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Dragon Ball #14
Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 9
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After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the ultimate science fiction/martial arts manga.
Final Volume!
A Collection of Volumes 25 - 26!
Earth's days are numbered indeed! Boo, the indestructible djinn of inconceivable power, has been swinging around Earth like a wrecking ball, knocking down everything in his path and turning everyone into snacks. And that was before he transformed from a childish blob into an evil fighting machine. There's no telling what destruction will rain down now!
The universe's ultimate champions are desperately scheming and training to find a way to stop this abominable bouncy ball. Gohan is undergoing a bizarre training regimen with former Lord of the Lords... but the old guy keeps nodding off! Meanwhile, Trunks and Goten are perfecting their fusion dance in the Room of Spirit and Time to become Super Gotenks, a level 3 Super Saiyan power combo with extra-special hair. But how can they make a dent in a monster that keeps bouncing back? If only there were a way they could bring Goku and Vegeta and their other friends back to Earth... Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to this colossal manga classic!
After years of training and adventure, Goku has become Earth's ultimate warrior. And his son, Gohan, shows even greater promise. But the stakes are increasing as even deadlier enemies threaten the planet. DRAGON BALL Z is the ultimate science fiction/martial arts manga.
Final Volume!
A Collection of Volumes 25 - 26!
Earth's days are numbered indeed! Boo, the indestructible djinn of inconceivable power, has been swinging around Earth like a wrecking ball, knocking down everything in his path and turning everyone into snacks. And that was before he transformed from a childish blob into an evil fighting machine. There's no telling what destruction will rain down now!
The universe's ultimate champions are desperately scheming and training to find a way to stop this abominable bouncy ball. Gohan is undergoing a bizarre training regimen with former Lord of the Lords... but the old guy keeps nodding off! Meanwhile, Trunks and Goten are perfecting their fusion dance in the Room of Spirit and Time to become Super Gotenks, a level 3 Super Saiyan power combo with extra-special hair. But how can they make a dent in a monster that keeps bouncing back? If only there were a way they could bring Goku and Vegeta and their other friends back to Earth... Don't miss the thrilling conclusion to this colossal manga classic!
476 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
15 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,916 books1,729 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.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 20, 2024
What to say that hasn't already been said? Dragon Ball Z is one of the most iconic and consistent manga in history. It never loses sight of the components that make it so great and only builds bigger (and mostly better) with each arc. I've always recommended Dragon Ball Z to people from when I first read it as a kid, and after this re-read, I'm even more happy to be recommending it. Truly a timeless masterpiece, Toriyama struck gold and well and truly delivered.
May 12, 2024
it’s ridiculous, fun and so very iconic
I didn’t think I’d like dragon ball as much as dragon ball z, whether I’d find it too repetitive or just disinterested in the heavy martial arts shift focus, but I was happily surprised!
Toriyama stayed imaginative and engaged, I had a great time!!!
Anecdote: I love gohan and the rest of the littles so much
I didn’t think I’d like dragon ball as much as dragon ball z, whether I’d find it too repetitive or just disinterested in the heavy martial arts shift focus, but I was happily surprised!
Toriyama stayed imaginative and engaged, I had a great time!!!
Anecdote: I love gohan and the rest of the littles so much
March 29, 2021
Honestly, if you liked Dragon Ball or DBZ even a little, you should read these. They're a very different experience from watching the anime, and in many ways, a better one! I expected to like these a bit, and enjoy the nostalgia, but they exceeded my expectations on every level. My favorite thing about them, is that they resolved my main complaint about the anime. That the fights felt like they were very drawn out and took way longer than they needed to! And here, I mean, you can stay on a page as long as you like, but I assure you it doesn't take over an hour to get through a fight on the manga haha
- It was funnier that I expected, laughing out loud countless times.
- I appreciated the art more, and the style differences as the manga went on as a result of reading it vs watching it. I grew to love the simple black and white (mostly white) art style of the manga. And when there was a special chapter in full color, wondering how it'd look in the simplistic black and white of the rest of it.
Honestly, I enjoyed this so much, that I will definitely be reading the entire series again at some point.
- It was funnier that I expected, laughing out loud countless times.
- I appreciated the art more, and the style differences as the manga went on as a result of reading it vs watching it. I grew to love the simple black and white (mostly white) art style of the manga. And when there was a special chapter in full color, wondering how it'd look in the simplistic black and white of the rest of it.
Honestly, I enjoyed this so much, that I will definitely be reading the entire series again at some point.
January 15, 2020
As satisfying a send-off as I could have hoped for. Im glad everyone got a happy ending without it feeling too contrived. I’m a little sad to finally be done with the whole series since starting it last summer, but it was a fun ride. I guess I’ll give the follow-up series a shot at some point, but I need to take a break from Goku & crew for a while.
May 27, 2024
Still the greatest manga of all time.
"Your nose is bleeding. You were better off when you didn't have one." 🥶
"Oops! Sorry about that! Looks like I kept my strength. Ready to fight the world's most powerful candy?" 🥶🥶🥶
"That's why you never kill your enemies." Except, you know, all those Red Ribbon grunts. And Taopaipai. And Black. And Piccolo, Sr. And he intended to kill Freeza, but no one expected him to survive as a cyborg.
Volume 41: Pretty much just Gotenks, ending with Son Gohan failing to catch the Potara.
Volume 42: The rest. Vegetto, Pure Buu, "Peaceful World."
Toriyama starts pushing this idea to subvert the Super Saiyajin transformations this whole arc. SS3 has the wacky hair and weird brow. The kids can get Full Power Super Saiyajin with no problem. Gotenks can go SS3 just because. Son Gohan's Ultimate form has nothing to do with Super Saiyajin, and isn't really even visually distinct as a "transformation" (sometimes the bang over his eyes stays over the left eye in Ultimate, whereas it was mostly over the right in Base).
"Your nose is bleeding. You were better off when you didn't have one." 🥶
"Oops! Sorry about that! Looks like I kept my strength. Ready to fight the world's most powerful candy?" 🥶🥶🥶
"That's why you never kill your enemies." Except, you know, all those Red Ribbon grunts. And Taopaipai. And Black. And Piccolo, Sr. And he intended to kill Freeza, but no one expected him to survive as a cyborg.
Volume 41: Pretty much just Gotenks, ending with Son Gohan failing to catch the Potara.
Volume 42: The rest. Vegetto, Pure Buu, "Peaceful World."
Toriyama starts pushing this idea to subvert the Super Saiyajin transformations this whole arc. SS3 has the wacky hair and weird brow. The kids can get Full Power Super Saiyajin with no problem. Gotenks can go SS3 just because. Son Gohan's Ultimate form has nothing to do with Super Saiyajin, and isn't really even visually distinct as a "transformation" (sometimes the bang over his eyes stays over the left eye in Ultimate, whereas it was mostly over the right in Base).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 29, 2011And so the Dragon Ball epic comes to the end. It was brilliant really. To be able to keep such a simple plot of guy fights, guy loses, guy get's stronger, guy fights, going for thousands of pages and always keep it interesting, it's quite the achievement. I'm glad I read it. The ending was a bit abrupt, but still works well enough and doesn't feel out of place.
The one complaint though is still that these volumes are horrible to a degree since they don't contain complete stories so it's impossible to pick one up and enjoy it. you have to commit to the whole thing.
The one complaint though is still that these volumes are horrible to a degree since they don't contain complete stories so it's impossible to pick one up and enjoy it. you have to commit to the whole thing.
June 27, 2021
The Dragon Ball series finally comes to an end in this volume.
Volume 25 begins with a new, more evil Boo, ascending to Kame's Palace and assassinating every remaining human on Earth. We get to see a nice cameo of Tenshinhan and Chaozu dodging the blast. Piccolo tries a gambit to allow Goten and Trunks to train in the Room of Spirit and Time. Boo kills Chichi. In the realm of the Grand Kai, Gohan has his true potential drawn out of him once again by the older Kai. That parody of Dragon Ball's own trope is really magnificent. I can't praise Toriyama enough for being able to poke fun at his own magnum opus.
Piccolo brings Boo into the Room of Spirit and Time, where Trunks and Goten merge into Gotenks to fight Boo. They show off a series of hilariously childlike maneuvers they've perfected; for all their power, they are still just children. And when they pretend to Piccolo that they are out of energy, he destroys the entrance, trapping them in the Time dimension...until Boo yells so loudly to escape. Piccolo and Gotenks are able to follow afterward to find their friends dead. Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks is far more powerful than Boo, but he still toys with his prey too much, leading to him losing his fusion. Meanwhile, the Lord of Lords has finished Gohan's powerup, but doesn't tell him until 5 minutes later, because it's more dramatic this way. It's hilarious.
Kibito takes Gohan to Earth and gives him his father's Gi. Gohan immediately beats on Boo, until Boo makes an escape, only to return and taunt the kids into once again becoming Super Gotenks. He then absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo, becoming too much for Gohan to handle. Knowing Gohan must fail, the older Lord of Lords gives Goku his life, and Lord Enma independently brings Vegeta back to life. Dende heals Gohan, causing Boo to target him, only for Tenshinhan to make a dramatic, cape-blowing entrance to save Dende from certain doom. Man, he's so badass. The elder Lord of Lords reveals the secrets of Potara earrings, and Goku heads to Earth. He is about to combine with Gohan, but when Gotenks' fsion runs out inside of Boo, Boo absorbs Gohan instead.
Volume 26 is the big finale. And the fans finally get what they want, as Vegeta arrives to Earth just in time for Goku to beg him to fuse. Vegeta tries to refuse, but gives in, and they form Vegerot, by far the strongest being in the universe, and far more powerful than Boo. Boo turns him into candy, and the candy is still stronger than Boo. Vegerot lets himself be absorbed, but puts up a force field to get inside Boo somehow. They split, and rescue Piccolo and the kids. Vegeta tears out a fat Boo that had been absorbed, causing another transformation as our heroes escape. Thus the evil Boo returns, destroying Earth, with only Goku, Vegeta, Dende, and Hercule escaping to the Lord of Lords' realm. Hercule believes he is dreaming, and his character quickly devolves into caricature. I love the stylistic transformation, as his head becomes out of proportion with his body.
Boo follows them to the Lords' realm, and Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 to defeat him. They are evenly matched, and as they fight, Vegeta waxes poetic on why Goku is stronger, because he fights to better himself and is kind. It's cute. Goku can't beat Boo, and needs to build up his chi, so Vegeta jumps in to get his ass kicked. Hercule intervenes, causing Fat Boo to come out of Boo's mouth. Fat Boo fights regular Boo to protect his friend Hercule. But a kind Boo is no match for an evil Boo.
Vegeta concocts a plan and has the Lord of Lords go to Namek to resurrect Earth and its people. Vegeta has Goku prepare a Genki-Dama,, and asks the people of Earth to lift their arms and give Goku their chi. Of course, the obstinate people of Earth refuse Goku and Vegeta's pleas, until Hercule chimes in and asks for help. Dummies. We do get cameos from characters we haven't seen in years; Upa and his father, Android 17, the people of villages Goku visited as a child, all grown up now. It's sweet. With Hercule's request, the people of Earth give Goku their power, and Hercule moves Vegeta out of the line of fire. Goku isn't strong enough to wield it until they wish for his energy back, which allows him to turn Super Saiyan and defeat Boo.
Then, the happy ending. People are healed. They even heal the Fat Boo who is Hercule's friend, over Vegeta's protestations. Everyone is happy. And then there's an epilogue ten years later, at another tournament, and we get to see our characters again. Gohan is finally the scholar he always wanted to be, with a daughter named Pan. Goten and Trunks are teenagers. Bulma and Chichi are starting to get old, but Goku and Vegeta don't seem to age. They go to the tournament, where Goku just wants to face Oob, the reincarnation of Boo. They briefly spar, and then Goku goes to train Oob in his village, just like that, on a whim. He can be so frustrating.
The epilogue is cute, and it's nice to see a happy ending. It's quite a series, overall, and although it has its low points, these characters all feel real, and show consistent growth over the course of the storyline. That's what people love the most, I think, are the characters and their depth.
Volume 25 begins with a new, more evil Boo, ascending to Kame's Palace and assassinating every remaining human on Earth. We get to see a nice cameo of Tenshinhan and Chaozu dodging the blast. Piccolo tries a gambit to allow Goten and Trunks to train in the Room of Spirit and Time. Boo kills Chichi. In the realm of the Grand Kai, Gohan has his true potential drawn out of him once again by the older Kai. That parody of Dragon Ball's own trope is really magnificent. I can't praise Toriyama enough for being able to poke fun at his own magnum opus.
Piccolo brings Boo into the Room of Spirit and Time, where Trunks and Goten merge into Gotenks to fight Boo. They show off a series of hilariously childlike maneuvers they've perfected; for all their power, they are still just children. And when they pretend to Piccolo that they are out of energy, he destroys the entrance, trapping them in the Time dimension...until Boo yells so loudly to escape. Piccolo and Gotenks are able to follow afterward to find their friends dead. Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks is far more powerful than Boo, but he still toys with his prey too much, leading to him losing his fusion. Meanwhile, the Lord of Lords has finished Gohan's powerup, but doesn't tell him until 5 minutes later, because it's more dramatic this way. It's hilarious.
Kibito takes Gohan to Earth and gives him his father's Gi. Gohan immediately beats on Boo, until Boo makes an escape, only to return and taunt the kids into once again becoming Super Gotenks. He then absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo, becoming too much for Gohan to handle. Knowing Gohan must fail, the older Lord of Lords gives Goku his life, and Lord Enma independently brings Vegeta back to life. Dende heals Gohan, causing Boo to target him, only for Tenshinhan to make a dramatic, cape-blowing entrance to save Dende from certain doom. Man, he's so badass. The elder Lord of Lords reveals the secrets of Potara earrings, and Goku heads to Earth. He is about to combine with Gohan, but when Gotenks' fsion runs out inside of Boo, Boo absorbs Gohan instead.
Volume 26 is the big finale. And the fans finally get what they want, as Vegeta arrives to Earth just in time for Goku to beg him to fuse. Vegeta tries to refuse, but gives in, and they form Vegerot, by far the strongest being in the universe, and far more powerful than Boo. Boo turns him into candy, and the candy is still stronger than Boo. Vegerot lets himself be absorbed, but puts up a force field to get inside Boo somehow. They split, and rescue Piccolo and the kids. Vegeta tears out a fat Boo that had been absorbed, causing another transformation as our heroes escape. Thus the evil Boo returns, destroying Earth, with only Goku, Vegeta, Dende, and Hercule escaping to the Lord of Lords' realm. Hercule believes he is dreaming, and his character quickly devolves into caricature. I love the stylistic transformation, as his head becomes out of proportion with his body.
Boo follows them to the Lords' realm, and Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 to defeat him. They are evenly matched, and as they fight, Vegeta waxes poetic on why Goku is stronger, because he fights to better himself and is kind. It's cute. Goku can't beat Boo, and needs to build up his chi, so Vegeta jumps in to get his ass kicked. Hercule intervenes, causing Fat Boo to come out of Boo's mouth. Fat Boo fights regular Boo to protect his friend Hercule. But a kind Boo is no match for an evil Boo.
Vegeta concocts a plan and has the Lord of Lords go to Namek to resurrect Earth and its people. Vegeta has Goku prepare a Genki-Dama,, and asks the people of Earth to lift their arms and give Goku their chi. Of course, the obstinate people of Earth refuse Goku and Vegeta's pleas, until Hercule chimes in and asks for help. Dummies. We do get cameos from characters we haven't seen in years; Upa and his father, Android 17, the people of villages Goku visited as a child, all grown up now. It's sweet. With Hercule's request, the people of Earth give Goku their power, and Hercule moves Vegeta out of the line of fire. Goku isn't strong enough to wield it until they wish for his energy back, which allows him to turn Super Saiyan and defeat Boo.
Then, the happy ending. People are healed. They even heal the Fat Boo who is Hercule's friend, over Vegeta's protestations. Everyone is happy. And then there's an epilogue ten years later, at another tournament, and we get to see our characters again. Gohan is finally the scholar he always wanted to be, with a daughter named Pan. Goten and Trunks are teenagers. Bulma and Chichi are starting to get old, but Goku and Vegeta don't seem to age. They go to the tournament, where Goku just wants to face Oob, the reincarnation of Boo. They briefly spar, and then Goku goes to train Oob in his village, just like that, on a whim. He can be so frustrating.
The epilogue is cute, and it's nice to see a happy ending. It's quite a series, overall, and although it has its low points, these characters all feel real, and show consistent growth over the course of the storyline. That's what people love the most, I think, are the characters and their depth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 31, 2021
100000/5, loved this entire series it was so cool.
September 27, 2020
Although the story was getting repetitive, I was sad to see that it was over. Great ending to a great series filled with so many characters.
March 5, 2024
Quite possibly one of the greatest comics ever made.
October 7, 2024
What an epic journey! I loved every minute of it. Like I’ve said before dragon ball and dragon ball z were huge influences on my childhood! I dressed up as goku for Halloween in 3rd grade. Had to make the costume since none were commercially available at the time. Or at least that I could find. That being said, I’m a little biased but what a pleasure it was finally reading this epic manga from beginning to end!
August 10, 2025
After a 2+ year journey, I’m finally done reading the original run of Dragon Ball. While I know this story from front to back, I still found myself getting emotional as I got near the end. This was my first ever manga read, and I’m just happy to experience one of my all-time favorite series in its purest form for the first time. Rest in peace, Toriyama-sensei, and thank you!
Onto Dragon Ball Super, I suppose.
Onto Dragon Ball Super, I suppose.
March 17, 2024
Started reading around March 9th, having already watched the anime. Regardless, it's still great. Peak fiction, really. One can really see where certain mangakas found inspiration from throughout the volumes. It was definitely worth the buy.
July 24, 2025
Well that about does it for dragon ball and dbz. I’ll read super of course in the future as well. This story and whole series was great and honestly I got sad near the end because it was wrapping up. Good times, great times, it was amazing to read them all for the first time!
5/5
5/5
January 28, 2019
just like the movies great
September 14, 2023
An epic end to the series. Pretty much the entire volume except for the epilogue is one continuous fight between the heroes and Boo. I'm curious where Dragon Ball Super is going to take the series.
May 27, 2024
Happiness in a big-format, satisfyingly well-edited package. I returned to childhood and even stayed there for a while. Thank you, Master Toriyama, you will be sorely missed.
August 2, 2024
W book
April 15, 2024
So used to fights taking months to finish in the anime, this book flew by! Cant believe kid buu was really only in one volume, that's crazy. I wish it was dragged out more like the anime 🤣
July 27, 2020
this is by far, my favorite fucking childhood read. i was never a manga gal, but dragon ball is something else. dragon ball is my shit. there is so much to this story that takes my mind away from this world and whenever i’m reading a dragon ball book, i’m always somewhere else in this world. i’ve been reading this for years, i was never bored. it always entertained me, and when i finally finished all the books in the main story, i started crying, because i love this story so much, it will forever hold a place in my heart. i’m so in love with the characters, even the villains, even vegeta. the family dynamic is beautiful, the jokes crack me up like no other, and even though i’m nineteen, this book makes me feel like a five year old, hiding under the duvet and forgetting that a world outside existed. there are moments in these books where i couldn’t help myself but start screaming at the four walls of my bedroom because so much shit happens so quickly and i love all of it. every single chapter, every single person. always in my heart.
August 13, 2014
A Dan Bern lyric comes to mind: The day Elvis died was like a mercy killing / America breathed a sigh of relief / We knew all about the drugs and the Vegas shows / And there wasn't much of anything that looked like grief.
The author writes "My editors have agreed to let me end this manga so I can take some new steps in life." Let me? As is let me out of a contract?
The author writes "My editors have agreed to let me end this manga so I can take some new steps in life." Let me? As is let me out of a contract?
December 10, 2013
The end of dragon ball! The story starts getting wacky and loose as the art starts to suffer. Not nearly as great as the stuff that came before it. It is a nice ending, sealing everything up and giving us a nice recap of all the characters we met.
Read
January 7, 2011ilove this book its just like the cartoon when majin buu turns people into chocalate (wish i could do that)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2011
If you like anime or manga this is a must read for you! gripping till the very end. Lots of action and suspense.
(MANGAS ARE READ BACKWARDS! not the words just the pages!!)
(MANGAS ARE READ BACKWARDS! not the words just the pages!!)
September 22, 2012
Fantastic, Terrific, Brilliant!
January 10, 2013
Simply AAWWEESOME! Although you wouldn't know that by my review though
April 6, 2015
I loved the book and I wish that the author continued the series but all good things must come to an end
May 26, 2015
i love dragon ball z
January 14, 2016
such a great book. one of my favorite manga's. I am sad that it had to end but it ended in such a great way. highly recommend this book.
Want to read
February 16, 2016I want read it now plz
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews