and Bulma could use the help of a certain super-strong boy...
The World’s Most Evil Crime Organization
You do not want to mess with the Red Ribbon Army. To get what they want, they’ll sic you with scary thugs, machine-gun fire and even torpedoes! Only Son Goku would think nothing of challenging this evil crime organization—anything to get back the one Dragon Ball his grandfather gave him.
As the Red Ribbon Army closes in on Goku and his friends, Goku must face an array of opponents while preventing all seven Dragon Balls from falling into evil hands. First, there’s cruel General Blue, who has a mysterious power up his sleeve. Then there’s master assassin Taopaipai, so strong that Goku’s blasts barely faze him. But neither of these opponents compare to the masked challenger Goku faces at Baba Uranai’s—he’ll give Goku the shock of his life!
568 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2013
14 people are currently reading
177 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,926 books1,744 followersAkira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
November 23, 2020
Great art work and plenty of action, that is what I wanted and that is what I got. I loved it. I loved almost every page of this 3 in 1 volume.
The only think I would say is I am not sure that these are suitable for younger readers. I know they have a teen rating and if it was just the violence I would be fine with that, but add a topless picture for almost no reason this I don't understand. The comic was going great why bother?
A great action packed volume, with a couple of grisly deaths, but you have to expect this in an action packed comic. I like how Goku is evolving. He is improving in strength and technique as well. A great set of volumes, also I get a 36 page cover gallery. Without the little blip for no reason I can think of, this would have been the perfect volume. Definitely the best 3 in 1 so far.
The only think I would say is I am not sure that these are suitable for younger readers. I know they have a teen rating and if it was just the violence I would be fine with that, but add a topless picture for almost no reason this I don't understand. The comic was going great why bother?
A great action packed volume, with a couple of grisly deaths, but you have to expect this in an action packed comic. I like how Goku is evolving. He is improving in strength and technique as well. A great set of volumes, also I get a 36 page cover gallery. Without the little blip for no reason I can think of, this would have been the perfect volume. Definitely the best 3 in 1 so far.
April 30, 2018
3.5
This wasnt as strong as the previous colletcion. The red ribbon army was ok, the fighting is great, Goku nearly gets beaten. The jokes and silly parts are at times a little too much, which ruins the story telling a little. Ive heard it gets really good from here. So will definitely continue.
This wasnt as strong as the previous colletcion. The red ribbon army was ok, the fighting is great, Goku nearly gets beaten. The jokes and silly parts are at times a little too much, which ruins the story telling a little. Ive heard it gets really good from here. So will definitely continue.
January 30, 2014
Vol. 7: General Blue and the Pirate Treasure: Son Goku, how many ways do I love thee? Heehee. I have so much fun reading Dragon ball, I feel like a kid!! All the usual stuff here: humour, action, battle, escapades. The Red Ribbon Army is still after our friends trying to get their dragon balls and the dragon radar. General Blue goes after them personally here and ends up physically fed up with Goku. The best parts of this volume were the interactions between Blue and our heroes. Not only do our friends retrieve another dragon ball (making 5/7) they stumble upon Pirate Treasure. By the end Goku is separated from the others and off to find the next Dragon Ball on his own. (5/5)
Vol. 8: Taopaipai and Master Karin - Oh boy, this was a great volume! The plot is really getting good now. Things with the Red Ribbon Army get really intense and there is a lot of dying in the battles this time around. I'm quite sad actually because someone I like dies, without much fanfare, and I was shocked! I actually still can't believe it's real, thinking it will turn out not to be true but someone has effectively taken that person's role, so to speak. Yes, I'm being cryptic on purpose :-) Goku has never had a wish for the Dragon balls up to this point but in this volume he finally finds a wish worth wishing for. (5/5)
Vol. 9: Test of the All-Seeing Crone: This could be called a segue volume as the story switches from the last story arc to a new one. So while the end of this volume sets the scene for the next villains, the majority of this one takes our heroes on a sidetrip to visit the crone where, guess what?, they are tested and engaged in battle! This is a really fun episode and has our guys battling a series of of "monsters" from classic horror films starting with Dracula. There is a lot of good humour, as the last volume was pretty intense, making this light-hearted and fun and the stage is set for the next story arc as we finish the book. (4/5)
Vol. 8: Taopaipai and Master Karin - Oh boy, this was a great volume! The plot is really getting good now. Things with the Red Ribbon Army get really intense and there is a lot of dying in the battles this time around. I'm quite sad actually because someone I like dies, without much fanfare, and I was shocked! I actually still can't believe it's real, thinking it will turn out not to be true but someone has effectively taken that person's role, so to speak. Yes, I'm being cryptic on purpose :-) Goku has never had a wish for the Dragon balls up to this point but in this volume he finally finds a wish worth wishing for. (5/5)
Vol. 9: Test of the All-Seeing Crone: This could be called a segue volume as the story switches from the last story arc to a new one. So while the end of this volume sets the scene for the next villains, the majority of this one takes our heroes on a sidetrip to visit the crone where, guess what?, they are tested and engaged in battle! This is a really fun episode and has our guys battling a series of of "monsters" from classic horror films starting with Dracula. There is a lot of good humour, as the last volume was pretty intense, making this light-hearted and fun and the stage is set for the next story arc as we finish the book. (4/5)
September 21, 2024
Really love to read this all again. This is the part where it gets a lot more adult. Cant wait for what is to come.
June 12, 2020
As Goku, Bulma and Kuririn travel across the world to find the seven Dragon Balls, they have other things to worry about, such as being hunted by General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army, who is also trying to gain the Dragon Balls for what we assume was for world conquest, only to be revealed later that its leader Commander Red wants to wish for something personal and frankly silly, in typical Toriyama comedy form.
Through the Red Ribbon Army Saga, this is the closest Dragon Ball has got to be an adventure story in the vein of Indiana Jones as it’s not just about heroes fighting off an evil army in a search for ancient treasure, but also gets swashbuckling sequences such as going through pirate traps and caves collapsing. But as always, Akira Toriyama has to twist things up with his mixture of action and comedy, as shown in Goku’s battle with General Blue, who may have the power of telekinesis, but happens to be afraid of rats.
Although there was one reference to Toriyama’s previous successful manga Dr. Slump in this series’ first volume, this volume makes the first official crossover between both titles as due to Goku’s Dragon Radar gets broken yet again, he crosses paths with the robot girl Arale Norimaki and the rest of the Dr. Slump cast. It is perhaps cute seeing Goku and Arale on the same page, even if this little detour doesn’t advance the plot, but it gives me an interest to hopefully read Toriyama’s other manga, which is much more about gags.
However, what is even cuter is the introduction of Upa, who is the son of Bora, chief of the native tribe whose members serve as the guardians of Karin Tower. When the two meet Goku, who becomes the target of the world’s deadliest assassin Taopaipai who’s hired by the Red Ribbon Army, Upa loses his father in battle, which compels Goku to fight back. Seeing the friendship between Goku and Upa is very sweet and continues to reinforce Goku being pure of heart as he initially was searching the four-star Dragon Ball, which was the only heirloom of his late grandfather, but he will now search for all the Dragon Balls so he can grant the wish of resurrecting Bora.
This is the most action-oriented the series has been so far, as Toriyama’s art is in top form with action sequences that are kinetic with an element of humour. You do get another left-field, but hilarious training montage as after climbing up the never-ending Karin Tower, Goku trains with the anthropomorphic cat master Karin after his defeat by Taopaipai. Afterwards, comes Goku’s rematch against the assassin and it’s the best fighting sequence in Dragon Ball so far. No matter what fiendish moves the assassin uses to pummel our young hero, Goku will always get up and be the strongest, proving how bad-ass, as well as heroic he is.
As great as the action is, some of the humour can lean too much on the crude side, with Bulma getting objectified again, whilst the book’s worst character Master Roshi continues to ogle at her, leading to one of the most tasteless moments, in which one of Roshi’s recurring nose bleeds being a key component during one of the later fights. We do get to know a bit more about Roshi’s background as after the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Goku and the gang search for the final Dragon Ball and visits the All-Seeing Crone, also known as “Baba Uranai”, Roshi’s older sister. Her services in fortune-telling don’t come cheap and since the gang can’t pay up, they have to fight five of her warriors and if Goku succeeds, the All-Seeing Crone will locate the Dragon Ball.
With battle manga, the major story beats are one, if not more, plucky heroes fighting one bigger and stronger opponent after another. Toriyama is having fun playing with the conventions as Goku, along with Kuririn and Yamcha, fight off against the five warriors, most of which comprised of the Universal monsters from the 1940s. As weird as that sounds, Toriyama comes up with some inventive set-pieces, as well as the most touching moment from the series so far. I won’t go into spoilers, but it is a family reunion that I didn’t expect to hit me in the feels. As silly as Dragon Ball can be, whilst Toriyama isn’t the best writer, but he knows how to strike a moment from the impressive action, to the wonderful character beats.
Through the Red Ribbon Army Saga, this is the closest Dragon Ball has got to be an adventure story in the vein of Indiana Jones as it’s not just about heroes fighting off an evil army in a search for ancient treasure, but also gets swashbuckling sequences such as going through pirate traps and caves collapsing. But as always, Akira Toriyama has to twist things up with his mixture of action and comedy, as shown in Goku’s battle with General Blue, who may have the power of telekinesis, but happens to be afraid of rats.
Although there was one reference to Toriyama’s previous successful manga Dr. Slump in this series’ first volume, this volume makes the first official crossover between both titles as due to Goku’s Dragon Radar gets broken yet again, he crosses paths with the robot girl Arale Norimaki and the rest of the Dr. Slump cast. It is perhaps cute seeing Goku and Arale on the same page, even if this little detour doesn’t advance the plot, but it gives me an interest to hopefully read Toriyama’s other manga, which is much more about gags.
However, what is even cuter is the introduction of Upa, who is the son of Bora, chief of the native tribe whose members serve as the guardians of Karin Tower. When the two meet Goku, who becomes the target of the world’s deadliest assassin Taopaipai who’s hired by the Red Ribbon Army, Upa loses his father in battle, which compels Goku to fight back. Seeing the friendship between Goku and Upa is very sweet and continues to reinforce Goku being pure of heart as he initially was searching the four-star Dragon Ball, which was the only heirloom of his late grandfather, but he will now search for all the Dragon Balls so he can grant the wish of resurrecting Bora.
This is the most action-oriented the series has been so far, as Toriyama’s art is in top form with action sequences that are kinetic with an element of humour. You do get another left-field, but hilarious training montage as after climbing up the never-ending Karin Tower, Goku trains with the anthropomorphic cat master Karin after his defeat by Taopaipai. Afterwards, comes Goku’s rematch against the assassin and it’s the best fighting sequence in Dragon Ball so far. No matter what fiendish moves the assassin uses to pummel our young hero, Goku will always get up and be the strongest, proving how bad-ass, as well as heroic he is.
As great as the action is, some of the humour can lean too much on the crude side, with Bulma getting objectified again, whilst the book’s worst character Master Roshi continues to ogle at her, leading to one of the most tasteless moments, in which one of Roshi’s recurring nose bleeds being a key component during one of the later fights. We do get to know a bit more about Roshi’s background as after the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Goku and the gang search for the final Dragon Ball and visits the All-Seeing Crone, also known as “Baba Uranai”, Roshi’s older sister. Her services in fortune-telling don’t come cheap and since the gang can’t pay up, they have to fight five of her warriors and if Goku succeeds, the All-Seeing Crone will locate the Dragon Ball.
With battle manga, the major story beats are one, if not more, plucky heroes fighting one bigger and stronger opponent after another. Toriyama is having fun playing with the conventions as Goku, along with Kuririn and Yamcha, fight off against the five warriors, most of which comprised of the Universal monsters from the 1940s. As weird as that sounds, Toriyama comes up with some inventive set-pieces, as well as the most touching moment from the series so far. I won’t go into spoilers, but it is a family reunion that I didn’t expect to hit me in the feels. As silly as Dragon Ball can be, whilst Toriyama isn’t the best writer, but he knows how to strike a moment from the impressive action, to the wonderful character beats.
April 7, 2024
A third book in the omnibus edition. It continues Goku's story of finding Dragon Balls, this time for a different reason.
This one brings a lot of new fights, and unlike in the second one, they don't strech over many tales and are very diverse. I found all the new characters to be cool, and there are a couple of good twists. It's still funny and prettily drawn.
This one brings a lot of new fights, and unlike in the second one, they don't strech over many tales and are very diverse. I found all the new characters to be cool, and there are a couple of good twists. It's still funny and prettily drawn.
January 2, 2026
It was a bit slow moving.
November 30, 2014
A bit redundant compared to the other volumes, but still hilarious and a pleasure to read
May 22, 2025
You know, I gave this manga a shot. I kept hoping for it to get better but I’m not sure whether I will ever finish this. I mean, it’s not the most terrible thing I’ve ever read but at the same time I can’t stand it. Everything just seems to be spinning in circles. It’s so formulaic that the manga genuinely feels like torture at times.
I’m just going to state things that bother me the most about this because I just don’t have the energy to ramble about it for ages.
I hate the fact that Goku just conveniently gains strength out of nowhere. I’m sorry but you can’t miraculously get better at fighting after climbing up one tower. For some reason, these convenient events just keep happening and it bugs me so much. And then it gets worse because he is conveniently strong enough to beat the best assassin that the Red Ribbon Army has to offer in the span of a few minutes and (even worse) goes to the army HQ and somehow defeats everyone without trouble. I’m sorry sir, but no. You can’t get that much better at fighting in 3 days. Even the other characters don’t believe him when he tells them he did that.
Also Yamcha looks so much uglier with shorter hair so that’s not working in the favor of these three volumes.
I also hate the witch and her tournament. It’s just fighting a bunch of guys again one after another - it’s not like we just had a tournament 3 volumes ago, right? And even though I do like the fact that these fighters are basically different mythological monsters (and Goku’s dead grandpa for some reason), it’s just bland because you know that Goku is going to win at the end. It’s not even funny and consequently just looks too formulaic to be actually good.
I have to say that the only light point of these three volumes is commander Blue. He is genuinely funny and I love the fact that he is so obsessed with himself. Not to mention Bulma’s comments about him being gay… that shit was hilarious.
Anyway, it’s not good. I’m stuck between 1 or 2 stars because it’s not the worst thing in the world but at the same time it’s more frustrating than it has any right being. Well, I think I’m gonna give it 1 star after all. I don’t think commander Blue can outweigh all the problems of this manga.
I’m just going to state things that bother me the most about this because I just don’t have the energy to ramble about it for ages.
I hate the fact that Goku just conveniently gains strength out of nowhere. I’m sorry but you can’t miraculously get better at fighting after climbing up one tower. For some reason, these convenient events just keep happening and it bugs me so much. And then it gets worse because he is conveniently strong enough to beat the best assassin that the Red Ribbon Army has to offer in the span of a few minutes and (even worse) goes to the army HQ and somehow defeats everyone without trouble. I’m sorry sir, but no. You can’t get that much better at fighting in 3 days. Even the other characters don’t believe him when he tells them he did that.
Also Yamcha looks so much uglier with shorter hair so that’s not working in the favor of these three volumes.
I also hate the witch and her tournament. It’s just fighting a bunch of guys again one after another - it’s not like we just had a tournament 3 volumes ago, right? And even though I do like the fact that these fighters are basically different mythological monsters (and Goku’s dead grandpa for some reason), it’s just bland because you know that Goku is going to win at the end. It’s not even funny and consequently just looks too formulaic to be actually good.
I have to say that the only light point of these three volumes is commander Blue. He is genuinely funny and I love the fact that he is so obsessed with himself. Not to mention Bulma’s comments about him being gay… that shit was hilarious.
Anyway, it’s not good. I’m stuck between 1 or 2 stars because it’s not the worst thing in the world but at the same time it’s more frustrating than it has any right being. Well, I think I’m gonna give it 1 star after all. I don’t think commander Blue can outweigh all the problems of this manga.
December 19, 2023
Chapters 73-108This is the volume where Dragon Ball starts to tap into it's potential. But first, you gotta go through the rest of the Red Ribbon Army Arc. None of it is particularly bad, it's just a bit silly— especially when it is juxtaposed against a seemingly OP Goku destroying the whole army with ease. However, I will admit that the sagas headlining General Blue and Commander Red are much more entertaining than that of the assault on Muscle Tower or anything with Colonel Silver or General White. The General Blue feels a bit fillery, but it's a fun read and watch. It reminds me heavily of Pokémon's Team Rocket if they were slightly more competent. The Dr. Slump tie-in felt a bit forced and too late to have happened, as the tone of the first couple of arcs would have been better suited for that collaboration. (8/10)
Then you have the Commander Red Saga, which has the assassin Taopaipai, who, despite being incredibly menacing, has some incredibly bizarre and silly moments himself. Still, the Commander Red Saga stands out rather positively because it introduces Karin Tower, Karin himself, and the concept of the Senzu Bean— all of which would go on to be iconic in their own right. This portion was so close to earning a 9/10 if it weren't for having to finish the Red Ribbon Army plot. (8/10)
What does deserve that 9/10 title, though, is the Fortuneteller Baba Saga. Sure it had similar silliness to the Muscle Tower (Universal Monsters basically being the fighters), but it introduced cool concepts with Fortuneteller Baba and had a lot of heart— especially with that masked warrior reveal. It was a feel-good pallet cleanser and a great prep for what the series would shape up to be in the next few volumes. (9/10)
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March 5, 2024Upa and Chitch are now the most adorable characters I've ever encountered in any media.
Title statement.
Now for the review.
Nothing about this has let up. If we were to look deeply we can see that Dragonball is already bound to suffer from the intense amount of power-ups Goku is breaking through in a matter of days. Honestly, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It does highlight the reason for the fallout of existing characters when they can't keep up...I'm looking at Yamcha. Yet, we are provided with new characters to weigh out this imbalance. The characters are not lacking. Toriyama can create a unique character, specifically fighters, and be intelligent about it. His female characters are lacking in spades.
It almost made it through without anything perverted occurring...Almost. This is Dragonball people. It's to be expected at this point, even if it is used humorously. It's the bane of Dragonball for me, only because of its over usage.
Plenty happens in this volume. This is one of the volumes where the material is now fresh for me. I had not seen these particular things in the anime yet, except for the very beginning. I'm hitched for the wild ride of Dragon Ball. I'm pretty sure one of my favorite characters is being introduced in the next volume. I'm lovin` this wild ride, on to the next!
Title statement.
Now for the review.
Nothing about this has let up. If we were to look deeply we can see that Dragonball is already bound to suffer from the intense amount of power-ups Goku is breaking through in a matter of days. Honestly, it's not necessarily a bad thing. It does highlight the reason for the fallout of existing characters when they can't keep up...I'm looking at Yamcha. Yet, we are provided with new characters to weigh out this imbalance. The characters are not lacking. Toriyama can create a unique character, specifically fighters, and be intelligent about it. His female characters are lacking in spades.
It almost made it through without anything perverted occurring...Almost. This is Dragonball people. It's to be expected at this point, even if it is used humorously. It's the bane of Dragonball for me, only because of its over usage.
Plenty happens in this volume. This is one of the volumes where the material is now fresh for me. I had not seen these particular things in the anime yet, except for the very beginning. I'm hitched for the wild ride of Dragon Ball. I'm pretty sure one of my favorite characters is being introduced in the next volume. I'm lovin` this wild ride, on to the next!
May 15, 2017
So we're about half way through dragon ball and this is still the weaker part of it. Don't worry though, after this we getting into some good ass shit!
What I liked: Volume 8 as a whole is super fun, super serious at times, and really well done. Goku fights off against his strongest opponent yet. This bastard kills Goku's friend and then leaves Goku for dead. The little monkey boy uses his skills to climb the tower and become even stronger! It's a lot of fun and the end of this arc where Goku just destroys the red ribbon army made me happy and say "FINALLY!" lol. Also Bulma's BOOBS = 10/10.
What I didn't like: Volume 7 and 9 had similar issues. A little too silly at times. A little TOO over the top with the jokes. Also weak main storyline. No risk, no worry, just know Goku will beat everyone and all will be good. Atleast volume 8 made you feel like he might lose for a bit.
Overall Dragon ball falls in a bit of a slump here but it still remains a fun and entertaining read. Now it's about to get even better though and I'm fully ready to embrace that shit!
What I liked: Volume 8 as a whole is super fun, super serious at times, and really well done. Goku fights off against his strongest opponent yet. This bastard kills Goku's friend and then leaves Goku for dead. The little monkey boy uses his skills to climb the tower and become even stronger! It's a lot of fun and the end of this arc where Goku just destroys the red ribbon army made me happy and say "FINALLY!" lol. Also Bulma's BOOBS = 10/10.
What I didn't like: Volume 7 and 9 had similar issues. A little too silly at times. A little TOO over the top with the jokes. Also weak main storyline. No risk, no worry, just know Goku will beat everyone and all will be good. Atleast volume 8 made you feel like he might lose for a bit.
Overall Dragon ball falls in a bit of a slump here but it still remains a fun and entertaining read. Now it's about to get even better though and I'm fully ready to embrace that shit!
January 7, 2026
Dragonball is a fun little story and this third collection finds us in the Red Ribbon Army storyline. I enjoyed getting to see Goku face off against the might of the Red Ribbon Army and dismantle it one piece at a time. While there are times he faces off against enemies that he struggles to beat, Goku manages to defeat them in the end.
While I do love the mix of comedy and action that the series has, there are some things that I don't like as much as others. This is mainly in the form of Master Roshi and his constant objectification of women, with Bulma usually being the victim of this humor. It's not enough to make me dislike the overall story, but I don't feel like it was all that necessary. Why couldn't they have used Krillin's wound from Dracula to produce blood by getting him angry?
With that one exception, I enjoyed the story of Goku and look forward to continuing it. There are lots of great moments in this collection and I'm looking forward to more great moments as I continue the series.
While I do love the mix of comedy and action that the series has, there are some things that I don't like as much as others. This is mainly in the form of Master Roshi and his constant objectification of women, with Bulma usually being the victim of this humor. It's not enough to make me dislike the overall story, but I don't feel like it was all that necessary. Why couldn't they have used Krillin's wound from Dracula to produce blood by getting him angry?
With that one exception, I enjoyed the story of Goku and look forward to continuing it. There are lots of great moments in this collection and I'm looking forward to more great moments as I continue the series.
February 9, 2020
This series never fails to disappoint! I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far and am excited to see what comes next.
The only reason I gave this book 4 stars as opposed to 5 is because I found the Red Ribbon Army content to be weak. I found commander blue to be a lacklustre villain and not a good match for Goku.
The excitement began to pick up with the introduction of Taopaipai the assassin and Goku’s training in Karin’a tower. So much fun to read!
Of course, what is Dragonball without a tournament of some sort. The end of this book concludes with the Old Crone’s team of Halloween characters vs Goku and the gang.
Highly recommend!
The only reason I gave this book 4 stars as opposed to 5 is because I found the Red Ribbon Army content to be weak. I found commander blue to be a lacklustre villain and not a good match for Goku.
The excitement began to pick up with the introduction of Taopaipai the assassin and Goku’s training in Karin’a tower. So much fun to read!
Of course, what is Dragonball without a tournament of some sort. The end of this book concludes with the Old Crone’s team of Halloween characters vs Goku and the gang.
Highly recommend!
July 17, 2025
Really coming into stride here. This whole Red Ribbon arc is a load of fun. It's awesome to watch Goku just tear throw this group of pseduo-nazis. I really enjoyed the assassin they sent to take out Goku (the riding on the thrown pillar bit is hilarious), and it is so satisfying to watch him train and beat the one who nearlier killed him earlier. The tower training bit is fun too. And the level of perverted jokes has toned down dramatically, only one big one where Bulma's boobs are used to make the old man horny, whose blood erupting from his nose covers an invisible man so they can see him.
These comics read like a breeze, and they're mostly uplifting and fun.
These comics read like a breeze, and they're mostly uplifting and fun.
July 24, 2017
Aw yeah, lots of fun stuff here as Goku and pals try to assemble the Dragon Balls again and fight the Red Ribbon army in scenes of increasingly awesome action. Highlights include Goku scaling a tower into the stratosphere in order to multiply his strength several times over, his fight against an evil assassin who travels around by hurling a pillar through the air and then hopping on top of it to ride to his destination several thousand miles away, and a battle in which Goku just destroys an entire army of bad guys. Good times all around.
September 17, 2020
Another fun group of comics from Toriyama San that continues the story of Dragonball so well. It's funny, filled with action, and Toriyama continues to show why he's the best as putting comics on a page. He guides your eyes through one frame and on to the next so beautifully, and never feels like he cuts corners or leave out frames that should be there. Still just as great and relevant today as it was in the 80s.
January 2, 2023
The first 3/4 of this (so I guess two and a half volumes) were bad. Like actually bad. Terribly aged, “jokes” made in awful taste, and boring as well. The end was really strong. But it took a very long time to get there and if I didn’t already have the next one, I’m not sure I’d be in a rush to buy it. Maybe it all goes up from here? I’ve never watched or read original Dragon Ball, so I’m in the dark pre-Z.
May 10, 2024
Very action-packed! Daming "Goku time", I love it!!
I wonder what would be Son Goku's flaw is. He's really likeable!
(Also, Akira Toriyama's son is named Sasuke! Ayy for sure. Lodi to nung Naruto manga artist!)
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Ohh!! Not even Goku can survive a shot at that range!! And then I'll be next!! It's not fair!! I'm so beautiful!!!
- Bulma
I mean, I don't not like Bulma. But I'm also not a huge fan. I can't say she's like Sakura from Naruto. Because I like Sakura. Hmm...
I think the comparisons will never end. But at least I know I'm reading the OG.
I wonder what would be Son Goku's flaw is. He's really likeable!
(Also, Akira Toriyama's son is named Sasuke! Ayy for sure. Lodi to nung Naruto manga artist!)
---
Ohh!! Not even Goku can survive a shot at that range!! And then I'll be next!! It's not fair!! I'm so beautiful!!!
- Bulma
I mean, I don't not like Bulma. But I'm also not a huge fan. I can't say she's like Sakura from Naruto. Because I like Sakura. Hmm...
I think the comparisons will never end. But at least I know I'm reading the OG.
February 7, 2024
3.5 stars.
This was fun. A bit repetitive, but a quick fun read - I definitely enjoyed it, and I'll keep going. I wish the humour was not male chauvinist, because that did not age well. Apart from that, it's a good shonen story.
This was fun. A bit repetitive, but a quick fun read - I definitely enjoyed it, and I'll keep going. I wish the humour was not male chauvinist, because that did not age well. Apart from that, it's a good shonen story.
May 22, 2017
I really just want to get to the timeskip part of the manga. The red ribbon army arc was really boring. I never really cared for the Dragon Ball anime, just the Dragon Ball Z one.
December 13, 2018
It needed more action, although I liked the ending.
June 3, 2019
Ahhh. I almost enjoyed this one. That is, until Bulma had her shirt pulled down. Fuckers. I'm just reading for spite now... that and to read with my 10 year old.
July 30, 2019
The art continues to be the most endearing part of the series, but I like the rambling story in its own fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants way. I do wish they’d dial back on the creepy T&A jokes, though.
March 2, 2022
3.5 stars
May 8, 2022
It's Dragonball, of course I am going to rate 5/5
September 18, 2022
Volume 3, with books 7, 8 and 9, containing chapters 73 to 108. Brilliantly funny!
March 14, 2023
why are these sooo good?!? They’re so entertaining lol
April 7, 2023
FUN !!!
this is my first ever manga and i had so much fun reading this one
it made me chuckle and had me grinning a lot of times!!:)
this is my first ever manga and i had so much fun reading this one
it made me chuckle and had me grinning a lot of times!!:)
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