Dragon Ball, Vol. 2

Dragon Ball #2

by Akira Toriyama

A seminal series from a legendary creator. Dragon Ball, a wry update on the Chinese "Monkey King" myth, introduces us to Son Goku, a young monkey-tailed boy whose quiet life is turned upside-down when he meets Bulma, a girl determined to collect the 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 to get them she needs the help of a certain super-strong boy... Goku has made it to the Tenka'ichi Budokai, the world's #1 martial arts tournament...but even the training of the martial arts master Kame-Sen'nin hasn't prepared him for this. Only seven finalists remain. Will the champion be Goku? His fellow student Kuririn? Yamcha, master of the "Fist of the Wolf Fang"? Fighting woman Ran Fuan? Giran, a rubbery monster who's part dinosaur? Namu, an Indian mystic? Or Jackie Chun, the mysterious old man who may be the toughest fighter of all? There can be only one winner in the wildest, craziest battle ever

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

560 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2008

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

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Goku so much

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid. Completely hooked

[Kelsey Hlavaty (readingwithkelsey) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - This definitely felt more like a filler volume to me despite its length as it ends one arc and opens another. The first arc ending with Strongest Under The Heavens competition felt like a relief as I was growing bored of the length of time we spent battling (a pet peeve of mine despite understanding that I am reading a shonen manga). But I am loving the Red Ribbon arc! Even though it is just a repetition of the first volume with the hunt for dragon balls, it is what I love about this series, so I am happy to be back with the characters searching for them. Obviously, much like with the rest of the series, there are some creepy and sexist jokes that I do need to mention which always limits me fully enjoying the experience.

[Nyam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprei este livro para oferecer ao meu filho pelo seu aniversário. Ele leu-o num instante, depois li-o eu e adorei! Agora falta-me comprar o volume anterior, quero a colecção toda. Cá em casa somos todos fãs do Dragon Ball ♡

[Adam Spanos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful read to zone out and have fun. I love the Dragon ball series and recommend it to every one.

[swag Royale]

its fun 8 man is superior

[João | · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mais um volume incrível das aventuras do Son Goku! 😸💥

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

High on comedy and the pervy stuff really tapered off. I’m really enjoying this series. The sci-fi elements have always been there but I rarely notice them. Capsules that turn into houses or crazy vehicles. Dinosaurs occasionally popping up. Great world building. Fun stuff.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Having become a fan of the TV series first, its nice to be able to enjoy Dragon Ball again. I love the humor and the adventure keeps me reading until I finish within a few days. Definitely recommend for people who were fans of the show.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is mostly the end of the first Budokai tournament and the first half of the Red Ribbon Army arc. Both of these plot lines have been a good mixture of action and comedy.

The end of the Budokai tournament was exciting and well drawn. It had clever action and seeing Goku go up against Jackie Chun was a real treat. I liked all the fights throughout the tournament, as each one felt like a small puzzle that involved clever action or just outright ridiculous solutions.

The Red Ribbon Army stuff has also been amusing and fun. The Muscle Tower was a great little gimmick to have Goku face increasingly tough (and wacky) opponents. I really enjoy the variety of characters, and the Purple Ninja was of special notice. He's so stupid it's glorious. Making Goku count to 30 so he can hide, his illusion technique revealed as just him being a quintuplet. Just full of stupid borderline parody stuff that fits just right in this universe.

I also enjoyed the Frankenstein reference with Mechanical Man No. 8. Who looks like he's just going to be a silly parody of Frankenstein's monster, but actually gets built into a great little side story and character.

On just a more general observation - I love the weird world they've built in this manga. The strange architecture, the different cultures, the weird anthropomorphic animals, and the really neat sci-fi tech. All drawn in Toriyama's iconic clever and cute style. I love that crime gangs, guns, flying motorcycles, ninjas, androids, Chinese mythology, dragons, monkey boys, and martial arts can all coexist and it feels right.

I think that's another thing that Dragon Ball Z missed out on. This weird but engaging mix of fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, comedy, action, and adventure. There's not nearly as much interesting tech, vehicles, weapons, and world building in Z - and it's a shame - cause it really helps make this world feel alive and wacky.

[W Freeman]

Pure whiz bang fun as we follow Son Goku on his solo adventures and going up against the Red Ribbon Army. The true mark of Toriyama’s silly genius is the Frankenstein guy who is actually a very humane android (idea Toriyama would recycle later with Android 16 - whose death scene in the TV show is my first memory of crying at a narrative). Anyways, I was reading this when I heard the news of Toriyama’s passing by strange coincidence. Truthfully I had never in my life felt more devastated by the death of a stranger — perhaps just the outsized influence of his mind on my childhood and own early creativity (all my earliest elementary school drawings are Dragon Ball rips, I even bought a How To Draw Manga book at a Scholastic Book Fair to get closer to the source! Much later in my life I would also co-author an unpublished novel that stole liberally from the Goku / Vegeta dynamic haha). So the removal of that guiding hand from this world really gutted me. In a sense it felt like the pure spirit of the affable and courageous Son Goku himself had passed. But I will end by quoting Tite Kubo, the author of Bleach on Toriyama’s death, “I believe as long as the work exists, the author is not dead. And I believe that getting used to this feeling is proof of the magnitude of the work’s existence that remains in my heart.”

[Trey S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 3in1 volume of dragon ball was also great like the first, I think overall it was pretty much equal to the first in terms of my enjoyment. Where the first one I didn’t care for the pilaf part as much, this one started off slower but got much more engaging with the red ribbon army and their introduction. This didn’t start bad, but it just carried over from the end of the first one kinda so it didn’t feel as fresh. Though that’s not a bad thing at all. It was cool to meet more characters like the army, but also android 8, Bulma’s dad, etc. to see some characters return after being gone since the beginning of the book was great too (characters like yamcha, bulma, Krillin, etc.) I honestly give this one a 4.85 as well as depending on my mood, this or the first one was preferable.

4.85/5

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragon Ball volume 2 is every bit as good as volume one. It’s lighthearted, the characters are lovable, it’s really funny, and it’s action packed.

The story continues on where volume 1 left off as Son Goku is in the Strongest Under the Heavens tournament with Kuririn as they battle Jackie Chun (the turtle master). As they fight they are cheered on by Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar. While the gang doesn’t stay together after the tournament we are introduced to the Red Ribbon army as they try to thwart Son Goku’s quest to get the 4 star dragon ball.

This volume is a ton of fun, the artwork is amazing, and it leaves the reader dying to get his hands on volume 3. Simply amazing manga.

[Joey Amorim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume collects the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai and the beginning of the Red Ribbon Army arc.

The thing that surprised me about this first tournament arc is how well paced the fights are on the page. I worried that they would go by really fast and my imagination would have to fill in a lot of blanks, but Toriyama does an incredible job keeping them detailed and entertaining. The Red Ribbon Army is a bit of a come-down, but still solid so far. This is the era of Dragon Ball that I have the least knowledge of, so I look forward to getting the full context for the humongous shadow they cast throughout Dragon Ball Z and beyond.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not a fan of the perverts and sexualization of young women, but it was certainly toned down compared to the first volume. I talked with some “manga experts” as we jokingly call them at work, and from our understanding, this sort of humor does digress while the “slap stick” comedy aspect remains. So I remain hopeful and will stick to the series, especially as it makes progress over time. Overall, the story was not as engaging as the first, but nevertheless I am hooked and want to know how it ends.

[Harrison Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, one of the characters goes through a werewolf like transformation under a full moon, so the other character's solution is to blow up the moon. This is in the middle of a professional martial arts tournament and everyone just resumes with the match after it happens. It is not event the last time the moon gets blown up in this series.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The manga remains stellar. I don't have much more to say about it. The 21st Tenkaichi Budokai and the Muscle Tower stuff are aces. Toriyama's style is visually gripping and the layering and character work are solid.

[Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The nostalgia rush continues! Such a fun read. I realize that so much of my enjoyment comes from the revisiting of these characters of my childhood but I honestly enjoy the read. They are a nice change of pace from my usual American comic reads. Fast and easy to read.

[Portugal Manga · Rating 5 out of 5]

O humor, a ação e o charme inconfundível de Dragon Ball continuam neste segundo volume da edição portuguesa.
Goku e os seus amigos enfrentam novos desafios numa jornada que mistura aventura clássica com momentos hilariantes e combates icónicos.
Um volume cheio de energia, nostalgia e diversão!

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this a lot more than the first book. Toriyama has seemed to find his rhythm with the story. A few LOL moments with some funny drawings that I had to share with my husband. 😁

[Shayma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is getting better.

[Chad de Lisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to see why Toriyama is as revered as he is.

[Thomas McIlroy III · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had less fun reading this volume, but that may be due to the fact that it was the first time reading these comics, whereas the first volume was composed of books I read as a child. It felt like the story was slapped together with the wrong sections being together. The tournament ending probably should have been with the first volume while the red ribbon army saga should be with the third volume. The first volume made me laugh out loud several times whereas this volume only made me chuckle once, maybe twice. I gave it four stars because I love the characters and still enjoyed the volume, but I was less connected with the story this time. I got volume 3 and will begin reading that, so I'm expecting it to pick back up.

[unknown · Rating 5 out of 5]

finished in 2 hrs😳

[Chuy Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable! Goku ftw!

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cha la head Cha la started playing in my head

[Syed Emir Ashman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny stuff!

[dukester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roshi is such an unhinged perv

[Steven Folden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly so charming and captivating, I had a smile on my face the whole time

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Vizbig compilation of volumes 4, 5, and 6 of Dragon Ball.Although there are some color pages, there are several black and white printings of pages that were originally in color. I find it a bit frustrating that they don't print all of the original color pages as they are supposed to look.

Volume 4 is the Strongest Under the Heavens tournament. Unlike the later Dragon Ball Z era, there's as much slapstick and ridiculousness as there is fighting. There's a girl who strips to give herself an advantage in the fight. Goku flies back into the arena by using his tail as a helicopter.Jackie Chun does a song and dance routine for the audience before his match. And in the first fight of the tournament, from the previous volume, Kuririn is able to defeat a stinky opponent because he has no nose.

The long championship match between Goku and Jackie Chun is entertaining, but it drags on for quite some time. Many chapters. I rooted for Jackie Chun, because Goku probably should have been disqualified sooner.

After that, Volume 5 and 6 get into Goku's quest for his grandfather's four-star dragon ball, and Goku's encounters with the Red Ribbon Army. He defeats Colonel Silver, General White's Muscle Tower, and encounters General Blue at the end of Volume 6. It's always fun to have Goku take unsuspecting bad guys by surprise, and his noble, simple nature is a large part of the appeal of the series. Bulma and Kuririn and Kame Sennin return as supporting characters to join Goku on his quest. A particularly funny chapter is Goku's search for Bulma, where he encounters the city for the first time. Bulma's parents are also really funny.