<P> Dragon Ball ( Japanese : ドラゴンボール , Hepburn : Doragon Bōru ) is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984 . The initial manga , written and illustrated by Toriyama , was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995 , with the 519 individual chapters collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha . Dragon Ball was initially inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West . The series follows the adventures of the protagonist , Son Goku , from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven orbs known as the Dragon Balls , which summon a wish - granting dragon when gathered . Along his journey , Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains , many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls . </P>
<P> Dragon Ball ( Japanese : ドラゴンボール , Hepburn : Doragon Bōru ) is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984 . The initial manga , written and illustrated by Toriyama , was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995 , with the 519 individual chapters collected into 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha . Dragon Ball was initially inspired by the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West . The series follows the adventures of the protagonist , Son Goku , from his childhood through adulthood as he trains in martial arts and explores the world in search of the seven orbs known as the Dragon Balls , which summon a wish - granting dragon when gathered . Along his journey , Goku makes several friends and battles a wide variety of villains , many of whom also seek the Dragon Balls . </P>
when did the original dragon ball come out
when did the original dragon ball come out
1984
1984