Dragon Ball (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 4

Dragon Ball Omnibus #4

by Akira Toriyama

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...

Turtle vs. Crane

The next Tenka’ichi Budokai martial art tournament is just around the corner, and an eager Son Goku can’t wait to face even tougher fighters for the “Strongest Under the Heavens” title! Among the contestants include pipsqueak Chaozu and three-eyed Tenshinhan, deadly disciples of Tsuru-Sen’nin, the Crane Hermit!

As it turns out, Tsuru-Sen’nin is an old rival of Goku’s teacher Kame-sen’nin (also known as the Turtle hemit). What’s worse, Tsuru-Sen’nin orders Chaozu and Tenshinhan to kill the Kame Sen’nin disciples! Will crane-style kung fu beat out turtle style? As these two martial arts schools duke it out in the tournament ring, things just might turn fatal!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics Manga, Adventure, Fiction

576 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2014

About the author

Akira 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.

Reviews

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection. The Strongest under Heaven tournament, and this time the fight are even better then the first time round. This 3 in 1 volume really highlighted how far the characters have come especially in the martial arts. However this time Goku must face something truly demonic. New friends, new enemies and a couple that change sides. Great art work and lots of action what more can I want. How about a cover 36 page cover gallery. All round awesome.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nearly a perfect volume. It's just one or two moments I disliked but the entire 3 in 1 is VERY much worth checking out. Let's talk about what works.

What I liked: Volume 10 starts off right in the tournament and it's so good. I love these fights. Watching Goku vs Krillian is both heartbreaking and exciting. You know who will win but the right itself is super entertaining. Then Goku vs Tien is just...awesome. Really super fun yet it's the first real fight you feel. The the actual winner is a surprise and that's always nice. Sadly something horrible happens soon after and leads us right to the next arc. KING PICOLLO! The DEMON LORD! It starts heating up and the final few chapters are intense.

What I didn't like: I wish the tournament was longer. A extra few fights would have been nice. Also Tien switch to the good side seemed a bit to quick. I needed more than that.

Overall this is a great volume (book) and very much worth the 4.5. From what I remember it only gets better from here on out too!

[Marko · Rating 5 out of 5]

After Vol. 3, which was a bit of a dip for me, I read this volume with huge enthusiasm. New characters are introduced, and the fights were more interesting and didn't prolong unnecessarily. The overall plot is going in an interesting direction, and it's fun to see the levels that Goku and the other characters are reaching in their martial careers.
The story keeps me so engaged that it's actually kind annoying as it's putting me off from reading other stuff 😅

[Siona Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

At this point I'm just skim reading so I can try to the time jump.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing the location of the final Dragon Ball, Goku sets off to locate it and once again cross paths with Pilaf and his two minions Mai and Soba. Due to currently reading the manga for the first time, it’s apparent that Pilaf and Co. had expansive roles in the anime adaptation that I watched years ago. They never posed as a great threat and that is very apparent in the way Akira Toriyama depicts them here as despite battling Goku with a three-set mecha, the villains are defeated right away, but plays a surprisingly significant role later on.

Once Goku gathers all seven Dragon Balls, he awakens the dragon god Shenlong, who grants the one wish of resurrecting Bora, much to the delight of his son Upa. The day is saved, everyone is happy and go off on their separate ways. Three years later, the gang is reunited as Goku, Kuririn, Yamcha and Muten Rōshi (disguised as Jackie Chun) compete in the 22nd Tenka'ichi Budōkai. It may seem repetitive to do another fighting tournament, but the new opponents that Goku and the rest face does open up the series’ later emphasis on super-powered martial arts spectacle.

Unlike fighters from the previous tournament like the odored fighter Bacterian or the dinosaur-like Giran, the fighters are more of a basic human anatomy, each with their own fighting methods. As for the fights themselves, some are quick (Goku versus the Muay Thai kickboxer Panpoot), some are funny (Jackie Chun versus Man-Wolf, a wolf who can turn into a man upon seeing a full moon), but it’s the later fights that really excel. For instance, we finally get Goku versus Kuririn, two friends who have been excited to fight each other and whoever wins, no hard feelings between the two.

The other finalists are the three-eyed Tenshinhan and the clown-faced pipsqueak Chaozu, both trained by Roshi’s rival, Tsuru-Sen'nin, the Crane Hermit. Two very distinct fighters with their own set of skills, although Tenshinhan can do the Kamehameha (it seems like everyone can do that energy blast so it doesn’t seem as special). I have previously stated that one of the strengths of Dragon Ball is how the action can say something about a character, and this is certainly true of Tenshinhan, who goes through a whole arc during this whole tournament as he starts of an arrogant dick to someone who can use his power for good. It's not much of a spoiler to say the final match is between Goku and Tenshinhan, and whenever you think Toriyama has done the best fight sequence to date, he just keeps upping the ante.

Once the tournament concludes, Toriyama does not waste any time as he kills off a beloved character, which starts up the King Piccolo Saga, the storyline that I have been most excited to get to. After being released by Pilaf from an imprisoned rice cooker (yep, that’s right!), the Great Demon King searches the Dragon Balls so he can grant the wish of restoring his youth, so that he has the power to terrorise the world. Often the search for the Dragon Balls is never a big deal as villains like Pilaf and Commander Red never pose as a great threat, but Toriyama establishes how dangerous Piccolo and his dragon-like henchman very quickly, not least how the Demon King takes down a vengeful Goku.

There is still some humour thrown in, not least in the introduction of the overweight samurai Yajirobe, who has a fun interaction with Goku as both share a strong hunger issue. However, the search of the Dragon Balls has never been more essential than ever as our plucky heroes travel around the world to find them before Piccolo does, whilst Goku realises he needs more training to get stronger if he’s going to fight this new threat.

[RG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection. Piccolo returns. Goku gets stronger. Some awesome fight scenes. Its slowly becoming less childish in its nature.

[Bay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
As I hoped the plot is getting better and there is less silly, bad jokes. Piccolo has been introduced and he has always been one of my favourite characters.

[S.V. Veen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where the story takes a dark turn. One of the best villains of the series appears. Cant wait to read the next one!

[Honeypie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hala, ang invested ko na dito. But one more omnibus before I take a break.

The tournaments are the least interesting for me.
Real battles are better.

Here is where Piccolo is introduced. He seems evil. Parang from what I remember, he was not a villain. Hrmm... Maybe in the future, he will be part of the "Goku team".

There were a lot of plot twists in these volumes, but I didn't want suspenseful surprises, so I searched for spoilers. Hahaha!

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels more action packed, emotional, and story filled with new characters! However some moments feel rushed and go by too quickly, such as the 3 year gap for the next tournament and the quest to find the dragon balls again before piccolo does.

[Ben Nealis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally getting into the King Piccolo part of classic Dragon Ball. I liked it but it feels more like build up then payoff.

[Richard L. Haas III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapters 109-144

With this volume, Toriyama realizes he found Dragon Ball's biggest strength: tournaments. After some iffy stuff with Pilaf, we are rewarded with the introduction of Tenshinhan and Chaozu. Of course, knowing where they would become later makes this all the more interesting and heartwrenching. Still, it was only a taste because we get some throwaway stuff with Man-Wolf and a less-than-exciting Jackie Chun again. (9/10)

It picks up with Yamcha vs. Tenshinhan and Kuririn vs. Chaozu and then, admittedly, drags a bit more with Panpoot (a parody of Bruce Lee) before it gets good again. But when it gets good, damn, does it get good. [LIGHT SPOILER WARNING] Tenshinhan vs. Jackie Chun ramps things up before we get god-like chapters highlighting the Goku vs. Kuririn and Tenshinhan vs. Goku matches. Gone are the silly puns and whimsical feel. Instead, Toriyama fully embraces martial arts, and the matches are filled with dilemma, heart, strength, and baller action. (10/10)

The only way to one-up that is to lean into strength and drama. So that's what Toriyama did in introducing the Demon King Piccolo into the mix. And oh boy, did Toriyama succeed. Piccolo, as first presented, is an evil foe stronger than anything we have ever seen before. This is our taste of Dragon Ball Z. And it is epic AF. Even Yajirobe's introduction is badass and almost makes up for how he was handled in canon later on. The best part of it all is that the team encounters loss and death like they have never encountered before. Everything prior to it feels like child's play as the stakes are risen. In some regard, the Red Ribbon Army arc should have done this, but instead, it was unwilling to evolve. I'm so glad Toriyama allowed it to do so here because this portion of the volume reaches near perfection. (10/10)

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

*spoilers*

Almost non-stop action due to this 3-in-1 being mostly about the 22nd Tenka'Ichi Budokai. Tien has somehow become one of my favorite characters over the years as I develop what I like about models, abilities/powers, and the characters themselves. For the record my favorites are Trunks, Piccolo, and...Zarbon. I always loved Zarbon as a kid. To me he was the definition of badass (in all respects).

In my last review I mentioned one of my favorites popping in and I was thinking about Tien Shinhan, it was an added bonus that Piccolo joined in for the last couple of chapters.

Here's to five stars. This collection of volumes does what Dragonball does best. It can get repetitive, I've seen more ka-me-ha-me-ha waves here than anywhere else. In terms of plot we don't really get started on anything until the end. Still, we have another selection of characters added to the roster, this volume was not as perverted as the series can turn out, and it contains the whole 22nd Strongest Under the Heavens tournament. I'd say this is one of the best Toriyama has under his belt. Hoping for more, so I'm up, out and on to the next!

[Matthew Brady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another super-fun set of volumes of Dragon Ball, with these ones focusing on the next installment of the Strongest Under the Heavens martial arts tournament, which sees a whole new level of awesome fights between the various characters, culminating in a battle between Goku and the student of a rival of the Turtle Master. I love the way Akira Toriyama depicts the martial arts battles in this series, with characters in constant motion, bouncing off different surfaces and flying through the air at great speed, then pausing to shoot beams of energy at each other. It's all highly entertaining, and each new fight sees innovative ideas and an increasing scale of strength and ability. I'm excited to see how the series continues to scale up the conflicts, which I think eventually move to a planetary scale and beyond. It's a classic shonen manga formula for a reason, and it's all really fun stuff. More, please.

[Desmond Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of Dragon Ball is a true turning point where the story really gets good. Starting with the 22nd Tenka’ichi Budōkai. There we are introduced to Tenshinhan who is a menacing fighter who truly the best rival he’s had (so far). He has a short character arc where he learns to love a good fight a decided to no longer train to be an assassin. Dragon ball had so many cool characters who fall to the sideline later in the series and is why I love coming back to the beginning where these lovable characters were introduced. The ending of the manga ends on the Demon King Piccolo arc which might be my favorite arc in the series and Demon King Piccolo is the best villain in the whole franchise. The time he was added to the story he was like the first truly threatening character. Killing Kuririn, gathering most of the Dragon Ball and beating Goku with no trouble. I’m super excited to revisit the next three in one and see more of my favorite Dragon Ball characters!!

[Jonas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Piccolo arc has been the most enjoyable of the series by far. I've had a great time. The perverted humor is all but gone, but we still get plenty of great jokes. Being somewhat familiar with Z, I always wondered why Piccolo was named that. Turns out it's just an instrument theme/joke- Piccolo's "children" were all named after instruments too, drum, tambourine...

The final confrontation between Goku and Piccolo is just excellent. Goku's power boost does feel a little undeserved. First he climbs Korin's tower and is told if he drinks the magic water, he'll receive a power boost. But really, it's the training process of trying to get the magic water from the martial expert Korin that enhances his power. That was smart.

Well, it turns out there actually was a magic potion also. It's just so potent it usually kills the drinker, but they'd probably get a power boost if they survived. Later this works with the Saiyan lore of how those aliens power up every time they almost die, but that lore didn't exist yet. Toriyama is just making this crap up as he goes. On the one hand, it shows. But for something so spontaneous, the story is still so readable and fun. It isn't particularly deep, but it is entertaining. And silly, knowingly. Despite all this, it has some great panels and I always find myself reading more than I intend to.

[rhysciar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
This is where DB gets interesting. Enter the Demon King Piccolo, an alien looking evil guy. I just love this arc, this one foreshadows Namek, and the feel of Dragon Ball Z, which I just adore.
In this volume Tenshinhan is introduced, and I was surprised to see he started off as a somewhat evil guy. Yamcha and Kuririn got stronger, but still, in this volume we are faced with our first death scene. I think this made the whole series a litt bit darker, but IMO it suits it.

[Hew La France · Rating 5 out of 5]

These three volumes are definitely indicators of Toriyama wanting to move the series to more of a fighting manga. I would never say volumes 1-9 are bad; they're certainly not! However, 10 REALLY held my attention, as did eleven. And Twelve just had this outstanding feeling of danger for the characters, and really felt cinematic.

[Eggs Benedictis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I continue to thoroughly enjoy the Dragonball series. I especially enjoy these 3 in 1 volumes which I feel are such great value.

This volume centres around the next Tenkaichi Budokai tournament which involves all of Master Roshi’s disciples and the student of his rival the Crane master. This volume not only features the first appearance of Tien
and Chouzu, but also Piccolo the Demon King.

I look forward to reading volume 5.

[Sam Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toriyama is a master of his craft.

The fights scene are fluid and easy to read.

The paneling is top notch!

The art is amazing.

And the transition from the end of the tournament to the new arc was mind-blowing.

A must read for any dragon ball fans. Especially those who started with Z or Super and never read og dragon ball.

[David Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume sees another "strongest under the heavens" martial arts tournament, and the introduction of Piccolo. I'd previously only seen the anime adaptation of Dragon Ball Z, so it's kind of surprising to see him here as a big bad. I love that Goku just keeps getting stronger, like it's his job or something.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

The series actually seems to be going somewhere after a long stretch of (admittedly fun) noodling. Goku started having power creep issues, but this rights the balance again for now. I love all the goofy bug-eyed reaction shots.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's where it starts gettin' good.

[Ruben Monteiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just pure fun. I love this.

[PBNightmare · Rating 4 out of 5]

While still a great volume you can see where the series is starting to shift away from comedy and adventure to just battles.

[Jordan Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great Dragonball. I'll be continuing on :)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ksenia B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of amazing action panels.

[Jorge Pinto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool.