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Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール] #7
Dragon Ball, Vol. 7: General Blue And The Pirate Treasure
Only Goku, Bulma and Kuririn stand between the Red Ribbon Army and the seven Dragon Balls which can grant any wish in the world! Using a submarine loaned by Kame-Sen'nin, the heroic trio explores a pirate's undersea cave in search of the next Dragon Ball, but gun-toting bad guys are on their tail! Now they must face not only perilous pirate traps but the sinister General Blue, a martial artist with powers even Goku doesn't have! Can they escape the cave alive? As the battle continues, Goku and General Blue go to Penguin Village, the home of the weird scientist Dr. Slump and one of the strangest places on Earth!
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 1987
173 people are currently reading
2126 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,916 books1,725 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 145 reviews
May 22, 2025
PT Son Goku continua a sua busca pela terceira Dragon Ball, com o General Blue do Exército Red Ribbon no seu encalço.
Pelo caminho, temos um divertido crossover com personagens de Dr. Slump, outra série de culto de Akira Toriyama.
No final: General Yellow e a lendária Torre Karin.
--
EN Son Goku continues his quest for the third Dragon Ball, with General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army hot on his trail.
Along the way, we get a fun crossover with characters from Dr. Slump, another beloved series by Akira Toriyama.
At the end: General Yellow and the legendary Karin Tower.
Pelo caminho, temos um divertido crossover com personagens de Dr. Slump, outra série de culto de Akira Toriyama.
No final: General Yellow e a lendária Torre Karin.
--
EN Son Goku continues his quest for the third Dragon Ball, with General Blue of the Red Ribbon Army hot on his trail.
Along the way, we get a fun crossover with characters from Dr. Slump, another beloved series by Akira Toriyama.
At the end: General Yellow and the legendary Karin Tower.
April 21, 2024
The Dr. Slump crossover is admittedly fun, although confusing haha
August 17, 2014
Well, as with all great multi-volume stories, Dragon Ball finally hits a (Dr) slump with its seventh volume.
The Red Ribbon Army are targeting Son Goku and friends with a small group surrounding the Turtle Master’s house and another group, led by General Blue, pursuing Son Goku, Kuririn, and Bulma underwater.
The first half of the book is this weak pirate-themed story as Goku goes through an unremarkable cave system to battle a xenomorph-looking robot and a talking octopus. And if you thought “pirate” meant wooden ships and eye-patches, think again as these pirates had an underwater hideout to rival a Bond villain’s!
General Blue’s not that great a character either - Akira Toriyama seems to be making his power-set up as he goes along. One minute he’s this tough hand-to-hand combat fighter when fighting Kuririn but then he goes up against Goku who of course kicks his butt, so suddenly he has this psychic power which can freeze him to the spot! Then later on he has this even more bizarre “rope power” which ensnares the group long enough for him to steal the dragon balls and escape! It’s like… wha…?
The second half of the book sees Goku chasing Blue into somewhere called Penguin Village, which I gather is the setting of Toriyama’s previous series, Dr Slump. My knowledge of Toriyama’s work begins and ends with Dragon Ball so seeing his older characters may be exciting for fans of Dr Slump but not for me.
And though Dragon Ball’s not exactly an edgy series - it’s child-friendly for the most part - compared to Dr Slump, it’s like a Garth Ennis book! The characters in Dr Slump are just soooo cutesy-wutesy, from the floating genius baby who can telepathically make machines, to the little happy power girl, and the twins wearing animal hats who are also super-super-upbeat about everything; eesh, it’s so sickeningly sweet!
But there are lots of great Goku moments throughout, especially when he’s fighting Blue and a rat inadvertently gives him an opening that allows him to momentarily beat him. When the cave starts to fall in, he saves the rat because the rat saved him - that’s how good-hearted a person he is.
And the “Superman” parody scene was brilliant too - seeing the little “Clark Kent” character dash off into a conveniently placed phone box to change into Suppa-Man was so funny.
Volume 7 is definitely the weakest addition to the series so far, but with the Dr Slump fan service/back-patting (hopefully) over and done with, things can only get better here on out as Goku continues his quest to get his grandpa’s four-star dragon ball before the Red Ribbon Army.
The Red Ribbon Army are targeting Son Goku and friends with a small group surrounding the Turtle Master’s house and another group, led by General Blue, pursuing Son Goku, Kuririn, and Bulma underwater.
The first half of the book is this weak pirate-themed story as Goku goes through an unremarkable cave system to battle a xenomorph-looking robot and a talking octopus. And if you thought “pirate” meant wooden ships and eye-patches, think again as these pirates had an underwater hideout to rival a Bond villain’s!
General Blue’s not that great a character either - Akira Toriyama seems to be making his power-set up as he goes along. One minute he’s this tough hand-to-hand combat fighter when fighting Kuririn but then he goes up against Goku who of course kicks his butt, so suddenly he has this psychic power which can freeze him to the spot! Then later on he has this even more bizarre “rope power” which ensnares the group long enough for him to steal the dragon balls and escape! It’s like… wha…?
The second half of the book sees Goku chasing Blue into somewhere called Penguin Village, which I gather is the setting of Toriyama’s previous series, Dr Slump. My knowledge of Toriyama’s work begins and ends with Dragon Ball so seeing his older characters may be exciting for fans of Dr Slump but not for me.
And though Dragon Ball’s not exactly an edgy series - it’s child-friendly for the most part - compared to Dr Slump, it’s like a Garth Ennis book! The characters in Dr Slump are just soooo cutesy-wutesy, from the floating genius baby who can telepathically make machines, to the little happy power girl, and the twins wearing animal hats who are also super-super-upbeat about everything; eesh, it’s so sickeningly sweet!
But there are lots of great Goku moments throughout, especially when he’s fighting Blue and a rat inadvertently gives him an opening that allows him to momentarily beat him. When the cave starts to fall in, he saves the rat because the rat saved him - that’s how good-hearted a person he is.
And the “Superman” parody scene was brilliant too - seeing the little “Clark Kent” character dash off into a conveniently placed phone box to change into Suppa-Man was so funny.
Volume 7 is definitely the weakest addition to the series so far, but with the Dr Slump fan service/back-patting (hopefully) over and done with, things can only get better here on out as Goku continues his quest to get his grandpa’s four-star dragon ball before the Red Ribbon Army.
March 20, 2023
Yeah, this series is just a lot of fun. Here the gang in search of a Dragon Ball underwater with the Red Ribbon gang on their tail, run into a hidden underwater pirate fortress! Goku nearly meets his match against the powerful General Blue.
The adventure takes Goku to Penguin Village where we meet Akira's previous manga creation Dr. Slump. I'm not familiar with that manga, but you can tell the characters are from a manga of a different style than Dragon Ball. It's a bit of a weird fit, but that weirdness works in a Dragon Ball story.
The adventure takes Goku to Penguin Village where we meet Akira's previous manga creation Dr. Slump. I'm not familiar with that manga, but you can tell the characters are from a manga of a different style than Dragon Ball. It's a bit of a weird fit, but that weirdness works in a Dragon Ball story.
December 9, 2020
This was another great volume, here the focus is on Bulma and Goku and Krillin going on to find the 3rd dragon ball and they are in some cave and have to swim in the shores while being chased by General Blue and who presents a challenge to them and shenanigans and fights happen between them which is so fun to read and then they come to Master Roshi house and again attacked by General Blue. There is a great part after escaping from there, Goku chases after him and meets Dr Slump, another oone of Akira Toriyama's creations and I am loving the continuity between them. Its a fun battle and as Goku gets those balls again and goes after the fourth one! Next up: The Assassin "Taopaipai"!
December 20, 2022
Who doesn't love a good old pirate treasure hunt??
No complaints from me here.
ONWARDS!
No complaints from me here.
ONWARDS!
October 3, 2022
Goku, Bulma and Krillin go on another adventure to find the dragon balls, full of silliness, wacky humor and action. There's a subplot involving a crossover with Akira's previous series, which I didn't think was executed well and didn't enjoy very much.
February 21, 2021
I see the Penguin Village side-trip in a whole different light than I used to, now that I've read Dr. Slump as well. I do wish they'd published that in Finnish at some point.
March 29, 2021
5/10 stars
Eh, could've been better. The crossover attempts seemed a bit lazy to me, a Deus ex Machina solution that is designed mainly to introduce old characters from other series. Fortunately, the crossover is short.
I don't find Blue funny or compelling as a villain - again, some weird skills with ropes and mind control seem just lazy, especially considering Toriyama's earlier ideas.
Glad to have snatched an omnibus version, I can already start vol. 8! :D
Eh, could've been better. The crossover attempts seemed a bit lazy to me, a Deus ex Machina solution that is designed mainly to introduce old characters from other series. Fortunately, the crossover is short.
I don't find Blue funny or compelling as a villain - again, some weird skills with ropes and mind control seem just lazy, especially considering Toriyama's earlier ideas.
Glad to have snatched an omnibus version, I can already start vol. 8! :D
April 20, 2016
True Rating: 4.5 Stars
Goku and Bulma arrive to Master Roshi's Island and he gets to reunite with Kuririn, Lunch, Turtle, and Master Roshi. Kuririn wants to tag along with his friend again and Master Roshi is kind enough to loan his plane/submarine to them in order to pursue for the Dragon Ball. The downside of it all is that Bulma left the dragon balls on the island and the Red Ribbon Army has found their location. They believed that Master Roshi is the inventor of the radar and oblivious to the fact that he is a powerful fighter because of his old man appearance. The general who is in charge of that region is called General Blue and he decides to split his men into two teams (A & B), one would follow Goku and the gang while the other attacks the island.
Since Master Roshi is powerful there is nothing to worry as he defeats the entire team using his martial arts technique. But for Goku and the rest, they are in a danger zone as they discovered that the Dragon Ball is hidden in an underwater cave. General Blue follows them and tries to attack them but realizes that the cave will collapse so instead he gives the misleading impression that they have left Goku alone. While they find the dragon ball and the rumored buried treasure, General Blue plans to attack and steal everything the gang has achieved.
Kuririn and Bulma find the hidden treasure and General Blue decides to attack. Since Kuririn is the only fighter available, he decides to battle Blue and sadly gets his ass kicked. I believe the reason why this happen is because he hasn't continued his training. By staying on the island with Master Roshi and not working out, he has returned to the fighter he was before and unable to defeat Blue.
Luckily for the gang, Goku found them and beats the day lights out of Blue and finds the hidden dragon ball. Unfortunately the cave is collapsing and now time is in the essence. After coming close to death, the gang escape and return to Master Roshi. General Blue survived the cave incident and follows them and is able to paralyze everyone and steal the dragon balls and the radar. Now Goku is mad and when he gets untied, he goes on the dangerous mission of retrieving everything that Blue has stolen.
What I was disappointed for a few pages was that Akira tried to bring Dr. Slump (another series of his) into this manga and did a terrible job of incorporating them into the storyline. This entire manga has this phenomenal pace that left me on the edge of the seat and then out of nowhere it felt abrupt and brought these characters who I have no idea who they are or care for that matter.
While Goku is attack General Blue in the air, Dr. Slump and the rest of gang witness this in the sky and wonder what that is all about. General Blue makes Goku fall to the ground but he fails to pay attention and his plane crashes. He manages to escape the crime scene but needs to find an airplane to escape. Goku meets Dr. Slump and his crew and they help him repair the radar again in order to find General Blue. Since Dr. Slump is the only one with an airplane, General Blue shows up.
They get into a major fight but Dr. Slump robotic girl invention wrestles with General Blue and sends him faraway from Penguin Village. Goku retrieves the dragon balls, but he lost the radar since it was in Blue's pocket. Dr. Slump makes him a new one and now he is off towards finding the next dragon ball. If it weren't for Dr. Slump storyline, it would have been amazing manga as usual.
To check out all my reviews visit http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com
Goku and Bulma arrive to Master Roshi's Island and he gets to reunite with Kuririn, Lunch, Turtle, and Master Roshi. Kuririn wants to tag along with his friend again and Master Roshi is kind enough to loan his plane/submarine to them in order to pursue for the Dragon Ball. The downside of it all is that Bulma left the dragon balls on the island and the Red Ribbon Army has found their location. They believed that Master Roshi is the inventor of the radar and oblivious to the fact that he is a powerful fighter because of his old man appearance. The general who is in charge of that region is called General Blue and he decides to split his men into two teams (A & B), one would follow Goku and the gang while the other attacks the island.
Since Master Roshi is powerful there is nothing to worry as he defeats the entire team using his martial arts technique. But for Goku and the rest, they are in a danger zone as they discovered that the Dragon Ball is hidden in an underwater cave. General Blue follows them and tries to attack them but realizes that the cave will collapse so instead he gives the misleading impression that they have left Goku alone. While they find the dragon ball and the rumored buried treasure, General Blue plans to attack and steal everything the gang has achieved.
Kuririn and Bulma find the hidden treasure and General Blue decides to attack. Since Kuririn is the only fighter available, he decides to battle Blue and sadly gets his ass kicked. I believe the reason why this happen is because he hasn't continued his training. By staying on the island with Master Roshi and not working out, he has returned to the fighter he was before and unable to defeat Blue.
Luckily for the gang, Goku found them and beats the day lights out of Blue and finds the hidden dragon ball. Unfortunately the cave is collapsing and now time is in the essence. After coming close to death, the gang escape and return to Master Roshi. General Blue survived the cave incident and follows them and is able to paralyze everyone and steal the dragon balls and the radar. Now Goku is mad and when he gets untied, he goes on the dangerous mission of retrieving everything that Blue has stolen.
What I was disappointed for a few pages was that Akira tried to bring Dr. Slump (another series of his) into this manga and did a terrible job of incorporating them into the storyline. This entire manga has this phenomenal pace that left me on the edge of the seat and then out of nowhere it felt abrupt and brought these characters who I have no idea who they are or care for that matter.
While Goku is attack General Blue in the air, Dr. Slump and the rest of gang witness this in the sky and wonder what that is all about. General Blue makes Goku fall to the ground but he fails to pay attention and his plane crashes. He manages to escape the crime scene but needs to find an airplane to escape. Goku meets Dr. Slump and his crew and they help him repair the radar again in order to find General Blue. Since Dr. Slump is the only one with an airplane, General Blue shows up.
They get into a major fight but Dr. Slump robotic girl invention wrestles with General Blue and sends him faraway from Penguin Village. Goku retrieves the dragon balls, but he lost the radar since it was in Blue's pocket. Dr. Slump makes him a new one and now he is off towards finding the next dragon ball. If it weren't for Dr. Slump storyline, it would have been amazing manga as usual.
To check out all my reviews visit http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com
February 17, 2017
Ech, Armia Czerwonej Wstęgi zawsze mnie wkurzała.
Ale pojawia się wreszcie kraina Karin! :D
Ale pojawia się wreszcie kraina Karin! :D
February 25, 2016
I decided to read this book because I have read one before and it was a fantastic book.
I liked this book because there is lots of adventure and characters
I learnt that there is an underground base made by pirates and Goku has found it as he runs away from the enemies.
The underground base holds a boat which by the look of it was a pirate ship, and in the base holds 2 dragon balls, but who will get it first Goku or Genral blue
I liked this book because there is lots of adventure and characters
I learnt that there is an underground base made by pirates and Goku has found it as he runs away from the enemies.
The underground base holds a boat which by the look of it was a pirate ship, and in the base holds 2 dragon balls, but who will get it first Goku or Genral blue
December 8, 2023
3,5⭐/5
Kolejna przygoda Son Goku i przyjaciół z Armią Czerwonej Wstęgi. Ponownie mogę napisać, że jest to bardzo schematyczna, drażniąca historia, jednak nie widzę w tym sensu, bo mangi ze świata Dragon Balla wzbudzają we mnie wielki sentyment. Są zwyczajną, bardzo ciekawą rozrywką, do której się przyzwyczaiłam oglądając te akcje w anime. Czasem mega wkurzają mnie bohaterowie i to, jak niejasno zostali opisani, nie są statyczni w swoich działaniach i często gubią swój charakter, nie uczą się na swoich błędach, ale warto o tym zapomnieć i zatracić się po prostu w tym świecie. Drażniące są również stereotypy, które autor w mandze powiela, ale zważywszy na czas wydania całej serii, zupełnie nie dziwią. Motyw Armii Czerwonej Wstęgi jest jednym z tych, które najmniej lubię, ale znowu, komiks czyta się/ogląda niezwykle szybko i zwyczajnie nie nudzi nawet na chwilę, więc jest to mega fajna rozrywka i sądzę, że warto poznać się z historią dzielnego, opiekuńczego Goku.
Kolejna przygoda Son Goku i przyjaciół z Armią Czerwonej Wstęgi. Ponownie mogę napisać, że jest to bardzo schematyczna, drażniąca historia, jednak nie widzę w tym sensu, bo mangi ze świata Dragon Balla wzbudzają we mnie wielki sentyment. Są zwyczajną, bardzo ciekawą rozrywką, do której się przyzwyczaiłam oglądając te akcje w anime. Czasem mega wkurzają mnie bohaterowie i to, jak niejasno zostali opisani, nie są statyczni w swoich działaniach i często gubią swój charakter, nie uczą się na swoich błędach, ale warto o tym zapomnieć i zatracić się po prostu w tym świecie. Drażniące są również stereotypy, które autor w mandze powiela, ale zważywszy na czas wydania całej serii, zupełnie nie dziwią. Motyw Armii Czerwonej Wstęgi jest jednym z tych, które najmniej lubię, ale znowu, komiks czyta się/ogląda niezwykle szybko i zwyczajnie nie nudzi nawet na chwilę, więc jest to mega fajna rozrywka i sądzę, że warto poznać się z historią dzielnego, opiekuńczego Goku.
April 19, 2023
Very Indiana Jones. Very pulpy in this volume. Heavier on the exploration and adventure than the long drawn out fight sequences, and that's a good shift to keep things interesting. Although it's Goku vs. the telekinetic Red Ribbon Army guy the whole time, it's not just a drawn out fight scene between them. They globe trot all over and face off in various locales. Fun stuff!
October 2, 2017
This volume was a little bit of everything. You can also tell that the plot lines are getting a little more serious and a lot less fun. Not that fun is bad but I think Dragon Ball shines when the plot is more life on the line rather then objective, if that makes sense.
May 10, 2022
The Red Ribbon army continue to be fun antagonists and they make this series truly feel like a classic adventure!
June 20, 2022
A Red Ribbon aumentou o grau de dificuldade com o general Blue e a perseguição pelas esferas do dragão foi bem frenética. Mas o que eu mais gostei nesse volume foi revisitar a vila Pinguim e a Arale!
November 19, 2023
#7 is less entertaining than the earlier mangas, but I still enjoyed it enough to continue collecting the series.
April 2, 2024
El viejo pervertido sigue siendo viejo pervertido, pero que lindo recordar
July 26, 2025
Arte e argumento com magistral competência e dinamismo. O humanismo reflete-se no humor e dinamismo das personagens.
July 1, 2024
Super
December 22, 2023
3.5/5
didnt enjoy the weird forced inclusion of all the dr slump characters
didnt enjoy the weird forced inclusion of all the dr slump characters
January 6, 2023
This felt a little lackluster compared to the one before it. To sum up the volume would be to say it's a chase scene. The whole manga felt like the heroes are being chase, then they chase the villain. It felt very repetitive. But the artwork and location make up for some of it.
May 5, 2015
For some reason, Toriyama's art and even his storytelling is starting to remind me of Carl Barks. Am I just going crazy from prolonged Dragon Ball exposure, or does anyone else see it too? Highlight of this volume for me was the brief appearance of the Dr. Slump cast! It was fun to see Toriyama playing with the respective universes and poking fun at himself.
September 3, 2017
La lucha contra Red Ribbon se hace un poco larga, pero al menos el General Blue es un poco menos inutil que los otros oficiales y soldados hasta ahora. Me gustó particularmente la parte en Villa Pingüino y la inclusión de los personajes de Dr. Slump, y como Toriyama encuentra formas totalmente forzadas y divertidas de que muchos de ellos aparezcan en la historia.
August 19, 2015
I grew up with this story and I'll keep reading/watching it whenever I can because why not? :)
December 17, 2021
Goku is an eccentric monkey-tailed boy with superhuman strength and boundless energy. His life of peaceful solitude is interrupted one day when he meets Bulma, a feisty young lady on the hunt for mysterious wish-granting orbs known as Dragon Balls. Accompanied by a group of zany companions, the two team up on a grand adventure full of all kinds of intense battles, dangerous villains and whacky hijinks.
Now this was a blast of nostalgia! Dragon Ball was the first anime I ever watched as a dorky little toddler. I remember watching it every week with my big brother. I watched the reruns multiple times and owned all the Budokai and Tenkaichi fighting games. I developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Dragon Ball Z throughout my middle school years. While I don't like the series nearly as much as I once did, I'm very thankful toward this series for introducing me to the wonderful world of anime and manga. After Dragon Ball, I watched Ghibli, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket and dozens of others. I then went on to discover some of my all time favorite series like Berserk, Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Gantz, Battle Royale, Attack on Titan, Vagabond, Blade of the Immortal, Parasyte, Goodnight Punpun and more. Dragon Ball made me a fan of this medium and it felt great to re-experience the series from beginning to end for the first time in twenty years.
The story and characters are simple, but the series is easy to read, hilarious and wholesome in spite of the constant action. The series starts off as a raunchy, self-aware slapstick comedy full of fourth-wall breaking, sexual innuendos and surprisingly dirty jokes. This series was definitely edgy for its time considering it was geared towards a young audience. A lot of the perverted humor and gag comedy wouldn't fly too well with modern sensibilities, but it can be pretty funny for people who don't get offended easily and can handle some outdated mannerisms and attitudes from the past.
While the series does start off as a comedy gag reel, it slowly develops into a more serious streamlined plot with better written characters and villains. The story never really blooms into anything worth writing home about, but it remains consistently entertaining and fun to read. The interactions between Goku and his pals is always funny, even the way he plays around with his enemies is comical. If I remember as well as I think I do, I believe the maturity of the story and characters improve much more in the sequel series which I'll eventually get around to reviewing at some point. The original Dragon Ball ends on a great battle sequence that sets up the more serious tone of Dragon Ball Z.
My only major complaint about the overall story is the Dragon Balls make things way too convenient and removes the stakes and consequences of literally everything. If a major character dies they can just be wished back. This removes any sense of drama or tension from the battles and the consequences of the villains actions becomes moot. The series doesn't take itself too seriously and often pokes fun at itself, but the way the Dragon Balls are utilized are just a little too much in my opinion. Even comedies need a certain amount of suspension and stakes to make me care about what's going on.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
Now this was a blast of nostalgia! Dragon Ball was the first anime I ever watched as a dorky little toddler. I remember watching it every week with my big brother. I watched the reruns multiple times and owned all the Budokai and Tenkaichi fighting games. I developed a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Dragon Ball Z throughout my middle school years. While I don't like the series nearly as much as I once did, I'm very thankful toward this series for introducing me to the wonderful world of anime and manga. After Dragon Ball, I watched Ghibli, Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon, Fruits Basket and dozens of others. I then went on to discover some of my all time favorite series like Berserk, Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Gantz, Battle Royale, Attack on Titan, Vagabond, Blade of the Immortal, Parasyte, Goodnight Punpun and more. Dragon Ball made me a fan of this medium and it felt great to re-experience the series from beginning to end for the first time in twenty years.
The story and characters are simple, but the series is easy to read, hilarious and wholesome in spite of the constant action. The series starts off as a raunchy, self-aware slapstick comedy full of fourth-wall breaking, sexual innuendos and surprisingly dirty jokes. This series was definitely edgy for its time considering it was geared towards a young audience. A lot of the perverted humor and gag comedy wouldn't fly too well with modern sensibilities, but it can be pretty funny for people who don't get offended easily and can handle some outdated mannerisms and attitudes from the past.
While the series does start off as a comedy gag reel, it slowly develops into a more serious streamlined plot with better written characters and villains. The story never really blooms into anything worth writing home about, but it remains consistently entertaining and fun to read. The interactions between Goku and his pals is always funny, even the way he plays around with his enemies is comical. If I remember as well as I think I do, I believe the maturity of the story and characters improve much more in the sequel series which I'll eventually get around to reviewing at some point. The original Dragon Ball ends on a great battle sequence that sets up the more serious tone of Dragon Ball Z.
My only major complaint about the overall story is the Dragon Balls make things way too convenient and removes the stakes and consequences of literally everything. If a major character dies they can just be wished back. This removes any sense of drama or tension from the battles and the consequences of the villains actions becomes moot. The series doesn't take itself too seriously and often pokes fun at itself, but the way the Dragon Balls are utilized are just a little too much in my opinion. Even comedies need a certain amount of suspension and stakes to make me care about what's going on.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
May 19, 2020
Nachdem Son Goku nun schon einige Dragonballs gefunden hat, macht er sich nun mit seinen Freunden Kuririn und Bilma auf den Weg, um endlich den Dragonball mit den vier Sternen zu finden, der einst seinem Großvater gehört hat. Dabei müssen sie sich durch ein ehemaliges Piratenversteck bewegen, welches ein Labyrinth aus tödlichen Fallen ist. Doch dort unten lauern nicht nur grauenhafte Fallen, sondern auch General Blue der Red Ribbon Armee, der es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat ebenfalls die Dragonballs für seinen Boss zu finden. Als es zu einem Kampf zwischen ihm und den Freunden kommt, muss Son Goku bald feststellen, dass General Blue ein ernst zu nehmender Gegner ist, der sich mit allen Wassern gewaschen hat - denn sein Freund Kuririn hatte nicht einmal den Hauch einer Chance gegen den fiesen General und auch Son Goku hat gegen die fiesen Tricks des Generals ordentlich zu schwitzen.
Wieder einmal begeistert Akira Toriyama mit seiner wunderbaren Geshcichte rund um den kleinen Son Goku und die magischen Dragonballs. Neben ernsteren Szenen, die vor allem durch Kämpfe ausgeschmückt werden, schiebt der Autor immer wieder lustige Szenen nach. So muss die Red Ribbon Armee schnell lernen, dass weder mit Muten Roshi, noch mit seiner Haushaltshilfe Lunch gut Kirschen essen ist. Auch die Dialoge zwischen Blue und Son Goku sind sehr witzig gehalten und auch Kuririn und Bulma scheuen nicht davor zurück gepfefferte Kommentare von sich zu geben. Die Idee mit dem Piratenversteck finde ich persönlich klasse. Hier kann der Autor wieder einmal zeigen, was er drauf hat. Die Fallen sind sehr einfallsreich und auch die Gestaltung des Piratenverstecks ist fernab jeglicher romantischer Vorstellungen, sondern schon der Neuzeit angepasst. Ich finde es immer wieder interessant, wie der Autor es schafft, Altes und Neuzeitliches miteinander zu verbinden.
Son Goku als Protagonist kommt in diesem Band wieder sehr unbeschwert, aber auch sehr vorlaut gegenüber seinen Gegnern daher. Er ist sich seiner Sache wirklich sehr sicher.Trotzdem muss er für sich selbst erkennen, dass er Blue als Gegner nicht ernst genug genommen hat. Für Son Goku steht fest, dass er stärker werden muss.
Empfehlen möchte ich den Manga weiterhin allen, die Dragonball bis jetzt auch wirklich klasse fanden. Es ist wirklich ein guter Einstieg in die Problematik des Mangalesens und vor allem für Jungen und auch Mädchen sehr gut geeignet. Dragonball ist einfach ein Muss in jedem Bücherregal!
Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 355173299X
ISBN-13: 978-3551732996
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,6 x 2 x 17,5 cm
Wieder einmal begeistert Akira Toriyama mit seiner wunderbaren Geshcichte rund um den kleinen Son Goku und die magischen Dragonballs. Neben ernsteren Szenen, die vor allem durch Kämpfe ausgeschmückt werden, schiebt der Autor immer wieder lustige Szenen nach. So muss die Red Ribbon Armee schnell lernen, dass weder mit Muten Roshi, noch mit seiner Haushaltshilfe Lunch gut Kirschen essen ist. Auch die Dialoge zwischen Blue und Son Goku sind sehr witzig gehalten und auch Kuririn und Bulma scheuen nicht davor zurück gepfefferte Kommentare von sich zu geben. Die Idee mit dem Piratenversteck finde ich persönlich klasse. Hier kann der Autor wieder einmal zeigen, was er drauf hat. Die Fallen sind sehr einfallsreich und auch die Gestaltung des Piratenverstecks ist fernab jeglicher romantischer Vorstellungen, sondern schon der Neuzeit angepasst. Ich finde es immer wieder interessant, wie der Autor es schafft, Altes und Neuzeitliches miteinander zu verbinden.
Son Goku als Protagonist kommt in diesem Band wieder sehr unbeschwert, aber auch sehr vorlaut gegenüber seinen Gegnern daher. Er ist sich seiner Sache wirklich sehr sicher.Trotzdem muss er für sich selbst erkennen, dass er Blue als Gegner nicht ernst genug genommen hat. Für Son Goku steht fest, dass er stärker werden muss.
Empfehlen möchte ich den Manga weiterhin allen, die Dragonball bis jetzt auch wirklich klasse fanden. Es ist wirklich ein guter Einstieg in die Problematik des Mangalesens und vor allem für Jungen und auch Mädchen sehr gut geeignet. Dragonball ist einfach ein Muss in jedem Bücherregal!
Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 355173299X
ISBN-13: 978-3551732996
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,6 x 2 x 17,5 cm
not-gonna-read
August 6, 2025Okay I'm just going to get out there and say this but . . . I don't much care for Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z.
Now let me make this perfectly clear. This doesn't mean that I think that the manga or anime of the Dragon Ball franchise is bad. Far from it. I think there's a lot of things to admire about the Dragon Ball franchise. In fact, a lot of famous manga artists have received inspiration from this Shonen manga series. And those artists have written some manga that has increased in popularity all around the world such as Kishimoto's Naruto, Kubo's Bleach, and Oda's One Piece. Which is ironic because those are manga series I really enjoy. Each of these manga take an element from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot.
In a nutshell, this series was kinda of a bore for me but to be fair I kind of expected that from a late 80's-early 90's manga. It has all the elements that you would expect from a manga published in that time frame. The plot is very simple, the action is very cheesy, the comedy is a bit overdone, the characters are simply designed but memorable, and the art definitely has a 90's art style when it comes to the expression of the characters.
The only character I cared for (and remembered) was the main character Goku. He's innocent and the typical hero whose strong and has a good heart but not very bright. He's willing to help his friends because he has a strong will that brings out his powers. There's a lot of things to like about this character and what's more interesting is that you can see different characters from other manga that resemble a few traits from Goku that basically became a norm for main leads in Shonen manga. The few examples that I can come up with at the top of my head are Luffy from One Piece, Naruto from Naruto, and Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star who mostly portrays the 'manly' appearance and strength that Goku possesses and displays within the series.
With all that's been said, I still think it's an admirable series despite my personal feelings towards it. It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. So there are some things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.
So if you're going to take something from this review, just remember the fact that Dragon Ball has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.
Now let me make this perfectly clear. This doesn't mean that I think that the manga or anime of the Dragon Ball franchise is bad. Far from it. I think there's a lot of things to admire about the Dragon Ball franchise. In fact, a lot of famous manga artists have received inspiration from this Shonen manga series. And those artists have written some manga that has increased in popularity all around the world such as Kishimoto's Naruto, Kubo's Bleach, and Oda's One Piece. Which is ironic because those are manga series I really enjoy. Each of these manga take an element from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot.
In a nutshell, this series was kinda of a bore for me but to be fair I kind of expected that from a late 80's-early 90's manga. It has all the elements that you would expect from a manga published in that time frame. The plot is very simple, the action is very cheesy, the comedy is a bit overdone, the characters are simply designed but memorable, and the art definitely has a 90's art style when it comes to the expression of the characters.
The only character I cared for (and remembered) was the main character Goku. He's innocent and the typical hero whose strong and has a good heart but not very bright. He's willing to help his friends because he has a strong will that brings out his powers. There's a lot of things to like about this character and what's more interesting is that you can see different characters from other manga that resemble a few traits from Goku that basically became a norm for main leads in Shonen manga. The few examples that I can come up with at the top of my head are Luffy from One Piece, Naruto from Naruto, and Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star who mostly portrays the 'manly' appearance and strength that Goku possesses and displays within the series.
With all that's been said, I still think it's an admirable series despite my personal feelings towards it. It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. So there are some things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.
So if you're going to take something from this review, just remember the fact that Dragon Ball has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.
August 25, 2023
Loved it as always. They added two truly powerful villains this time, which gives the battles more stakes. I also like that Goku finally has a worthy objective for collecting the Dragon Balls. The “I’m only interested in my grandpa’s heirloom” thing wouldn’t have been able to carry the story much farther. As always, the art is full of incredible concepts and perfect physicality and motion. The writing is hilarious.
I’m particularly interested to see how they translated the 酸っぱマン character into English, because it’s a very Japanese joke, and the pun wouldn’t really carry over. He’s a mild-mannered Clark Kent type who eats an umeboshi (extremely sour Japanese fruit) and turns into “SUPPAMAN” (“SUPPA” is the Japanese word for ‘sour’), complete with a す on his chest (first letter of “SUPPA”) rather than an ‘S’ and a puckered expression on his lips. I burst out laughing at that one. This series always gets me.
まだめっちゃ面白い。2人の本当の強い敵紹介くれた。戦うは今もっとエモーションあるね。孫悟空の今のドラゴンボールの目的もいい考え
[Note: This review is for the 6th Kanzenban volume, which isn’t listed on Goodreads. For reference, it begins in the pirate cave, and ends when Goku finishes his trial with Karin.]
I’m particularly interested to see how they translated the 酸っぱマン character into English, because it’s a very Japanese joke, and the pun wouldn’t really carry over. He’s a mild-mannered Clark Kent type who eats an umeboshi (extremely sour Japanese fruit) and turns into “SUPPAMAN” (“SUPPA” is the Japanese word for ‘sour’), complete with a す on his chest (first letter of “SUPPA”) rather than an ‘S’ and a puckered expression on his lips. I burst out laughing at that one. This series always gets me.
まだめっちゃ面白い。2人の本当の強い敵紹介くれた。戦うは今もっとエモーションあるね。孫悟空の今のドラゴンボールの目的もいい考え
[Note: This review is for the 6th Kanzenban volume, which isn’t listed on Goodreads. For reference, it begins in the pirate cave, and ends when Goku finishes his trial with Karin.]
Displaying 1 - 30 of 145 reviews