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Dragon Ball Full Color #13

Dragon Ball Full Color: Saiyan Arc, Vol. 1

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Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he's grown up and had a family--he's married, and he has a child, Son Gohan. But what is the real reason for Goku's incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news--Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku's brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth's last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo—archenemies united to save the world!"

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen audiences.

248 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 2014

48 people are currently reading
337 people want to read

About the author

Akira Toriyama

1,916 books1,725 followers
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.

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5 stars
311 (61%)
4 stars
151 (29%)
3 stars
39 (7%)
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1 (<1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
Profile Image for Urbon Adamsson.
1,938 reviews99 followers
July 3, 2025
EN This volume includes all of Volume 1 and roughly half of Volume 2 from the original series in tankōbon format.

The new full-color edition is visually stunning, featuring vibrant colours reminiscent of the palette used in the anime.

In my opinion, this is the ultimate edition of this incredible series. It’s a real shame that Viz Media never released the entire collection in this format for Western audiences.

--

PT Este volume inclui todo o Volume 1 e cerca de metade do Volume 2 da série original no formato tankōbon.

Esta nova edição totalmente a cores é visualmente deslumbrante, com cores vibrantes que fazem lembrar a paleta utilizada no anime.

Na minha opinião, é a edição definitiva desta série incrível. É realmente uma pena que a Viz Media nunca tenha lançado a coleção completa neste formato para o público ocidental.

--

DBZ Vol. 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
DBZ Vol. 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Tiag⊗ the Mutant.
736 reviews30 followers
November 11, 2022
The ultimate edition for collectors, the colored version is a million times better than the original black and white, I mean, why not take advantage of such a colorful series, Dragon Ball just wouldn't be the same without it. I find it extremely silly that both manga readers and publishers continue to be purists about the black and white format, the only reason they do it in Japan is because its cheaper to produce and sell. Color adds a lot of dimension to it, specially in a shonen series. But what's really incredible in the manga version is the pacing, I managed to read the complete Raditz arc as well the training phase in a couple of hours, this would've take me weeks to go through in the anime. I think the art is much more consistent in the manga as well.

Bare in mind though VIZ is publishing the english version in a very slow rate, the first Dragon Ball series is yet to be published and they haven't even finished the Z series, this is very odd since the spanish and italian versions are already available completely.
Profile Image for Zoeisbookhooked.
243 reviews185 followers
January 17, 2021
3 stars. My brother made me read this. He bragged to all his guy friends that his sister is reading them. Because all of his friend’s sisters think it’s stupid and won’t read it.

Me? It was stupid😂 but I mean I’m a reader🤷‍♀️ to be honest it seemed kinda cool when it wasn’t cringey. I thought I’d hate it to be honest. But it was okay I guess. I’m in it just for Peeta Gohan. He reminds me of Jack Jack from the incredibles. Like how at the very end he turns out to be super powerful and all. But like oh gosh. It was cringey at points. But the plot is kinda interesting. But then again I watch basically only action movies so. Full review as a video on my channel coming out soon!
Profile Image for Tomasz.
679 reviews1,042 followers
April 13, 2024
Początek tej sagi nigdy nie był moim ulubionym, chociaż mam sentyment do ekranizacji z filerami- miałem te odcinki na kasetach i oglądałem miliony razy. Porównując do anime to tutaj wszystko idzie trochę zbyt szybko.
Profile Image for Vince.
87 reviews
January 10, 2017
it's like reading the show that I grew up watching
Profile Image for Blake the Book Eater.
1,272 reviews409 followers
May 12, 2022
Finally into the Dragon Ball Z era! And luckily my Viz subscription lets me read the full color arcs! It is absolutely STUNNING in full color and I wish I could’ve read the rest of the series in the same way!

After a time jump, we catch up with Goku who now has a son! And the Saiyans have some to Earth! The stakes are higher then ever, the characters are lovable and fierce as hell. I truly love this series!

4.5/5
Profile Image for Brandon.
1,338 reviews
August 31, 2018
For ages, I was afraid to re-read the content of this volume. I absolutely loved Dragon Ball Z from about 2003 to maybe 2007. It was in 2006 that I began to read the manga, starting from the beginning of the Dragon Ball series, with kid Goku, as the series is meant to be, regardless of VIZ's distinction between both halves of the series. Unfortunately, some time in high school, I somewhat randomly came up with this silly idea that I disliked (no, "hated") the Z chapters, for shitting so hard on the comedic adventure roots, in favor of aliens and power-level bullshit and directionless story arcs.

In 2016, struck with a good bit of nostalgia, I began to re-read Dragon Ball, going with VIZ's "VIZBIG" editions of the original series, up to and including the Piccolo Jr. stuff. I stalled after the second VIZBIG volume, collecting volumes four through six. In my re-visit of the series, I started thinking maybe my figurative glasses were colored with too deep a rose hue, noticing the breakneck pace with which Toriyama burned through his stories, with nothing of any true consequence seeming to happen in any individual volume, because each volume seemed to more or less tell a self-contained story, with time being skipped between mini-arcs simply so that Toriyama might jump to the next story, with little time to breathe in between arcs. I was ever so slightly distraught, being still a little fond for the series's humor, but otherwise having little interest than a somewhat cold appreciation of Toriyama's paneling, an aspect of manga I'd not learned to appreciate previously, and which I felt I only learned to appreciate then because I couldn't summon enough nostalgia to like anything else in the manga.

My plans to continue through the VIZBIG Dragon Ball releases and move on into the "Full Color" releases of the Z chapters were almost aborted. Luckily, my interest in the franchise was renewed in 2017, talking to a new employee at work, about five years younger than me, who loved Naruto as his childhood interest, rather than my own Dragon Ball. Being unable to speak on Naruto's behalf, I instead met his passionate nostalgic gushings with responses of my own tooting the horn of Dragon Ball. Revealing I'd not watched any of Dragon Ball Super because I'd not seen the Resurrection of 'F' movie, shamefully lying about having seen Battle of Gods, I was urged to check out that later film, and so initially watched the earlier one, easily loving it for its return to the comedic roots of Dragon Ball proper. Moved once more to return to reading Dragon Ball, I soon accumulated the later VIZBIG volumes, getting suckerpunched by how much I loved the Tenshinhan arc, and the following Piccolo Sr. arc (even if I believe the transition between the two was a bit abrupt).

Still, I was afraid to jump into the "aliens and power-levels" shit.

After much hesitation, I bit the bullet, and bought the three Full Color volumes of the Saiyan Arc. Raditz still comes out of nowhere, and with him the sci-fi elements that don't work so well with previous chapters. Regardless, this volume is still pretty great, and I guess I just need to deal with how abrupt is the introduction of a long-lost brother from outer space, and all that comes with it. There are too many iconic panels here, and the more I read the more I got flashbacks to the cutscenes from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (curiously, I remember that game much more than the actual anime). It is maybe unfortunate that I wasn't wallowing in so much nostalgia, but I was a wee bit "moved" when Gohan burst out of the Saiyan spacecraft in which he was imprisoned, as well as a bit later on when Gohan woke up to see apples set by Piccolo during his post-Raditz training.

I do look forward to re-reading more of Z.

A note on the book itself, it's definitely very neat that VIZ felt forced to preserve the Japanese sound effects so as not to alter the original art or clutter the panels with translations. Regardless, it seems we're still "censoring" Mr. Popo's lips, even though he's clearly some sort of supernatural being, and not an actual human black man, so why the fuck is it racist?
Profile Image for Darth Reader.
1,115 reviews
September 20, 2015
ハメハメハ!

I LOVED THIS! Also, has anyone else ever realized that Goku is pretty much Japanese Superman?

I laughed so hard when Goku just shows up with Gohan and everyone is like, "Uh, who is that?" And Goku is like, "Oh, this is my son!" Piccolo is also a dick.
Profile Image for Arthur Cravan.
488 reviews25 followers
January 18, 2017
It brings me such great, simple joy. I want to buy them all. It's also great cutting through all the chaff, some time I'll watch that redone series they did that drastically cuts the episode count to closer match the manga.
Profile Image for Index Purga.
750 reviews25 followers
January 29, 2021
Edición argentina, tomo 1 de 3 de la saga, de 32 en total.
Edición fullcolor para kioscos distribuido como coleccionable de La Nación.
CONTENTS
Capítulo 1 Un misterioso guerrero de otro planeta
Capítulo 2 Kakarotto
Capítulo 3 ¡¡El pasado de Son Goku!!
Capítulo 4 Enemigo en común
Capítulo 5 Contra Raditz
Capítulo 6 Un temor jamás sentido
Capítulo 7 La carta secreta de Piccolo
Capítulo 8 Makanko Sappo
Capítulo 9 El último recurso de Son Goku
Capítulo 10 Adiós, Son Goku
Capítulo 11 ¡¡Fuerza en el otro mundo!!
Capítulo 12 Son Gohan y Piccolo Daimaoh
Capítulo 13 Los suspiros de Son Gohan
Capítulo 14 El incidente de la luna llena
Capítulo 15 Un año de cada uno
Capítulo 16 Bestial entrenamiento de padre e hijo
Capítulo 17 Kaioh-sama y la dura vida del muerto Son Goku
Extras:
Enter the Dragon Ball (1ª parte)
7 preguntas y respuestas
Profile Image for Ben Nealis.
588 reviews20 followers
April 5, 2025
The beginning of the Saiyan Saga in full color, it's great a little pricey but worthwhile to have on the shelf. The reason I don't give 5 stars is because it is slightly changed from the other english releases we have had. The larger size definitely makes for a quicker read as with dialogue heavy panels you don't have to squint to read. I'm not a fan of keeping the original kanji when it comes to the sound effects in the panels as I find it slightly distracting. I am also a little disappointed that they never went beyond the namek Saga with the full color editions but that does not pertain to this volume.

All in all a nice pickup if you can find it for cheap but I would advise reading via the three-in-ones.
Profile Image for Casey.
403 reviews8 followers
November 6, 2017
DBZ is without a doubt my favourite anime/manga. I have been a dedicated fan for well over half my life now and with be till the day I die. I remember forging around on the early internet when websites like FF.net and YouTube weren't around. So when you were like me and constantly behind the show (and manga) reading other people's interpretation was a great insight and way to learn about parts of the series that I didn't know very well. Though I have now read the entire original manga series (multiple times) and now that Toriyama has released DBZ super I have yet another thing to catch up with. Hopefully it will always be there changing and updating as time goes by.
Profile Image for Doc.
1,959 reviews30 followers
August 20, 2019
<
I found out about these full color volumes of the Dragonball Z series while fishing for manga at a buy 2 get 1 free sale. Not even looking at the size of the books I thought maybe they added some kind of pastel coloring like those old Iron Marshal comics. Well it is three volumes for the first arc...why not get it in color. After all I read the original series so why not see how Dragonball Z turns out in the books. What I got when the books were delivered was to my surprise a manga comic book. What is that you might ask? imagine a manga with large glossy pages and full bright colors. I had to look closely to make sure it was not one of those Ani-manga where they took scenes from the anime itself and printed it in book format (I'm looking at you Inuyasha.)

Having not read the original Dragonball Z in manga form I am not 100% sure how much quality was retained in colorizing the series but from what I can tell the book looks amazing even retaining the original Japanese sound effects where they did not want to chance ruining part of a scene. If you enjoyed the anime I bet you will enjoy this book too.

Goku's older brother, Raditz unveil the truth about Goku's incredible strength and leads the Dragonball franchise into a cosmic scale as the strongest fighters on Earth must prepare for the inevitable arrival of 2 more Saiyans. Watch the struggle as the champions of Earth overcome their differences so they can overcome Raditz's overwhelming might. This is the beginning of Dragonball Z in full color. :)

One strange thing that I noticed though is Mr Popo seems to have lost his lips. I can understand Viz not wanting to make any fans over in the states upset with a potentially negative stereotype even if Mr Popo is not actually human and is literally black in color. I suppose Viz could have tried making him purple like GameFreak did to Jynx but either way lips or no I still enjoyed the book and will be happy so long as they don't go over board like when 4kids tried making One Piece into a kids show.
82 reviews
Read
August 24, 2020
Version de Ivrea y La Nación. De la historia no debería contar mucho ya que todxs la conocemos. Lo que no imaginaba es que me dejara con tantas ganas de querer leer el siguiente. El color le queda perfecto y, aunque ya se que va a pasar, tengo muchas ganas de ver como lo hizo Toriyama en su tiempo.

Punto en contra: el humor de Toriyama es muy reprochable.
70 reviews
September 24, 2022
A classic arc that started it all for one of one my favourite childhood shows, rendered as a full colour graphic novel. Featuring monkey chase scenes and somewhat questionable treatment of Gohan and the consequent underlying childhood trauma of being left alone on a dinosaur island for a year it must have caused...but hey that's cheeky Piccolo eh. 4.5 stars.
283 reviews1 follower
July 29, 2024
In questo volume iniziale della Saga dei Sayan sul pianeta terra arriva Radish.
Si approfondisce il tema di questa razza aliena che si occupa di conquistare pianeti per poi rivenderli.
Goku apprende da Radish di essere un Sayan, i due sono fratelli ma ingaggeranno un duro scontro che vedrà la sua fine con un grosso sacrificio.

Recensione completa della Saga dei Sayan al termine del volume 3.
Profile Image for Gary M..
Author 3 books24 followers
October 28, 2022
Segundo manga que leo y me gustó mucho revivir la historia de Goku en la saga Sayayin.
Esta edición incluye varios tomos que vienen individuales, tiene mayor formato y está a color. Para terminar la saga son 3 de estos. Buscaré el que viene en la comic con.
2 reviews
October 12, 2025
Fantastic read

This brings back memories from my youth. The artwork and story are amazing. I love that all the fluff and filler from the cartoon series are not included. This is just great storyline and action.
7 reviews
August 13, 2018
The colour (for Canadians) reminds me of the anime. I read this so I don't have to watch it on a screen at night (healthy sleep hygiene).
Profile Image for flaflav.
32 reviews
April 18, 2021
5 stelle sono poche.
Con la scuola di mezzo, i fumetti sono sempre la risposta.
352 reviews6 followers
January 31, 2022
This was an excellent telling of the Dragon Ball Z stories - cannot wait to get my hands on the next copy!
Profile Image for Max McKinnon.
216 reviews7 followers
March 20, 2023
More colors more epic

Wish all of them were in color!

Goku is grown up and has a son Gohan. Raditz comes to Earth.
Profile Image for Kindle Addict.
568 reviews11 followers
July 29, 2023
A reread. Those color editions are really AMAZING, I can’t get enough of them (and wish we all the ARC in color in English)
1 review
October 7, 2024
a classic

One of the best for a reason, doesn’t get much better than classic dragon ball z. Recommended for any fans of the genre
204 reviews
April 25, 2025
4.5⭐️ I remembered the scenes in here as if I had seen them yesterday. The volume it’s a little long so be prepared!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews

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